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technodisney's journey into Live Theatre

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technodisney:
Thanks for those kind words/advice/encouragement joseph41, miniturtle, insanipi and Aaron.

I have been full on the past week, I have been working all week plus I had orientation Thursday. Every day the past week I have caught the train into the city, and that is exhausting, an hour in and an hour back. On the way in, I get on at the end of the line so I never struggle to find a seat, but I have noticed that when it is peak hour on the way back the train is soooo packed and it is not good feeling being absolutely exhausted and worn out while standing up on the packed train.

It is kind of good that I have been working in the city the past week, I have been preparing myself for what it would be like constantly going into the city. I can see that it is going to take a massive toll on me if I'm not looking after myself. I need to make sure I get out of my bad habit of being on my phone till the early hours of the morning. I know the first step to that should be to keep my phone out of my bedroom but I can't bring myself to do that. I also need to get out of the habit of checking my phone so much during the day.I noticed that even while they were going through the kinda interesting important stuff on orientation day I was constantly looking at my phone.

Anyways, onto the uni stuff. Orientation was on Thursday. It was kinda interesting it mostly took place in a lecture theatre designed to hold a few hundred people BUT there are only 50 people doing the course so it felt very empty. It was a real awkward environment, everyone was obviously very nervous and not many people were talking. I did try to talk to a guy whom was quite nice, it is just like starting school all over again, barely anyone knows each other and we are all aware that we will be around each other quite a bit for the next 24 months. The good news is that all of the staff that are apart of this course were all super friendly, they each talked to us and explained their background in the Live Production industry. They all seem very experienced in their own areas of expertise. They kept emphasising to us that the course is not a complete course about everything to do with every aspect of Live Production, since it is so vast and complex, but it is an overview of all of the aspects so we can work out which we would like to focus on in our careers.

I emailed the course coordinator (because she has a background in theatre) yesterday explaining how I am looking to get into Live Theatre and where my passions are and whether I could have a chat to her at some point of how people tend to get into the industry, her response made me so happy and excited for what is to come in my future and where this course could end up taking me and how it will help me.

The classes I am doing this semester are:
 - OH&S (yuck)
 - Making a Presentation (Even Worse)
 - Operate Vision Systems (sounds interesting)
 - Mix Live Audio (Looking forward to learning how to do it properly)
 - Repair and Maintain Equipment (Will probably be a little boring but worth it)
 - Install and Test Lighting Equipment (this is what I am most excited for, I have had a little experience with Vision and Audio but none with lighting)

I guess every week I will provide an update on how each class went.

Besides the making a presentation class the 50 of us are split into group A and group B, we are with our group for all of our classes all year, I am hoping that I am able to get along with the people in my group well. It has been suggested that I should bring some food to share and that will make people want to approach me, I think I will give that a go to try and make some friends.

Classes start Monday, and I am still nervous about starting it all, but I am sure I will be able to cope.

I am also seeing HP & the Cursed Child again on Wednesday, so I am going to make sure that I am not taking in the story this time but moreso trying to look at the show from a more technical perspective.

I will update next weekend, until then, byeeeee

technodisney:
so... week 1.
I feel like I have already been pushed to my physical limits. even though I am one week in.

Because as well as a full week of full time Uni, in between classes and in all my spare time I have been working in an office building doing boring tasks like sorting files and I saw Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Wednesday afternoon/night. Along with all that I have been having some trouble with some friends which has taken quite a bit out of me, I have had an overly exhausting week.

Everyone in my class is super friendly, I don't think I will make any friends though.

OH&S
This class was super boring, listening to someone talk about OH&S procedures for two hours in a monotonous tone is not very exciting. The teacher is very nice though, luckily this class only goes for the first 8 weeks, so I am just going to have to keep pushing through all of this important/boring stuff.

Make a Presentation
This class was kind of fun. She spent an hour going through the assignment we will be doing at the end of this subject and then we did getting to know you games and also had a paper airplane throwing competition. This class is all based around making a presentation of something in the Live Production industry. I am not looking forward to having to present in front of a class, but oh well, if it has to be done it has to be done.

Operate Vision Systems
This was fun, it started by the teacher giving us equipment and telling us to set up these projectors and screens. he was trying to judge how well we work with each other so he can give us our groups. That was the first part of class, the second part was learning about different types of screens and how they work and how they are made, that was actually interesting.
We were also shown a Linus Tech Tips video on screens. So that was kind of funny.

Mix Live Audio
Of course we start at the basic stuff. Like how to correctly roll up cords and set up microphone stands. I stood there for an hour trying to get the technique correct and I don't think I quite got there. We are being assessed on it next week. The teacher for this looks  very intimidating but is actually very friendly. It should get a little more exciting than rolling up cords in a few weeks.

Repair and Maintain Live Production Equipment
This was quite boring as it was mostly an introductory into what sort of stuff we will be doing, we also completed a small workbook about repairing and maintaining the equipment. In a few weeks we are going to do quite a lot of soldering, so that should be exciting, but in saying that, last time I tried soldering I made the biggest mess ever, I will see how I go.

Lighting
Once again this class was an introductory, with well over an hour going into explaining the big assessment we will be doing in a few weeks. I guess it is good for us to know about what is coming.



I saw Harry Potter and the Cursed Child for a second time on Wednesday, it was nice seeing it again as I could sit around thinking about all of the technical side. I also had a very different view this time around, last time I was in the stalls but this time I was up in the Grand Circle so I could see different things going on.I noticed some lights from this view which I did not realise were there in the stalls, even though they were and would have just seemed more ambient.

Uni Life is fun. I just need to be careful all of my money doesn't go down the drain, there are so many food places around the City Campus, that is not good for me, RIP wallet. Although it is reasonably cheap.
I took some time to just aimlessly wander around the campus, that was fun just discovering everything around and where everything leads, as it does get quite complicated in the main buildings. It is absolutely crazy how big the place is and how busy it all is Three of my classes are in the exact same room so I am happy about that.
It feels nice to have this freedom. And I discovered I can get Gigabit internet in the library :O

I'm not looking forward to next week of Uni mainly because of the not so good mental place I am in right now.
wish me luck

beatroot:

--- Quote from: technodisney on February 16, 2019, 11:16:23 am ---so... week 1.

OH&S
This class was super boring, listening to someone talk about OH&S procedures for two hours in a monotonous tone is not very exciting. The teacher is very nice though, luckily this class only goes for the first 8 weeks, so I am just going to have to keep pushing through all of this important/boring stuff.

--- End quote ---

It actually surprises you how much WH&S is forced upon you during film/theatre studies. It's literally the last thing you would care about on set/stage but it is so important. I too found all this safety stuff boring when I first learnt it at film school but was so shocked to hear about Uma Thurman's car crash on Kill Bill and how the director tried to cover it up. They made her drive into an area they hadn't done a risk assessment for because they changed their mind about the original route. Uma ended up crashing which is so unfortunate.

So even if all these safety talk might be boring, it is so so important in ensuring production runs smoothly!


--- Quote from: technodisney on February 16, 2019, 11:16:23 am ---Mix Live Audio
Of course we start at the basic stuff. Like how to correctly roll up cords and set up microphone stands. I stood there for an hour trying to get the technique correct and I don't think I quite got there. We are being assessed on it next week. The teacher for this looks  very intimidating but is actually very friendly. It should get a little more exciting than rolling up cords in a few weeks.

--- End quote ---

I can totally relate to this! Rolling cords is so confusing but essentially all you need to do is hold the end of the cord in one hand and use the other hand to make loops of the rest of the cord and you should end up something like this! It's super fun once you get used to it :)


Wishing you all the best with uni <3

smamsmo22:
As someone who knows close to nothing about live theatre (especially the BTS kinda stuff), your posts have been really fascinating, even though you found your week pretty mundane.
Just wondering, what sparked your interest in live theatre, especially since your VCE subjects were pretty unrelated? Do you want to study further after this course or find work?
Best of luck and I can't wait to hear more about your experiences (:

technodisney:

--- Quote from: beatroot on February 16, 2019, 06:00:04 pm ---It actually surprises you how much WH&S is forced upon you during film/theatre studies. It's literally the last thing you would care about on set/stage but it is so important. I too found all this safety stuff boring when I first learnt it at film school but was so shocked to hear about Uma Thurman's car crash on Kill Bill and how the director tried to cover it up. They made her drive into an area they hadn't done a risk assessment for because they changed their mind about the original route. Uma ended up crashing which is so unfortunate.

So even if all these safety talk might be boring, it is so so important in ensuring production runs smoothly!
--- End quote ---
That is one thing they kept emphasising, how important it is so we don't tune out. The first thing we were shown in the class were examples of what happens when proper OHS procedures were not followed.
Because of that I'm trying to pay attention, I don't want to make some silly mistake rigging a set because I didn't pay proper attention in this class.


--- Quote from: beatroot on February 16, 2019, 06:00:04 pm ---I can totally relate to this! Rolling cords is so confusing but essentially all you need to do is hold the end of the cord in one hand and use the other hand to make loops of the rest of the cord and you should end up something like this! It's super fun once you get used to it :)

--- End quote ---
That sounds simple. We were told we have to do an "over-under" technique, we have to twist it one way on one loop while going the opposite way on the next.


--- Quote from: beatroot on February 16, 2019, 06:00:04 pm ---Wishing you all the best with uni <3

--- End quote ---
Thank You! :)


--- Quote from: smamsmo22 on February 16, 2019, 11:37:42 pm ---As someone who knows close to nothing about live theatre (especially the BTS kinda stuff), your posts have been really fascinating, even though you found your week pretty mundane.
Just wondering, what sparked your interest in live theatre, especially since your VCE subjects were pretty unrelated? Do you want to study further after this course or find work?
Best of luck and I can't wait to hear more about your experiences (:

--- End quote ---
I'm glad you are finding them fascinating. I hope I can give you a bit more of an insight after I learn more of what is going on myself.

I have always had an interest in what is going on behind the scenes at live shows. And watching people like Christian Jackson (a lighting designer) on Youtube it has kind of ignited a spark in me. I am actually incredibly excited about this course and where it could take me.
Theres 2 reasons , one is that my high school offered nothing that is along these lines for me to take, like there was Drama and Music but I don't want to directly perform as the center of attention. I want to provide the technical supplement to the main performance. My school also doesn't have a big musical program and last year it was actually cancelled, if I got the chance I would've got my self involved behind the scenes.
The other reason is that I didn't really realise I had this passion until October of last year, I guess I knew but I never really thought about it, like I didn't think I'd get anywhere or there was even any courses.

In regards to the second question, after I have completed the Cert IV this year I will do the Diploma next year (or probably 2021 as I have a plan for next year), from there I am hoping to find a job and slowly move up the chain in the industry and eventually work on the big touring shows in Australia (and surrounding countries).

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