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FEEDING THE mACHINeS
PROJECTION LIGHTS & STAGING NEWS
No Shirt, No Shoes?
By BradSchiller
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No Way!
Imagine this: I was working on a stadium
concert for a big rock band in an indoor
stadium. We had a well known LD and were
just about to start the first rehearsal with the
band. Our front of house technician came
walking out to the consoles wearing only his
shorts. With no shirt and no shoes he paraded
across the floor and right up to the LD. Then
he took his seat and waited for the rehearsal to
start. I am sure you can guess the LD’s reaction;
no one was surprised when the FOH tech was
replaced just a few days into the tour.
Presentation is Key
FTM
When you’re working on any production,
it is important to understand what is expected
of you. Sometimes this means dressing a
certain way and other times it means turning
off your cell phone at certain times. A professional
lighting programmer should always
present him or herself in the best manner
possible. While this may seem obvious, I am
afraid that to some people it is not. Unfortunately
many programmers let their position
of “control” go to their heads and they forget
about how they are presenting themselves to
the audience, client, LD, producer and others.
The Dress Code
FTM
I have worked on many different types
of productions from heavy metal concerts
to church events and I have learned that the
dress code varies. Some corporate events
may ask you to wear certain clothing if you
will be operating the console and mingling
with the audience. Other formal events may
even require a suit or tuxedo. Of course when
you are working a rock concert you can pretty
much wear whatever you want (as long as it
includes a shirt and shoes), but I do not suggest
wearing a “Shout at the Devil” Mötley
Crüe shirt when you’re programming the
church’s Easter pageant.
Earlier this year I was working a large corporate
event. I asked the client ahead of time
if there were any dress requirements and I
was told there weren’t. Even so, I made the
choice on the show days to wear slacks and
a nice button down shirt. Although I was not
required to dress up, I felt it was important
to match the attire of most of the attendees.
Since I would be walking through the audience
and standing where many of them could
see me, I did not feel it would have been appropriate
to wear shorts and a T-shirt.
When a client does ask you to dress up
even more than normal, you need to consider
the cost as well as any problems that could
occur. For instance, I was on a show where
they were going to have all the crew wear tuxedos
during the performance. The producers
were going to rent tuxedos for all of us until
they decided to save the money and asked us
to wear standard “blacks.” (“Blacks” are black
clothing with no print.) When dressing up for
an event you need to consider if the clothing
will interfere with your job. For example
a necktie will usually get in the way of console
operations and cufflinks may interfere
with button pressing. In these situations you
should explain to the client your reasoning
for not fully complying with their request.
Creative Clothing
FTM
Dave Rat is the audio FOH mixer for the
Red Hot Chili Peppers and on a recent tour he
came up with a cool idea. He decided to sell
the back of his shirt during a concert! He is
standing in the middle of the crowd for every
show and figured that everyone behind
him can see his shirt. So he created a page
on EBay and sold the rights to the back of his
shirt for one night. The winner could choose
the message (certain wordings were banned),
but they would still have to buy a ticket to the
concert to see the shirt in person. I don’t suggest
following
his plan
unless you get
permission from the band or
producers first. In a fun twist, I
have seen many creative shirts
with sayings like The Top 10 Answers
to LD FAQs that you can
find on the PLSN Web site.
Avoid Distractions
FTM
In addition to being considerate
with your attire, you
should also always pay attention
to non-lighting distractions.
Most LDs will tell
the programmer what to
program and then go back
to working on the plot for
his next gig while the programmer
is busy creating
the look. This is acceptable
for an LD, but a programmer
should not spend
spare time at a console
working on another gig.
I have heard stories of programmers who
made an LD wait while he finished a phone
call with a client for another show. Cell
phones, e-mails, Blackberries, video games
and the like should not interfere with your
programming tasks. You are being paid for
Top 10 Answers to LD FAQs
10. No, I cannot get anything signed for you.
9. Yes, I do know what all the knobs and buttons do
(And yes, it took a long time to learn).
8. No, I don’t know where the next show is
(I’m not sure where I am right now).
7. Yes, the “No Drinks” signs actually do apply to you!
6. Yes, I travel with the band and talk to them every day.
(Whether I want to or not).
5. No, I’m not going to tell the band you’re here.
(You know them, you call them).
4. No, I don’t know where your seat is.
3. No, I don’t know exactly how many watts we’re using.
(We have more important @$!& to figure out).
2. No, we don’t do birthdays, anniversaries or dedications.
(After all, this isn’t a Bar Mitzvah!).
1. Why would I want to take you backstage?
the gig you are on, so you should give it
your full attention.
But It’s Really Boring!
FTM
When you’re running the lights on the
third day of a corporate event, listening to
doctors drone on about the latest medications
might make you want to play a DVD
on your laptop or surf the Internet and
read PLSN’s breaking news. But you need
to consider whether the distractions will
cause you to miss a cue and consider who is
watching you. If your FOH riser is backed up
against the wall and no one can see, then
surfing the Internet might be okay (check
with your client first). However if you have
audience members surrounding you, then
it might be best to turn off the Simpson’s
DVD and look interested in the production.
Plus, if you happen to miss an important
cue because you were not paying attention,
then you will likely have lots of time to surf
the Internet at home because you will not
be working much longer.
Common Sense Pays Off
FTM
Hopefully this is common sense for most
of you. If it has given you new ideas then I am
pleased to have helped. The important thing
to remember is to act and dress as you would
expect an employee of yours to do. Showing
respect for your environment, audience,
clients and LD are of the utmost importance
when working as an automated lighting programmer.
And remember, there is always
something magical that happens when you
allow your own light to shine.
Brad Schiller can be reached at brads@plsn.com.
62 PLSN September 2008