Can You… Some of the most annoying questions asked

How many times have you got the lighting and audio just right? The client seems to be very happy with your creative work. Then the video guy walks up part way through a performance asking if you could make it brighter for the camera. now you know that the video guy has been employed by the client to record the show with the possibility of sales to cast, friends and relatives. now what would your response be? You have just spent hours designing and plotting the show so that it looks great for the paying audience that is sitting there in awe of the show. So do you destroy your work and the audiences enjoyment when the show suddenly gets brighter (of course you do need some power in reserve to accomplice this – possible excuse here ). You should consult with the director of course, but this situation can put you in an awkward position. As a Lighting Designer I would not want to alter my lighting for the video. This sort of thing should have been mentioned before designing and plotting was started. Lighting for video sometimes means you may have to drop the more subtle lighting effects, but if you know before hand you can make concessions.

Then you get audience members coming up to you saying it is too loud, cannot hear the lead singer etc. You have a choice on how to handle this politely or abruptly. But is it going to work. I have been known to grab an unused control and adjust it, making sure the punter sees that you have taken heed of their concern and have valued their input. There usually go away happy and you have not stuffed up the mix. This is probably the best option, beating them to a pulp is messy and you cannot afford to sacrifice a roadcase to be used as a coffin.

Sometimes I have clients that that don’t have a defined leader, so they all offer  input. The only problem is they all have their own ideas of what should happen. So the will all come up to you individually and ask you to change something. They also don’t consult each other, so the left hand does not know what the right is doing. Makes for an interesting show.

And then there is the parent who asks can my son/daughter come and watch what you do. And the look on the kids face says it all, they are not interested its their parent that is really interested but hates to admit it.

And just before the curtain goes up, over the cans you get this… “err by the way we wonder if we could add a mirror ball to the second item” The clock is ticking down to the zero hour and you can see the mirror in its box behind you on the shelf and you politely explain to the client that it is not possible due to the time constraint, but you are will to rig it if they are willing to delay the start of the show and explain to the audience what is going on.

I am sure I will be able to think of more stories, or you may submit stories as well and I will include them.

Occupational Health and Safety for not for profit groups

Have recently been doing some more training in the area of Occupational Health and Safety in relation to not for profit organisations. And as I was regarding through the course notes it occurred to me that what I was learning also applied to amateur theatre groups and other not for profit performing groups. In fact I wonder if many of the groups are aware of their obligations under the government act ” Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Act 1986″. Now this information is based on the South Australian act and other states and countries need to check with their local authorities to see what is or is not covered.

Given that a lot of performance groups are manned by volunteers it is vital that we ensure the safety and welfare of these people whilst they are contributing to the group by their volunteer efforts. This also goes to those people and parents that help with the local dance school or callisthenics concert, they are also volunteering their time and effort and they also should be looked after.

One question that a lot of groups ask is does the Act apply to our volunteers? Well it does and the information can be found in section 4(3) of the Act which reads;

4(3) For the purpose of this Act, where a person, in connection with a trade or business carried on by the employer, performs work for an employer gratuitously, the person will be taken to be employed by the employer.

This means that where a person performs tasks for an employer free of charge in connection wityh the employer’s trade or business then the employer owes the volunteer the same duty of care as a paid employee. When you look closely at the Act it deems that volunteers to be employees of the employer. This would be the case for Dance School and Callisthenics schools and even schools would be covered by this if they use volunteers to help stage their productions. Now to be deemed as as an employee the organisation needs to employ a person, this can be in any position not just involved in the event or show.

Whether volunteers are ‘deemed’ as employees is thus a practical matter to be determined after a case-by-case assessment. If an organisation, being an employer, conducts commercial activities on a regular basis (buying or selling goods or services, conducting events which charge a fee) and its volunteers participate in that activity it may wish to seek legal advice about whether its volunteers are ‘deemed’ employees.

If we are to assume that the volunteers working for your group perform work for free in the normal course of business for the group, the next question to ask when determining whether the OHSW Act and Regulations apply to the organisation, is the group or organisation an employer?

To answer this question you need to figure out how the Act defines the term employer/ In section 4(3) the Act defines employers as follows:

employer means a person by whom an employee is employed under a contract of service.

and a Contract of Service is defined as:

A contract of service means –
(a)  a contract under which one person is employed by another;
(b)  a contract of apprenticeship;
(c)  a contract, arrangement or understanding under which a person receives on-the-job training in a trade or vocation from another
This means, if your organisation employs anyone under a contract of service, then they are considered to be an employer under the OHSW Act, and all of the legislative duties under the OHSW Act and Regulations apply toward all staff, employees or volunteers.

Some groups pay an honorarium to volunteers, and it is my understanding that this does not make you an employee. This is not deemed as a contract of service. If a volunteer task or role is not intended to be a job and not treated like a job by either party, then it is unlikely to be treated as such legally.

If an organisation is concerned that its particular expense reimbursement arrangements and performance expectations for volunteers might be establishing an employment-like relationship it should seek independent legal advice.

Also the training of volunteers would also not generally constitute a contract of service. The training of volunteers is a very important part of managing events safely and doing so will not imply an employment relationship. Do not reduce or refuse training of volunteers on the basis that it might signify a contract of service. This could become a costly mistake.

If your organisation  does employ someone under a contract of service then the OHSW Act will apply to all volunteers performing work in relation to the groups trade or business. You are then under obligation to follow the Act.

If you do not employ employ anyone under contract of service the the OHSW Act does not apply.

It is not intended that the OHSW Act should apply to all-volunteer organisations that conduct all-volunteer events. However this does not mean that the safety measures and standards described in the legislation should be ignored, only that the organisation and the volunteers who perform work for the organisation cannot be held liable for breaches of the Act or Regulations. There are still other duties that must be obeyed.
Please Note – The Act applies equally to all employers, whether your motives are for personal profit or for the good of others. Your duty is not reduced if your organisation is performing a community service, or some other public good. Regardless of how commendable your organisations activities are, this does diminish the importance of protecting the safety and welfare of the organisations volunteers or employees.

One way to ensure your organisation is fulfilling its duty is to ensure the management committee of the organisation is aware of the OHS duties and how they apply to the organisation and its activities. It is important for your organisation’s committee to understand the obligation to provide a safe, healthy workplace/event and to prevent injury and illness arising by identifying hazards, then assessing and controlling the risks.

When utilising the services of volunteers, consideration of the following should occur:
• considered selection of the right person for volunteer work;
• provision of an appropriate induction to volunteers;
• identification and management of all potential OHS hazards;
• provision of training to volunteers;
• provision of adequate supervision; and
• encouragement of safety and operational feedback by volunteers.

Further information can be obtained from SafeWork SA bookshop on the groundfloor, 100 Waymouth St, Adelaide or from the website. On the website as well there are a series of practical info sheets on Event Safety that might be helpful.

all the above is based on info from Safework, some copying and pasting involved and also the Act itself.

Lighting Design 101 part 3 “Equipment”

Now that you know the basics of lighting design. You next need to know about lighting equipment and what it does. In theatre you have a wide range of light equipment types.  Once you know what are the properties of the various pieces of lighting equipment it will give you an idea where you can use them in your lighting design.

Profiles or Ellipsoidal Profiles

These are a precise optical lantern. The main feature of a profile are ;

1. Plano Convex lens
2. The beam of light has cleanly defined edges. By moving the lens back and forwards (focussing) it is possible to vary the beam quality from soft to hard
3. Has shutters to adjust the shape of the beam. You can alsao insert an iris to control the beam size, or you can insert a deckle or gobo to give a pattern to the beam of light
4. Uses  -  front of house lighting, that is light that illuminates the performers from the front
   side light, used in dance to model the dancer’s bodies
   anywhere that a tightly controlled beam of light is required
5. Variations -  Bi-focal profile, these have 2 sets of shutters, one soft and one hard
   Zoom profile, these have a second lens closer to the lamp source.By moving the lens within the lens barrel you can vary the beam angle.

Simple profile cross-section

Fresnels

If you look a the lens of this lantern you will notice concentric rings that are stepped. The lens of this lantern produces a wider, soft-edged beam of light, which is commonly used for stage washes, back light and top light.

Fresnels are not very efficient. The reflector cannot be larger than the lens aperture, and thus all the radiated light that is neither redirected forward by the spherical reflector behind the bulb nor emitted directly through the lens is absorbed by the casing as waste heat.

The degree to which the lamp may be focused is limited by the length of the housing. To reduce the width of the beam, the lamp and reflector are moved further back from the lens (spot focus). However, the farther back in the housing the lamp is placed, the more light is wasted in the housing.

So the main features are:

1. Stepped lens
2. The beam of light has soft edges, this makes joins in the beams of light to less noticeable
3. You can vary the beam size by moving the lamp and reflector assembly back and forwards in relation to the lens
4. To vary the shape of the beam you can place barndoors in the light beam. These are metal doors that can be moved to shape the beam.

Fresnel Cross-section

Floods

The beam shape and size from a flood light is fixed. There are no adjustments available on a flood. These sought of lights are used for lighting cycs and scenery. They are not selective enough for lighting performers.

1. Uncontrolled spread of light
2. Used for lighting cycs and scenery
3. A batten is many floods put together in a row to make one unit
4. Floods are rarely used to light performers

Flood Cross-section

Beamlights or Parcans

PAR cans, are used when a substantial amount of flat lighting is required for a scene. A PAR can is a sealed beam PAR lamp housed in a simple can-like unit. Like an old-fashioned automotive headlight the reflector is integral to the lamp and the beam spread of the unit is not adjustable except by changing the lamp. They produce an oval shaped beam of light and to change the orientation of the beam you rotate the lamp in the housing. They are similar to the flood in a way