School Performances and shows

[chewee]

I have tried using several setups in the past for schools performances and shows and have always found flaws in some way shape or form.

The main setup for a while was use powerpoint for backdrops, mixx for audio files and a lighting patch using max msp for the lighting.

 

I felt using three programs was overkill and wondered the following " what do others use for shows?" Also do most places have more than one person operating these areas as i currently do all three

 

Also i deided to coble together something using MAX/MSP that can do all three and should be easy to use. I will attach it below.

Show Control patch.zip

 

Would love feedback on the patch from people too as it may just help some people.

[AlanD]

get the kids to operate it...will need help and support to setup of course...even young kids can do a great job.

[SamanthaD]

Depends on your setup.

 

I always use Qlab (Mac) for audio playback. You could use this for your projection as well, and the latest version also spits out DMX so could run your lighting too. However unless you're doing a very long run of the same show I'd not bother with that...

 

I use Chamsys lighting software - a DMX dongle costs around £70. Once you've got the hang of it it's very easy to program and use. Lots of YouTube tutorials and very powerful, the software is free and is the same across all their consoles, so you can patch and program a lot of the show on a laptop before you even get in the room (it includes a free basic visualiser) then hire a console for the show if you wanted a real desk.

 

Following on from that, I would either use Chamsys MagicHD or Powerpoint for projection. PPT for simple one off shows, or for a decent length run I'd have MagicHD running as a media server, then connected to the lighting desk via ArtNet. Very powerful way of doing things, means you can put projection onto the same cue stack as your lighting.

 

Always have at least 2 people running the show, if nothing else if something breaks one of you can run and fix it while the other one manages both desks. I used to use older pupils to operate the desks once the cue lists were built, leaving me free to problem solve on the fly...