Best theater books according to redditors
We found 1,606 Reddit comments discussing the best theater books. We ranked the 688 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
12. Accents: A Manual for Actors- Revised and Expanded Edition
10 mentions
Used Book in Good Condition
To help with your understanding try reading this
And this
That should get you started.
But for real though. They're talking about the cables that hold everything up. Specifically, someone mentioned they were using verlocks to level it out, and that's what gave way. This is what they're talking about. ...I think. In which case I think you're right about the price. Though they may have been talking about this: in which case $12 is a descent estimate.
Source: Fuck if I know I'm an electrician I just plug shit in. Don't listen to me.
This book is written by Richard Cadena, who is the technical editor of Lighting and Sound America. It will answer virtually every question you've asked in your post, and it will also help you stay safe on the job. Worth every penny.
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EDIT: Submit your questions for Richard's r/livesound Q+A here.
I am obsessed. Here is my current collection:
Most of these you can find on thepiratebay / etc, but I own a hard copy of all of these except for The Mystery Method, which I read probably 5 times before I found Magic Bullets (actually don't own that either, just the pdf). I'll add to this list if I think of more.
Must Reads:
Magic Bullets - Savoy ==>> [Torrent] it's expensive!
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion - Robert Cialdini
The Art of Seduction - Robert Greene
How to Win Friends & Influence People - Dale Carnegie
Should reads:
The Game - Neil Strauss
The Mystery Method : How to Get Beautiful Women Into Bed - Mystery, Chris Odom, Neil Strauss
How to Get the Women You Desire into Bed - Ross Jeffries
Truth in Comedy: The Manual of Improvisation - Charna Halpern, Del Close, Kim Johnson
Meh, they're alright:
The Pickup Artist: The New and Improved Art of Seduction - Mystery, Neil Strauss
Rules of the Game - Neil Strauss
Haven't read yet:
What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People - Joe Navarro, Marvin Karlins
NLP: The New Technology of Achievement - NLP Comprehensive
Easy Mind-Reading Tricks - Robert Mandelberg, Ferruccio Sardella
Palm Reading for Beginners: Find Your Future in the Palm of Your Hand (For Beginners (Llewellyn's)) - Richard Webster
There are also some good videos out there (links are to torrents. these are all several hundred $$):
Excellent Videos
The Annihilation Method - Neil Strauss
Mystery and Style
Decent Videos
Psychic Influence - Ross Jeffries
Grab a copy of Mixing a Musical. It’s probably the best book on the subject.
Three things are going to help you:
Systems and Specials
First off, you want to always be thinking about your lights in terms of Systems and Specials. A System is a group of lights that perform a single function together. The most common form of a 'System' is a wash. Your front light is a system. Your top light is a system.
Specials are the individual lights that do 'special' unique functions. For example, you might have a light that shoots through a window to make the effect of moonlight. Or you might have a light that sits on a chair for a musical number.
Let's imagine a really simple show where you have four systems, an RGB cyc, and two specials. Your systems and specials are:
The first four systems are made up of 15 lights each, covering two dimensions: SR - SL, DS - US. Something like this:
UR URC UC ULC UL
CR CRC CC CLC CL
DR DRC DC DLC DL
You also want to individually control all the cyc colors so you can do mixing. The two specials each need to have their own channel.
Specifically choosing how your lights are channeled and groupd.
The next thing to do is to specifically choose how your lights are channeled and groupd. When you had a board with all sliders, you might just have assigned everything numerically, because you were limited in how many physical sliders you had (or perhaps limited by dimmers). The advantage of a modern board like the Ion is that you can use numerical mnemonics to visually identify/remember.
Imagine your Ion screen is laid out something like this:
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80
81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100
Now if you just channeled everything in order, numerically, you'd end up with channels looking something like this:
That's not a bad way of doing it, but it's not really optimal. For one, there's no easy way to visually look at the screen and see what things are doing. Your systems wrap across multiple lines, and everything is just group'd up with no rhyme or reason. It doesn't help you remember anything.
Visually, the channels will look like this on your Ion Screen: http://i.imgur.com/YJca3Ff.png
Instead, imagine channeling it something like this:
Now look at that on the Ion Screen: http://i.imgur.com/3TXCGYx.png . Look at the nice neat columns and rows that let you easily see what's going on. What's more, the numerical mnemonics help you know where channels are:
11: UR 12: URC 13: UC 14: ULC 15: UL
06: CR 07: CRC 08: CC 09: CLC 16: CL
01: DR 02: DRC 03: DC 04: DLC 05: DL
You know that X1 is always DR. So 01 is DR Front Amber, 21 is DR Front Blue, 41 is DR Top Amber, 61 is DR Top Blue. You can look at the screen and see what's going on visually. Eventually, you'll be able to look at the channel screen and instantly understand what it should look like on the stage.
Now, it does get tedious to select all the channels you want all the time. This is where Groups come in handy. You use Groups to select your systems so that you don't always have to type in [CHANNEL 1 - 15].
Again, numerical mnenomics will help you out. Let's just think of our four front washes. You could group them 1-4:
Problem is that way doesn't help you remember what your channels are at. Group 4 is... What? Oh, Top Blue Wash, my fourth system. When I make groups, I make them around channel numbers:
That helps you remember what channel you're selecting. You can also add more groups to get more levels of control:
And so on.
Eventually, you'll have a selection of groups that let you quickly and easily select areas of the stage you want to isolate.
What is a Magic Sheet?
Once you know what your systems and specials are, and you've got them grouped/channeled, you can make your Magic Sheet. Your Magic Sheet is for you, as the designer, to help you remember what your systems and specials are. It's a quick reference to tell you what your systems and specials are so that you DO remember what you have to use. That way you can just look down and know what channels you need to call out. Magic Sheets are unique to you... you might make them look like color keys, you might have them visually laid out on the stage.
Here's an example of a magic sheet I drew up for this show:
http://i.imgur.com/5uOvjYU.png
The magic sheet has all my systems with their appropriate channel numbers as well as my cyc numbers and specials. Because I'm using group number mnemonics, I don't have to write down group numbers... I can just remember that Group 1 selects R02 Front, Group 61 selects R80 Top, etc. etc..
I hope those tips helped. If you haven't yet, you should get (and read) the Practical Guide to Stage Lighting, which will really help you get the most out of your designs. http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Guide-Stage-Lighting-Edition/dp/0415812003
tl;dr
Buy this book: http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Guide-Stage-Lighting-Edition/dp/0415812003
Listen to my podcast (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/talkin-toons-rob-paulsen-weekly/id438294853?mt=2), visit Dee Bradley Baker's site about VO Info, buy Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt's book Voiceover Voice actor (http://amzn.to/1ujcjaS). Start there, take an Improv class if you can.
If anyone is interested in the Upright Citizens Brigade there's a book you can purchase that's quite good and is the standard resource for anyone interested in rat dicks.
Magician here. Head on over to the sidebar at /r/Magic - there's plenty of information on exactly where to start.
For my money, there's no better place to start than a cheap book. For card magic, look to "The Royal Road to Card Magic". For coins, grab "Modern Coin Magic". For general magic, pick up either Mark Wilson's Complete Course or Joshua Jay's Complete Course.
None of those books should run you more than fifteen bucks. Grab a copy and just read it until you get bored.
Also, please, don't ever learn magic on youtube. The thing that's hard for those new to magic to understand is that it is a craft that has been worked on for thousands of years. Every secret, every beautiful piece of magic ever invented has been based on the work of others, which couldn't have existed if it weren't for the work of others even before them. Every secret, as minute as you can imagine, deserves to be shared with the express permission of the person who put in the hours, days, and years of work it took to discover that secret. YouTube magic schools rarely give proper credit, and truthfully, they rarely teach a magic trick very well at all. You can also never be truly sure that a YouTube magician is worth their salt, whereas you can see--from the fact that these books are decades old yet still being heralded as some of the best magic books out there--that we magicians think they are worth reading.
Bottom line: youtube will teach you secrets. A good magic book, like the ones I recommended, will teach you how to be a magician.
Hi, Ive been a stagehand for 22 years, buy her this if she likes the technical side of theater.
That is the backstage handbook.
The Backstage Handbook: An Illustrated Almanac of Technical Information https://www.amazon.com/dp/0911747397/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_KO6CDbSZ34KFT
Go pick up the Backstage Handbook and read it cover to cover. That will give you enough basic understanding of terms and rough practices to survive overhire calls.
Aerodynamics of Yes by Christian Capozzoli
Improvise (Scenes from the inside out) by Mick Napier
Directing Improv by Asaf Ronen
Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual by Matt Besser, Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh
Hey! I finally get to say something relevant!!!
I'm currently in my third Improv class (Improv 301) at HUGE Theater! I was in the first Improv 101 class to be offered by HUGE just before they opened their doors to the public.
Anyone who is the slightest bit interested in Improv should take the 101 level class. 101 classes start this Sunday, May 1st!
Go here to register!
If you have concerns about paying the $200 up front, send the instructor an e-mail and they may be willing to work with you. They're super nice folks. It's a ten week class and they're really great. There's no pressure and you have a lot of fun... Seriously, I highly recommend it.
HUGE classes specialize in longform improv which are made up of longer, more engaging scenes. What you see in 'Who's Line..' is more considered shortform. Both forms involve games and characters, but longform allows you to really dig into scene work.
There is no straight line from taking classes to going into performing. I've had classes with experienced performers looking for a refresher.
Brave New Workshop has workshops available that guide you towards performance and some require an audition. HUGE and Brave New Workshop have great working relationships with each other and you'll see improvisors reporting in at both spots.
If you take a class at HUGE, you also get to go to their shows for free Sunday through Wednesday nights as a student. Shows are $5 normally and usually start around 8pm.
If you're looking to get your nerd on with the other improvisers, you may find some solace in the Minneapolis Improv Boards, although I don't think it's extremely active.
Disclaimer: I had ZERO improv or acting experience before going into class .. I had a friend who suggested I try a workshop for fun and I ended up signing up for the 101 class and loved it. I plan to continue on and even try my hand at performing after this class.
Good luck and I'll see you out there!
Edit: Oh yeah, if you're interested in some light reading, I recommend Truth in Comedy. Del Close helped start Improv as we know it today. Also, it used to be on Netflix Watch Instantly, but you definitely want to watch Trust Us, This Is All Made Up to see how amazing Improv can be.
I hadn't heard of Del Close until I moved to NYC and lived with a guy who did improv. He gave me Del's book "Truth in Comedy", which was an incredible read (and I'm not a comedy writer or performer).
May I present our lord and savior Jay Glerum (RIP). This guy literally wrote the book on stage rigging and was also the nicest guy ever. Seriously this is the place to start
A few that come to mind:
I don't think you need to read the whole book (there's a small summary that's a few pages out there), but I found Greg Dean's book helpful for learning how to write simple setup/punchline jokes.
For improv (and it applies to sketch too imo), the UCB manual is the best book I've read.
For writing, this book from one of the founders of The Onion is really good. I think if I had to recommend just one comedy book, it would be this one.
Format is only half of the story. A big part of long form improv is the mentality, structure, and approach. My highest recommendation is to read a very short book called Truth in Comedy.
The American Cinematography Manual lists a lot of lamp types and phtotmetric data.
Film Lighting I find to be an interesting read.
Set Lighting Technicians handbook always comes highly recommended, but I have not personally read it.
Other resources include youtube videos or searching for images.
https://www.amazon.com/Set-Lighting-Technicians-Handbook-Distribution/dp/0240810759
Know what the lights are called, and where the power is. If you're running a generator you kind of need to know what your doing, so hopefully you're not using any lights bigger than a 2k and just running off house power. Know where the fuse box is. I can't quite remember if it's each wall has its own circuit or if it's different rooms have their own circuits but don't plug in more than 2000 ways total on one circuit if the circuits are 20amp. If their 15amp don't plug in more than 1500 watts on one circuit.
Have a set crate with zip stingers, cube taps, black wrap, clothes pins and some pre cut gels near set. If you don't have any pre cut, label them as you make them and keep em for later in the show. Have some 50' & 25' Edison cables in a crate near set, have some c stands and baby stands near set, see what fixtures the gaffer thinks he will need and have them staged near set.
Keep everything as organized as you can and clean up. If you lose the gear that's on you kind of. If you haven't yet, hire a killer 3rd electrician and he can deal with set and the gaffer, you just deal with the equipment, keep it organized and ready to go. Get the plan from the gaffer and prepare as best you can to implement it when needed.
Most importantly don't do anything you're not 100% sure about when it comes to electricity. It can be dangerous, burn down houses and electrocute people dangerous, so just use your best judgement and if anyone asks you to do a tie in, tell them to fuck off and do it themselves.
Also it seems important for BBE to be grumpy and kind of get pissed if anyone asks for something to charge their phone with. So do that too.
I didn't read all of your other post. However, I did read the part where you say that you take a few minutes to come up with dialogue in the middle of the game. I don't know what's going on at your gaming table specifically, but I would recommend playing as a fantasy version of yourself. That way, you don't need to think as much about what your character would say. You just say what you would say. You also probably won't have to practice as much during the week.
Also to answer your question, I don't think anyone practices as their current character. However, if you want to practice improvisational speaking, you should check out the improv comedy scene in your town. Also, this improv comedy book has specific drills you can do with your friends to get better at improvisational speaking.
If you love Sondheim I highly recommend his Finishing the Hat/Look, I made a Hat. These two books contain lyrics from all his shows, annotated with anecdotes and insightful observations written by Sondheim himself.
Other musicals also have books that trace the whole development process and provide a behind-the-scene look of the show, such as Hamilton: A Revolution, The Great Comet: The Journey of a New Musical to Broadway and Wicked: The Grimmerie
You might be interested in the book Truth In Comedy. I used it for Improv classes.
I have never seen a stage manager or really any professional backstage that doesn't have a Backstage Handbook. It is incredibly resourceful and will probably be a required text for her in school anyway. I am primarily an actor but having worked in a few scene shops, it has been a great help many times.
Scene Design and Stage Lighting is an often-used text-book from what I can tell. I have an old version myself, but can't attest to the current version. Design and Drawing for the Theatre is also an old standby (and denser), though it appears it's out of print.
If you want something lighter and less expensive, perhaps Fundamentals of Theatrical Design or An Introduction to Theatre Design, though they aren't limited to just scenery. I haven't read the former, but the I've taught from the latter in an intro to design course. It's rather light, but that can be good for a first book.
You can also go the more theoretical route, and pick up the classic Dramatic Imagination by Robert Edmund Jones. What is Scenography? and Scenographic Imagination are chock-full of great theoretical discussion for the long term, but not suited for your first dip into the pool. Might be worth bookmarking for down the road, though.
And sometimes it's good to just have a survey of other's work. American Set Design isn't a bad place to start for that. I recently picked up World Scenography, and while I haven't had the chance to sit down extensively with it, it's a gorgeous book.
This is of course just going from scene design, there's also options out there about the history of design, useful technical handbooks for the craft, or even more specific things like model-making.
If you're already generally familiar with theater and roughly understand the production process, maybe grab one of the two in the first paragraph. If you're coming in completely fresh, starting with one of the cheaper super-introductory books in the second paragraph might be better to ease in. If you have the funds, I'd suggest one from each paragraph. Perhaps others in this sub have more specific choices they feel are definitively superior than other options.
Also, I'm guessing your university may not have a design professor, but you might suggest an independent study in scene design as a course. Hope this helps!
This book and this book are both very good. They were used in my cinematography course at my college a year or so ago.
Maybe sheet music books for those shows, if she doesn't already have them?
Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen also both have really beautiful coffee tables books that would make great gifts. Or the DK book about musicals in general.
Here are a few:
http://www.amazon.com/Set-Lighting-Technicians-Handbook-Distribution/dp/0240810759
http://www.amazon.com/Cinematography-Theory-Practice-Cinematographers-Directors/dp/0240812093
http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Cinematography-Fundamentals-Techniques-Workflows/dp/0240817915/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410971724&sr=1-1&keywords=david+stump+ASC
http://www.amazon.com/Visual-Story-Creating-Structure-Digital/dp/0240807790/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410971760&sr=1-1&keywords=the+visual+story
lights are almost always measured by wattage, so 12k= 12 kilowatts or 12,000 Watts.
1/2 and full white are referring to different thickness of diffusions, 1/2 white(250)= 1/2 a stop of light loss, full white(216)=full stop. most DP's Grips and Gaffers will refer to diff by its catalog number(410, 250, 216, 129, 1099)
Grids are a cloth diffusion with a grid pattern of white thread, referred to the same way as half stop and full stop.
pick up the Set Lighting Technicians Handbook its well worth it and will answer almost any question you may need answered, or talk to your best boy electric, hes probably got a copy of it in the set cart next to the fluke meter.
Unless you're doing some sort of highly stylized melodrama or something along those lines (which it doesn't sound like you are) you don't "act" emotions. That's going to come across as superficial and unconvincing. For the type of naturalistic acting your project is most likely going for, you act objectives, obstacles and tactics and use "what if" to stimulate your imagination and get yourself into the situation. Then the emotions come naturally.
In this case, your objective is to get to safety. This is very high-stakes; if you don't get to safety, you die. So what if you were really in that type of situation? Imagine if suddenly, right now, right behind you, you caught in the reflection of your screen the image of a man with a giant butcher knife about to stab you. You're going to freak out, right? You're going to scream, run, pull out your phone and call 911 and/or your friends and family and do whatever it takes to get out of there and get help and be safe again. Start out by practicing as if that was the scene. Have someone stand behind you as if they were the killer, then run screaming and shouting with reckless abandon from one side of the room to the other, yelling the names of all your most trusted friends and family for help, as if this was the one moment in your life you need them most of all. It doesn't matter how you look doing it, it doesn't matter if anyone's convinced, the only thing that matters is that you, Ahmed11105, get away from the person that wants to kill you as fast as possible and get to a safe place. Feel what it's like to go after that goal with everything you've got.
Once you've done that, once you're feeling that urgency and immediacy, start adding in the given circumstances to the exercise, one at a time, and see how they create obstacles to your goal of getting to safety, and how you have to change your tactics to get there. For example, instead of right behind you, the killer's in some unknown place nearby. How does that affect things? Can you still risk screaming for help, or will that alert him to your presence? Can you still run in a straight line, or do you know have to pay more attention to your surroundings, since you don't know where he is? Now imagine that you've forgotten who you are. How does that affect your character's situation, feeling that instinct to find someone to help them but not knowing if any such people even exist? How does that influence the choices the character makes? Remember, underneath everything your prime focus is to get to safety - these are just added obstacles that are standing in your way. It's the tension between the character's objective and the obstacles that stand in the way of that which create the emotion in the actor's body.
Read up on Method/Stanislavski/Etc. for further info about how to develop this sort of technique (the sidebar's a good start, I also highly recommend "Practical Handbook for the Actor" as a great crash course in this stuff), or, better yet, take an actual acting class, and this all makes a lot more sense if you have an experienced teacher guiding you through exercises that teach these principles.
(*Edit: I guess that "Practical Handbook" link is only the first chapter, but here it is on Amazon.)
Having specific characters that represent your different audiences allow you to embody/emulate those characters as "masks" (an idea from theater, outlined brilliantly in Keith Johnstone's Impro).
The human brain is extremely good at simulating other people, predicting their needs and desires: if someone says "I heard dead my mothers voice telling me not to do it" do you assume their dead mother is literally communicating telepathically, or do you accept that they just know what their mother would say? Writers also work this way all the time with "characters that write themselves"—these fictional entities have personalities, needs, and wants, and help the writer see things from a perspective that is unlike their own.
While heavily researched personas are more accurate, DIY "fanfiction" personas really do get you 80% of the way there—these are just tools that allow designers to roleplay as or "find empathy for" different types of users. They're not supposed to cover every possible thing or to replace the need for validation, they just get you in the right headspace.
Interrupting someone lowers their status. Allowing someone to break a social taboo without comment raises their status. Really, if you want to know more, you've gotta obtain this book (and/or go to a local improv class, most of which take that book as their basis).
I have this handy!
Accents, a Manual for Actors
Learning IPA(International Phonetic Alphabet) is a real game changer with dialect and accent work. I have a little collection of index cards of accents(the ones a white guy like me are expected to do) that have a cheat sheet of the most important sound differences.
With good cinematography comes great lighting. When I first started in the film industry as Grip, I literally sat on the back of the truck between takes and read Harry Box's Set Lighting Technicians Handbook. Its invaluable information as far as lighting is concerned. The Grip Book by Mike Uva is another great handbook. Generally, if you walked into Barnes and Noble, all the other books on the shelf are worth a read. "Rebel without a Crew" And "Save the Cat" are some great reads.
Glad you're trying it out and putting in the effort.
I don't want to sound like I'm encouraging quitting or anything but there's nothing wrong with realizing that something isn't for you. You may need to check out more things/adjust your expectations (of yourself and of the work) before making that decision.
Don't be frustrated just because you don't understand as much as you thought. If you want to and you're dedicated, you can become even more skilled and knowledgeable than anyone on that set. These things take time and effort, of course.
Lighting isn't the easiest thing to grasp and "3-point lighting" is really just a starting point; a general way that you might decide to use to light a scene and which can work any number of ways rather than being one particular setup/ratio. The Set Lighting Technician's Handbook is very informative, if you're really interested, but there's also plenty of guides online and I'd be happy to break down a few basics if you'd like.
"The Backstage Handbook"
First, actually find a therapist.
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Second, since you probably won't actually find a therapist (even though you should), below are a few strategies that got me through my roughest patches in investment banking and private equity:
First things first, different areas are going to call different things different names. Never be ashamed about asking what people mean by a term, as clear communication is critical in this industry.
Next, three books that will help you.
As far as what equipment and systems you should be familiar with? ETC EOS family is a good starting point. It’ll get your mind familiar with how to program lights and is a pretty universal starting point. ETC Sensor Racks are also fairly standard for dimming. For moving lights, that’s really going to depend on what you’re able to get your hands on. If there’s a production shop nearby to you, call them up and see if they’re willing to take you on as an intern so you can learn things, or just ask them to spend a couple days showing you how everything works. Or see if there’s an IATSE chapter that’s nearby to you, they’ll also be able to help point you in the right direction.
Interestingly, this one blog post “How to Be a Better Improviser” is actually a brilliant distillation of the most important concepts.
It goes without saying that without practice reading alone will have limited utility.
I didn't get involved in the improv scene until after I moved away from there but I've looked into it a little when visiting.
I've seen some shows and taken a workshop at Spectacles in Fullerton that were a lot of fun but the age group may be slightly older than you're looking for. They seem to be the most active and organized group and I think I've seem them post on this sub in the past.
Here are some other organizations I found you may reach out to:
Improv City High Schools
OC Crazies
Nothing about training but maybe a resource.
South Coast Repertory
If you're looking to do Long Form Improv you could pick up the UCB Handbook and some friends and start on your own. After several weeks of consistent practices you could try and hire a coach from one of the resources above. I've found that many coaches are more interested in helping dedicated improvisers improve and not in getting rich... hopefully you'll have the same experience.
Here is a PDF of some general set terms
Each department will have loads of their own unique terms, sometimes several for the same thing. Clothespins (used for attaching colored gels to the barndoors of lights) are often called bullets, clothes pins or c-47. Spring clamps might be called "pony clamps" or "grip clamps" as well.
barndoors - the movable wings that attach to the front of a light. used to shape the beam and attach gels.
There is also slang for every type of light that you would use on set. Most of them refer to different versions of Mole-Richardson lights, the standard in the film industry for quite some time.
Each of these lights has a larger and smaller version. The larger version is usually considered the "studio" version. The smaller versions that you will find on equipment trucks and location shoots are denoted by adding "baby" to it, except in the case of the 1k fresnel since it would be silly to call it a "baby baby".
Those are just Mole-Richardson tungsten lights. There are other terms for HMIs, Fluorescent lights, light banks and even other brands of tungsten lights. There are also terms for each type of stand. The basics would be walker = stand without wheels, roller = stand with wheels.
I really recommend The Set Lighting And Technicians Handbook. If you are working in a production crew it should be your bible.
Read A Practical Handbook for the Actor to help understand what it is an actor needs to do in a seen. In this way, you can guide your actors in the direction you want by using their vernacular or one that makes sense to them. Not to say every actor uses this book, but it is a damn good one. Hope this helps.
I agree. Your hunger is an incredibly good thing. But you should always be training and stretching If you're interested in some books on technique here's what I've been reading.
A Practical Handbook for the Actor by a bunch of interesting people. It's a practical, repeatable, and analytical way of approaching acting. While it is best practiced in a classroom with a knowledgable instructor, the text is good enough to stand on it's own.
History of the Theatre by Brockett is a longggggg read. But it's detailed and a great perspective on what was happening when in relation to plays. Also you can older editions for way way less.
I'm just now reading Sanford Meisner on Acting and that's been an interesting so far, it has a lot more of a narrative which is enjoyable to read.
Hope any of that helps someone!
Books, books and more books
http://www.amazon.com/Musicians-Way-Practice-Performance-Wellness/dp/0195343131/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418943223&sr=1-7&keywords=music+theory
http://www.amazon.com/Chord-Wheel-Ultimate-Tool-Musicians/dp/0634021427/ref=sr_1_14?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418943269&sr=1-14&keywords=music+theory
http://www.amazon.com/Study-Counterpoint-Johann-Joseph-Parnassum/dp/0393002772/ref=sr_1_15?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418943285&sr=1-15&keywords=music+theory
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0809327414/ref=redir_mdp_mobile
Stage Rigging Handbook.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0316736465
First Aid Manual
Just starters.
Set Lighting Technician's Handbook by Harry C. Box
Fellow Columbia Alum here, this book is an indispensable resource as well. Won't exactly tell you "how" to light your scene, but covers all the gear and how it works.
The Set Lighting Technician's Handbook
Pretty common, actually, as a method of getting a new show under your fingers.
That's the method described in Shannon Slaton's Mixing a Broadway Musical.
Electricity for the Entertainment Electrician & Technician by Richard Cadena. Understanding electricity and electrical safety is big, and a shocking number of technicians lack what I consider crucial basic knowledge.
Also, if you have interest in automated lighting, a decent grounding in electronics can be useful for troubleshooting and maintenance, and I'd start with Introductory Circuit Analysis by Robert Boylestad for this - you'll get a much more thorough grounding in circuit analysis than from Cadena, even if you don't work your way through the whole text.
Electricity for the Entertainment Electrician and Technician
You don't have to become an expert on everything in the book but simply reading it through once will give a solid foundation for the working sound engineer. Nothing happens in our world without power so I consider this a fundamental read.
> Or perhaps the problem is something other than the power?
The thing that passed through your brain that made you think that this was a smart decision.
Here are some ground rules about movers and electricity that pertain to your situation, and some thoughts.
Please be safer next time, and don't break expensive gear that you don't own. Accidents are accidents, stupidity can't be played off as an accident.
If you actually want to learn more about electricity and how to use it safely, please read this book: https://www.amazon.com/Electricity-Entertainment-Electrician-Technician-Richard/dp/0415714834
Check out Steve Shelley’s book Practical Guide to Stage Lighting. I learned a fair amount about contracts from it, enough to write my own.
The above comment about consulting a lawyer is also wise, but most lawyers are going to know your business like you do. If you come to them with something to look over, you’re more likely to get a positive and meaningful reaction.
Vectorworks and Lightwrite are pretty standard for generating light plots and paperwork. WYSIWYG and AutoCAD are also used, along with manually created fixture/patch/color/etc schedules.
I'd recommend this book for an excellent, in-depth guide to the practical side of lighting design.
Sleight of hand with coins
Sleight of Hand
Sleight of Hand with Cards
Edit: there's my 3 suggestions that I've had great experience with. These are 3 staples in any magic collection in my opinion.
Ok! I need to clarify one thing. These books are very old. Don't get discouraged at the fact that the vernacular can be somewhat confusing. If you take the time to look up any words that might be hard to understand and just work trough the text, you will find timeless effects that you'll be able to show off for years to come! Don't dismiss a move because it seems so simple!
A common application is to see a quarter segment of the circle as showing not three keys, but the six main chords in a (major) key. IV-I-V on the outside and ii-vi-iii on the inside. (Obviously you need a circle with the relative minors on the inside.)
Chords either side of that diatonic segment can also be used, being closely related, but the further you get from that block, the more "out" the chords will get (but can still be used for that "out" effect, of course). And root movements work around the circle, in either direction.
But I guess this is much like the way you are using it anyway! So I don't think you really are missing anything significant.
[Here's] (https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Chord-Wheel-All-Inst-Chart-Various/0634021427) a commercial application of much the same idea: The word "revolutionary" is just a sales pitch in that case. ;-)
Stage Rigging Handbook
That'll teach you how to do it the right way. Then you can adapt to fit your space.
Impro by Keith Johnstone
Have you ever seen Whose Line Is It Anyway? If you haven't, the idea is that a bunch of actors get on stage, take suggestions from the audience, and create wildly creative set pieces on the fly. Improv seems like an unachievable creative feat--but it's not.
In his book Impro, Keith Johnstone demystifies improv and narrative play. At one point, he has a lady who insists she's not creative participate in a narrative game. She asks plot questions about an unwritten story, and he answers yes or no depending on the way she phrases her questions. In the end, this "uncreative" creates a story about giant killer ants seemingly from nothing!
The key to creativity is being open to stupid ideas. People have ideas all the time. Deciding to put hot sauce on your pizza is an idea. Deciding to cut through Park Lane while on your morning commute is an idea. Deciding to dance the funky chicken after reading this comment is an idea.
What makes an idea creative? That's a toughie. A lot of times, you'll feel it in your gut or sense it in the approval from your audience. But you normally don't reach that creative peak until you get through some duds. :)
Creativity is easy. Creativity is hard. Anyone can come up with ideas. It's the editing--and the follow-through--that makes the difference.
Go ahead and pick up one of these
In the mean time, I'll open up my copy and tell you what Blumenfeld has to say about Cockney. But before that, let me just stress this: You can read all of the phonetics and rules that you want, but at the end of the day, the thing that is going to help you the most is listening to a native speaker. Michael Caine has been a giant help to me. So sit yourself down, watch The Dark Knight trilogy and pay attention to Alfred.
As for what Blumenfeld has to say:
That's a general rundown of the phonetics. There's more to be learned obviously. Now for tips.
https://www.amazon.com/Backstage-Handbook-Illustrated-Technical-Information/dp/0911747397
Hey! I'm in the same boat as you... It is definitely easy to get overwhelmed with the crazy amount of info online. I fought that by picking a few resources and making my way through them, I was able to make good headway. There are some amazing resources online that help tremendously, I like these:
https://blogs.voices.com/voxdaily/2008/01/how_do_i_get_started_in_voice_acting.html - great collection of resources
http://iwanttobeavoiceactor.com/ - such an amazing site by Dee Bradley Baker
http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/ - Crispin Freemans podcasts (more tailored to animation voice actors, but the first intro podcasts are so candid and have really invaluable advice).
This book is great: http://www.amazon.com/Voice-Over-Voice-Actor-What-Behind/dp/0984074007
Before you are ready to make a professional demo, you really need to practice your craft (even signing up for Voiceactingalliance or CastingCallClub etc just to get started practicing for example). I'm sure you've heard this, but acting classes, improv classes, singing classes etc- are part of that practice.
If you do have the experience of acting and cold reads and just want to hear demos in the market now, this site is amazing:
http://www.voicebank.net/
Youtube also has great videos of working voice actors talking about demos, just do a search of "voice acting demo" or something the like.
If you are a pro producer, that is great, but right now it is not just the skills of putting together a demo that is really important for you - it is the character that you bring to the mic that is the kicker (even in Commercial demos), so once again, practising the craft of acting itself is probably the most important thing for you at the moment.
Hope this helps even slightly, it was kinda a stream of consciousness from one new-ish VO to another. :)
Also check out the book "Voice-Over Voice Actor" by Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt for some good info.
The one big book that is considered the textbook for VO is "The Art of Voice Acting: The Craft and Business of Performing for Voiceover" by James Alburger. There is a TON of information in that book that can help you understand more about the industry.
Also, check out my free eBook on getting started. I wrote it specifically for folks on Reddit who ask this question.
To offer some tips:
Practice reading out loud. A lot. Listen to yourself reading. Does it sound natural?
Take acting classes
Take business classes
Get a professional voiceover coach
Study, practice, study more.
Get your demo recorded once you've built up your skills.
Start marketing yourself to companies that hire voice talent.
They even wrote a manual! They definitely treat comedy as a craft.
I teach voice workshops sometimes. Not singing, but speaking voice for actors and stuff
The industry standard texts for actors are usually Linklater (for vocal quality) and Skinner (for clarity of speech).
This book is fucking legendary, though perhaps more technical and in depth than you're interested in and also a little formal / outdated. If you follow all the vowel sounds perfectly you'll end up sounding like a British twat (especially with the "ah" sound as in "father" and the "all" sound, just do what's natural). But everything about the consonants pretty much holds up.
This book is a really good place to start. Most of the exercises revolve around freeing the "channel" from your diaphragm through your mouth and making sure you have both the dexterity to communicate with ease and the proprioception (imagery and understanding of the body) to adapt your voice as needed. If you've seen The King's Speech, that's pretty much all the stuff he's doing during that montage where he's shaking his fists around and yelling and stuff. Practice a few times a week.
I'm sure looking up youtube videos of Linklater and Roy Hart technique is also useful if you don't want to buy the book.
Practicing by reading aloud, as others have mentioned, is also really helpful. Generally, the verb is the most important word of the sentence, but it's also prohibitive to set too many rules for yourself in terms of cadence and emphasis since contemporary speech is pretty organic and you don't want to sound like a machine. Also listening to your favorite actors / singers / etc with a critical mind can be helpful, it isn't really useful to try to emulate them since the mechanics of everyone's voices are vastly different, but understanding the quality of their voice and finding that same quality within your own voice is a nice way to start.
Jerzy Grotowski - Towards a Poor Theatre
Antonin Artaud - The Theatre and Its Double
Bertolt Brecht - Brecht on Theatre
Jacques Ranciere - The Emancipated Spectator
Guy Debord - The Society of the Spectacle
Del Close + Charna Halpern - Truth in Comedy
Extreme Exposure - An Anthology of Solo Performance Texts from the 20th Century
New Downtown Now - An Anthology of New Theatre from Downtown New York
Those books should give you a good introduction to directing in the theatre outside of traditional American realism. Where were you hoping to go to school?
> Say "yes"
Tina Fey's anecdote about Joan Rivers is from a book called Truth In Comedy. I know it has nothing to do with this thread, but as she says, improv/the book make for a great life manual. I always found it helpful as a teacher... and I guess more subconsciously as a parent.
Interaction Design
Interior Design
Landscape Architecture
Lighting Design
Product Design
Product Design
Sound Design
Urban Design
* Cities for People by Jan Gehl
Web Design
Designing with Light is a great introduction to design, the price is criminal https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Light-Introduction-Stage-Lighting/dp/0073514233/ref=dp_ob_title_bk
A Practical guide to Stage Lighting is one of the best and most complete books on the subject https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Guide-Stage-Lighting-Third/dp/0415812003/ref=pd_sim_14_4?ie=UTF8&dpID=51wHNTlRvuL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR124%2C160_&refRID=F1TC2GN49HDAM9GJ75ZZ
The Design Idea is a great book on design https://www.amazon.com/Lighting-Design-Idea-Wadsworth-Theatre/dp/1111836868/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1465919421&sr=1-1&keywords=linda+essig
Stage Lighting Design: The Art, Craft and Life is another great book https://www.amazon.com/Stage-Lighting-Design-Craft-Life/dp/0896762351/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1465919500&sr=1-1&keywords=richard+pilbrow
There are my top 4 lets see what others suggest.
Great! Then I'm gonna make two book recommendations to you. The first book is The Stock Scenery Construction Handbook by Bill Raoul and Mike Monsos. It'll be a great help to get some knowledge about how scenery goes together and is structured before you dive into a job where this'll be common practice. The second book is the Technical Theatre Bible, The Backstage Handbook by Paul Carter and George Chiang. Even if you don't ever end up in theatre, this is a brilliant reference from how to build stairs to creating and calculating large arcs. Every technician should have a copy of it.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Backstage-Handbook-Illustrated-Information/dp/0911747397
The Backstage Handbook has saved me several times.
EDIT:
Pocket Ref is good too...
http://www.amazon.com/Pocket-Ref-Thomas-J-Glover/dp/1885071000
The "Hamiltome" the book about the musical: https://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Revolution-Lin-Manuel-Miranda/dp/1455539740
Former professional actor here. Had several years of IPA in college. The key is to have a proper baseline for the way that the characters are actually supposed to sound. It all well and good learning what the symbols are supposed to mean, but if you're teaching yourself, you have no real reference. This is all about sound. You can't just do without hearing the sounds pronounced correctly. That said, if you're really interested in learning more, the definitive textbook is Edith Skinner's Speak with Distinction. Granted, it helps to have studies the works of Kristin Linklater to put a lot of this stuff in context.
Improvising Now Rob Norman’s Book, coupled with the podcast the backline is a great resource. I have taken workshops from Rob and Adam and they know their stuff. They are masters of the craft.
How to be the greatest improviser on earth by Will Hines, coupled with his blog “improv nonsense” is also great. Will Hines is one of the most clear articulate thinkers in the improv world. He has the ability to distill the most complex ideas into simple bite sized packets.
Improvise by Mick Napier is a classic. Great for an intermediate player because his ideas and concepts come up all the time.
Podcasts worth checking out: Beat by beat, the backline, improv nerd, and the ask the UCB episodes of I4H.
I’ve read a lot of improv books, but those are the ones I love. Their usefulness never ceases.
If your looking to get into cinematography, you should check out "Cinematography" and "Motion Picture and Video Lighting" by Blain Brown. Anything from Kris Malkiewicz is worth a read too. "The Grip Book" by Michael Uva, "Set Lighting Technician's Handbook" by Harry Box and "The Camera Assistant" by Doug Hart are all excellent books for more trade specific people.
Edit for links:
http://www.amazon.com/Cinematography-Practice-Edition-Cinematographers-Directors/dp/0240812093/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333841096&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Motion-Picture-Lighting-Second-Edition/dp/0240807634/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1333841096&sr=8-3
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_7?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=kris+malkiewicz&sprefix=Kris+ma%2Caps%2C359&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Akris+malkiewicz&ajr=0
http://www.amazon.com/The-Grip-Book-Fourth-Edition/dp/0240812913/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333841229&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Lighting-Technicians-Handbook-Fourth-Edition/dp/0240810759/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1333841229&sr=8-4
http://www.amazon.com/The-Camera-Assistant-Complete-Professional/dp/0240800427/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1333841294&sr=8-4
"Set Lighting Technician's Handbook." This is the one.
As many cameras as there are, there are countless numbers of lights. Many of these "must have" lights like a basic 1.2HMI run many thousands of dollars which is beyond the scope of purchase for most users (as it should be). Lights at even a mid range production level are rented because you need so many of so many different types based on what, when, and where you're shooting (as well as what you're shooting on).
The scope is massive and beyond the capabilities of the sub. Fortunately, there is already a fairly affordable reference in The Set Lighting Technicians Handbook (as mentioned by /u/itschrisreed).
This is a great read about power and is specifically geared toward our industry: https://www.amazon.com/Electricity-Entertainment-Electrician-Technician-Richard/dp/0415714834
Hello, live event electrician here.
Take a look at Richard Cadenas book, Electricity for the Entertainment Electrician (link below)
I both read his book and took a course he taught. Specifically with stage power, he made sure to burn into my brain using GFCI protected deck power. The time it takes for a short to happen and trip the breaker at your distro is enough to kill. It's happened before.
As for another resource I suggest protocol magazine. It's got all sorts of good, dry information if you are into that. I certainly am.
Educate yourself, don't lift your grounds, ALWAYS use GFCIs for deck power. Too many people have needlessly been electrocuted. Requiring GFCIs for deck power is currently being discussed (I believe)for addition to either the NEC or ESA (Event Safety Alliance)
Good luck out there!
http://www.esta.org/Protocol/protocol.html
https://www.amazon.com/Electricity-Entertainment-Electrician-Technician-Richard/dp/0415714834
The Royal Road to Card Magic by Hugard & Braue
If you practice all the things this book has to offer then you will have an amazing foundation in card magic.
Modern Coin Magic by J.B. Bobo
This is a must have if you want to begin learning coin magic.
At some point I would also suggest The Books of Wonder by Tommy Wonder, pricey, but his philosophy on magical thinking is worth it alone. I am a tad biased however because he is my favorite magician after all. :)
I'm weary of suggesting YouTubers but one I will recommend is Jay Sankey
YouTube — Jay Sankey
I hope this helps and welcome back!
That is a great book, but really doesn't teach you rigging.
This is perhaps more on topic: https://www.amazon.com/Stage-Rigging-Handbook-Third-Glerum/dp/0809327414
How do I improv?
You read Impro (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0878301178). The status chapter alone is comedy and dramatic gold. It will also teach you the gestural and postural elements of character, which are easier than funnier accents to do consistently, they also tend to force your mind into the correct behavior for the posture
How do I react better to surprise?
You write down a list of beliefs and instincts (2-3 of each). The beliefs are facts about the world you are extremely likely to confront in the worlds, and what your character will do about them. Instincts are if then statements that add instant reaction. Use this to know exactly what you'll do in a situation, and also use it to get you guys into trouble sometimes
How do I become more active at the table?
Add one or two things to a list you will just not abide. Similar to or equal to your instincts recorded earlier, just act, and accept no discussion when those things occur
Read this book.
Read this book.
Read this book too.
These will give you a good basis to build knowledge/experience from.
http://www.amazon.com/Set-Lighting-Technicians-Handbook-Distribution/dp/0240810759/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397498684&sr=1-1&keywords=set+technicians+handbook
This is a good place to start. Also check local gigs, prepare for application to the local union.
It's sometimes embarrassing to have a DSLR because DSLR filmmakers show up to a pro set looking like Blankman.
I'm trying not to be too critical but Flourescent bulbs aren't exactly sought after for their CRI, flicker characteristics, and inability to be dimmed well. Sure, they output a LOT of light, but you need to be careful because they pulse like mad, have a REALLY strange color cast, they can't be dimmed, AND are really noisy if you get dimmable ones.
Just get a PAR64 as a direct light through diffusion or build a softlight with some bare studio bulbs for softboxes and (the only good idea in the whole tutorial) that crazy cake pan reflector painted white. Either idea would probably only cost slightly more (for the REAL bulb receptacles) and put out A SHITLOAD more light (and a better quality/CRI of light).
Also, it's not that hard to build film lights with spare parts. There's even a section that starts on page 144 of the Harry C Box Set Lighting Technician's Handbook that teaches you how to make quality lights for the same amount of money or slightly more. The coop light that they recommend is REALLY good and isn't an embarrassing blankman invention. Clients actually do respond negatively to cheap equipment.
Also, you can build a kino flo if you have the time. All you need is coreplast (corrugated plastic), some fluorescent shoplights with ballasts, and real kino bulbs (since they have a much more acceptable CRI and are more rugged by a factor of 100).
It boggles my mind how people are so scared of real film lights even though they are commonly hand-built for specific purposes in the pro parts of the industry I'll get off my high horse. I'm just getting really tired of DSLR shooters kludging everything together just because they're scared of real film equipment.
this is what I started with.
this is what I use now.
Edit: thank you for the gold /u/dethswatch
I like where your heart's at, but honestly books just aren't going to help you much for what you're after. Everything you said you wanted to learn is stuff you learn by just doing it and seeing other people do it. Time to get your butt out on set! And if there's no set, it's time for you to buy some cheap lights and fuck around with them endlessly!
If you really want a book for the technical stuff in lighting, buy the Set Lighting Technician's Handbook. That's the industry standard reference manual for lighting.
I second this. The ASC is a wonderful resource, also subscribe to their newsletter they usually have links to relevant articles that didn't make the magazine along with info about upcoming events/expos.
I also found these helpful:
"Lighting for Cinematography: A Practical Guide to the Art and Craft of Lighting for the Moving Image" https://www.amazon.com/dp/1628926929/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_J5uen5Oey5Orz
"Master Shots Volumes 1,2,&3" https://www.amazon.com/dp/1615931546/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Ez-4ybHE81VH1
And "Set Lighting Technician's Handbook: Film Lighting Equipment, Practice, and Electrical Distribution" https://www.amazon.com/dp/0240810759/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_tA-4yb18WDJFC
Set Lighting Technician's Handbook is a popular one.
I'd just like to point out that I'm not a film maker in any way shape or form so it would be nice if somebody could verify what I'm about to say.
I've been watching a lot of videos by FilmmakerIQ.com on Vimeo and have learned a lot from them. Anyway, they have a list of recommended books that I haven't checked out yet but would like to. I'll just list them out here:
Painting With Light
Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need
The Hollywood Standard: The Complete and Authoritative Guide to Script Format and Style (Hollywood Standard: The Complete & Authoritative Guide to)
Set Lighting Technician's Handbook: Film Lighting Equipment, Practice, and Electrical Distribution
Master Shots: 100 Advanced Camera Techniques to Get an Expensive Look on Your Low-Budget Movie
Cinematography: Theory and Practice: Image Making for Cinematographers and Directors
The Camera Assistant's Manual
The Makeup Artist Handbook: Techniques for Film, Television, Photography, and Theatre
Special Makeup Effects for Stage and Screen: Making and Applying Prosthetics
Grammar of the Shot (Media Manuals)
Rebel without a Crew: Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker With $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player
Cinematic Storytelling: The 100 Most Powerful Film Conventions Every Filmmaker Must Know
The Five C's of Cinematography: Motion Picture Filming Techniques
Check out Shannon Slaton's book Mixing a Musical: Broadway Theatrical Sound Techniques. It's a great in-depth look at the nuts and bolts of theatrical sound. Obviously you're a long way off from doing this level of show, but this should give you a good idea of how much more there is to it besides just mixing the mics.
Otherwise, there's some good advice here already. Experience and networking is the name of the game in Broadway audio, even more so than other departments. Every sound person I know doing Broadway/First Nationals was plucked up by a designer early in their career, often at well-known summerstocks or major off-Broadway theatres, and when that designer needed new people to go on tour or go to Chicago for an out-of-town tryout or whatever, they got the call.
As for what to do - just start doing shows. If you have a local roadhouse near you, see if you can get on the overhire list for the IA and get paid to load in some tours. Volunteer to mix your friend's band, work on the school musical, work on other school's musicals, whatever you can get your hands on. If you're so inclined to go to college, pick a good one that specializes in what you want to do and has a solid alumni network who are working successfully in the field, but also hopefully one that won't leave you in debt for 20 years. Use those college connections to get solid summerstock work in college, then move to the regional/off-Broadway world when you graduate. Move up the ladder at a larger theatre, meet a well-known designer, start building some of his shows, maybe get sent out on a smaller tour, work your way up to heading, get called home to sub on one of his Broadway shows, finally get your own show, make sure it's a huge hit, mix it for 30 years, then retire and move to Florida. Any questions? :)
The mixing part is the same. If you are solely the FOH mixer, and you don't want to be in charge of the bigger picture, you have no concerns - just make it sound good and know the consoles you are working on. The system tech is there to make sure that the rig sounds good everywhere in the room, and the PM and riggers are there to make sure it is run and hung safely and efficiently.
If you want to PM on bigger rigs like that, you need to start learning the details of all those people's jobs - not necessarily so you can tell them what to do, but so that you can spot safety issues and inefficiencies, and work hand-in-hand with them to meet your goals.
Here's a good book to start on power: https://www.amazon.com/Electricity-Entertainment-Electrician-Technician-Richard/dp/0415714834
And here is a good book on audio systems: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415731011/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I haven't read this one on networks yet, but it's probably my next read...maybe others can chime in on wether it is a good one.
https://www.amazon.com/Show-Networks-Control-Systems-Entertainment/dp/0692958738/ref=asc_df_0692958738/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312115090752&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=449842820588414772&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9061129&hvtargid=pla-415287733133&psc=1
​
And of course, nothing beats experience, so weasel your way into bigger jobs and watch what everyone is doing.
​
Rich Cadena’s“Electricity for the Entertainment Electrician & Technician” is by far the best read on this specific topic.
He also hosts training classes and is ETCP certified.
Also check out the NEC sections 400 and 520 for people in the USA.
ProSoundWeb’s AC & Grounding forum is great, as is Mike Holt’s websites and forum contributions throughout the Event Production and Electric industries.
for the power end of things: http://www.amazon.com/Electricity-Entertainment-Electrician-Technician-Richard/dp/0415714834
for the audio-interconnection end of things:
http://www.rane.com/library.html
http://www.qsc.com/resources/document-library/
http://www.crownaudio.com/en-US/support_downloads#technical-paper
& http://www.prosoundtraining.com/site/resources/
A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting-http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415812003/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Stage Lighting Handbok-
http://www.amazon.com/Stage-Lighting-Handbook-Francis-Reid/dp/087830147X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407560871&sr=1-2&keywords=stage+lighting
The Backstage Handbook (has the basics on instruments, cable, etc.)-
http://www.amazon.com/Backstage-Handbook-Illustrated-Technical-Information/dp/0911747397/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407560935&sr=1-5&keywords=stage+lighting
A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting by Steve Shelley
Designing With Light by J. Michael Gillette
These are the two staple textbooks for any lighting design class.
Steven Shelley's 'A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting is an EXCELLENT lighting design primer. It walks you through everything from the initial discussions, to placing the units on the plot, to focus and cuing.
Don't take everything he says as gospel, but it is a comprehensive place to start. (And Steve's a great guy, too)
I really like this book: A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting. I think you'll appreciate how Steve Shelley lays his ideas out.
It's one thing to learn the "how", it's another thing to learn the "why". I highly recommend doing some reading/research on the concepts of lighting design: when, why and how to use lighting to help tell the story. Some starting suggestions:
https://www.amazon.com/Stage-Lighting-Design-Craft-Life/dp/1854599968/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1496027350&sr=1-3&keywords=stage+lighting
https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Guide-Stage-Lighting-Third/dp/0415812003/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1496027350&sr=1-4&keywords=stage+lighting
https://www.amazon.com/Light-Fantastic-Design-Stage-Lighting/dp/3791343718/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1496027350&sr=1-5&keywords=stage+lighting
the book.
Also check out our r / magic sidebar for coins.
Local Magic shop will usually show you what they are selling and recommend some good starter material.
I started out with Royal Road then I moved onto whatever seemed interesting.
A lot of the stuff seems a lot harder than it is, and presentation is really key. That book with some gimmick coin sets will get you rolling.
For coin stuff there is no better start than Bobo's Book.
Your mileage will vary depending on how much you practice. I usually practice flourishes on the subway, and some simple moves there too. Luckily I have a job with long stretches of down time so I am always practicing there too.
Then I recommend picking up the books "Royal Road to Card Magic", "Modern Coin Magic", and "Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic"
As for YouTube, there's a lot of bad magic tutorials on YouTube. So be careful of who you watch.
Besides Chris, I would recommend watching Alex Pandrea, 52Kards, and SankeyMagic.
PigCake is a pretty good teacher as well but he can be sort of crude sometimes so that's up to you.
Xavior Spade also has good stuff but he also teaches a lot of advanced card moves.
Get The Chord Wheel
Its a very thin book with the rotating chord wheel on front. Its a quick read that explains how to find what chord you're in and some very useful, usable bits of music theory without getting overly complex.
Chord Wheel is an awesome tool.
A good way to learn melodic structure.
Stage rigging handbook by jay O,Glerum
It's more theatrical but it makes the math and load calculations easy to understand.
If you can't draw, who drew that awesome map?
Moving on:
Things I have tried:
Currently my map consists of:
Physical Environment
Cosmology
Races
Society
Things I'd like to try:
My recent revival of my DMing career was inspired by Mercer, so I have been more interested in the roleplay/voice acting aspect, something I never really cared about in the past. Just yesterday, my brother's (and one of my players) birthday gift to me showed up, and I'm really excited about it. Despite having zero experience as a voice actor, I find it relatively easy to follow, at least so far, and I haven't broken out the 2 CDs in the back yet.
Having that variety of voices makes characters feel much more individual and alive, and I hope really increases the immersion and feel of the game.
You would probably be interested in this book. It goes in detail about different accents - particularly in the UK, but also in India and Australia and whatnot. I haven't listened to the accompanying CD yet, but the book itself goes into really good detail. I'm not an actor myself, I just love phonology, but I find the book well-written and very interesting.
This article on Wikipedia also does a fairly good introduction on the different regional differences of American English, though you might want to brush up on your International Phonetic Alphabet skills to get a good understanding of this subject.
I'm a professional voiceover artist, when not DMing, and this book is absolutely essential to me. I've had to learn accents overnight, and this one has saved my skin on a number of occasions.
http://www.amazon.com/Accents-Actors-Revised-Expanded-Edition/dp/087910967X
If you're sticking with one cockney character, try to watch movies with exclusively cockney accents. My Fair Lady is great, but Liza's accent is buried amongst other accents.
Check out any movie with Jason Statham, incl Snatch, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Michael Caine in Alfie; This is England, or any episodes of Only Fools and Horses.
It depends on how deep you want to go. There is a lot of information on theatrical lighting and retail lighting. You can even browse /r/techtheatre for some ideas on the theatrical side.
As for my home: diffusion, diffusion, & diffusion. I am a big fan of LED strips and I mount them to the underside and topside of cabnets to create a gentle glowing effect.
Unfortunately it's rather difficult to simply 'pick up' lighting design, especially when you're thinking of a larger scope including renovations and retrofits. Even something as simple as finding a website that explains the beginnings of stage lighting to send people to has been a challenge for me in the past.
The Steve Shelley book mentioned by /u/loansindi is a very robust choice, but is aimed more specifically at theatrical lighting and is likely to have far more information than you'd ever want or need, and will make you crazy.
I'd recommend this Pilbrow book, which is a little more readable. It is a tad bit dated, however; not that what he says is wrong but that it's a bit old-fashioned.
The reality is the best way to learn about it is to have conversations with someone who understands lighting in the context of your space. That way you can not only understand concepts, but concepts as they apply to your context. I understand why you would want to do prep work so as not to be caught off-guard by the process or taken advantage of, but there are people--trustworthy people--who are paid to do just that. No need to put undue pressure on yourself to be an expert.
Anyway, hope that's helpful to some degree. Please feel free to PM or get in touch with me via email (john @ johndelfino [dot] com) if you have more questions.
Source:: Lighting Designer, Independent and with Visual Terrain
at our HS, We give out the backstage handbook to senior techs, I even have a copy around myself, https://www.amazon.com/Backstage-Handbook-Illustrated-Technical-Information/dp/0911747397
Get this book. This was one of the most valuable sources of all the little things needed to get into voice acting. Be it commercials, animation, narration, check it out. If you're serious, get this book and read it cover to cover before you decide what and how you want to start. I've done mainly commercials and inter company tutorials, but it's helped me get more into character and figure out what I would need on my demo to get noticed. Good luck and happy travels in the world of VO!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0984074007
Bonus question 1 answer being PMed. I've searched and searched and I can't find your name :(
Raffley goodness: In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson.
I would highly suggest either Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual or any of the other books listed in the sidebar of /r/improv Or Improvisation For The Theater
The UCB manual is mostly concerned with Long-Form Improvisational Comedy, but it'll have good insight for any other kind of work.
Depending on who you ask, you can get different "tenets" of Improv. But the most basic things two I'd say are:
1.) Yes And - It is not just about literally saying yes, but about agreeing and adding information.
2.) Don't Deny - Again, this isn't about saying no, but about not denying the reality which has been created. As in, if you're in a scene where it is established that you're on normal Earth, don't just start going "Hey, I'm flying!"
favorites on my shelf:
 
"Masters of Light" by Schaefer and Salvato
A serious wealth of knowledge. Its focused in chapters on individual Dps. really really a great resource.
 
"Film Lighting: Talks with DPs and Gaffers" by Malkiewicz
Pretty good. a bit basic BUT good concepts inside. Good info from good working cinematographers.
 
and i will second /u/peterpeterpeter on "New Cinematographers" by Alex Ballinger. Great new (well, 15 years old now) people working with interesting ideas. Great pictures.
 
I personally really want to read Almendros' book next, as /u/cikmatt suggested.
I have two favorites... my mom gave me a copy of Hamilton: The Revolution and my friends gave me this convention exclusive Snoopy Funko.
Merry Christmas!
Learn IPA (international phonetic alphabet) and identify your accent sounds and dipthongs. Pick up Speak with Distinction by Edith Skinner, and start with the most simple warmups. Learn all the pure vowels and consonant sounds before going into dipthongs and triphthongs. Note that you should aim to learn the Trans-Atlantic accent, which is widely considered as 'neutral' for English and used for most classical work.
Record everything and listen to how you are doing to be able to a) identify sounds you're making and b) diagnose things you're not conscious of doing.
Tongue, soft palate and hard palate exercises will help with your ability to make different sounds. As you learn IPA and can pronounce each sound, from vowels to stop-plosives and affricates, make sure you're expanding your warmup to include these. Do your warmups and exercises every day. You'll be surprised how quickly these muscles go out of shape.
In addition to being super helpful, being able to read and pronounce IPA will help you pick up any other accents.
That's for the phonetic/sound part. Other things to think about are vocal placement and speech 'patterns'. Different dialects are placed differently. Speech 'patterns' refers to how natives speak the language, and the sensibility and melody behind it. This is very subtle and often only native speakers of the language can notice that you don't quite sound like you're from there. The understanding of how culture and attitude informs speech patterns is what will help you get a genuine, non-stereotypical accent that you can express yourself freely with, using vocabulary and idiomatic expressions of the dialect.
EDIT: Also the other tips are great for actual practicing. Make sure you are always practicing whatever you are learning, and make sure you're practicing deliberately. This is the key to making something second-nature.
Source: Not American, trained at an American acting conservatory with the aim of working in local markets and now people are shocked to find out I didn't grow up here.
I would try to find resources from the period it was popular. It's also referred to as the Mid-Atlantic accent.
By searching Mid-Atlantic acting coach book I was able to find this book Speak with Distinction: The Classic Skinner Method to Speech on the Stage from 1942.
I also found this book which briefly touches on the Mid-Atlantic accent according to the description Classically Speaking, the Book
These are the standard for speech pathology.
This book and the exercises within are the basis for the speech courses at Juilliard, Yale, Carnegie Mellon, and other similar programs.
I can say that anything you'd learn in a crash course would be a start in the wrong direction.
If all you're looking for are ways to light a stage, and some basic techniques, start by learning about the McCandless technique.
Visit the other links here to get a sense of how to plan it all out.
If you ever want to get into more advanced stuff, I recommend you start with Richard Pilbrow's book if you are going to be self-taught.
For general knowledge you won’t beat the backstage handbook. However for budding lampies who want to know what the lighting world is all about, I’d recommend this book. https://www.amazon.com/Stage-Lighting-Design-Craft-Life/dp/0896762351
The memoirs in there pretty much shaped my post high school career.
Absolutely! Here's a short list of non-magic books that I commonly see recommended to magicians.
Understanding Comics - Scott McCloud
Purple Cow - Seth Godin
Delft Design Guide - multiple authors
An Acrobat of the Heart - Stephen Wangh (shouts out to u/mustardandpancakes for the recommendation)
In Pursuit of Elegance - Guy Kawasaki
The Backstage Handbook - Paul Carter, illustrated by George Chiang
Verbal Judo - George Thompson and Jerry Jenkins
Be Our Guest - Ted Kinni and The Disney Institute
Start With Why - Simon Sinek
Lots of common themes even on such a short list. What would you add to the list? What would you take away?
Speaking as someone with a MFA in Theatrical Design and Technology and who has worked in film and television the last few years, I never ran across a widely accepted standard.
I setup my layers up in a very straight forward fashion:
0-ghost, 0-very light, 0-light, 0-med...0-very heavy
1-line type (hidden, phantom, etc)
2-Dims, 2-Notes, 2-Notes Red, etc
I'm not sitting at my computer so I can't recall all my layers, but I feel like I approached them as I approached linework as a hand draftsman... And I feel like I change how I do it every year.
For my layouts
Page 1 is Plan and what elevations for (in 1/4" and 3/4" for more complicated objects)
Page 2 to as needed is continuation of elevations
Then I go into details (full or half scale) and renderings as needed
Some excellence books
Drafting for the Theatre https://www.amazon.com/dp/0809330377/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_4CUiDbWGFMX9A
Designer Drafting and Visualizing for the Entertainment World, Second Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/0240818911/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_JEUiDbK121Y4D
The Backstage Handbook: An Illustrated Almanac of Technical Information https://www.amazon.com/dp/0911747397/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_DFUiDbGBHHPHK
Architectural Graphic Standards. Third Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EZI774/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_.GUiDbZP96C4H - for theater, don't bother with a brand new edition, I have 3rd (all the drawings are by hand and are shit yourself gorgeous) and seventh? (I would have to check my library). The current edition is needed for current building code, but that typically doesn't pertain to what I do.
Our TD swears by this book
https://www.amazon.ca/Backstage-Handbook-Illustrated-Technical-Information/dp/0911747397
To get the fullest overview, I'd suggest three things. Two of them are books.
The Grip Book (http://www.amazon.ca/Grip-Book-Michael-Uva/dp/0240812913/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377525369&sr=8-1&keywords=the+grip+book) is pretty tight. You can read through it completely, or flip through it focusing on subjects particularly relevant to the upcoming short (grip stands, sandbagging, important knots).
The second book is The Backstage Handbook (http://www.amazon.ca/Backstage-Handbook-Illustrated-Technical-Information/dp/0911747397/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377525614&sr=8-1&keywords=backstage+handbook). It's geared more towards theatrical rigging and staging, but will give you a wider range of knots and hitches to learn, as well as introducing you to rigging concepts (which can always help on set if you have a weird shot to attain and need to figure out how to rig it on the fly).
Lastly, I'd suggest you do what I did when I started out -- call up a few rental shops that deal with grip equipment and see if you can drop by and familiarize yourself with some of the equipment. If the shop is small, a round of coffees and donuts (nothing too expensive) might help grease the wheels to an equipment demo from someone. Hell, even if they give you a dark corner to fumble around with some grip stands and flags, you'll be more comfortable on set when you'll have to be gripping in front of a waiting crew.
If you really think you want to be a voice actor, then I would recommend you either read this:
http://www.amazon.com/Voiceovers-Everything-About-Money-Voice/dp/1932907904/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406763796&sr=8-1&keywords=terri+apple
Or this:
http://www.amazon.com/Voice-Over-Voice-Actor-What-Behind/dp/0984074007/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406763812&sr=8-1&keywords=voice+over+voice+actor
These both do a good job of explaining what it really means to be a voice actor (turning yourself into a small business).
Taking regular acting lessons is probably your best bet. There isn't really a "voice acting school" that you can go to besides something like Voice Coaches http://voicecoaches.com/ (who are actually pretty good and have a bunch of online courses for you and help you make a demo [a demo being recordings of you reading things so clients can hear what you sound like]).
Also, you need to learn how to "read conversationally," which basically means being able to read in such a way that you don't sound like you're reading off a script. I would actually say that simply being able to read conversationally is more important than being able to act, since a majority of voice work is not for movies or animated features, its for things like commercials, instructional videos, automated messages, etc.
You should get a copy, then! It sounds pretty helpful. Also, that's a really cool goal.
I also have this book and I've read a fair amount of it. I think it might be helpful for you also!
I've heard good things about the UCB's Comedy Improvisation Manual.
If you live near a larger city there's probably some sort of improv happening near you. Otherwise there's a great book for beginners put out by the upright citizens brigade theater you can getright here it's great for beginners and you can learn and find some like minded friends to practice with you.
If you want to get really into it, but don't want to move to one of the three big cities (LA, NYC, Chicago) you can find coaches to meet with you via Skype or Google hangouts. It's not a totally perfect system, but it's really helped me get some great instruction fairly cheaply.
Hopefully though you can find some sort of training center near you and take some classes.
Have fun!
Hey Daniel!
Your video has some really great moments, and you seem like a really genuine and nice guy. Here are a few things I think you should think about:
There's nothing inherently wrong with cheese, and a lot of big YouTubers use it heavily, but I think you might want to try and experiment with the voice and tone you establish, and swap the cheese for something more genuine. There's no formal rule of YouTube that says you have to aggressively go "HEY GUYS!" at the top of every video. I think this would help your jokes land better too. The juxtaposition of someone seeming to be genuine/helpful, and then breaking out giant impractical props would land better. It's a better misdirection.
I really like the premise of the video, but I think if you used the thumbnail, title, and first 15-30 seconds of the video to establish a more serious/genuine tone, the reveal 30 seconds in that this whole thing is a comedic skit would have a lot better payoff. Here's a video from Gus Johnson where he does a decent job of establishing a 'base reality' of a helpful how-to, and then it devolves into ridiculousness.
You don't have to play as much of a character as you do. That's probably why the bloopers feel so genuinely funny, because you're not putting on a show, that's just you.
There are tons of ways you could heighten more in this video, but I think an interesting way for this particular video would be to actually get some footage of you using these ridiculous props in class. If you cut from 'make sure you bring water' and you whipping out that giant ass jug, to then a shot of you doing the same thing in an actual classroom, and attempting to drink from it as people stare at you, I would lose my mind. Same thing with the chips, and the tissues, and the horse, and everything else.
After looking at your channel, it seems like you're interested in doing comedy YouTube as a career, so I would strongly recommend taking improv classes to learn the fundamentals of improvised and sketch comedy. At the very least, order the UCB Improv Manual from Amazon, and read the first few chapters on base reality, game, and heightening.
Basically they argue that scenic comedy has three parts:
Establishing a normal base reality > Introducing a weird thing that sticks out from that reality > Heightening that weird thing to the point of absurdity.
Overall I think your video is leagues better than a lot of the other ones I see on this subreddit. Your channel looks like you've been working really hard to improve, and that's key. I think if you keep at it and experiment with tone a bit, you'll see some really great results. I subbed, and I'm really interested in what you make in the future!
The Upright Citizens Brigade troop produced a bunch of great improvisers. Amy Pohler being one of them. They're also one of two accredited improv schools in the US. They wrote a book I found really useful to spice up my life. Hope it helps :)
If you're taking the improv route, you may want to try The Second City Almanac of Improvisation or the Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual. Both really great improv 'guides'.
If your friend hasn't read Truth in Comedy, that's a serious must for any comedic performer.
What's helped me is Hamilton the Podcast and LMM's book Hamilton the Revolution (which I now am seeing that I paid a lot more for at my local bookstore than it is on Amazon. Trying here!)
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hamilton-the-podcast/id1087073710?mt=2
http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Revolution-Lin-Manuel-Miranda/dp/1455539740/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465143704&sr=8-1&keywords=hamilton+revolution
I'm going to recommend picking up the Hamiltome, which provides anotated versions of the lyrics, which manage to be informative (Pointing out historical inacuracies and the dramaturgical reasons why LMM chose to make that change) or just fun little gags ('When you're gone, I'll go mad"^1 1)He did.) about the lyrics.
If she doesn't already have it, the Hamilton book is fantastic. And right now it's 40% off.
https://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Revolution-Lin-Manuel-Miranda/dp/1455539740/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481068109&sr=8-1&keywords=hamilton+book
link
Find books that teach the International Phonetic Alphabet, or IPA for short. It's what we used in Voice class when I was becoming an Acting major. It helps you learn what "replacements" for sounds you use in every day life, and you can then figure out what the "replacement" would be for a Neutral American accent.
http://www.amazon.com/Speak-Distinction-Classic-Skinner-Method/dp/1557830479/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425233224&sr=8-1&keywords=Speak+with+distinction
This is the book we used. Regardless if it's for being on stage or in real life, it's all the same. Hope this helps!
Try this book:--
(https://www.amazon.com/Speak-Distinction-Classic-Skinner-Method/dp/1557830479/)
The book is a bit more geared towards formal American English than formal British English, but it should assist you a great deal in your situation.
Ok, but I'm wary of you. Your post is very academic, in every sense of the word. I expect field reports from you in return for what I'm about to give you.
A great book on improv was written by a legendary man named Del Close. He's not famous, but his students are very, very well known.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Del_Close
The book is Truth in Comedy.
http://www.amazon.com/Truth-Comedy-Improvisation-Charna-Halpern/dp/1566080037
It will teach you quite a lot about improv, but also about humor in general. It's short, practical, and accessible - but it will make more sense when you've actually tried to do it. Let me know what you think when you've read it.
"Only in the pan-handle can you get away with that"
​
Everyone laughs.
​
"The truth is funny. Honest discovery, observation, and reaction is better than contrived invention."
- Del Close & Charna Halpern, from their book Truth in Comedy
Just a comedy nerd dabbling in writing here - but I'm also a bookseller and my two mainstays on this front are Truth in Comedy and And Here's the Kicker. Both are well-known, but sometimes missed. Also, in terms of general writing habits, Bird by Bird is phenomenal.
Unless you are drop-dead gorgeous / handsome you had best come to terms with improv.
Every audition has an element of improv, and in most callback situations the director will spring something that you have to be ready to run with.
Try reading Truth in Comedy and try a beginning improv class.
You have to know the rules. Then you can break them.
*edit*
Links:
First book: https://www.amazon.com/Improvise-Scene-Inside-Mick-Napier/dp/156608198X ISBN: 156608198X
Second book: https://www.amazon.ca/Behind-Scenes-Improvising-Long-Form/dp/1566081998 ISBN: 1566081998
It's really got nothing to do with the camera you're using. It's about lighting.
Light the scene to your and then add one or two flicker gags -- essentially, have someone dim the light up and down to simulate the flicker of a candle (it can be your key or an additional light or whatever, but use your eye to find what's most effective).
For bigger budgets there are plenty of "flicker boxes" that you can plug the lights into that will automatically do the dimming, but I've seen it done the simple hand dimmer way hundreds of times.
This book is your best friend:
http://www.amazon.com/Set-Lighting-Technicians-Handbook-Fourth/dp/0240810759/ref=dp_ob_title_bk
Set lighting technicians handbook
Excellent book that is good starting out, and at an advanced level.
You might mean 'cube tap' instead of 'cub tap'. It's a small cube-like plug that allows you to make 1 Edison receptacle into 3.
I'd recommend picking up a copy of Set Lighting Technician's Handbook…), best $40 you can spend for this sort of info.
Set Lighting Technician's Handbook
edit- added link
If you like reading, this book is a great resource. It covers lots of big lights (and how to use / troubleshoot them,) the calculations most commonly needed for power draw and genny balancing, different kinds of electric setups and all the special connectors like bates and camlok, etc. It's (IMO) one of the most valuable resources in the industry by far: https://www.amazon.com/Set-Lighting-Technicians-Handbook-Distribution/dp/0240810759
Set Lighting Technician's Handbook: Film Lighting Equipment, Practice, and Electrical Distribution https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0240810759/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_lOYVDb10S7M6K
This book is primarily for Film Lighting, but it is a great resource. It is THE film lighting book, including Dimmers, LEDs, moving lights, everything. It should be in every electricians inventory, theater or film.
Harry Box's Set Lighting Handbook
Multitool
crescent wrench,
phase tape (colored electrical tape),
copy of this http://www.amazon.com/Set-Lighting-Technicians-Handbook-Distribution/dp/0240810759/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376759311&sr=8-1&keywords=set+lighting+technician%27s+handbook,
a few 1" spring clips,
utility knife,
sash cord,
trick line,
alcohol wipes,
BURN CREAM,
6 cube taps,
sharpies,
pens,
notebook,
hammer,
screw gun
Hi there,
I work as a Sound No. 1 (essentially British equivalent of an A1).
Build up all the skills you can. Volunteer for theatre stuff, but also try and run sound for friend's bands, it is all good experience in training your ears.
I went to university and studied Music Technology, but certainly not the only path. Getting in at the bottom at a theatre and working up still works. In the UK several drama schools do sound specfic degrees like Central and Rose Bruford so I assume similar courses must exist in the states (or if finances allow you could come and study over here).
There are tons of great books to read. This one is particularly good.
Finally, see a lot of theatre. And really listen to it. Talk to the A1 on it if you can, get their email etc, and ask every question about the how and why they operated the show the way they did.
Another bit of advice, pretty much no one starts as an A1. You start as an A2, running radio mics, fitting them to cast etc. Get good at the shit as that part of industry is easier to break into. Loads of good advice on mic stuff on the Masque Sound blog
Final bit of advice, don't worry if you suck at first, or don't really know what you are doing. Keep trying and making mistakes but learning from them and you'll become better and better at it all.
Feel free to shoot me any question on here.
See you on Broadway in ten years!
This page has some interesting reading for theatre soecific audio. Also check out Mixing a musical.
See if you can get your hands on "Mixing a Musical" the book.
It's a bit overkill for some of your stuff, but it is all there.
https://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Musical-Broadway-Theatrical-Techniques/dp/0240817591
"Mixing" is routinely used in the theatrical world for what the person operating the sound board does. Shannon Slaton used it in the title of his book about it.
Here's my two cents:
If I had one book, it would be
A Dictionary of Theatre Anthropology: The Secret Art of the Performer
This book is a great jumping off point for whatever you want to study. It codifies and connects different types of styles, e.g. it takes a topic like "balance" and says this is an example from mime, from balinese dance, from noh, etc.
In addition to Brecht, I'd recommend picking up Towards a Poor Theater (Grotowski). Grotowski's work is deeply, deeply physical.
Another book, a good primer on the major movements of the last 120 years or so is Twentieth Century Theatre: A Sourcebook, which has a little bit of everyone, in their own words, from Stanislavski and Meyerhold through To Barba. It's not as actor-centric perhaps, but it will give you a good overview, that you can get more specific with.
Lastly, The Practical Handbook for the Actor and The Invisible Actor, two books that help me immensely with how i approach a role.
Doing a monologue for an agent, reading commercial copy, or even addressing an audience. The trick of it is that when you're talking to that lamp, you're still talking to a person. They couldn't make it, but you're talking to them any way. There's a couple ways to do this, but I'll detail one that works pretty well for me, with a TL;DR at the end.
There's a technique called "practical aesthetics" that I haven't seen mentioned on here more than three times, but it's invaluable for auditions and relatively simple to study, especially with what you've described. It's a four-part system, and you should definitely check out A Practical Handbook for the Actor. What you'll mainly want to think about is the as-if bit, used in other methods as well. The things that come before it are important, and I can go through that too, if you like, but here's a go at the essential action and as-if:
When you have your objective, translate that into terms of the essential action of the scene. What is the main thing that you are doing in order to get what you want? Let's say you have a monologue directed toward your boss. The text says that you're asking your boss for a raise, so your objective, conveniently is "I want Larry to give me a raise." Well, how would you do that? "Make them feel like a million bucks," to show them your value? "To get what's owed me," because you've worked hard for your money and it should already be yours? That could be very dynamic. So there it is, your essential action for the scene.
Next, your as-if. You've gotta use yourself now. "Who's someone that I might feel owes me something?" Let's say you've worked your whole life trying to get love from your dad, but he's never really given you the time of day. You really feel like some love is due after all these years. Would it be kind of fun to vent all of that frustration and hurt and rage and sadness all at once to get your dad to finally admit that he loves you? Good, because this is the part where I need to set some rules. First, it has to be fun. If you're gonna have a problem recovering from an as-if, use a different one. There are other techniques that have no problem with this, but this isn't one of them. Second, it can't be a conversation that's happened. It's gotta be spontaneous. Third, it can't be a significant other. I'm really not sure why, but I have never seen this work. Fourth, it can't be about acting. You'll get self conscious. Okay. Ground Rules set, moving on. You can now phrase how you're going to talk to this character. "It's as-if I'm confronting my dad about his lack of affection for me."
Now you've gotta practice. You've by now got your monologue memorized (rote if you can), so how about we start by sitting in a chair across from that lamp you mentioned. A nice lamp, truly. Close your eyes, and picture your dad in your head. The wrinkles that have developed on his forehead from years of stressful work, the grey around his temples, his eyes, his nose, or his ears you share. Maybe think about what he sounds like, the expressions he makes, what he does. Work up the courage. State your essential action to yourself ("To get what's owed me"), open your eyes, and start talking to him. "Dad... I... well. What the fuck, for starters? Are you ever gonna tell me you love me? You sure told Val. It took me long enough to figure out that you weren't just rubbing it in when you told her. And I get that she's your little girl and you don't think that boys need that sort of thing, but god damn. What do I have to do?" You'll notice that he, like the lamp, is not answering. Maybe try a different approach? "I'm sorry. I love you, dad, and I know you love me. You've proven it every way you've known how. You worked your ass off, you put a roof over our heads, you helped me buy my first car may it rest in peace, but I really need to hear it." Do this for maybe a minute, drop it, and launch into your monologue.
This might seem a little far fetched, but to lookers on, what you've just done is created a complex and nuanced relationship with your boss in the scene. What is your boss to you? Christ, he's a Titan. He gave you a chance when you didn't deserve it, he's a mentor, he's someone you look up to, it's almost a father-son relationship even though he's younger than you. And right now, you need that raise, but oh my gosh it's not just about the raise, it's about your self worth. You've created years of history with this person simply by relating it to your own life. It's quick, it's fun, and it can deliver some really great results, especially when you need to get something from a lamp.
TL;DR: When you speak your monologue, do so as if you're speaking to someone you know.
Practical Handbook for the Actor might interest. (It's way better if you can audit and see how it works in person. Takes about ten minutes to show what the booklet explains. But I know that's not possible for most people.) This technique was developed from Stanislavsky/Meisner by David Mamet and William H. Macy (Atlantic Acting) and it's straightforward. This is where I studied. Related Wikipedia article.
Books I recommend / see commonly recommended.
Show Networks and Control Systems
This is a great book all about how modern lighting networks work using sACN and other protocols. John Huntington is a great speaker if you ever get a chance to see him speak. He should be doing a session or two as USITT this year. He is also a professor at CUNY and has a great program there.
Electricity for the Entertainment Electrician & Technician
Another great book by another great speaker. I got to see a panel with Richard Cadena a few years ago at USITT. I was very impressed with how he spoke about stage lighting and some of the practical experiments that he has done and shared with us. I haven't read this book, but I've heard great things about it. A big topic of conversation at that panel was inrush current, and he gave some really great and easy to understand answers. I suspect that his book is more of the same.
Designing with Light
A classic. Very very well respected book. It will probably be the text book for your first lighting class in college, if you choose to study lighting in college.
[Light Fantastic: The Art and Design of Stage Lighting] (https://www.amazon.com/Light-Fantastic-Design-Stage-Lighting/dp/3791343718)
My favorite lighting book. Covers a huge array of topics, addresses lighting history & color, shows and demonstrates some really really interesting designs.
A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting
I see this book recommended most often. It's another great book. The title holds true, it is a very practical guide to stage lighting. How to do paperwork. How to write a contract. How to talk to people. Some nuggets of lighting knowledge. I didn't really get as much out of it though, as I am not trying to become a professional lighting designer.
also this http://www.amazon.com/Electricity-Entertainment-Electrician-Technician-Richard/dp/0415714834 is a very good book. without electricity none of this works.
https://www.amazon.com/Electricity-Entertainment-Electrician-Technician-Richard/dp/0415714834
A seriously good book, and an area a lot of techs seem to overlook. After that, what u/deviantpixel said about reading manuals is spot on. I have my job today because I blew my boss a away by actually reading manuals when I first worked with him. It turns out, they have a LOT of great info.
It all depends on what kind of design you want to get into? Concert/music design is totally different than theatrical, even within theatre musicals and plays often have different design principals.
I'd check out Steve Shelly's book https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Guide-Stage-Lighting-Third/dp/0415812003/ref=pd_sim_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0415812003&pd_rd_r=QMEV3MMX5JMSDAZPBNNT&pd_rd_w=uh8vJ&pd_rd_wg=jKgB8&psc=1&refRID=QMEV3MMX5JMSDAZPBNNT
as well as this one. https://www.amazon.com/Stage-Lighting-Handbook-Francis-Reid/dp/087830147X/ref=pd_sim_14_6?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=087830147X&pd_rd_r=YG5RCJMEPDWJ7E98CBCZ&pd_rd_w=QJmxz&pd_rd_wg=ZQ1Dr&psc=1&refRID=YG5RCJMEPDWJ7E98CBCZ
My biggest suggestion for someone who's just getting started is to not buy any equipment. Equipment is mostly cheap to rent, a PAR can is $3 or $4 a unit, and it's someone else's problem to fix it and buy lamps for it. You're not going to be able to afford quality gear, so you'll end up with cheap Chinese crap that's just going to disappoint you. The other thing to remember is that intelligent lighting is relatively new to lighting, lots of fantastic shows were lit without anything fancy. It's far better to master your color and angle work then get in to using movers than it is to just start throwing strobes everywhere and pray that it works. Learning to make choices and which choices are stronger than others will get you a lot further in life than being able to spit out flash and trash like everyone else can.
Having a general knowledge of magic techniques is always useful. The techniques and theory you learn that largely apply to other branches(mentalism, coin magic, stage illusions, parlor shows) are almost always applicable to the others in some form or another.
Developing the skill in misdirection and timing necessary to make coin magic really have an impact will set you up to be a better, more competent magician overall. You'll quickly see how those lessons will shape and improve the magic you currently perform.
The coin magic I do is simple, as I think the best magic you can do is simple. I wouldn't advise doing extremely flashy coin magic with constant vanishes and reappearances, myself. I don't think it lends itself to anything other than a display of skill. Coin magic is difficult to make magical as it's either in the right hand, or the left hand; so it takes some effort to do something simple and make it hit hard. Ben Earl has just posted a short essay on his instagram concerning this very thing that I found encouraging.
What I'd recommend doing is learning a few vanishes and trying to master them. French drop, finger palm, classic palm, even a thumb palm. Executed well, those vanishes can look incredible. They don't look like a move, just the simple moving a coin from hand to hand.
Works I'd also recommend looking into:
Ben Earl's Real Coin Magic. Simple and effective, and he offers a lot of little tips and tricks to make them so.
A Firm Background in Remembering from The JAMM #2
Fading Coin from Tomoyuki Takahashi(in the book Japan Ingenious or Genii Magazine, May, 2000)
Change from The JAMM #12
Hypnotic Coin Bend from John Wilson
Slydini has some amazing work
Even Bobo's and some practice can be incredible
I hope it's enough to get you started, and I hope you can develop a love for the simplicity and beauty than can be found in coin magic.
It definitely includes the circle of fifths, but I'm talking about something more specific:
https://www.amazon.com/Chord-Wheel-Ultimate-Tool-Musicians/dp/0634021427
If your app doesn't already do this, try out a chord wheel. You spin it to whatever key you want to play in, and it tells you which chords are in that key.
I use the chord wheel book to teach my students.
Thank you so much!
I have been looking into these YouTube tutorials but didn’t really have one that sticked. I’ll definitely check her out! Also, a book is more than appreciated. Again, thanks!
EDIT: Just to be sure, you meant this one, right?
Seeing the circle of 5ths in color reminds me a lot of The Chord Wheel by Jim Fleser
DM: You will find out what your DM is doing and why.
Improv: Go See it, Learn how to do it. http://www.amazon.com/Impro-Improvisation-Theatre-Keith-Johnstone/dp/0878301178 is a good source
Stats: pick up a tiny bit of stats and probability: you will understand what bonuses and numbers mean for you, and you'll make decisions faster on that tack
Attention: Pack up your mobile devices. Don't use tools on phones and such to game: The other people at the table don't know what else you're doing necessarily.
Pre-plan: Plan a lot of if-this-then-that scenarios for how your character would react to X or Y or Z happening. Then they can do it quickly. Also plan a few routes your character can progress before you actually have to level. Then on progression time, you take no time at all.
Time-consciousness: Work towards brevity in all parts of being at the table. Take your turn, get in, and get out.
I personally love board games. Our local redditors get together every Wednesday for gaming. Usually my boss creates fucking crises that prevents me from going out most weeks. A good boardgame is one where you can lose and still have fun losing. Chess is not "a good boardgame". Magic the Gathering is a fun card game, but stuff like blackjack or poker makes me think so hard that my head overheats and burns off hair.
/r/Denver/ and in particular, posts by /u/rDenverPosts.
As for improv, I find that it helps to train me to be a more outgoing person. In particular, I strongly recommend the book Impro. While the book is aimed at helping actors, and improvisational work, if you've ever come across any sort of silly interview question such as "fizz buzz", if you read Impro, you'd recognize fizzbuzz as a improv exercise.
I am a programmer, and that has been my income for more than 20 years. Introverted? You can change that. I ran for elected office a few years ago and will run again in 2016. All programmers are weird. If you check my post history, you'll see odd interests, and if I checked your post history, I bet I would think some of your interests to be odd as well.
Avoid becoming sedentary. If surfing and Tae Kwan Do is what it takes to make you active, then for fucks sake, do them. I live 2 miles from my office and walk to work as much as I can. That little bit of exercise was enough to lose 35# since September. I'm still fat, but the blubber is on its way out.
Avoid becoming stagnant. I'm working on my 3rd bachelors degree. This one is in accounting and includes courses for becoming an actuary. Our workgroup/office makes software for accountants and actuaries. In addition, many of the programmers older than myself have found that they hit a brick wall (career-wise) around 54-55 years old. Many of the ones who hit the wall treated education as a vaccine - once you had it, you never had to have it again. So one of my "hobbies" is to always be learning. Do you remember that scene in Glengarry Glen Ross? Always be closing? That is what your career plan should be - always be learning.
My next hobbies will be:
home brewing beer.
home distilling moonshine/liquor.
making kimchi.
Future hobbies might include:
learning some manicure/pedicure skills at the local beauty school.
relearning massage.
https://www.amazon.com/Accents-Manual-Actors-Revised-Expanded/dp/087910967X
Seems like this could help you.
In Dutch: Accepted American Pronunciation - A Practical Guide is een geweldig boek als je het normale Amerikaanse accent wil leren. Als je je dat eenmaal aangeleerd hebt is de stap naar het Southern US accent denk ik makkelijker.
I'll second the folks encouraging emphasis on tone and add in word choice - remembering that this character only uses one-syllable words or this character overuses (or misuses) 50-cent words goes a long way towards making them memorable to the PCs.
I have a book from my Speech & Debate days on Accents called Accents - A Manual for Actors that I've found super helpful when I want to make use of an accent: it's got pronunciation guides and a CD to help.
Perhaps take a look at the Set Lighting Technicians Handbook.
https://www.amazon.ca/Set-Lighting-Technicians-Handbook-Distribution/dp/0240810759
Might be more technical than you want.
Pretty much what you're looking for is China Ball. Soft light on a stick, works pretty good for most stuff.
TL;DR: A 70D package with everything you need is about $1350 on amazon. Skip the Point and shoot, don't worry about 4K yet, and lighting is important.
This Canon 70D package is about $150 out of your price range, but you have pretty much everything you would need: Camera, Lens, 32GB Class 10 SD Card, and a Rode Mic.
I would skip the point and shoot all together to be honest: your Cellphone already fulfills whatever you would want out of a point and shoot, as well as the GoPro.
The 70D features an articulating screen, 1080p Automatic and manual video exposure, Kelvin scale white balancing, and so on. Knowing how to use these features, such as manual exposure and white balancing are extremely important to the film making process, and a firm grasp of these elements will only make your videos better and more professional. For further reading on exposure, read this, or for Kelvin scale White balancing, read this.
As a plus, the 70D is the go to camera for cinematographers to preview lighting on set while they wait for the Cinema Camera to be built. (Movies use cameras that require accessories mounted on the camera in order to work, such as external monitors, External recorders, wireless video, etc.)
The lens bundled with the kit is honestly shite, but you can still get great picture out of it, and of course going with a canon DSLR means that you can save up for higher quality glass further down the line, and future proof yourself when you want to upgrade the body. Plus, Canon mount is an Film industry standard lens mount along with PL, B4, and C, but you can't really get a sub 5k camera with any of those mounts.
Now, the main drawback of this package compared to others in the $1-4k price range is the video resolution: 1920x1080p, or HD. Most cameras in this price range are moving towards 4K platforms (around 4 times 1080p). Consider, however, that most people watching youtube videos usually are looking at 720p Laptop monitors with shitty bit rates due to youtube compression. 4K is still a few years from being a household standard resolution, as most UHD 4K displays are extremely expensive. The big two 4k prosumer cameras right now are the A7s II, and the GH4, and they aren't all that great yet: the A7s, while being used in hollywood for interviews and as a B-Camera, is only really good at interviews and low light. The GH4, on the other hand uses a Micro 4/3rds sensor, which is much too small for most professional use, though it occasionally pops up on ultra low budget jobs. In a few years, Canon might develop a body that does 4K well: The 5D MK IV has 4k video, for example, but the way in which the camera does it creates all sorts of problems that ultimately make video shooting with it unusable. Further down the line, of course, you can upgrade to an A7s or GH4 and adapt them to a canon mount.
Another thing you should consider after buying your camera is saving up for some lighting. This is the most important part of shooting, before the camera and the lens. For now, some house hold lamps can work, but in the future, you should consider getting some video lights. I started with Home Depot Clamp lights, but eventually went to cheap LED fixtures, and now Tungsten Fresnels, HMIs, and Fluorescent sources. Lighting can be tough to grasp, but if you read The Set Lighting Technician's Handbook by Harry Box, then you will quickly have enough knowledge to become a hollywood electrician.
Good luck, and I hope your Knee gets better!
Edits: sentence structure.
Source: Camera Technician, and Gaffer
Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:
Amazon Smile Link: http://smile.amazon.com/Set-Lighting-Technicians-Handbook-Distribution/dp/0240810759/ref=sr_1_1
|Country|Link|Charity Links|
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|UK|www.amazon.co.uk|Macmillan|
|Spain|www.amazon.es||
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|Germany|www.amazon.de||
|Japan|www.amazon.co.jp||
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On set communication: Good point. I was thinking about that and wondering if there's perhaps a glossary of terms used on german sets, something like the glossary in the Set Lighting Technician's Handbook by Harry Box. I'd love to get a heads up on what a half double net/scrim is called in Berlin...
http://www.amazon.com/Set-Lighting-Technicians-Handbook-Distribution/dp/0240810759
That's a link to the Set Lighting Technician's handbook. It's fantastic.
Save your money.
Grab the grip and lighting book from Harry Box (yes it’s a terrible name). It’s the book we use on film sets, it’s an easy read and has some awful jokes in it too.
Watch every film you can, and the commentaries.
Watch thing in theaters, Hollywood theater, watch rare things at movie madness.
Get a subscription to American Cinematographers magazine. (Read old articles.)
Buy a camera. 6k blackmagic or canon 5D miv. Have an iPhone (works easily, and easy to edit on.)
Have fun. Be curious. Be a happy puppy, and treat everyone fairly. Punch up, never punch down.
If you want a job in the film business, know that you want to do it for free...for love, if you do it only for money...you will fail.
Congrats on working on your first feature. If you haven't already I would suggest buying this It's packed full of brillant advice and information. There's a chapter on knots too!
> The Set Lighting Technician's Handbook
This one?
https://www.amazon.ca/Set-Lighting-Technicians-Handbook-Distribution/dp/0240810759/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492538461&sr=8-1&keywords=set+lighting+technician%27s+handbook
> 12k's/6k's/4k's/2k's? I'm assuming it's not temperature but brightness?
Correct, or more accurately referring to the wattage of the lamp in the unit (k=1000, so 12000W lamp etc); which results in differing brightness levels depending on the lamp type and optics of the light source - HMIs are generally brighter per watt than tungsten/incandescent bulbs, but reflectors and lenses in the lamp housing can change that.
>1/2 white/full white (boards?)?
> Full/Half grids?
These are diffusion filters, I think (we use the term grid here, but not 1/2 white or full white, we just say 216 which is the Lee filter number) - basically a piece of (usually) heat-treated plastic that serves to spread out the light source so that it's bigger relative to the subject. Diffusion, thanks to physics, will lower the intensity of the light, so you need to compensate for that when you use it.
Books:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0671766341
http://www.amazon.com/Set-Lighting-Technicians-Handbook-Distribution/dp/0240810759/
My favorite lighting-related resources are:
For basic lighting YouTube is your friend.
Where do you live?
If you want to do it, just try and get a job working as a PA on student films or something shooting in your area. You don't need experience, you don't need a degree, and the hardest part will be getting that first job.
I've seen too many of my friends in the business crippled by student loans that were unnecessary and actually counterproductive to their success. The people the did the best in the industry now actually dropped out of school 2 or 3 years in because they saw school was getting in the way of the work they were getting.
I hope you like reading, because while you're trying to get a job you should read these books.
Five C's of Cinematography
(http://www.amazon.com/The-Five-Cs-Cinematography-Techniques/dp/187950541X)
Set Lighting Technicians Handbook
http://www.amazon.com/Set-Lighting-Technicians-Handbook-Distribution/dp/0240810759
Camera Assistants Handbook
http://www.amazon.com/The-Camera-Assistant-Complete-Professional/dp/0240800427
Placing Shadows
http://www.amazon.com/Placing-Shadows-Lighting-Techniques-Production/dp/0240806611
Then watch these DVD's - They're expensive, look for them on eBay or used or something.
http://www.hollywoodcamerawork.com/mc_index.html
Have you made a movie before? If not, start churning them out. They don't have to be good, you just have to finish them. Believe it or not it is quantity, not quality, as the first few movies are going to be filled with the most stupid terrible mistakes you'll ever make, mistakes that will totally prevent you from telling a bearable story.
So if you combine all these...you look for a job, you start working as a PA, you read whatever you can get your hands on, especially those books listed, and you start shooting your own movies and applying what you learn from books and work to those films, you'll be in great shape.
You've got the right idea.
Learn DCA/VCA first, that will be biggest improvement.
Then get into scenes after you understand that. Don't do too much in scenes at first, just mutes and VCA assignment.
And read this: https://smile.amazon.com/Mixing-Musical-Broadway-Theatrical-Techniques/dp/0240817591
I found this book has a good chapter on mixing scripts.
http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Musical-Broadway-Theatrical-Techniques/dp/0240817591
It's not that you shouldn't do that, but you want to replace it with an action. This doesn't necessarily mean doing something physically, but if I assume correctly that the narration in the video is your inner monologue, there needs to be some kind of response to that. You are listening to the voice, so you are engaged by it. Having your blocking be as simple as sitting and listening is fine, but there needs to be a connection between your thoughts and your blocking, which is sitting in the shower/tub.
To fix this, you need to realize that in this scene you have two characters. There is the character of your Inner Monologue and the character of Your Character (physical you). Your Inner Monologue wants one thing, and You want another (again, an assumption, but I assume this because all scenes are built on conflict - if you both wanted suicide, that would happen and there would be no scene to speak of). What do you want the voice to do? Do you want it to stop? How will you make it stop? This page has a breakdown of what objectives are and how you play them.
If you still continue to sit and listen, that's totally okay! But there shouldn't be a disconnect between the two characters in the scene. There should be a give and take, an action and a reaction, a response. Then the other character plays from this response.
I strongly suggest the acting book The Anatomy of a Choice by Maura Vaughn. This has helped me in many situations as an actor. Also, read lots of David Mamet. Read his plays, read his essays on acting. Another book I find helpful is A Practical Handbook for the Actor (written by students of Mamet) and The Art of Acting by Stella Adler. Reading is an actor's greatest tool other than just getting out there and performing.
Understanding objective is the first step toward becoming a fully invested actor. It will change the way you look at the stage and screen.
edit: added a thought
If you are interested, you should give it a try and see if you enjoy it. Don't waste time thinking about it. We all have to deal with our shyness and uncertainty, especially at the beginning.
There are also some books worth reading, maybe? Here are some foundational technique books:
On Acting by Sanford Meisner
An Actor's Companion by Seth Barish
https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Handbook-Actor-Melissa-Bruder/dp/0394744128
And maybe a good biography of an actor. Charles Grodin and Jenna Fischer (Pam from the office) both have informative books on their journey in acting.
Nothing beats experience though! Find a place to perform, whether it's stand-up, an audition room, an open mic, a short film...and act!
Good luck!
Here's a great resource. Available as an e-book and at many libraries as well: https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Guide-Stage-Lighting-Third/dp/0415812003
Best IMO: http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Guide-Stage-Lighting-Edition/dp/0415812003
Okay, couldn't find my box, but I managed to dreg up what I remember as far as books go.
This book is a good start for coin magic and sleight of hand in general. Be warned though, the coins you will need for this might be slightly hard to find (silver dollars, half dollars) but is worth it. For whatever reason people think that the bigger the coin, the harder it is to work magic with it. This is false. The bigger the easier and the better looking.
This book is a good start for card magic. Sometimes it is a bit hard to understand (as all books are) but this is pretty simple and will give you some good pointers.
This book is my all time favorite. More card magic, but more advanced than the previous one.
And lastly this book which gives some good tricks, teaches some good things. Much of it is based on props and stage magic, and much of it isn't. A good read.
And lastly some advice: if possible find someone who knows how and is already practiced. That makes it MUCH easier. And stick with it. Once you learn something you never unlearn it. I have not practiced in near 5 years and I can still pick up a deck of cards and mess with them. Learn a few versatile tricks and learn some flourishes. The tricks can fascinate, and the flourishes look pretty, but only when used together does it really blow people's minds.
Modern Coin Magic By JB Bobo. - https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Coin-Magic-Sleights-Tricks/dp/0486242587/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1GU58F2YEP1LZ&keywords=modern+coin+magic&qid=1556970354&s=gateway&sprefix=Modern+coi%2Caps%2C225&sr=8-1
Been considering buying this for a few weeks. On sale? Absolutely!
Royal Road to Card Magic - http://amzn.com/0486408434
And a fresh deck of Bicycle cards (fancy decks are expensive and make people suspicious) - http://amzn.com/B010F6BXEA
I'd also recommend Modern Coin Magic - http://amzn.com/0486242587
If a coin book sounds good, get four kennedy half dollars (or similar sized coins if you're not in the states) from the bank, just ask a teller.
Reading books is way better than watching youtube, as most trick tutorials are by people who don't actually have a lot of experience or knowledge. If you read books, you also develop your own style instead of parroting whoever is on the video. Start with those two books, then practice a lot in front of a mirror. Think about presentation too- what will you say? When? Why? (a great resource, if you're interested, is Strong magic - http://amzn.com/B00534I956) Once you feel fairly confident, perform the trick(s) as often as you can for as many people as you can. At school, at home, on the street, wherever. Stick with it and do it a lot and you'll get the hang of it.
Break a leg!
Print a good one out and keep it in your eye line where you spend most of your time and focus on one objective at a time. I suggest just above your computer screen :)
Sounds like you should focus on diatonic triads. Once you know the notes of your scales, just learn the order of chord types (maj, min, min, maj, maj, min, dim) or in terms of the circle, either side is major chords, inner circle three is minor chords, and then the dim chord is one even further to the right on the minor circle. You can get some elaborate spin-wheel type circle of fifths that can be handy for this, and they'll outline all the chords:
https://www.amazon.com/Chord-Wheel-Ultimate-Tool-Musicians/dp/0634021427/
Go pick up a microkorg or other tiny analog modelling synth. You can start to make your own patches, you can learn a couple triad chords, the vocoder is super fun, etc. You need to know how to play some songs. Don't listen to losers like deadmau5 when he says things like just draw in the chords and wait until it sounds right. He has a youtube ad for his "master class" and I can't stand when he says that he would play it if he know how to play. Learning to play basic triads is easy.
I can only speak from experience when I say these things. I wanted to be a huge electronic music guy. I wanted to be the next Daft Punk or Justice. Now everyone tells me I have my own unique style and I sound like David Bowie. People hated my stuff for years. I'm not super good at any instrument but I'm good enough now at guitar, bass, synth, and vocals.
Sometimes I might not work on music for a month or so. Last year I think I stopped for about 4 months and I was worried that I lost the drive. It came back with a fury. You're always better after a break as well.
You could even start a band. I'm not sure how well you know any instruments or not but it usually doesn't matter. Learn the basic structure for a song. You can do this by learning songs, or just by objectively listening to them. Most pop songs are going to be intro, verse, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge, chorus, chorus. Or something similar.
If you're super new, get this book. Then just pick a key and start playing the chors. https://www.amazon.ca/Chord-Wheel-Ultimate-Tool-Musicians/dp/0634021427/ref=sr_1_1?rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1491270719&sr=8-1&keywords=chord+wheel
You only hate it if you suck at it. I'm just gonna say it again, get an instrument or two and learn some songs. Just start pumping out tons of songs. Eventually you'll create your own style, it might not be EDM. Then go play them at an open mic or something. That shit is fun. Once you can start playing some gigs you'll thank yourself. Even playing for like 20 hipsters makes you feel like a rockstar, it's awesome.
If you can't sing, start singing to every damn song you hear. You're going to suck for a bit. I'm a bit of a silly guy sometimes so I would always change the words in the song while I sang them. That way it didn't matter that I sucked because it was still funny. Then one day I could sing haha it was pretty cool. Also, karaoke is sooooo fun. It's a great date idea.
You can literally be a super amazing musician and never touch a computer. If electronic music is really your thing, do it the old school way and buy some samplers. Like I said, once you become obsessive, there is no turning back. Music is fucking amazing and it never ends. You will be in your 70s-80s and pumping out songs.
WOOOOO GO FUCKING MAKE SOME NOISE
EDIT: I totally forgot. Make videos as well and then make your own music videos. Pump out a song and video every couple months. Do everything yourself. You will stay busy ahaha. I went and bought a couple green screens on amazon and some cheap lights and set up a litter studio in my apartment. Then I just started learning how to use everything and playing around in After Effects. Last week I taught myself how to use Cinema 4D and 3D modelling. Now I'm going to make hilarious cartoon videos in stereoscopic 3D making fun of feminism while I sounds like Bowie when I sing. It's all because I learned how to do everything. I've just started to find that the most enjoyable part for me is the process.
Also bass guitar. That is soo much fun to play. I don't even learn songs I just make up all this weird stuff and I absolutely love every second of it.
Nowhere near perfect pitch, heh, although I am using sites like http://www.earbeater.com/online-ear-training to help improve interval/scale/note identification.
I analyze using the written music in front of me. If it's an older video game piece, it's almost certainly available online in MIDI format. You can then use a program like Finale to look at the score.
If I'm not sure what a chord is, I can use https://www.scales-chords.com/chordid.php to help, or check my work.
Thanks for those links btw!
Edit: also, get https://www.amazon.com/Chord-Wheel-Ultimate-Tool-Musicians/dp/0634021427/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496074829&sr=8-1&keywords=chord+wheel or something similar if visualizing relationship between chords might help, it's been incredible for me.
I've heard the Chord Wheel is pretty good.
I have one of those Chord Wheel booklets which i refer to just about every darn day. About ten bucks at amazon (or your local guitar store). https://www.amazon.com/Chord-Wheel-Ultimate-Tool-Musicians/dp/0634021427
If you're having trouble finding and choosing chords, look up the circle of fifths. Then get yourself one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/Chord-Wheel-Ultimate-Tool-Musicians/dp/0634021427/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453845022&sr=8-1&keywords=circle+of+fifths
Job done.
If you want something simple look at cover of this book. You can read to book if you want to know why/how the work together, but if you just need to know what chord choices would be a good next note the cover does it with a simple pinwheel.
Amazon link
Read these books. They won't make you a rigger but you'll have a better appreciation of what you are dealing with.
The Arena Riggers' Handbook
Rigging Math Made Simple
Stage Rigging Handbook
Entertainment Rigging for the 21st Century
The Theatre Riggers' Handbook
Structural Design for the Stage
The Physics of Theatre: Mechanics
I think you've got a lot of good points in here, but I'm going to nit-pick at one:
>You can also learn about rigging from taking a look at their nightmare rigging pictures on fb.
I don't think you can glean much useful information from a picture on the internet, especially if you don't have any background knowledge to know that what you're looking at is bad. Jay Glerum's book is a good place to start for fundamental stuff - though nothing is a substitute for real world experience. I feel like looking at pictures of bad rigging makes you a rigger like looking at kittens on the internet makes you veterinarian.
Books on rigging!
One Book,
Two Books,
Three Books!
Highjacking this comment to recommend Impro by Keith Johnstone as a fantastic resource for using the techniques of improv to improve the quality of a variety of social situations.
Keith Johnstone's Impro is the classic work on improv. The section on status is great for any kind of dialogue, and the exercises he mentions are excellent for developing spontaneity and creativity.
Ya, I'll echo the "You are 18, calm down" responses, as much as your one response post says you don't like it.
Second, I see you had 5 goals laid out 1) Better social skils, 2) Lucid Dreaming 3) Meditation 4) Positive Thinking 5) Reality Trans-surfing (I googled the book but don't really know what this is, but it seems to have various buzz words I know in theory).
For the 1) "Social Learning" you need to:
So I'm going to group 2-5 and since it seems like (sorta, I'm not sure?) you have some quasi Buddhist interest refer you to this lecture by Wes Cecil on Siddartha: Buddhism, at around 15:15 and 16:00 where he discusses the centrality of the 4 noble truths and the 8 fold path... especially common misconceptions about it ( The whole lecture is good too ) Basically, don't worry so much about all these esoteric things and focus on the 8 fold path... not tantra and dreams and such...
... also, keep in mind Siddhartha, and most monks, practice extreme acetic practices and meditation for like 7 years and lived as a wandering nomad, after being trained as a Priest. So like, you need to read a bunch of Philosophy and then meditate for a few years before you give up.
Which brings me to my second point:
You ARE right
School and most pop culture on TV and (I suppose, I grew up before it) Social Media are worthless for your development as a human-being. School is at best a sort of bare basic hurdle you need to get thru. Find something tangible that you have passion about. IF it is really philosophy and lucid dreaming and "Reality Trans-surfing" that's fine, but those seem like more solitary, dare I say borderline occult interests.
And if you want to get in contact with other people, find something that has a community around it. If it is Buddhism you need a Sangha... The community is one of the three jewels.
HOWEVER I'D REALLY SUGGEST MORE PEDESTRIAN HOBBIES! (Trust me, I was a Philosophy Major in College, most people don't REALLY care about the deep questions).
Especially if you want to improve your social skills, get some hobbies that other people can relate to and force you to meet people. The art of talking to people is not hard.
Get used to not caring about being "rejected" by people, or being "awkward" when trying to talk to them. That's how you learn. The more you do it the better you will get, and there will always be new people to talk to. Eventually you are bound to find friends.
Hope that helps.
not yet. but there's something that's been on my reading list for a while now. reviews are good, and a friend that i trust with this sort of thing told me about it.
Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre
i skimmed a bit, and there's a section (abut 1/4) of the book on status play, which seems like it's full of good/interesting stuff. some of it probably relevant for seduction, or just social interaction in general.
also, "yes, and..." seems like a good mindset to be in. especially in a group setting when you're trying to be fun.
I'm going to interpret your question a little bit differently and provide some books that are not directly RPG related but will help you to be a better role-player or Game Master. Then, I will finish off with some more RPG specific suggestions.
The essential reads are the following:
For GM-specific materials, I really love the spirit conveyed by Dungeon World and Fate Core (and the Fate System Toolkit for that matter). If you learn nothing else from Dungeon World, learn the GM principles and how to set up Fronts. Fronts (or something similar) are the way you should be preparing as a GM that very few other books convey. The Alexandrian has a lot of amazing materials. I know that Play Unsafe was recommended here, but it was a little short and basic for my taste... much of the same principles will be covered by reading the other recommended texts in my post. If you absolutely must learn about improvisation as a skill in and of itself, read Impro. The author of Play Unsafe drew heavily from this text and most of the truly unique ideas can be found within Impro.
Read Impro: improvisation and the theater.
https://www.amazon.com/Impro-Improvisation-Theatre-Keith-Johnstone/dp/0878301178
It will really jumpstart your creativity.
Thanks! I've just started to really work on my various accents ( got a sweet book to help ). I'm American, so I feel like I'm fighting an uphill battle with the ridiculous amounts of different English/Commonwealth accents.
You may want to look into some dialect books directed towards actors, they can give you some definite direction.
I believe that this one is a commonly used one: http://www.amazon.com/Accents-Actors-Revised-Expanded-Edition/dp/087910967X/ref=pd_sim_b_1
I am not an auditory learner, so I have a huge amount of difficulty with accents. I primarily differentiate my NPCs by their word choices, not by accents, though I can pull off a Texas accent pretty well. However, this book has helped me some, better than nothing at least. I'm working on a couple of accents and am hoping to eventually expand my repertoire, but at the moment all I can do particularly well is my own American accent (don't ask me for the region, I moved around enough as a kid that it's a mutt accent with elements of the places I've lived and my parents' accents), a Texan accent, a semi-passable "Southern belle" accent, and a decent Welsh accent.
Though the Welsh I mostly learned from watching scenes in Torchwood repeatedly and repeating all of Merrill's lines from Dragon Age 2.
I'm working on a Manchester accent and attempting to learn whatever Tali from Mass Effect's accent is.
To add to everything here, talk with your director. This seems really obvious but ideally there aren't surprises during tech.
Its also a great way to get your ideas out there; the director may have a better idea for this, he may have never thought about that idea and needs to think about it. Does the director want a realistic courtroom? Or does he want an idea of a courtroom? Is there a scenic designer? What do they think about your idea for this scene?
It always depends on the show. Compared to others i'm approaching it very organically and artsy.
Couple books that are very helpful
Steve Shelley's Guide to stage lighting - Great book that discusses an overall picture
Richard Pilbrow's Stage Lighting Design - A more technical look, been awhile since i've read it but it does include the McCandless plot.
PM if you wanna talk extensively, i'm starting to do this for a living and talking about lighting design is really what wakes me up in the morning
A few books to consider:
Backstage Handbook. ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL.
Quantum: A Guide for the Perplexed. This one is... well... it helped me to understand some things about physics. Not all of it is relevant, and you'll have to draw some conclusions yourself as to how it all applies to audio engineering. At the very least, it's a great introduction to subatomic physics for people who aren't great with math. YMMV, but I found that a basic understanding of what sound waves actually do goes a LONG way. From there you can discern certain things like how ambient temperature and humidity will affect your mix.
The Business of Audio Engineering. Worth the price of admission, despite grammatical errors.
Mixing Engineer's Handbook. Might be worth it. Interviews with established recording engineers. Has some interesting info. Only the first half of the book is really worth reading, though.
Mixing Audio. Relevant information. Could almost act as a textbook.
That will at least get you started. I know that you're looking more for the mixing side of things, and that's great, but trust me on this. You will want to know as much as you can about all facets of theatrical/concert/special event work. THAT'S how you really get gigs.
Get a copy of he Backstage handbook by Paul Carter
https://www.amazon.com/Backstage-Handbook-Illustrated-Technical-Information/dp/0911747397/ref=sr_1_2?crid=22CR70DWJO96M&keywords=backstage+handbook&qid=1556880004&s=gateway&sprefix=backstage+%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-2
http://www.amazon.com/The-Backstage-Handbook-Illustrated-Information/dp/0911747397/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377524648&sr=8-1&keywords=backstage+handbook
I'd be surprised if she doesn't already have this. If she doesn't, she should.
If she wants to Stage Manage professionally you should look into a light weight headset. I just got one for my birthday and I love it. Mine is from Production Advantage, but other places sell them too. This is what I got: http://www.beltpack.com/smh710.html
Another good thing for a theatre technician is The Backstage Handbook: http://www.amazon.com/Backstage-Handbook-Illustrated-Technical-Information/dp/0911747397/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=IFV9ERGDDMYE2&colid=1F2QN9CCSL803
Beautiful manual on tech.
I have a Blue Spark XLR mic with a Line 6 UX2 interface, and this is what I record at home. When I started out, I had a Behringer C1U USB mic. I got more quality out of the former set up. My current mic has what is called a sound dampener shield, which is what I use instead of having foam panels in a room. Right now, I don't have any problems with my recording quality other than focusing on making sure I don't peak in my audio, which is simply managed by adjusting the gain knobs on my interface. I actually just bought my first pair of studio grade headphones that allow me to plug into my interface and listen to my recording feedback before I record, which helps a little. As for how where I audition for stuff, I mainly look for stuff in the Voice Acting Club, although my friends have shared casting calls for stuff not found a site like that.
So the thing about me is that I haven't done a lot of acting in my childhood, but I was always fascinated with voice acting in the cartoons I watch. It wasn't until I discovered voice acting alliance (RIP) where I can actually audition for projects and become a voice actor, so I didn't have anyone to tell me "you should be a voice actor; you have a great voice." Long story short, I didn't get many projects until I started to take acting classes online, in college, and in Minnetonka, MN. I made new friends that would post resources and auditions they found, and I discovered a little bit of acting range. I also listen to Crispin Freemans Voice Acting Mastery podcast to learn more about becoming a voice actor. I would say that it was 2016 when I finally got successful in getting stuff to do. One thing you need to know about me is that I'm currently not a full-time professional voice actor, and I'm mainly trying to get a software programming job to work on my time management skills and live on my own (I just graduated college by the way). I basically want to see how I can continue doing what I love while having an income, and go from there. My advice is to first study voice acting by listening to the podcast I mentioned earlier, find books on voice acting like this one https://www.amazon.com/Voice-Over-Voice-Actor-What-Behind/dp/0984074007, and take classes that are offered online. This site right here is something you could look into. http://www.sunnybluestudios.com/class-details
Taking a class will allow you a networking opportunity to meet with awesome people to become friends with. The more people who know in this community, the more you're likely to stumble on even more opportunities.
Are you an actor? This is an acting thing... read Voice OVer Voice Acting by Yuri
and maybe post this where the actors live...
https://www.amazon.com/Upright-Citizens-Brigade-Comedy-Improvisation/dp/0989387801
If you want to get good find some local classes in your area, then work to join a team.
The UCB improv manual is one recommended book for a game heavy style of improv. It is the textbook for the UCB classes. Truth is Comedy is the textbook for IO which has a more honest style improv.
Go to shows if you have them in your area and watch improv as you learn you will begin to see what people are doing and understand why. This youtube channel is some UCB teams performing; I particularly like the team Fuck that Shit. I also personally love Off Book the Improvised Musical podcast. They are some incredible improvisers. Start with Ep 75 if you want a good one.
Last if you want a more relaxed fun way try finding a role playing game group. This won't make you great at stage improv but you can pick up some of the skills. Most people play D&D which is not a bad place to start in tabletop RPGs especially with 5th edition. If you can find people running more story games you can get somewhere closer to narrative improv minus the audience.
Also, get people to pool their money and get a copy of the UCB manual! It is the best, and super approachable: http://www.amazon.com/Upright-Citizens-Brigade-Comedy-Improvisation/dp/0989387801/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406825908&sr=8-1&keywords=ucb+manual
Improv can be structured into sketch as seen by UCB here. I know very few book dedicated solely to sketch but some overall comedy guides go into detail about sketch form and its place in comedy overall. Here.
So... I'm gonna be a little critical here.
I don't get this sketch. In improv terms, I don't know what the "game of the scene" is. Your comedic goal seems to be weirdness and then shock value. It's not that it can't work, it's just not for me. For example I feel like this same scene could easily have been accomplished with 2 characters instead of 4 or 5, and it probably would have let you define a relationship between those two characters more easily and play with that relationship.
Anyway, your production quality seems fine to me, you mention some audio concerns, but that to me shouldn't be your focus. I would recommend some improv or comedy writing books, my favourite being Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual. It'll teach you some core essentials for finding fun in scenes.
Hope this helps! :)
Just one question: What is the game of the scene?
If you can't answer that, read this... http://www.amazon.com/Upright-Citizens-Brigade-Comedy-Improvisation/dp/0989387801/
Do you have a background in comedy? Having experience in improv and/or sketch comedy will definitely be helpful. If you're near any major city, there are probably classes that you can take.
In terms of sketch writing, there are two main things you're going to need to understand. First, and arguably the most important, is the idea of Game. It's the fundamental pattern of what makes funny things funny. The inside joke that is crafted between the performers and the audience.
The second thing is just writing believable dialogue and characters you can invest in. You could have an incredible idea for a sketch, but if the dialogue is weak, then it's going to be harder to keep the audience's attention. Since you're on r/screenwriting, you probably have a good sense of this, so we'll focus on the Game.
In terms of resources, there are a number of great books on improv theory (unfortunately not very much about sketch, but at their core, the scene structure is quite similar).
The Upright Citizens Brigade just released a book that I haven't read yet, but seems like it focuses a lot on game, so it might be helpful. Truth in Comedy is another popular book about improv.
Once you understand the basics of how a comedic scene is crafted, I'd say just watch a lot of sketches. Watch SNL, Britanick, Good Neighbors, anything you can find online. Notice what their Game is. How they build and present their characters. It's the same thing with screenwriting. Once you know the pieces of a strong screenplay, you notice when they're done well or poorly in every movie you see. Then, find a style of comedy that is meaningful and funny to you and start writing!
Sorry for the huge post. I hope this was helpful! Best of luck!
Great book on lighting.
Film Lighting: Talks with... https://www.amazon.com/dp/1439169063?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
The Uva Grip Book is usually a popular reference.
Film Lighting
I have the 1986 version of this, but apparently it has been updated. I have no idea what they have done to update this though.
Read this book. It's fantastic!
https://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Revolution-Lin-Manuel-Miranda/dp/1455539740/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473829641&sr=8-1
It's awesome! This review says it better than I could
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R7TFFKY75ETRG/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_btm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1455539740
I'm looking forward to my birthday (May 22nd) just because I'm asking for the Hamiltome as a present, and I'm really excited to get it.
I'm also looking forward to the new seasons of America's Got Talent and Project Runway this summer.
Oh, and I'm really looking forward to the Tony Awards, and hoping that Hamilton wins most of them, since they definitely deserve it! (And I can't wait to see what James Corden is like as the host, too.)
How about:
Also: Have you tried having a look at what she's pinned on Pinterest? You might find some helpful ideas there. Good luck!
There are annotations for all of the songs on genius. https://genius.com/Original-broadway-cast-of-hamilton-alexander-hamilton-lyrics
He also has notes about all of the songs in the book he wrote Hamilton: The Revolution https://smile.amazon.com/dp/1455539740/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_PrjVDb9Y05JJR
Boomerang
Thanks so much for the contest! m( )m
Item
Well, you're going to be meeting a lot of people soon and I can give you a few pointers as how to survive/not be awkward. Most people love nothing more than talking about themselves, so an easy trick is to simply ask them about themselves and listen. This is a shortcut that will immediately make them endeared to you.
It's okay to be quiet, just be smart about it. Do a lot of observing before you talk and make what you say matter. Being funny helps tremendously, and if you pick your spots, you can be the "funny" guy without being the life of the party.
A dry sense of humor approach is best, but any humor will do. There's a great book about humor and being funny that can help a lot. It's written by a genius named Del Close (practically the inventor of long-form improv) called Truth in Comedy (http://www.amazon.com/Truth-Comedy-The-Manual-Improvisation/dp/1566080037). Check it out. You'll learn a lot.
Also, confidence is attractive. You can have a confident air even if you're not. Season your conversations with statements like "There's always two sides to every story." and "That's a great point. I should research this topic more." Even if you have zero confidence, you can appear confident by acknowledging deficiencies in your knowledge set while swearing to become more intelligent about said topic. It's never a bad thing to acknowledge ignorance, it just makes you come across as honest and curious, which people love.
Make sure that you have established interests when you arrive. Like video games? Research game theory, it's fascinating and it's used in way more places than just the gaming industry. Basically, you can take anything that you're interested in and apply the principles to other parts of life. Now instead of being a "gaming nerd" you're a young and talented interface designer with a keen mind for sociology and anthropology - skills that apply to everything from future gesture-based interfaces to simply coming up with a better doorknob design.
Lastly, don't get hung up on stuff. Be the laid back, contemplative guy. It's okay to be passionate, but realize you don't have to win every argument. Arguments don't really have to end, nor will they, so you're better off making a quippy bon mot about the ridiculousness of an argument than trying to convince people you are right.
That's all I got off the top of my head.
Work on your lighting and sound. Also, read this.That sketch was about three minutes too long.
False. Humor = Reality. One of the core tenants of joke creating is to tell the truth. There is truth in comedy and nothing is funnier than real life.
One of the core books for teaching and learning improv is book called, Truth in Comedy. It goes through many different lessons, but one of them is don't be ridiculous. Play things honestly as you would any situation.
For more information, including a more detailed version of "Saying Yes", I wholeheartedly recommend reading The Truth About Comedy
Maybe this tip can help you. I am an actor (hence the username lol). I have studied a little bit of comedy and I can tell you this. Truthfullness is funny! Use inspiration from your real life as a source of comedy. I know an uprising comedian that is doing the same thing. It can also work in improv comedy. Maybe look into this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Truth-Comedy-The-Manual-Improvisation/dp/1566080037
I admire the fact that you have done stand up comedy. I want to try it one day.
You'll make your lives a lot easier if you get a coach ASAP (even if it's just a temporary guest coach).
Player's attempting to direct each other (even for very experienced troupes) can lead to all sorts of drama down the line. I've been a part of teams where each week (or month) we rotated who was leading rehearsals. Some worked out great (the two where we all had at least a decade of performing/teaching experience and went into it with that plan) and others quickly became a dumpster fire.
My best advice while you're waiting for a coach is probably to pick up a book on improv theory or a book on on acting:
Mick Napier's - Improvise: Scene from the inside out, Bill Arnett's - The Complete Improviser, Viola Spolin's - Improvisation for the Theater, or something like Marina Caldarone's - Action: The Actor's Thesaurus are good places to start.
Then read it together outside of rehearsal and discuss the ideas in various chapters when you meet up - maybe try out a few exercises, but be wary of trying to direct each other: that's not your job, your job is to support each other on stage.
Heck, just reading a few acting books and really discussing them will put you guys leaps and bounds ahead of most improvisers.
Improv is a skill that can be studied, learned, and practiced, and I absolutely 100% promise you that whoever it is you idolize on CritRole has, in fact, studied and learned it, and practices regularly.
The best way is to take a class in it. Anywhere with a theater program should offer improv classes.
If you can't do that, books are a good fallback (and companion to classes), whether that's industry heavyweights or books targeted specifically at gamers. Of course, there's also the usual selection of websites, youtube videos and reddit that you can tap as resources too; google around a bit.
In the meantime, the thing that might help you the fastest is to stop focusing on scripting what the character can say, and instead put your attention to how the character thinks and what they feel. If you know how they're likely to react to situations, you'll find you can use that as a guide to steer your dialogue. There are innumerable methods for developing that; again, look around a bit and try a few out.
Lately I've been liking Fate Aspects as a rough guide for characters, even if I'm not playing Fate. It's a simple structure without a lot of rules to creating them, light and flexible, while still retaining enough meat to give me a general direction to guide my interactions during gameplay.
Take the following character as an example:
K.G.
So, with just those five lines, I've got a fairly good snapshot of the character--enough to guide me in most circumstances. She's whip-smart and snappy, good at handling people, well-connected and worldly, a bit of a troublemaker, willing to chatter "aimlessly" to gather info but avoids personal topics. That's not a bad slice of character to start building from.
I'm not sure what line of work you're in, but from an event work standpoint, and I suppose a film standpoint, more and more manufacturers are moving towards LED-source fixtures. So if you're actually looking to build a distro and are looking towards future use, 120v may be the direction to head it. It's hard, though, to pigeon-hole yourself into 120v or 208v exclusively. You're better off having a variety and having that flexibility. A good reference for understanding these concepts can be found here