What is DMX? I ask this question to every person I interview for a job. It’s an important question because while the lighting industry is using ethernet-based communication in certain situations, DMX will still be around for a very long time.
Tom Warneke’s 16 Essential Items For An Entertainment Technician article generated many comments and responses from around the globe, so we thought we would collate the feedback and follow up with the public’s suggestions and add to his list. So as decided by you all:
I wouldn’t say I’m a particularly superstitious person but there are certain patterns I like to follow. Call it my show ritual, if you will. Most of these things happen over time on a show and many are forgotten once I move onto another one. Some things, however, stay with me. My signature “Hiya” for check-in before a show, for example, has been with me for as long as I can remember (as I’m sure Anna Robb could attest). I still to this day wear my dads’ watch on opening night (to bring me luck). My little native smurf sits on the left-hand side of my Nomad desk and gets a nod before my first cue (right after I’ve given an exaggerated wink to my long-suffering fellow operator Kirsty). When these little things get missed out, I feel as if my show isn’t the same. I realise of course that in reality, nothing has changed about the show but purely my routine. Still, it bothers the slightly obsessive-compulsive operator part of my brain.
I love retro computing. In my home office, I have a Commodore 64 on my desk next to my regular workstation. I’m not so much of a gamer. Rather, I enjoy programming this 35-year-old computer. Manipulating bits and bytes to make a normally docile machine come to life and do what you tell it to do can be rewarding. Moreover, it can help you understand the more modern equipment used in today’s theatres.
I started in this industry long before things like LinkedIn, Facebook, and employment forums were a thing. Jobs were posted in papers, notice boards or passed around by word-of-mouth. In some ways I’m glad about that, in other ways I’m sad. Things would have been easier to have just connected with a company or a person through social media but instead, I had to do the real legwork.
Rebecca is the Automation Show Lead for The House of Dancing Water, which is at The City of Dreams Resort in Macau. Macau? Where’s that? In short, it’s a 1-hour ferry ride from Hong Kong. As the show lead, Rebecca is responsible for supervising the show crew and participating in daily activities, which includes, operating consoles for artist training, rehearsals and shows.
Wendy Mason is originally from the Highlands of Scotland. Since 2008, she has been based out of Montreal, Canada at the Headquarters of Cirque Du Soleil. Wendy is the Senior Advisor of Automation for the Show Support in the Touring Shows Division.
Izzy from Australia is an Automation Technician for PRG – Scenic Technologies.
She works out of the PRG – Scenic Technologies workshop in New Windsor, New York but her job takes her to all corners of the USA, sometimes beyond.
Justine is an Automation Technician for the show KA by Cirque du Soleil, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV. Along with a team of seven Automation Technicians, she operates the control boards to run automation cues during the show, as well as perform daily inspections and maintenance on all of the show’s equipment.
That first impression is important. I, for one, am not looking for a suit and tie because that’s not our kind of work. You should be presentable, though. If you’ve just come off of a work call to be at the interview, and that’s why you’re wearing your blacks, let me know. I can appreciate the crazy schedules we have when we’re hustling for work, and I take that into consideration. Be wary, though, as not all hiring managers will understand. If in doubt, I’d recommend slacks and a button-down shirt.
Horrifying. Simply Horrifying. On the 22nd May, a terrorist bombing took place in Manchester in the foyer of the Manchester Arena at the conclusion of an Ariana Grande concert. This suicide bombing killed 23 people and injured 116. This attack is sadly in 2017 one of many that have taken place across the western world.
Part 1: The Resume
I recently gave a talk at the University of Nevada – Las Vegas to junior and senior theatre students. Among the questions, I was asked about resumes. It’s interesting. Over the years, how to craft an effective resume has been a frequent topic of conversation. Versions of this question come up regularly when I sit for Q & A’s in the theatre when I visit college classrooms, and in other professional and educational settings.
The sun is shining, the weather is sweet here…
Truer words have never been spoken. Thanks to Bob Marley, I have an epitaph to my recent run of shows here in Dubai. For the past three months, I’ve worked on a near constant run of outdoor events and concerts and it got me thinking; how great is being outside?
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