Technical Direction Tidbits

Physics Games / Aps

2011-12-30T18:28:00.000-06:00

A long time ago I posted about physics related games. As I have been loading up my IPod with games (I don't really use it for music, but got it just before teh I-Pads really came out with a splash), I, of course, have been playing a variety of physics based games. App Advice has a good lists of games to try out. I have played some - and some I have played on their computer based counterparts - so I will be looking forward to trying out more of these.

Also, I would add Cut the Rope to the list as well as Tiny Wings (my current additiction). While I guess you could argue that tiny wings isn't really the same, you have to time the speed height, etc of the bird just right to gain the highest score &/or meet the objectives, making it close enough for me.

Scrim Effects

2011-12-23T22:01:00.000-06:00

I just came across this video. Pretty amazing what a series of scrims can do. Take a look, its worth viewing & thinking about new ways that we could use traditional materials.

Prop Source

2011-12-01T06:46:00.002-06:00

I came across Dino Rentos Studios while looking for props for a recent event. (Somehow you always find things you aren't looking for when you don't need them, and have problems finding the item you really do need. The item of need at the moment had been handheld confetti cannons, which seemed very common until needed more immediately). At any rate, this shop had a couple props I hadn't seen before (fake cinder blocks for instance) and thought it was a good addition to the list of potencial sources for the future.

J Molding & Screed Channel

2011-11-19T19:53:00.001-06:00

For a current interior project we are using J Moldings to finish off the bottom edge of teh wall. approximately every 1' we are also installing an aluminum screed channel, giving a nice effect to the wall. There is also a wide variety of channels, inclucding v-grooved channels, curves and other hardware for finishing off all of the assorted angles and cuts necessary for installation.
It always seems that one of teh age old problems with scenery in any form is how to deal with seams. These channel options allow the edges to be designed in to the overall look.

Museum Audio

2011-11-02T15:33:00.002-05:00

Alcorn McBride has a brief how to on a way to set up audio and lighting activated by a switch for exhibitry.

Perhaps impractical, it makes me wonder if you could use this to mimic scenes and lighting in models.

For what I am currently working on, I am pricing the "telephone" audio playback that so many museums employ - where to hear specific audio content, a guest picks up the phone and listens to the audio file.

Museum Tools is probably the way that I will proceed, and I will use the handset as a contact closure.

New Arrival

2011-09-23T16:46:00.003-05:00

This is my current project.
Kalynn Mackenzie
9.9.11 at 12:21 AM

Wood Balls

2011-08-30T18:16:00.000-05:00

Seems like I am often in search of teh most random things. Todays quest - 3" wooden balls. Premier Wood Products has them up to 18" in diameter. Don't expect it to come cheap that large though - the cheapest (pine poplar or mapple is $683, and other woods can run up to & over a thousand. They have other items - appliques and overlays, corbels and brackets and columns and pilasters among others.

Casey's Wood Products also has a wide varity of items, but they tend more towards game pieces, starts and craft cutouts than architectural details.

Woodworks, ltd. has a wide variety of wooden shapes & also sells wooden kitchen utensils.

Bear Woods has turnings, including balls, as well as clock parts and other craft items.

Craft America has a crazy assortment of wooden items acrylic items, as well as much more. It's an odd collection of craft stuff.

Fabric, Webbing & Fasteners

2011-08-22T21:36:00.000-05:00

Looking through the current issue of Specialty Fabrics Magazine, there were a couple vendors that carried equipment that could be put to use theatrically. The first, Cole Tech carries an assortment of Marine rigging hardware, mostly rings, webbing adjusters, and hooks. While they don't have alot of a selection, I think that it would be an interesting or helpful practice to use triangle "rings" instead of normal "D" rings. This is one of the good points of the "delta" hangers that Mutual hardware sells.

The second, Lowy, carries webbing, a variety of fasteners, hot cutters, and robes, including bungee cord.

Status of the TD in colleges

2011-08-15T18:12:00.000-05:00

I ran across a set of articles today by David R. Batcheller. The first, published in the Quarterly Journal of Speech in December of 1962 was called “The Status of the Technical Director in American Educational Theatre: A Survey”. The second was a follow up article, published in Educational Theatre Journal, Vol 25, No 4 (Dec. 1973), was called “The Status of the Designer / TD in American Educational Theatre, 1961-1971.
From the first article, my first, immediate, reaction was curiosity that the title of technical director was offered up as the second position hired after the position of Director, and that most of these people were not only responsible for the execution of all technical elements, but also for their design. My previous research indicates that the person after the director is usually the designer (after the “director” position was established).
Perhaps the other interesting takeaway is that not much has changed over the years. Production space, help, and the arrangement between teaching versus production work are all still issues. Getting tenure is still an issue – in the 1962 article Batcheller says “The nature of the technicians’ work frequently is misunderstood”. And that “No policy on rank and advancement for technicians has been generally adopted.”
Another notable thing was that in the second article showed that over the course of the decade there was a rise the occurrence of doctorate degrees in the Technical Director position. Previously there was a mix of M. A. and M. F. A. degrees only. As a M. F. A. is “terminal” degree in theatre technology and design, a doctorate is unnecessary and even unavailable unless you switch fields. Achieving tenure should not be an issue with an M. F. A., and certainly would qualify you for a teaching position. It makes me wonder what these Doctorate degrees were in and the purpose behind them – an attempt at tenure? Or someone taking a technical job as a way to get their foot into the program at large.
I make the last statement because even 50 years ago, the position of the Technical Director was viewed as a “young man’s job”, and most of these positions were transitory. Where these young men went afterwards, I don’t know, but there are still many many colleges out there where the TD tends to only stay a few years, teach only stagecraft (if that) and are more of a “staff” position than a full faculty member.
At any rate, it is fascinating to see a viewpoint on Technical Direction from 50 years ago.

Superior Studio Specialties

2011-08-11T22:45:00.000-05:00

Speaking of resources, Superior Studio Specialties is one to keep in your back pocket. From Giant Christmas bulbs, to LED lighting, Spaghetti lights (faux neon?, Bamboo, thatch, palm trees & cactus, Fake birds (including several that would be good Into the Woods options, as well as a variety of other props. They aren't the cheapest place out there, but they have a unique variety of stuff.

Acyrlic Spheres

2011-08-01T05:44:00.000-05:00

On a number of occasions I have needed to research plastic spheres / globes - either fully round or just half, and upon needed to find yet another, I have realized that I have never included any of that information here.

So...

If your looking for small balls 1/4" to 3" in diameter you can check out tap plastics.

Rosebrand has clear plastic ones, with a large seam, from 4" - 36". They are pretty reasonably priced, if you can deal with the seam.

For a variety of options you can try Plastic Balls. they have a wide range of materials, but tend to be small.

For some custom manufactured globes, try California Quality Plastics. While I am looking for a frosted globe, this is my current best option as I need a 18" globe.

Barnard Ltd. also has large spheres and their pricing is good. This place has a varity of theme decor that is not available at Rosebrand, so it's worth a peek. The artifical drinks and food could be especially useful for props.

Complast.com has a variety of sizes w/ seams and without.

JMK Displays offers small balls and cubes, but also offers acyrlic scrap priced by the pound. This would have been fun while in Grad school, to have ordered a couple pounds and experiment with engraving & lighting, frosting, sanding, gluing and so forth since there are tonsof techniques out there, and they give a variety of effects.

Delvies Plastics has small balls and cubes in qty that are polished.

Snaptoggles

2011-07-19T06:17:00.001-05:00

The other day I was tinkering with a Snaptoggle in the shop. Made by Toggler, this is a beefy version of the common drywall toggle hardware. While this version of hardware has never been my perferred type, these are specified to hold well over 300 pounds in 5/8" drywall, making them a nice option for hanging TV's or other heavy object in your wall when you can't tie directly into the studs.

Flex Chrome

2011-06-22T18:25:00.001-05:00

While looking for some options for flexible chrome trim I ran across this
site. Flex Chrom is geared towards customizing hot-rods. I ordered the sample kit and was pleased by the selection. There is a wide variety - and all pieces adhere via VHB tape. Many profiles also bend in multiple ways, which can be tricky with molding.

Outwater also has some flexible metallic t-moldings, which are nice because you have a better anchor.

Commodity Items

2011-06-05T13:26:00.000-05:00

The last lecture of my PM class (it went fast, and there are items I am still absorbing, so I am sure I will post more, but I do wish the class was more thorough – but I suppose there is much more to project management that you can gain from 10 weeks) discussed a variety of contracts / contract management. Of course while discussing this and the procurement process, awarding work based on the lowest bid came up. In the lecture – it was stated that this really only works best if it is a commodity. But I think that is a little too basic.
This would work if you were requesting bids, for example, on Dutchboy paint, Duraclean, Satin, Color “X”, 1 gallon. It is a specific product, with specific qualifications – and at that point the lowest price would be fine. But you can’t just say buy the cheapest paint you can find in “X” color. Obviously there are many cost differences – sheen, quality, binder, warranty. Sheen price differences occur even within the same brand. And the $9 a gallon paint just isn’t as nice as the more expensive stuff. It doesn’t cover as well, it doesn’t “flow” the same, its more chalky, it doesn’t clean as easy…. And if paint isn’t a commodity…..
There are thousands of examples – Dove Chocolate verses a Hershey bar. White Castle burgers versus epic burger or Max and Ermas. Papa John’s pizza versus my favorite pizza from Waldos in Kansas City, Mo, in which every time I make the 8 hour drive back to KC is the first place I visit. Freud may have said sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, but he obviously wasn’t purchasing one.
Plus, none of my above comments really deal with anything except for the product. Service for example is hard to quantify. It’s hard for a company to sell, it’s hard to “see”, and its something that you don’t want to pay for except for when you need it. For instance, the last time I bought tires for my car I went to a cheap place. Ever since then I have gotten crappy service – and when I replace my tires this time around I will probably go someplace that has better service.
Where I work now as a project manager, this discussion is relevant to me because my price for a “product” (a set, exhibit, etc) can’t really be compared based on price alone. The specifications are never thorough enough to look at my companies price, and another shops price and assume that both are not only apples, but granny smith apples from Michigan, picked at the best time of the year, shipped carefully, and free of pesticides.
From the theatre side, there are two different viewpoints. Some TD’s are purchasing their scenery (opera, ballet, broadway etc), and thus need to understand what goes into the bid & the qualifications to be able to evaluate the bids. The more specific the request is the better. But even for the average shop guy, its worth remembering that sometimes things are cheap for a reason – and sometimes that is okay, and sometimes it’s not.

Design and Performance Specifications

2011-06-04T14:19:00.000-05:00

One of my PM class lectures discussed design specifications and that the buyer assumes the risk because they have specified the equipment. On the other side, if the buyer defines the performance desired, the contractor assumes more risk. An IT example was given where all of the IT parts were specified, but perhaps the system as a whole didn’t work well because of unforeseen conflicts.
I mostly receive a combination of the two when I need to provide pricing. The client may provide a variety of design specifications (almost always in terms of how something should look, unless we are doing the design, and sometimes with actual pieces of equipment), but also include the performance expectations. Awareness of performance expectations is inescapable since we are often providing labor to make an event happen or to install a working exhibit.
Almost always in most RFP or RFQ’s is a statement somewhere that despite any owner suggested products, it is the shop that is responsible for fully meeting performance expectations.
First, this can be tricky, because sometimes it isn’t evident that something that was owner specified won’t work until significantly into the process. At that point, a lot of various resources have been consumed. Many times when this happened it was a project that has a decent portion of R&D. When I worked on the Sunlight part of the Science Storms at the Museum of Science and Industry, the owner specified a specific light fixture hung in the ceiling to focus on solar panels on the main floor. In the advent that the day was cloudy, these lights would turn on, allowing the solar panels to operate and allow slot cars to race along a track. The exhibit had a variety of performance and design characteristics, and a lot of R&D to determine what would work. Since the area where the solar panels fit where part of the design, this wasn’t easily changeable. While the sun easily powered the cars through the solar panels, the lights at 70’ (ceiling to panels) would not. This led to the eventual repositioning of the lighting instruments on the lower part of the exhibit. This required a compromise between us as the fabricator and the museum, and was based on the fact that despite best intentions of how something could work, this was what it took to make the exhibit function as required. While we did get an eventual compromise, getting to this point was a costly endeavor.
The above example was a learning experience for both my company (and myself), and for the museum. However, sometimes we see projects come in where the design specs and the performance specs do not integrate. I think these can be the most challenging to bid. You can’t ignore your knowledge, but if you price the project based on what you know will need to be done to make it function – the price may likely be much higher. Perhaps the simple option is to not bid. The other option is to care with the client the issues – but here the risk is that you are potentially sharing proprietary knowledge. I have seen a number of cases where we come in with a technique that is proprietary, only to see the client share that information with other bidders to gain a price advantage.
Finally, while we have taken on projects were we have offered the client what they asked for – and given them a product that was what they purchased, in the long run, no one exited the project happy. We didn’t make a product we could feel proud about, the client paid (what they felt was) a lot of money for an end product that met design specs, but not performance spec. Inevitably the client wants us in the end to take care of the poor performance because it has to be our fault – it couldn’t possibly be their design. Sometimes we can do a change order, and at least minimize losses, but that will still make the client unhappy.
Thoughts about how to manage the conflict between these two types of specifications or how you have dealt with it in the past?

Mathmatical Decision Making

2011-05-31T17:41:00.001-05:00

It may or may not be clear in my "blogger identity" that I am / can be a compulsive planner. This could / can be a negative - but can also be a positive, considering that planning part of my responsibility. i am also very interested in problem solving, and the techniques/process involved in solving problems.

Thus, it was interesting when an article called
Weighted Averages Method of Problem Solving came up in my project management class. I have used alot of techniques, but not this one. When planning vacations / expenses / budgets / shows, I often use hard numbers. Some problems warrant using the first, best option, then a re-evaluation as the problem evolves. Obviously problem solving is different in the planning stage than the doing stage.

But when planning, and using hard numbers - I have often been faced with a scenario where the numbers don't really tell the whole story. For instance, when going to USITT how important is it to stay at the conference hotel, versus another hotel in walking distance. A hotel in driving difference? That means weighing driving versus flying (I've looked at buses and trains, but they never seem to be good options for me). If you fly - and want to drive- then there is a rental car involved. How does that weigh in? All of these variables have costs which I can determine fairly accurately (I know the price difference in hotels, an estimate of gas & mileage, airfare, etc). What can't be calculated is the gut feeling or importance of where you stay. Staying further away adds a commute. perhaps having no transportation in a city w/o a good public transportation system will suck. Perhaps you have friends to visit, or want to see other things. Perhaps you want to entertain in your room or hotel. Perhaps there are evening events. There are situational issues to be considered above and beyond the mere cost.

In a production, a price point might point you in one direction of fabrication, but perhaps another alternative has better benefits that aren't financially apparent - perhaps it is more "green" or recyclable, or able to be reused in future productions.

While using weighted averages seems an obvious way of sorting this all out, I had never thought about it before. The article above gives a good introduction and explains how to use the process.

The second article,kepner tregoe Decision making offers a fuller approach to problem solving and also used weighted averages, and is worth the read also.

Finally, at the other end of the spectrum is the 70% Rule:

This Rule states that if you have 70% of the data and have completed 70% of the analysis and if 70% of your gut feeling or instinct is in agreement with the first two, then go ahead and make your decision. In other words, you have a greater likelihood of making the best decision by using the 70% Rule than you would have had, if you had not used the 70% Rule.

While this is used in a military context, when lives can be at stake, and what we do is rarely life critical, we will often operate in situations where we don't have all of the necessary information, and must make a decision and move forward before it is possible to completely analyze every scenario.

Budget Conversations

2011-05-16T21:27:00.003-05:00

In my PM class, one of my classmates shared a link about How to Finesse Budget Discussions. While as a TD in a theatrical situation, some of these options don't fit, the situation is still ripe for a scope to creep beyond the budget (time or materials) allotted for the show. It happens with the best of intentions - we all want the show to be a success. The range of options and the sampling I think could be effect techniques for theatre.

By giving options you can show how increasing the level of detail increases costs. However, we still have to be careful - a current production I am working on includes a caboose (a whole train really) - the caboose has vertical stripes. (the bigger story is that I interpreted the striped as engraved groove & my coworker thought they were dimensional (proud) trim - two different scenarios). It was offered that these could be painted instead of dimensional. If they were proud dimensional trim strips, you would save material costs by eliminating the trim. If they were grooved you would save time making the grooves. My vote is for grooves though - the cnc router can cut the panels to size and groove the plywood in 15 minutes. If they were painted only the painter would have to measure everything out and mask off the surrounding areas & ultimately spend more time than simply following the groove with the brush. Even the difference in proud trim versus paint is a marginal trade-off to me. If the lines weren't regular, or weren't prefect allowing the use of a paint stick. This leads into sampling - item A perhaps is a straight edge with brush stroke, item B is a groove and paint, and item C is an applied piece of painted trim. Each one of these would have different cost implication, especially once extrapolated into a square foot cost over a large area.

Pert Time Calculations

2011-05-05T18:49:00.001-05:00

Pert Charts are one of the tools PM's or TD's can use to track projects. While usually used for large and complex projects (For instance Disney could use this system while designing a new ride through implementation and final opening). Pert charts (as does critical path charts) focus on time, not cost as a project driver. Once all activities are entered, with time durations, and predecessors or successors, you can easily see the length of the project by seeing the critical path through the activities.
The critical path will be the path through the path that is the longest duration. There may be a variety of projects that need to be complete prior to project close, but sometimes they do not directly affect project length. There is a lot of information amount PERT charts, CRM, Gantt charts and network diagramming on the web, all of it much more thoroughly written then this so I would encourage you to do additional research.
When doing a PERT, Optimistic time (the minimum time needed) Pessimistic time (Worst case scenario) and Most likely time (best guess) is estimated for each task. What I just learned was how that gets translated into the Expected time duration:
Expected time=(Optimistic Time +4 X Most Likely Time + Pessimistic Time) / 6
Thus, the weighted average of the times creates a realistic duration. Since I usually do all of my estimating in excel workbooks, setting up these PERT calculations would be fairly simple (though perhaps tedious) to implement. It would be an interesting exercise to see if this ultimately leads to an increase in accuracy large enough to account for the additional estimating time.
One can argue that historical data and experience alone lead to better estimates, and to a certain extent that is true, but there are many variables that can affect the actual duration of any task.
Where I currently work we base our hours estimate on skilled labor doing the work. In many cases it is skilled labor that does the work, and the estimates can be fairly accurate. If the shop is full of work, and additional crew is hired, unskilled work (or lower skilled workers) may be put on the job, but their labor rate is also lower – so while the hours calculation will be wrong, the assumption is that the total amount being billed for the hours would work out due to the differences in labor rates. Sometimes this is true, and sometimes it is not. Historically we used to estimate based on who was slated to be assigned to the work. This lead to specific estimates based on the jobs leads capabilities. These estimates could be a little more specific, but were not generalizable, and were more time consuming. And despite being more specific were not any more accurate in the long run. Since we track the hours estimated vs. used, as well as the cost of labor estimated vs. used, it is interesting to see how these numbers can play out.

Unmanila Rope

2011-05-03T18:16:00.000-05:00

UnManila Rope is a product I am using on a current project. While it will degrade under sunlight, it was important to look like authentic nautical rope, without splintering like hemp or manilla. While I wouldn't consider this for rigging, and it great for decoration, and it comes in a variety of sizes.

Project Management Skills

2011-05-02T18:09:00.000-05:00

In many ways, the lists are similar from being a TD to being a PM. Since I am a management focused TD (as opposed to a master carpenter style TD), my views are skewed accordingly…

The largest differences I see is that dealing with clients is different (in some ways) than dealing with designers (or internal clients, as a PM text would say), and the need to write a proposal or scope of work that clearly defines what you are providing to your client and for what price.

In terms of technical skill there are some differences. I have always believed that the TD, by nature of their responsibilities and skills, is a management position, and therefore should understand all of the technical areas, needs, safety requirements, and so forth (and have the appropriate certifications), but they aren’t & shouldn’t be the best welder in the shop. You can’t spend 40 hours a week on a diversified set of job tasks and be better than someone who spends 40 hours a week welding. In project management, I feel like this is the same, but even more so – the department heads, have been doing their jobs longer than I have, and have very specific skills. I have a generalists knowledge – I have to rely on, trust, negotiate and motivate them to seek out the most efficient processes, and to innovate as needed.

Otherwise, there are the typical skills: drafting, drawing, communication (verbal, written, illustrative), problem solving, time management, stress management, budgetary, computer literacy, adaptability, flexibility and versatility.

Also, there are management skills: conflict resolution, negotiation, planning, human resources, legal issues (fair employment, sexual harassment, osha requirements, life safety codes), organization, and so forth.

Finally, there are leadership skills: being able to see details, yet see the large picture. Being able to forecast what’s coming and prepare. Manage change. Motivation of those around you. Create a culture of trust, respect, innovation, planned risk, and celebrate success. Provide an organizational structure that works, a humane place to work, meaning in the work place, and navigate office politics.

Of course the above is my opinions, and abbreviated at that. Many books are written about much of what I have stated above. What are your thoughts?

Project Management Organization Style

2011-04-29T17:32:00.000-05:00

I am occasionally asked about the differences between being a PM and being a TD. There is a large difference that I usually don’t discuss, but that it important.
In a traditional TD position, the ATD, Forman, and crew are either directly hired by the TD, or are hired with input from the TD, and report to the TD as their direct supervisor. Even in a scene shop were multiple shows are being built at the same time, the TD balances the load between the shows needs and the staff directly. It depends on the theatre if the TD also controls paints or props, etc, or if that falls to the production manager, but it is a fairly linear chain of command.

As a project manager I don’t have direct control of the shop. There is a director of production, as well as department heads in Carpentry, Metals, Paints, and electrics. When I have a project that is in process the department heads assign me a job lead, chosen based on the type of project, shop schedule, availability, and so forth. This project lead reports to me, but also reports to the Dept. Head. Technical solutions are developed with the PM, job lead, and the department head. While the crews are committed to get every project done successfully, the department heads have to balance all of the jobs on the floor, not just mine. That may mean that while I would like item A to get built on Monday, if there is a more pressing need on a different project, my crew might be pulled off to help another job.

There are multiple things to consider here that is affected by this set up. First, multiple people (PM, Dept. Heads, job leads) need to be in on decision making, and kept aware or schedule updates, changes, and other information. Secondly, you may need to negotiate to get someone on your crew, or the job lead the help they need to complete on time. This is particularly true if the ship or installation date is far in the future as the shop can sometimes focus on the next show out the door. It also affects your leadership style as you can’t micro manage the shop floor, and you have don’t necessarily have direct authority. While the PM is not “powerless”, the PM’s management style, influence and reputation makes a difference in how willing people are to work with you and to work collaboratively.

Success versus failure

2011-04-26T19:05:00.000-05:00

When I was in grad school there were often discussions about being allowed to fail. Or rather, that more is learned from trying and failing than playing it safe and succeeding. Therefore, we should be allowed to experiment and fail. But failure really wasn’t an option.
I have also heard this discussed at USITT. Those conversations were usually a bit more academic. If a teacher sees a student failing – what do they do? Let them fail? Intervene? If they intervene, at what point? Late enough that the student understands the failure, but early enough for the show to succeed? How does this vary depending on the type of failure? Failure of scenery causing safety issues is very different than a set looking ugly because the students tried a unique painted treatment that didn’t work out very well – or was a bad color scheme.
But what is success and what is failure isn’t really discussed. Is a successful set one that the designer is satisfied with? What about the audience, the designer? If all of the above have different expectations what takes precedence? Can it be a failure to the set designer, but a success to the director? Can the audience be disappointed, yet internally everyone be satisfied? Technically, beyond meeting the client, designer, director (etc.) expectations, the set should be done on time and within budget. The third parameter, quality should be met, but is often most associated with meeting designer expectations. Further there are times when a project might ask for 100%, but 80% realization is still enough to make the project a success in the eyes of the users.
Secondary results of a successful project can mean future work, references, awards. Technically it can mean accomplishing it within OSHA requirements, safety codes, and with a high efficiency or effectiveness.
With failure there are three types:
Planning failure: the difference between what was planned and what was accomplished. In some cases, the project inherently fails because the initial scope is too large.
Actual failure is the difference between what was achievable and what actually was accomplished. This type of failure occurs due to poor performance.
Lastly, perceived failure is the net sum of actual failure and planning failure. If you plan a project that is too large, then a planning failure occurs. If the performance fails on top of that, and there is an actual failure, these are added together to create the perceived failure. The differences in perceived failure can be large depending on how those variables factor out, and are important. Theoretically, increasing planning skill, eliminating or minimizing planning failure can then minimize actual failure. Risk Management can help to eliminate planning failure by helping to identify potential problems in advance and by planning alternatives.
Regardless – unless the failure are captured and considered, real learning doesn’t occur and can’t be passed on. As an industry, we continually reinvent the wheel because past learning technical concepts and methodologies are irregularly kept, and not available. Examples: I know of more blood recipes than I can count – which one is best? I know of 15 ways I can build a rock or a tree or carve and coat foam. Which is best? What does the best alternative depend on? Cost? Time? Materials? Sometime I wish at USITT someone would build 30 rocks, all different and put them on the expo floor- and after 3 days we could analyze the results. Capturing the lessons that are learned, and teaching others those lessons are fundamentally important. But it also helps to realize that these lessons are often viewed from different perspectives.
*Definitions are from Project Management by Harold Kerzner

Changes & Risks

2011-04-15T18:04:00.000-05:00

The second chapter of our PM book had a significant section change management. I thought this was interesting because I don’t really think of project managers as being change agents. In both theatre and with the projects I manage (theatre scenery, museum exhibits, TV, and tradeshows) change happens frequently. Projects pop up, go away, get reinvented, change scope, etc. all of the time. Technology changes. What we can do changes as we continue to develop skills. So, it makes sense for PM’s to consider change management as part of a skill set that is necessary to develop.
While our PM book (Harold Kerzner's Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling. 2009.) discusses the basics of change management (recognizing that change is hard because of fear of the unknown, loss and how to move change forward with enthusiasm, building comfort, finding positive opportunities and incentivizing change), my favorite book that talks about change is Hiefetz and Linsky’s Leadership on the Line. They talk a lot about change, but also about leadership dilemmas, of which I have occasionally found myself in.
The other topic in Chapter 2 (other than the history of project management which is interesting, but not relevant) that we don’t talk about in theatre management is risk management. I think that theatrically this doesn’t get thought about because in most cases the risks are low. There are automation and rigging risks, we have all certainly heard about industry accidents, but more often than not I think the most common risk in theatre is an ambitious design / construction plan that is unattainable. But these smaller risks should be considered. What happens if we can make a lift work the way the show wants it to work? What are the other options? As TD’s we solve problems, and risk is inherent in that process. Sometimes I think it is worth thinking about a little more actively instead of just proceeding full stream ahead.

Stop Gates & Check Points

2011-04-06T06:34:00.001-05:00

One section of the PM overview that I thought was interesting was the use of stop gates or checkpoints. I have a variety of thoughts about this.
First, I think instituting standard periodic progress reviews is good, and something that should be done more often. Theatrically, most of the review process happens when the show is bid, and casual reviews maybe done for production meetings, but it isn’t a formal process. With the projects I do now, the formality differs on the job, how large it is, the time span that the work occurs over, as well as other variables. But it is not a very formal process either. Perhaps the two most formal attributes would be the initial estimating process, and then the final punch list items.
I think one of the issues with checkpoints is that things often move through the shop so quickly, that the PM has difficulty keeping up. One project manager may have 3-4 (or more) jobs on the floor. The job lead assigned to each only (sometimes) has that one job to worry about. Also, the fast pace often means that a project isn’t fully developed, drafted, items ordered, etc. prior to being given to the shop floor to build. Thus logical transition points for checkpoints become blurry.
The other thing is that in many situations where I work, and in theatre, while keeping tabs on process is critical, the choice between moving forward or stopping the project isn’t realistic. Where I am at now, once we have won the bid, and accepted the award, there is no stopping the project. Monitoring progress is critical, making steps to maintain schedule / scope, and quality despite changes is important, but the point of checkpoints is to maintain those items, not to determine whether to proceed or not. Occasionally there are internal projects that could be subject to internal review and possible elimination (Should we re-engineer the kabuki system? Should we build more winches? ). But it is a critical difference to compare the two, when one process will allow a project to stop, while at other times, the only resolution is how to maintain or regain progress on a project that MUST move forward.

Finally, it is interesting that officially, the project manager working on the project can't make the decision to proceed at a formal checkpoint or stop gate. While this might make since for internal projects that need to be sanctioned by someone higher in the company, it isn't something I encounter either in theatre or in my pm situation. Progress reporting and realligning project goals to maintain schedule scope and quality is a continuing process, of which I am responsable. There are situations where I would need approval (needing additional resources or overtime) but there are no formal points in a typical project process (one the bid is accepted) that I work in where the project must be reviewed by my supervisors to proceed. I think needing to do this would be very challanging in the project environment here, mostly due to the fast pace that most jobs have through the shop.

PM Overview

2011-04-04T05:40:00.000-05:00

If you read my blog, I am sure that you know that I am a believer that Technical Directors are very similar to Project Managers. A typical show, by definition, meets the definition of a project in a variety of ways, but there are some differences as well. I am currently taking a formal class on project management, so I expect I will (hopefully) have a number of comments to make about what I learn in class and from the text versus the theatrical point of view and even my point of view coming from the specific types of projects that I am currently managing.
The formal definition of project management requires that projects must cross functional lines. I think theatrically there are a couple ways of looking at that. Obviously, where you are in the organization matters- as the lines that you manage are different. The production manager would be managing the “functional lines” of props, costumes, scenery, lighting and sound. The Technical Director would be managing the heads of carpentry, metals, automation, and paints.
A project would have one project manager and a variety of assistants, if the project was large enough to need them. Viewing the TD as a PM, in a theatre that has a Production Manager may appear to be a conflict of interest as in some ways they can both be viewed as project managers – they are just managing different aspects of the project – or mostly closely monitoring a subset of the work, under which the Production manager more globally manages.
Project managers know a lot about managing a project, communication, dealing with all of the different types of people working on the project and managing, defining, estimating and achieving deliverable, but they may not have the technical skill to actually make the product that they manage. Also, they defer to the department heads (or line managers) on how to accomplish a task, as long as the department head achieves the task according to the expectations set by the project manager. This is very different from my project management experience and my experience in theatre. While the TD may not be the best scenic painter or welder, they can usually perform the task, or teach the task to someone underneath them.
Another point is that PM’s generally don’t have official authority over those assigned to their project. They can’t fire people, or demote them, or give them pay raises or promotions. As a TD I had this control over my crew. As a PM, the department heads control the purse strings, and my job lead may be assigned too many other projects besides my own. Thus in the situation where there are multiple projects taken place, and priorities are always changing, you have to negotiate for time on the floor and resources to build your project. As a TD, even when there were multiple shows to be built, I had control over the flow of all of the work on the floor.
The triangle exists in project management (time, cost, quality). However, all of these objectives happen inside a circle that is made up of the “project stakeholders”. While there are several different ways that you can define project success, you must satisfy these stakeholders for any version of success. This is true in theatre as well, we just don’t think about making management happy, or the board members, or even the audience as we go about our day to day activities.
The class gives 4 main tasks for project managers:
Represent the project – promote the project within the organization, negotiate for resources, establish expectations. This isn’t necessary for theatre as much, because the mission is to produce the plays. Unless perhaps you have a graduate show in a professional shop, or the black box production, negotiation and promotion isn’t necessary. However, promoting communication and expectations still are important activities.
Plan and oversee project workflow; from procedures to targets, monitoring performance and corrective action, these happen in both situations.
Facilitate the efforts of those working on the project also occurs in both.
Manage Project Risk by identifying and developing contingency plans. Some theatres take little production risk (in scenery). Others push the envelope and try a lot of new things.
As defined by the book, a technical director would be an example of an informal project manager where trust, communication, cooperation and teamwork are important and the tasks of management revolve more around methodology, life cycle phases, and core skills.

Velstick

2011-03-16T06:38:00.000-05:00

Velstick has a variety of products that could be very useful in theatrical applications. I am using Velstick, itself for a project, to hold some vinyl mattresses into place. It is appealing since it can be anchored with fasteners above just the sticky back adhesive and staples. However, the corner mold, studs, u-clips, and valance corner pieces all seem very interesting. The above link has large minimum's, but it is available at other sites with small minimum orders.

SBAR

2011-02-28T18:06:00.000-06:00

Normally sitting at the doctor’s office waiting for the doctor isn’t my idea of a good time. However, my office now does everything on a computer – so while you are in the room and waiting, a screen saver flashes a variety of documents and graphics portraying the values of the organization and offering clever mnemonics to improve communication, effectiveness and problem solving. Ironic as it may be to find applicable information in a doctor’s office; there are a few of the ideas that are worth presenting.

SBAR
Situation: the current problem at hand
Background: review of pertinent information
Assessment of urgency, options, and course of action to take
Recommendations for proceeding

The 4 P’s
Plan: what happens next
Purpose of Plan: What is the desired effect and why
Problems: What are the known complications that will occur within the plan
Precautions: Expected or possible complications

One was about in taking information:
Qualify: is this accurate?
Validate: Does it seem right?
Verify: Seek independent reliable source

The last reminds us before doing a task to:
Stop & focus
Think about what we are doing
Act
Review – was this the right thing to do.

In the SBAR example I like the reminder to think about urgency. Some things must be dealt with right away, other don’t. Tasks expand or contract (to a certain extent) to fit the available time. If you are really busy, you may just need to “get it done” and move forward – for example, you sand the piece but stop at 100 grit paper. When you have all the time in the world, perhaps you would continue to sand through more grits ending in 200. There are some things that you need to do “correctly” because if you don’t you will likely end up doing it a second time. But many times good is good enough. The key here is knowing the difference.

In the 4 P’s I like including the purpose of the plan. While the purpose may seem obvious, I can’t tell you how many times two people can read the same email or look at the same drawing and have two different ideas about what they read, how to proceed, or what they end result is. Today I ordered 2 white globes. I had originally asked for “frosted” as per design specs. When the price came back much higher than what was originally estimated, the answer was the white was estimated – not frosted. There is obviously a difference between the two, but in this case, on stage, 50’ from the nearest audience member, with dancers in front, white was close enough for the desired effect. In fact, it is possible that the frosted piece would have showed too much of the internal workings. Sometimes the true literal translation isn’t really what is needed. In this case white was cheaper, and possibly more effective.

In terms of qualifying and evaluation information I think it can be important to test your assumptions, but also run new information by your own gut response. In the globe example above this process was essentially used because when I heard the pricing for the frosted pieces my gut reaction was “no way, these should be a ¼ of that”… I sought more information and worked out the best solution.

As for the last item, occasionally I find myself half way through a project when I realize that there is a better way of doing something. Perhaps working through each step before the first step could avoid this. I also like the process of review as this is an essential step for learning.

Hardware Hangers

2011-02-15T05:34:00.000-06:00

While looking through a trade magazine, I found some hardware that looks useful. The "Pick-N-Hook" works with corrugated plastic - you insert it into the opening between the ribs, and you can tie on fishing line, string, or whatever your cable is. The "Twist-N-Hook" works on foam board or gator foam. Seems like it would be useful for temporary displays, portfolio presentations and so forth.

Please note that these hardware units are not rated, are not approved "rigging hardware" and should not be used in any situation where the item hung could pose a danger to someone underneath if it fell.

The Past Year

2011-01-26T17:20:00.001-06:00

Cleaning up the blog a little and saw that I never finished this post... Nothing like being 8 months late...

Speaking of reflection... though it is past the start of the new year, it is still appropriate to take a look back and how things have went.

-Work has been slow, even though I have taken over rentals where I work in addition to the normal project management jobs. There's been a little theatre, alot of museum work, a little film / TV stuff, and of course a variety of industrial.
-I started on another Masters degree. This one in Interdisciplinary Studies, where I can design my own curriculum. I enjoy learning, and I enjoy teaching and I firmly think that while theatrical knowledge is important, that knowledge from a wide variety of sources is also important. While I concentrated on Technical Production / Leadership & Non-Profit Management & theatre history during my MFA, this time I am expanding into administration, HR, Marketing, Psychology of learning, and curriculum design. One of these days I am going to pursue learning German, because one day I would like to get a doctorate in theatre history (with a focus on the history of stagecraft).

Currently, as of August 2011, I can add more:
-My partner and I are expecting a little girl in a month.
-Owning a home and becoming a parent are dangerous endeavors to technical minded people. We know how to do just enough that the home improvement projects never seem to go away because we know we can make something better....
-that ironically the class I took on the psychology of learning was perhaps the worst class that I have ever took in my academic career. One would think that if you are teaching a course like that, that you would follow the dictates of what you teach.
-I have learned alot in the past year and a half though:
-human development (babies & about how people learn)
-How to tile, do flooring, and other home repair that isn't common theatrical carpentry skills

Life is a mix of continual self improvement (I try..., taking more and more steps to solidify my family (house bought check, daughter on the way check) and burn out. Its hard to work full time, have a fun / busy outside life, see all of the family scattered around the country, keeping up with scattered friends, keep up with routine chores & redo most of your house. Unfortunately, I don't keep up to date as much as I would like on this blog.

The blog is a tricky thing - on one hand I use it as a depository for all of the random buts of knowledge that I find. I often come and search my own blog to find the resources that sells balls or game pieces or fake rivets.... Sometimes searching my blog and not finding a resource leads me to sourcing it on the net & recording what I find here. A goal of mine is to write a book about technical direction, and I am sure that I will mine my thoughts from this sight for that as well. I hope to start focusing a little more on theatre history as well & document that here. So some of my motivation is personal.

The flip side is that I recognize that our industry doesn't do well at recording documentation what what we learn - individually or collectively. I see it in the industry at large and even where I work. While judging and editing the tech expo entries it inevitably comes up that an entry isn't unique, but also not recorded. Ideally, the tech expo - Yale Tech Brief's, the Answer box section of Stage Directions all would only showcase new innovative techniques. But what really is new and innovative. Something that is new and innovative for me might be old news to someone else. How many steps away from "common use" must something be before it is "new and improved". And where does the "common knowledge" get stored. No one is going to read every stagecraft book - and while most contain the same basics, often each author will bring something different to the table. And a stagecraft book only teaches the basics, and often can't or doesn't reflect individual preferences. Do you wrap the muslin on flats or cut the edges? Wrapping can cause bad seams - cutting can allow the fabric to peel up. Many people have a strong preference. I think it would be interesting to see USITT do a rock exhibit where you create a fake rock and explain / document your process. from foam to chicken wire to cnc cut whatever - to which kind of covering you apply, I'll bet you could have a 100 different rocks all made differently. And sometimes one choice would be better than another - smooth or rough textures might be important in one production but not the next. A touring show may need a robust urethane hard coat, while another could get by with white glue / water and muslin cover. One might be the fastest, one might be the cheapest. One might be cheaper in material but be labor intensive, one might have pricey materials but need less labor. Each shop, each production, each use could mandate a different technique. But whats best? It's personal opinion based on your previous experiences.... and that means that everyone has a different answer. How to pool all of this information and make it user friendly, easy to use, to find, and relevant?

I mentioned our failure to document a project where I work to our electrician the other day. The project involved an interactive that had various parts of an animals body light up based on which button was pressed by the guest. One button lit up the intestines, one the reproduction systems and so forth. We tried 4 or 5 different items, and the end result was a very simple one with individual sockets and light bulbs & the LED's were completely eliminated. But we didn't document the process. Why did the product not work - what did it look like, and could it be used in a different situation? While theoretically the people involved in the project know those answers, time changes your recollections & things are forgotten. Remembering what doesn't work is as important as know what does. My coworkers defense was that he remembered the project and what happened and what everything looked like. Yet, I talked to this same coworker about a different project a few days after that - and I asked him to set up two roll drops the same way we did for job X, and though he did the work the last time, he had no recall of how it was done. Hence despite his argument for the lack of need for documentation, he demonstrated the need. Not to mention the issue that comes up when he isn't around to answer a question about a past job.

Ultimately theatre, like some other trades, teach skills based on a cognitive apprenticeship scheme. A mentor takes in younger apprentices and teaches them what they need to know. However this ultimately is based on the skill of the mentor and the available opportunities for learning that the mentor can place the mentoree in. For instance when I was young, many of the places I worked in didn't do a lot of automation, and hence, I wasn't able to play with and learn automation until I was older. While I like the concept of this approach, there are obvious flaws in the system. Plus, technology and the Internet & social networking introduces a vast new way of teaching and learning in today's world. Hopefully, this blog has a place in that new world.

Vygotsky & Theatre Training

2011-01-25T17:09:00.004-06:00

I have been doing a little research lately on Vygotsky. Particularly with regards to scaffolding being used in mentoring relationships to help with increasing problem-solving skills for ill-defined problems. One of the articles I have been reading (Cognitive Apprenticeship in Educational Practice by Vanessa Paz Dennen) has been pretty interesting. I found the following particularly interesting:

Teaching and learning through cognitive apprenticeships requires making tacit processes visible to learners so they can observe and then practice them...
Modeling... the demonstration of the temporal process of thinking
Explanation: explaining why the activities take place as they do.
Coaching... the monitoring of students' activities and assisting and supporting where necessary.
Scaffolding... support of students so that they can cope with the task situation. The strategy also entails the gradual withdrawal of teaching from the process, when the students can manage on their own.
Reflection: the student assesses and analyses his performance
Articulation: the results of reflection put into verbal form
Explorations: the students are encouraged to form hypotheses, to test them, and to find new ideas and view points.

I find this relevant to the way that we educate young TD's and theatre technicians, because I think we skip a few important steps in the process.
First, I think that both modeling and explanation can be lacking. For instance, when I was in grad school, there were students that believed that 1x3 couldn't be used to build flats because the shop we worked in used 1x4. There were particular reasons that the shop chose to use 1x4 instead of 1x3, but most students didn't think about it and "learned" that all flats should be build with 1x4.

Secondly, I think we skim on true reflection and articulation of performance. There has to be an allowance for things not going perfectly - it is academia after all, but there seems to often be an attitude that failure isn't an option.

With the number of MFA students that continue on to teaching future theatre students out there - I often wish that there was a little bit more focus on how to teach instead of just content.

The Development of Scenic Spectacle

2010-12-27T18:36:00.000-06:00

Occasionally, I come across something, a site, technique or product that I know to be really great, and realize that I haven't passed it on yet, here on my blog. As I try to use this both to help others from reinventing wheels that have previously been invented and improved upon, and as a depository of ideas, I need to pass on Dr. Frank Mohler's site The Development of Scenic Spectacle. I have been referring to the site on and off for years after discovering it in grad school doing research. On the site there are animated models of how historic rigging / automation worked from the 16th, 17th, and 18th century. The site also has a great bibliography. Check it out - you won't be disappointed.

Nuts and Bolt Resources

2010-12-22T18:21:00.000-06:00

A few resources I came across looking for "the perfect fastener" for a recent product. None of these places are bolt suppliers - but one search lead to another on google, and here we are with some useful terminology and information.

Nuts & Bolts Pdf talks about how bolts work, forces, and specifications, as well as nuts and washers and locking compounds. Not geared towards theatre, or even construction, but towards racecar drivers, but still worth a read.

Glossary of Nut & Bolt Terms As titled - check here if you ever come across a fastener that you are unfamiliar with.

Nut & Bolt Identifier Tool is something I need for my shop at home (we have similar tools in my shop at work). I like how this encorporated both the bolt and nut identifiers.

Zen & the Art of Prop Making

2010-12-17T05:12:00.000-06:00

Deco Works has a short list of entries that involve some prop "how-to's". It's sort of a wierd mix between easy or obvious and more difficult, but worth a look.

PLC Online Training

2010-12-15T18:00:00.000-06:00

In the fall 2010 Automation notebook from Automation Direct there was an article about online training courses for PLC programming offered through Interconnecting Automation. There are a few sample courses available, and the rest are available for $30 to $40 per month for unlimited access. I took a couple of the sample ones and they were a good introduction. The source is definately a good resource for starting or furthering your PLC programming knowledge.

Tools

2010-12-07T05:36:00.000-06:00

Every now and then a discussion is started regarding what the essential tools are for any shop... Popular Mechanics weighs in on this topic. I have to admit that I don't own a center punch (though it's on my list to buy), a sledge hammer or machinest vise. I suppose that access to those at work is part of the reason, though I haven't needed them at home though all of the renovations I have comepleted. But that is why the topic is interesting - each person has their own idea of what their own essential tools are.

So my list (at least at the moment & in no particular order):
personal Protective equipment
cresent wrench
pipe wrench
socket wrench & socket set
allen key set
jig saw or roto zip
hand saw
needle nose pliers
Drill
Bits for above drill
Circular Saw
measuring tape
Hammer
Phillips / Flat Head Screw Drivers
Clamps
Extension Cord
Level
Carpetners / framing square
Miter Saw
Staple Gun
end nips / side nips
mallet
Router & bits
hack saw
Gerber / Leatherman multi-tool
Set of open / box wrenches

Extrusions & Stand-offs

2010-12-02T05:27:00.000-06:00

I have recently found two additional companies that have been pretty useful.
For a desk I am building, I a mirror / glass trim has been specified as a trim made by Extrude-A-Trim. They have several unique shapes, and no minimum quantities. However they are located in Canada, so their shipping charges may be more expensive.

I also use a variety of stand-offs, which I usually purchase through Outwater. However, Metomic has a few cheaper alternatives. Of course if you need to go high end, Gyford is the way to go.

I think that one of the interesting things about these types of hardware is that I would have used them more in theatre if I had known they exsisted. Both in design and in technical direction, there is a pull between using "safe" hardware - its known, available, and economical & that "perfect" piece of hardware that may be commerically available, or may need to be custom built, or it may be available but expensive.

Google Scholar

2010-11-11T15:52:00.002-06:00

Google Scholar is Google's answer to acedemia. It is quick and easy to search, will search your university's resources, and find you the full text, related articles, and even help you document the source. You can even find patent information (though google has a specific section for that as well). While we aren't always writing research papers, sometimes it is nice to find some schollarly information.

The Spectatorium

2010-11-10T17:40:00.005-06:00

I have been reading about Steele Mackaye’s Spectatorium. It was built for the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 to tell the story of Columbus.
Here are a few fun facts:
-The dome was 270’ tall
-Covers about 360,000 SF
-There are 25 stages, moving on 6 miles of railroad track, and weighing approximately 1,200 tons!
-The proscenium opening is 150’ x 70’, the stage is 180’ deep
-The furthest person to the stage will be viewing scenery from 400’ away.
-Uses about 1,600 horsepower to move scenery
-Cyclone Machinery alone uses 400 horse power, and is about the same for creating waves and current on the onstage water. The water was held in an 8’ deep tank, holding 750,000 cubic feet of water
-Had seating for 8,000 (some places estimate up to 12,000)
40 Patents were developed for the theatre

It was not built – due to cost overruns, time overruns, and lack of funding. A smaller building names the Scenitorium opened February 5, 1894.

Severeal patents are available online from Google Patent as well.

Sources:
Objects of the Spectatorium, New York Times, March 20, 1893
The Spectatorium, New York Times, April 2, 1893
http://www.museumsyndicate.com/item.php?item=17264
http://www.wayneturney.20m.com/mackayesteele.htm
http://www.chilit.org/Papers%20by%20author/Dryer%20--%20Spectacular.htm
Steele MacKaye: Producer and Director by Wade Curry Educational Theatre Journal, Vol. 18, No. 3, Special American Theatre Issue (Oct., 1966), pp. 210-215
Appliance for Theatres Patent
Wave Maker Patent

Balls, Hollow Balls, and Hemispheres

2010-08-19T06:17:00.000-05:00

I think that Wagner is becoming a frequently referenced company here.

Today, I cam calling them out because they sell hollow balls from 1 1/2" all the way up to 12" in steel, aluminium, stainless, brass and bronze, along with a smaller variety of solid balls, and hemispheres. I have sourced large metal balls for several projects - and of course the 1/2 steel balls are great for decorative finishes like rivets and add-on's.

If money was no object

2010-08-13T05:12:00.000-05:00

I would have one of these. I can think of tons of fun things to do with one of these - and could definately see it's use around the shop, especially for props. Take a look at the PlasmaCam and see what you think.

50/50 estimate

2010-08-06T17:54:00.000-05:00

I was taking a look at a new blog, Project Junction, and came across a bit that says that microsoft project assumes that when you estimate time that you estimate that it is a 50/50 chance that it will be correct. The blog goes on to say:

Very few people give you a 50/50 estimate when you ask for a task duration. Unless you train the estimators each person will give you their personal estimate based on his/her risk tolerance. It might be a 90% estimate from Ms. Risk Averse and a 30% estimate from Mr. Everything’s Easy.

I know that you can give the same set of drawings and infromation to multiple people and you will get different answers from everyone, but I am not sure that I think estimating to a 50% chance of meeting a deadline really works in our world where the deadline is less than flexible. This creates the challenge in estimating hours - it is easy to estimate a safe number of hours that will allow you to get the job done. And if you are held to the hours that are estimated, the hours will naturally lean towards less risk. It is hard to estimate tightly - where there is enough hours to complete, but the hours must be efficient and effective.

Thoughts?

Decorative Metal

2010-07-23T06:30:00.000-05:00

Looking through the latest issue of The Fabricator I saw an add for TwistedBars.com. As the name implies, they do sell twisted rod, but they also sell a variety of other products as well; such as embossed, hammered, birdcages (baskets, spheres and oblongs), finals (ends, cut silhouettes, and wood grained metal. They can do steel, aluminium, copper, and brass. The wood grained piece caught my eye because there have certainly been times in the past where the designer wanted the look of wood, but the scenery needed the structural support of steel. While paint can do wonders, wood faking steel and vise versa never quite work. But, it the steel had a wood grained texture - perhaps this would be a suitable alternative in those situations.

Transformers Filming

2010-07-20T18:32:00.001-05:00

Transformers has been filming here in Chicago the past several weeks, and it has brought out lots of crowds. Last week we went down to check out the installation of some of our rental deck (not installed by us). Nothing like working on top of a 25 story building. Of course, you could ignore the view and count the number of OSHA violations....

On the other hand, it was cool seeing some of the scenery they brought in. They had scenery sitting in lots across the city, on trailers, staged for future use. With the cranes, a casual glance most of it looked like no more than building ruble... the lack of hardhats, coupled with sharpie inventory marks made it a little more obvious.

Looking at the scenery brought up an interesting topic: How much of this was built for the show, and how much was pulled from stock? The ruble, the cars, and even the damaged bus shelters were generic - they could be used repeatedly, just like many theatre props. On the other hand, these pieces are large - and would cost alot to store, and with travel and set up could require additional touch up. At what point then does the cost of storage out weight the cost of building new? Thoughts?

AV Technology Course

2010-07-06T06:41:00.001-05:00

Info Comm is offering an online course in AV Technology. There is one thing that is certain - and its that AV technology isn't fading any time soon. Its an affordable and green way to give a variety of looks, content, and feel to a very basic set for a variety of uses. Especially for coporate work - meetings, trade shows and such, AV is an option that is increasingly popular, and it is often incorporated into more and more traditional theatre.

Better yet, the quick start class online is free! You can take a look at that course here.

The course is online and an introduction leading to further certification. The test costs $200 to non-members.

If you want to take the pre-test to test your knowledge go here

This is a PDF that discusses the requirements for full certification.

Info Comm also has an article about project management and budgeting for live events.

Regardless if you choose to take the class or not, sheck out the site - there is a variety of worthwhile info to check out!

"Green" Paint

2010-07-01T06:31:00.000-05:00

Bommerang Paint offers paint that is recovered from old, unused paint. While it does come in a limited color pallette, it only uses about 1% new paint, and has excellant paint qualities. While the palette certainly limits its theatrical use, it is a good product to keep in mind when going green is a priority.

Square Clamps

2010-06-17T05:11:00.000-05:00

Finding ways to clamp onto pipe provides lots of options: kee klamps, speed rail, lighting c-clamps or mega clamps, or even leg sockets for platforms.

Berge Equipment offers several styles of clamps for square tube (1.5"), including a flange. Most of the clamps connect a pipe or tube to a square tube for railings.

The light Source has clamps for 2" box that are similar to cheese boroughs.

Palay Display carries a clamp that allows you to insert a 5/8" threaded rod on the top for construction specialty racks.

Wagner offers square tube flanges and flange covers.

For casters, Service Caster has square sockets for stem casters.

And for capping the tubes look to alliance plastics.

NRG Researchoffers a clamp that is reminiscent of a beam clamp. Once again you are limited to a 5/8 stud or receptacle for hanging from the clamp.

Also check out J W Winco for more options and their blog. The blog, by the way is actually very informative and fun - definitely worth a read.

Shape Products has a variety of square tube components (curved pieces, corners, flanges)

And for splicing two tubes together take a look at wagner.

For legs, the Leg-a-Matic II can be used with either 2" square or 1 1/2" sched. 40 pipe.

I suspect that the options are greater for round tube / pipe because it is more difficult to weld since you have to shape the round tube to match correctly (though this this is easier with the correct tools, or you can purchase shaped connectors to weld on).

Google Wave

2010-06-08T06:12:00.000-05:00

I recently heard about Google Wave, and its a site worth referring. It reminds me of the software I used to use for shows from basecamp - that allowed all of the project members on the team to upload documents, make revisions, look at the schedule and to-do lists and generally see the status of the project. This is a little more involved, in that it also allows conversation - more like instant messaging, and thus a little more fluid.

Note that to best use the sight, you need to use google chrome for your internet browser.

What I am using currently is Newforma Project Center. It is great for organizing lots of jobs and indexing and searching information about the jobs. It also works nicely for both incoming and outgoing file transfers and rfi's. It does have some scheduling capacity, but nothing that quite compares to either of the aforementioned to-do lists. Also, conversation is the same as email, but it works nicely for managing a large number of projects at one time.

Prototype This

2010-06-01T05:47:00.000-05:00

Over the holiday weekend, in the midst of doing a variety of home projects I watched the 1st (only) season of Prototype This.

The show has a core team of 4 (an electrical engineer, special effects guru, Robotics guy, and a material specialist) that join together to put together some amazing prototypes during a 10 day to 2 week period. Some of the projects they tackled were a mind controlled car that went into neutral when the driver got angry,
a backyard water slide simulator, and a flying life guard, supplying life saving floatation devices to unmanned beaches.

I liked the series, and would recommend it for several reasons.
-They use alot of materials that are used in theatre
-They show alot of different machining technologies, cnc machines, vaccuforming, laser cutting, water jetting
-They use a variety of animation / feedback and other items useful to automation.
-It shows that you can do some amazing things in 2 weeks with the right resources (granted they weren't two 40 hour weeks).
-While cash certainly wasn't an issue (budgets other than time were not even mentioned), using resources wisely was important to meet their goals. They often went to the top of the field for what they were trying to accomplish to get ideas and gain knowledge.
-I think the prototyping process is important, and too often overlooked. And, on top of being important for the realization of a finished product, challenging yourself to do a proof of concept can help you learn a variety of skills even if a finished product is not the end goal.

So if you have a few hours, take a look!

History of Video Walls

2010-05-18T06:48:00.001-05:00

Blooloop has an article on the history of the video wall. It's worth a read. I first remember seeing this technology with the Who's Tommy.

Also on the site is an article about
USITT.

As with the above resource, it is not specifically theatre related. While I always "knew" that there were many different types of entertainment that used either technical directors specifically, or an equivalently named position, I really didn't fully grasp how many different places utilize the same skill sets that TD's nurture. Just as every show is a little different, not every museum job or attraction, or event, or trade show is the same, but all of these jobs require similar skill sets. For instance, all require planning and organizational skills, knowledge of a wide variety of construction techniques, materials, estimating, communication skills among the many other skills TD's must utilize.

Addams Family

2010-05-13T05:38:00.000-05:00

With the opening of Addams Family on Broadway, my articlediscussing how we built the ground row including doing the lighting for all of the city lights. PRG also has an article in the issue that you should check out.

Exhibit Builder also ran an article about the show.

I enjoyed building the piece for a variety of reasons. Mostly, the project offered a challenge due to aligning the graphic to the substrate, while making the lights assessable. But first the graphic needed to be finalized. The beginning of the project started with samples of the printed graphic with multiple colors of grain of wheat lamps hooked up so that we could test how brightly the lamps would show. This led to a subsequent sample where a graphic was printed that had about 10 different percentages of transparency (ink), for the windows, each with lighting behind so that the final image could be modified to the desired window transparency. Once the graphic was off the printers, we had the experience of the samples to lead the way through the rest of the construction process.

It was a fun piece to build!

Foam Coat

2010-05-10T05:52:00.000-05:00

Rosco has a story about how they created a short article about how an entryway was carved from foam, covered with foam coat and painted. I think it is interesting that while the foam coat was wet, they sprinkled sand on top - I have mixed sand into paint before for texture / traction, but this works as well to help with the up-close realism that museums must offer guests.

Hardware Terminology

2010-05-07T05:07:00.000-05:00

Sometimes the hardest part about finding the ideal piece of hardware is knowing what to call it. For example, as simple as a slip on flange cover plate (for square tube) may seem, it took me a good half hour to find what I was looking for. The interesting thing to note, is that for the square shape, it is a cover plate - but if it is for round tube, it is a flange canopy. I finally found what I was looking for at Wagner which offers a variety of railing systems and components.

Draw Catch

2010-05-06T15:36:00.004-05:00

While ordering a few run of the mill door catches, I cam across this at McMaster Carr.
These remote actuation cable latches allow doors to be opened remotely. McMaster describes them as:

Operate these latches from a distance—a flexible cable connects the latch and the T-handle. Pull on the handle to retract the round, spring-loaded bolt. Because the cable is flexible, you can bend it around corners and other obstructions. Min. bend radius is 1.5". The recommended maximum amount of total bending is 720° . You have two mounting options: through-hole mount the handle and bolt housing(s) or surface mount them using the included mounting plates. The through-hole mounting size for the handle is 1/2". The through-hole mounting size for the bolt housings is 9/16".
Handles are plastic. Bolts are zinc-plated steel. Mounting plates are 12-ga. steel with a black-oxide finish and require #10 screws (not included). Strike plates are Type 304 stainless steel and require 1/4" screws (not included).
Please specify cable length: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 feet.

These seem like they would be a great low-tech way to do a variety of special effects. I could have used something like that when I did Blithe Spirit a few years back.

ISquint @ USITT

2010-04-05T16:02:00.002-05:00

isquint is another source of good information about the conference in Kansas City. It is written by Justin Lang, and he covers alot of ground, particularrly about new technology.

USITT Tech Expo

2010-04-05T13:35:00.002-05:00

I think it would be great if a set up like this was in every automation class. The automation components are only a couple hundred bucks per station, and the TD program usually has a number of stations for AutoCAD already. I would like to add a pile of Lego's for platforms, and Knex for rigging, and you could prototype an effect in the very early stages of the technical design.

This is one of the drops from the USA painters the day before.

I wanted to show the work of the below expo exhibits because I especially liked the documentation that they demonstrated.

USITT Exhibit Photos

2010-04-05T10:30:00.004-05:00

USITT Blogs

2010-04-03T00:12:00.003-05:00

My internet connection here at the conference has been pretty spotty, but I will be on my way home tomorrow, and will be able to upload from there photos and session notes from the past couple days in Kansas City. the conference has been great and I am looking forward to sharing!

Meanwhile, TD Squared and Theatreface has been blogging, so take a look at their sites and see what they have seen here at USITT.

Also check out John Huntington's blog Control Geek as he was at the conference as well.

USITT Info

2010-03-31T08:46:00.007-05:00

A couple of notes about this years USITT.

If you aren't in KC to be here, you can see a coupe sessions via live streaming:
http://www.usitt.org/ConferenceLiveWebStreaming.aspx

If you are in KC, you can attend the stage expo for FREE! USITT is giving out complimentary passes here:
http://www.usitt.org/AttendStageExpo2.aspx

You can also follow the conference on Twitter #USITT
They have some pictures from set-up yesterday - worth a look!

USITT 2010

2010-03-31T08:00:00.004-05:00

USITT is here again, and I am excited to be here in Kansas City! As the evenings allow I will be posting pictures and blogs about the sessions I see. Today, I will only be doing the expo floor - but it will be nice to have a good chunk of time to explore!

Gel Tubes

2010-02-19T04:47:00.000-06:00

I saw these tubes at USITT last year, and thought they were interesting. Today when bidding a small desk I came back to them for the effect they give and their cost. Because you can use a regular fixture they work out to be an economical fix - though they do need to be replaced eventually. LED Light.com has LED tubes that work in the same fixtures as fluorescent tubes - but not in the colors that the gel allows.

Sketching w/ AutoCAD

2010-02-17T05:21:00.003-06:00

Lynn Allen recently had a post about sketching in AutoCAD. It starts with a 3-D model of an object that you can sketch over with an AutoCAD add-in. Sketching and creating organic shapes has always been a little tedious, this looks like a very advantageous design tool.

And, if you aren'y familar with her blog, you should take a look - there is alot of good information there.

Graphic Software

2010-02-15T05:10:00.001-06:00

I ran across this website today and thought it would be something useful to come back to. ShapeCollage will take your photos and create a collage to letters or a shape of your choice. Below are all images that have been posted on this blog.

Light Boxes

2010-02-12T05:05:00.000-06:00

While most light boxes I have built require a custom shape, if you are looking for something that is more standardized check out Displays2go. They have a variety of sizes of light boxes, priced at an affordable price. We have been using the above model for some of the desks we build for TV, and they allow the graphics to be easily updated, and show up well on camera.

Screw Extraction

2010-02-10T05:38:00.000-06:00

It seems like we often get caught up in the need for having the right tool for the job, and that we sometimes forget that many problems can be solved with what you have on hand. Take for instance Tool Mongers recent post of a tip for extracting a screw. I think it is a good reminder of the days of simplicity and making things work. While it is nice (and yes, cheaper depending on how you pay for labor) to just buy what ever you need for any given project - it doesn't fill me with the same sense of accomplishment that making something cool happen with the odds and ends that accululate in most scene shops.

Stuffed Fish

2010-02-08T06:16:00.000-06:00

Well it isn't everyday that you come up with the need for a realistic stuff fish. But I have had the need while propping a show before, and last week I had the need to price out said realistic fish. Cabin Critters, Inc. sell a variety of fish, sealife, ducks and other wildlife. Some are more true to life than others - the 10" red fox is alot more cute than realistic, but the company offers a nice selection at reasonable prices. Next time your looking for a unique stuffed animal - give the a look.

1000 Garages

2010-02-04T05:40:00.000-06:00

Need something cut on a CNC machine and don't have one in house? Check out 1000 Garages.

It could be a piece of furniture, a part for your new energy innovation, a cool art project, or an idea for emergency housing. It could be for a personal project, a remodeling idea, or an entrepreneurial initiative.

Inspired by Tom Brokaw's question to the presidential candidates, 100K garages is a community of workshops with digital fabrication tools for precisely cutting, machining, drilling, or sculpting the components of your project. We're here to help hook you, the "Maker", up with these workshops and the "Fabbers" that operate them.

It seems like a nice way to connect people who need things, and shops that are looking for additional work. I know there have been times when I have searched out fabrication services when I needed pieces made that I couldn't produce in house for one reason or another.

Rosebrand Blog

2010-02-03T05:27:00.001-06:00

Rosebrand has started a blog called Know How. Started just a few days ago, but it looks promising:

The objectives of our blog are to inform, educate and entertain those who are members, or followers, of our industry. We'll be posting "how to" information, design & production tips, amusing project stories and news items.

Take a look!

Link Round Up

2010-01-29T05:49:00.000-06:00

Tool Monger has a post about the book Forty Power Tools That You Can Make. Its from the 40's and has a varity of tools included. Its avialable online from several places.

Making Saddle cuts for a round tube project? I wish I had seen this Instructable in Grad School when it took hours making tight joints for a round tube project with a grinder. Check out this Instructable for a wuick alternative.

The Lift "N "Lock seems like a clever device for any shop to have on hand. Sure there are shims that you can use when you are trying to hang that last door by yourself, but getting that perfect height is still tricky. They run about $22 each.

Speaking of tools, this modified C Clamp is worth a look. The bottom branches out into a Y, providing a wider clamping surface. You can get one for about $12.

Now that distressing is in vogue outside of theatre, you can purchase tools to help you achieve the look. Woodcraft offers a kit for $25, but it could be made in the shop. Whatis interesting is the hardware that they chose to use to accomplish the look. Distressing is kind of like scenic goop or stage blood to me. Everyone has a different recipe, and the varients all accomplish something slightly different. It would be useful to have a directory of techniques, and an analysis of what is most effective for common situations....

Focus Tape

2010-01-28T06:05:00.000-06:00

Check Out Santa Fe Opera Electricians and their video "Focus Tape". kudos to them for putting together a great video.

Electronic Signatures

2010-01-27T06:27:00.000-06:00

While it isn't an every day occurrence when a TD needs something officially signed. However, in freelance situations, it would be nice to have. There have been a few times when I would have used this technology in the past for small freelance TD jobs.

There are a couple options out there that will help you get those signatures. once company is Docusign, and the other is Echo Sign.

Of the two, I have only personally used EchoSign. It was easy to use, economical, and saves your documents (amount depends on your pricing plan). I used it for sign rental contracts and the rental agreement, but it could be used for a variety of contracts.

In-House Production

2010-01-22T16:56:00.003-06:00

Today I was doing a little work involving mounting an I-beam & Trolley to truss, and was doing some looking around for hardware and came across this site. In-House Production has a few training videos, a blog and some other information about rigging that is worth a look.

Games

2010-01-18T10:41:00.004-06:00

Its been a while since I have posted any good physics games.
World of Goo is probably my favorite. It is available as wiiware, and is simple and intuitive to operate, but has a pleasing complexity. Generally you move around bits of goo that build towers, cantilevers, bridges, and so forth. Some goo can be reused, other types can catch on fire or be used as fuses.

Tiki Towers is also available on wiiware. The idea is similar to World of Goo - building structures to get to point a to b. Here you are saving the monkeys, and possibly rescuing a few as well. In this game you are using bamboo to build with, and you have a few additional capabilities (reinforcing joints for instance) However, you got a baddie that can catch a segment on fire or turn it into rubber. The game is a little more difficult to control, and a little more challenging than Goo.

If you have a few minutes to burn while you are sitting at the computer check out this site. There are many games to play, straight from your browser.

Deck Wrench

2010-01-13T06:02:00.000-06:00

This Hardwood Deck Wrench looks like it could be a helpful addition to the shop. I like that it can be used with 1 person, and that you don't need to screw it into position to use it.

Check it out!

Tile Saw

2010-01-12T10:00:00.002-06:00

This tile saw caught my eye. In the process of remodeling my kitchen I orginally purchased a tile cutter. I was a little hesitant because I know from doing stained glass that scoring and snapping is somewhat unrelaiable, the price was drastically lower than any wet saw - even the most economical ones. After a few test cuts, and the realization that some of the cuts necessary would be fairly imposibble with that tool, I purchased a wet saw. I opted for one that had a rail which the blade moved on to make the cut, with the tile clamped to the table. I like the tool - it cuts up 20' tile on the diagonal, and the cuts are smooth and easy. And then we started cutting the tiles for around the sink. Out comes the rotozip tile cutter. Tested - it was like using sandpaper to make a cut. Next please. Nearing the end of options at my local hardware store I picked up the RotoZip Zip Mate. the right angle attachment saw for the rotozip. I considered buying a diamond blade for my circular saw, but decided against it. the tool had lots of power - it cut through the tile very quickly. I made the inside curved cuts by nibbling away the material - not pretty, but effective. While I suppose that if my wet saw could be locked into position, I could have used that - all said none of the tools were correct for the job. Hence why the Gemini catches my eye. While I suspect it is out of my price range - it looks like it would have been nice to use. And perhaps a lessen to consider all of the cuts you will need to make before starting.

Decking Calculator

2010-01-11T06:20:00.000-06:00

I was looking up some information about the specific weight of an exotic hardwood and came by Advantage Trim & Lumber.

I thought it was interesting for several reasons. First, they have a great selection of wood, and can ship ($100 min.), plus they provide information about the species. They carry FSC wood for LEED credits. They also carry several different types of planking. And what is nifty - is that they have a planking calculator that converts square footage to linear feet for either 5" or 3 1/2" planks.

Bandsaw Magic

2010-01-08T06:28:00.001-06:00

For a bit of band saw fun check out this video by Adam Sandoval. While the cutawl used to be the closes thing to true 360 degree cutting, (and one of my favorite tools ever)the Rotozip spiral saw really carved a new direction for sawing. While it can not achieve the tight square corners that a scroll saw or a cutawl can, it can cut in any direction. While I suppose that you could achieve this with cnc routers and hand routers, the spiral bit makes it more appropriate.

Bestway Bandsaw Blades have adapted that technology to bandsaw blades, enabling spectacular cuts such as what is in the video. If you have another favorite supplier of blades that will cut 360 degrees, please chime in in let us know!

And in case your up to a little more fun with the bandsaw check out this project.

Alternative Materials

2010-01-06T06:24:00.000-06:00

I was looking through an ad for books relating to design and architecture and thought that a couple were worth pointing out.

The first is Materiology by Daniel Kula. It discussed a wide variety of materials as well as how the materials are made. It seemed like a book that would have been perfect when I was taking "Advanced Materials" in grad school.

Another is Materials for Inspirational Design. It offers a view into a variety of materials, uses, and even rough pricing.

Browsing through Amazon offers a variety of books on the subject of materials. Happy browsing!

New Beginnings

2010-01-04T17:17:00.002-06:00

Well the new year is hear, and I haven't shared as much as I would have liked to. Project wise, most of my time has been spent on a large museum piece that has been going on for over a year, and many of the others are much smaller than in the past thanks to economy. But here's to a new year and more exciting technical exploration.

I found a site that could be useful to anyone thinking about building green near NYC. Its Build it Green, NYC. It is a large warehouse that sells reclaimed materials. Its interesting for theatrical use in several ways. First, theatre tends to be anything but green, and frequently wastes alot of material. Second, reclaimed materials may actually fit the bill for certain designs better than new - save some of the distressing! They also take in cabinets, fixtures and other "props" that could be useful. And, some of those items could be returned after a production when they are no longer needed. It may also save a few bucks.

Cost is usually the biggest issue against going green - finding resources where you can use reclaimed materials at prices that make it worth it are valuable. Check it out & let me know if you find other resources like it.

Trace

2009-12-30T06:20:00.000-06:00

Adobe has a PDF that describes their TRACE command that will help you convert a rastor image into vector art (in CS2). It also explains the difference between the two well (often a difficult concept for unfamilar people to grasp).

Additional information about how to use the trace command:

Adobe Design Center
Watch a tutorial video
Tutorial 9 site

What is nice about CS2 is that it really helps to relate graphic work to CAD. We can lay something out that has a printed graphic and send that to be printed, and CNC the substrate all from the same file and be assured that they will line up nicely (always depending on type of material the graphic is printed on off course).

Similar to the other converters, if you aren't using CS2 (or the new additions) already in your work, it may not be cost effective.

"Walking Mad"

2009-12-20T05:36:00.001-06:00

Take a look at this video of Walking Mad, produced by Hubbard Street Dance. We built the set piece - and it was an interesting project. The piece had been done previously, but we needed to recreate all of the tricks based on images, videos and very basic drawings of the structure. A few tricks that the sets uses is alignment pins to help guide the walls together w/ receiving holes, DeStaco clamps to hold the walls together, and a clever cantilevered stacks of weight to counterbalance the walls.

Engineering

2009-10-30T06:17:00.000-05:00

I found a fun (albeit off topic slightly) website today while looking for a local museum. It is the A Sightseers Guide to Engineering. There are a variety of locations listed, and each has a "fun fact" relevant to the attraction. Check it out, perhaps you will find an interesting engineering sight near you.

Rastor to Vector Image Software

2009-10-28T06:22:00.000-05:00

Arbor Image has two products that are interesting for drafting; Draftsman Cutting Shop and Draftsman 2002. These programs take rastor images (like a photograph or scanned in drawing) and covert it to vector art. Vector art can be used for cnc cutting. With the listed prices, you would need to see how much you would use it before it would be cost effective, but it sure would beat importing and image and "tracing" over it, which I have often done in the past for scenic units such as ground rows, proscenium edges and other decorative cut pieces (both for hand cutting and cnc work).

Austin Hardware

2009-10-26T06:13:00.000-05:00

If you're looking for an illusive piece of hardware check out Austin Hardware Supply. They have a bit of everything, including extensive toggle clamp and hinge options.

Hardware Info

2009-06-26T06:53:00.000-05:00

Interstate Screw Corp has an interesting page about myths and misconceptions regarding fasteners. They also have a variety of technical information that is available, such as the recommended tek screws for different material thicknesses.

History of Plastics

2009-06-19T06:30:00.000-05:00

The PPC website has some interesting information (quoted below) about the history of plastics. They have a variety of materials on their website along with qualities attributed to each type. The website seems a little out of date, but the information seems valid for an introduction to the many types of plastics.

Plastic materials trace their origin in this country back to 1868, when a young printer named John Wesley Hyatt came up with Celluloid, the first American plastic. He mixed pyroxylin, made from cotton (one of nature's polymerics), and nitric acid, with camphor to create an entirely different and new product. Celluloid quickly moved into many markets, including the first photographic film used by George Eastman to produce the first motion picture film in 1882. The material is still in use today under its chemical name, cellulose nitrate.

In 1909, Dr. Lee Hendrik Baekeland introduced phenoformaldehyde plastics (or "phenolics", as they are more popularly known), the first plastic to achieve worldwide acceptance. More importantly, Baekeland also evolved techniques for controlling and modifying the phenolformaldehyde reaction so that products could be formed under heat and pressure from the material. This characteristic of liquefying the material so that it can be formed into various shapes under heat and pressure is still common to most plastics.

The third major thrust in the development of plastics took place in the 1920s with the introduction of cellulose acetate (which is similar in structure to cellulose nitrate, but safer to process and use), ureaformaldehyde (which can be processed like the phenolics, but can also be molded into light colored articles that are more attractive than the blacks and browns in which phenolics are available), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC, or vinyl, as it is commonly called). Nylon was also developed in the late 1920s through the classic research of W.T. Carothers.

Each decade saw the introduction of new and more versatile plastics. In the 1930's, there were acrylic resins for signs and glazing and the commercialization of polystyrene, which became the third largest-selling plastic, literally revolutionizing segments of the house wares, toys, and packaging industries. Melamine resins were also introduced; these later became a critical element (in the form of a binder) in the development of decorative laminate tops, vertical surfacing, and the like.

Polyethylene -- today's most widely used plastic -- evolved out of the need for a superior insulating material that could be used for such applications as radar cable during World War II. The thermoset polyester resins that only a decade or so later were to radically change the boat-building business in the United States were also a wartime development introduced for military use. And acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene plastics, or ABS, (the plastic most often used today in appliance housings, refrigerator linens, safety helmets, pipe, telephone headsets, and luggage) owes its origins to research work emanating from the crash wartime program aimed at producing large quantities of synthetic rubber.

The decade of the 1950s saw the introduction of polypropylene and the development of acetal and polycarbonate, two plastics that, along with nylon, came to form the nucleus of a sub-group in the plastics family known as the "engineering thermoplastics." Their outstanding impact strength and thermal and dimensional stability enabled them to compete directly and favorably with metal in many applications.

The 1960s and 1970s also saw their share of new plastic introductions, most notably thermoplastic polyesters with the kind of outstanding resistance to gas permeation that made them applicable for use in packaging. During this period, another sub-group of the plastics family also started to emerge, the so-called "high temperature plastics," which includes the polyimides, polyamide-imides, aromatic polyesters, polyphenylene sulfide, polyether sulfone, and the like. These materials were designed to meet the demanding thermal needs of aerospace and aircraft applications. Today, however, they have moved into the commercial areas that require their ability to operate at continuous temperatures of 400 degrees F, or more.

Hardware Source

2009-06-18T06:08:00.000-05:00

Wild West Hardware offers "Unusual Hand-Forged & Hard-to-Find Rustic Hardware". You can find a variety of economical barn hinges, decorative nails (good for rivets/upholstery, and specific design needs)dummy hinges, and a variety of other pieces. It is definitely worth a look.

Building a Sandwich

2009-06-10T12:00:00.002-05:00

Over on the blog at Taylor Studios there is a post comparing building a sandwich to the design process in a commercial environment. Its a concise and fun way to look at the process.
However, if you are hiring someone to do design, you should confirm what your expectations are for the design process. For instance where I work, the first phase is a creative design phase. This would end with parameters on which the schematic design would work with. The schematic design would take these parameters and do several options (we do usually do 3). The creative development is important so that the schematic design can start to narrow some options. Since we do WAG/Rom Budgets and rough sketches during this period, having a decent idea of direction is necessary.

The end of the final design phase is an important point - at this point the design should be able to be very specific. If you are doing the design and build, perhaps this isn't as much of an issue - except that you will undoubtedly have scope creep, and lose money. If you are sending the final design out to be bid, the design package has to be done in such a way that your bids will come back and provide you with an apples to apples comparison.

A colleague, Chris Wilson, a Project Manager for a local museum stalks about the RFPs & the Scope of work:

Scope of Work (or Scope of Service) – assume nothing.

This is where RFP’s live and die. 99 percent of your effort should be spent on this section. This is the place for any and all information that might be relevant to the fabricator. Assume nothing. Leave nothing to chance.

Stick with me for a minute:

Imagine that you want a cookie. You call 6 bakeries and tell them that you would like a price for a cookie. You get six prices that are wildly divergent. You realize that you should have been more specific. You stipulate chocolate chip. Still the prices are all over the map. In separate conversations you stipulate size, type of flour, etc… Eventually, you have told the (now annoyed) bakeries (in a very tortured, drawn out process which, by the way, is not documented anywhere) the following information:

I would like one (1) chocolate chip cookie between 5 and 5.5 inches in diameter, containing no less than one heaping tablespoon of semi-sweet chocolate morsels. The cookie shall have a slightly gooey texture, but shall have sufficient tensile strength to be self supporting if lifted from one end only. No trans fats shall be used as part of the ingredients of this cookie, and it shall not be processed on any machinery that comes in contact with peanuts, or any other kind of nut. The cookie shall be delivered within the next 24 hours, in packaging that does not require the use of any tools to open.

Now, of course you would never buy a cookie in this way, because it is a far more intuitive process than building an exhibit. And because there is a cultural understanding of what is in a typical cookie.

I simply use this as an example of how you will never get what you want unless you ask for it.

This is why the Scope of Work, and especially the TECHNICAL exhibit descriptions are so important in an RFP. Depending on the characteristics of the exhibit you are building, the descriptions can be as important as the drawings.

Bringing that back to the sandwhich, unless the size and number of bacon/tomato slices are noted as well as the type of bread and such are documented, you may still find differences. One shop might use a high sodium bacon, because it is more economical. Another might use a high quuaility one, but less of it. A third shop might want to use turkey bacon because they have some left from a different recipe. While a shop might be able to save you money (value engineer) or increase the value (value added) you want this information to be clear so that there are no surprises. "Oh you wanted extra mayo - thats extra $$...."

Hidden Doors

2009-06-03T06:12:00.000-05:00

I came across this site, and thought it would be an interesting technique for theatre stagecraft. The article has a good amount of information and feedback about how to construct a pivoting bookcase. The pivot hinges are one of the reasons for the success of this design, but it is interesting to see the way they cut the molding and rear of the shelving unit to make it open propoerly.

Once your done, check out the rest of the articles.

Barn Wood

2009-06-02T15:20:00.004-05:00

Every now and then a show comes along and they want the look of old barn wood. I have (and have heard stories of others) that managed to actually get lumber from an old barn, which only manages to work out in very ideal situations. It also works better in certain parts of the country. The same is true for rough sawn wood - it isn't available everywhere. And of course there are a variety of ways to distress wood - but it never quite looks just right.

So the next time you find yourself in this situation check out Appalachian Woods. They offer flooring and a variety of reclaimed beams.

Also check out:
RenuWood
Allegeny Woodworks

SA Baxter Hardware

2009-06-01T06:50:00.000-05:00

For some very fashionable hardware check out SA Baxter. They offer high end hardware and the ability to custom make hardware.

Austrialian Production Management

2009-05-15T14:23:00.002-05:00

On Stephen Dean's blog Ramblings of a Techie he recently did an entry on Production Management. It is interesting to read the blog as he is in Australia, and thus has a different point of view.

Thus, you will note that all of the things he lists aren't the same here - for instance in many cases the PM supervises the TD or Properties Master who creates a budget or organizes the props. We often add in more global management - working on next years season planning for instance. I think it is part of the challange with theatre is that the same term means different things even within the US, but even more so across international boundaries!

Vintage Hinges

2009-05-05T15:40:00.002-05:00

Historical HouseParts has some great historic hinges, as well as other types of hardware. Check it out - it looks like a great resource for that perfect piece of hardware you need to complete a production.

"Opera Pins"

2009-04-30T06:18:00.000-05:00

I heard a term today in the shop that was new - Opera pins.

They are really just large shop-built lift-off hinges. But they do work nicely.

Theatrical Lighting Database

2009-04-29T14:50:00.002-05:00

The New York Public Library and Lighting Archive has created an online Theatrical Lighting Database. On this site you can browse the lighting info available for A Chorus Line, Sunday in the Park with George, and several others. The information includes the plot, paperwork such as magic sheets and cue sheets, and even notes.

Custom / Specialty Steel Shapes

2009-04-29T06:28:00.000-05:00

GSP offers a variety of specialty steel shapes, and will do custom work. While expensive to use, it can be necessary in certain jobs. The J channel is something in particular that has been useful.

Dykes Lumber

2009-04-27T14:58:00.002-05:00

On the East, (though I see is everywhere) Dyke's Molding numbers are often called out on designs. Dykes now has their molding catalog available online. They also have flexible moldings available in all of their profiles.

Quality and Value

2009-04-24T06:17:00.000-05:00

One of the topics I have been pondering lately is how you quantify quality. At the commercial scene shop I work at we are aware that we tend to not be the low bid. We try to provide a level of service and quality that makes our price, through higher, still a good value. But how do you qualify that one of our clients will have an experience with us that is 10% (an arbitrary number) better in terms of service or quality that what they would have experienced with another vender?

On some of the proposals we work on, the client will ask for a price for the pieces as drawn / described, and then allow us to put in additional prices to be added (value added) or subtracted (value engineered). I think this can be tricky.

How do you quantify value added? I think we have value added in our core pricing, which cannot easily be taken out and itemized, because it isn’t optional – it is the way we function. We don’t use inferior parts or materials. If I am buying rigging equipment, I am going to buy the right stuff even though it costs more. I suppose I can buy the cheap stuff, and then change order to the right part, but at the same time, not every client would accept that change order. If those parts are to fail, who has the liability? Did they fail at install, or 10 years later – is it warranty work or a client request? I don’t want to put myself or my company in a possible negative situation by using something that is inferior. Other things that we provide – trial assembly / full unit assembly/ test fitting / testing, are items that we need to do for quality purposes, but are also advantages to the client. We know what it will take to install, because it has already been tested. It’s cheaper to test it in the shop that it is onsite – both for us, and for our clients. We can / and have occasionally, cut out some of the assembly time – and in those instances, at the end of the project, the install labor always more than what it could have been. Since hours are building according to actual hours worked (and in accordance to union rules) this can end up costing our clients more – though when we bid the project we will try to anticipate the increase in onsite time due to the minimal testing or assembly.

I won’t talk about value engineering as much, because I feel that it’s a lot easier to do this. The trick is to make it cheaper without affecting the quality. I can make something out of steel more economically than I can from aluminum, but it won’t be as light. I can use 15 oz velour instead or 21 oz. But if a light is immediately behind the drape, then the 15 oz velour should have a black out liner – in which case the 21 oz velour is more economical. Then there is an option regarding what to price – the 21 oz velour which is ultimately cheaper and the best value – the cheapest option which is 15 oz alone, which doesn’t provide full functionality, or the 15 oz with the addition of the blackout cloth. Proposals with a lot of al a carte options can be tricky to put together – and sometimes end up being more expensive as a package because of the way the time break down works out – Building a bench might cost $500- but building 4 won’t necessarily cost $2,000. There is a line that shouldn’t be crossed when value engineering. First, there is a minimal level of what we as a company can / or wants to provide. For instance, locally, there is a shop that in non-union and are basically a couple of guys in a shop cranking out cheap scenery. And if that’s what the client wants – we can’t compete. Something quick and cheap may be exactly what the client wants – but say a potential client sees it and thinks that we can’t build a quality piece – they won’t necessary understand that the set was done “poorly” because that’s what the client wanted. Its better for us to refer the client to another shop that may meet there needs better, and maintain our reputation through jobs that are more in alignment with what we can provide. Secondly, even if we chose to compete against a company that can produce something like that, we can’t really win- the overhead and shop organization that insures a quality product, makes it very hard to push a small job through the shop profitably. In theatre, a shop can produce quality scenery up to a certain scale, but below that is doable down to the smallest piece – profitability isn’t a concern. On the commercial side, the project tends to be a certain scale before it fits into the way we work, and there is a maximum. Point being, now that I have lied about that fact that I wouldn’t talk much about value engineering, is that you can go too far.

I know shops who bid a value engineered version upfront, without description, and then essentially try to change order the client to get back to what the client originally wanted in the first place. So while their bid beats ours in the first round – the final price the client paid may have been higher in the long run that what we offered. I like that we provide a cost that will allow us to meet our client’s expectations without relying on trying to get extra money every time something comes up. We have all been around long enough to know that things do some up. We allow some flexibility – major changes to scope of course require a revised price. This is one way that I think that we positively affect the service that we offer clients.

When you go to an event / or see items that have been built by us or one of our competitors – what is the quality scale? This would be true for seeing theatre as well, perhaps even more so since you are a distance away, and only see one side from an audience perspective. What is quality – automation? Well, that may be indicative of a certain level of money and skill. A believable paint treatment? The use of light affects the end result as well. In most circumstances I think there are two levels – it looks good or it doesn’t. You see every seam – or they disappear. There is a 3rd level, but I think the scenery that is built will not make that level alone – it must be done in coordination with all of the other elements of the production.

In terms of seeing productions – its stating the obvious that seeing a show on Broadway is a different experience than seeing it in storefront theatre or a church basement theatre, or even a regional lort theatre. We have expectations as to the level of quality for each type, and we wouldn’t expect a small theatre to have all of the qualities of a Broadway house. The flip side of this is that there is a cost associated to this. A Broadway show might cost 150 bucks, while a small theater production might cost 20. My expectations are a lot higher when I lay out 300 bucks to go to see a show with my partner. Here in Chicago, I think this question becomes even trickier – there are tons of theatres to choose from. One show may be 20 and another similar 30. Who is to say that going to one is worth 10 bucks more per person (other than the choice of which title you would prefer to see). What would happen in the movie theatre if shows like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and other huge films were $20 and the shows that weren’t rated as well were $10?

A good example I can mention refers to a production that I was thinking of taking my friends to. I had seen the production at a regional theatre in another city and had enjoyed it. Though I am in a different city now, I saw that it was playing at a local theatre when my friends would be visiting and checked on tickets. Tickets were available for 70 each. Having seen the show in a theatre where the tickets were going for 35, I couldn’t honestly answer how this current production could possibly add that much more value. I doubt the directing would be 100% better – or the scenery or the evening would be that much better. The size of the two theatres was slightly different, but not significantly in terms of quality. I ended up buying tickets for my friends at a small little house, and in terms of enjoyment – probably had as good as of experience for a lot less cost.

Plus, frankly, there is a cost versus experience association that affects the value perceived. If I spend 10 for a ticket, I have fewer expectations than if I spend 100. If I spend only a little and the show is good – I get a great value. If the show is so-so and I spent a lot- I didn’t get as much value. For my clients, value is also different – it may be worth spending extra money to get more service. To take that back to seeing a show- perhaps if the 70 ticket provided free parking so that I didn’t have to pay as much to park downtown, then I would see additional value.

But of course there’s a catch – what provides value to me, doesn’t always provide value to others as well.

What do you think? What creates value? How do you quantify Quality? How do you define what something is worth? How does this information affect the way scenery is built?

Science Toys

2009-04-23T06:50:00.000-05:00

While looking for solar panels I ran across American Science and Surplus. They seem to have a little bit of everything - from magnets to hobby motors to solar panels. Now Edmund Scientific has a competitor for magnets and hobby motors for when I am tinkering.

WPA

2009-04-22T06:13:00.000-05:00

One NYC Stagehand has an interesting blog on the WPA and how Local One dealt with the problems at hand.

"With rising unemployment in it’s own ranks, IATSE Local One decided to create it’s own relief program. With the agreement of the theatre managers, it was decided stagehands would work a five-show week and that unemployed stagehands would make up the rest of the shows. I haven’t determined how the program was administered, though perhaps like our League Strike, we learned to administer it on the fly. When there wasn’t enough work, there were relief stipends, and in emergency cases, there were loans. Sometimes raffles were held to help individuals, often the retired stagehand without a pension, who were having illnesses or other hard times.

In September of 1935, IATSE representatives, Local One business agents and others in the industry met in Washington and New York with Hattie Flanagan, newly appointed head of the Federal Theatre Project of the Works Progress Administration. In her first Regional Directors Report on Oct. 8th, 1935, Miss Flanagan describes meeting with the various interested parties. After meeting with “National Stage hands Union” she said, "The decision was that we cannot run a union shop, but that preferences is given to union workers because of their professional qualifications".

Tharon Musser

2009-04-21T12:40:00.003-05:00

Tharon Musser, legend in the lighting industry, passed away yesterday. A graduate of Yale School of Drama(1950), in 1956 she designed "Long Day's Journey into Night" by Eugene O'Neill. The year 1972 brought her a Tony for "Follies". The use of the first computerized lighting board was ushered into use with her design for "A Chorus Line" in 1975.. The IBDB has her listed for over a hundred light designs - an impressive career by any standard. Over the course of her life she won 2 more tony's and was nominated 7 additional times. Her significant contributions to theatrical lighting and to the theatre itself will be remembered in the theatre history for centuries to come.

The below links will take you to some of the other articles for more information.

Live Design

Playbill

Bloomberg.com

Wikipedia