Q-Lab meets the Microvision

I confirmed with a few quick tests today that the ETC Microvision we'll be using to run the lighting console is able to be triggered via MIDI. This means that the sound software, Q-Lab, can run both lights and sound. There are few things that will be required to make this work. Most important is that Lucrecia will not be able to use "point" cues. Below are some suggestions as to workflow.

1. Cue numbers in the lighting console should follow the following format:

a. Dark Land (play #1) - use any number between 150 - 250
b. Table Land (play #2) - use any number between 260 - 360
c. Number Land (play #3) - use any number between 370 - 470

These will appear as "Control Change" messages in Q-Lab. The Microvision has a preassigned structure as to how Control Change messages correspond to the Cue Numbers. The above designations are based on that format.

2. Lucrecia cue the show in sequence, but skip every 3 to 5 numbers to allow for cues to be inserted. This would only be for organizational sense. Q-Lab can trigger any cue from anywhere in the list in any order we want, but if for some reason Bertie needs to hit "go" on the lighting console, the show should be in as much sequence as possible.

3. I will provide Lucrecia with a cue "checklist." Once she's done cuing, it can be sent to me and I can come in on the second day of tech with a trigger list set up in Q-Lab.

4. The day that I'm at tech (day 2) we'll incorporate lights and sound via a trigger list that will fire both the sound and light cue lists.

I realize this is new territory for some folks, but I am very confident in this working out. I've done this a lot with a mixture of sound equipment, so it's a vetted process. Once we have the basic structure of the cues, it will take very little time to create the list that will manage both. The user interface on Q-Lab is also really easy to understand, so changes can be accommodated pretty quickly too.

Please let me know of any thoughts or concerns.

Yoshi

Mood music for your listening pleasure!

Gilbert and I had a chance to meet yesterday and the result of our talk was a lot of possible music choices. Below is a list of songs we felt were in the running. I can make a CD of most of these if anyone would like. A lot of them are available on iTunes as well. Bear in mind that none of these are final. Think of them as sketches -- things with lyrical or musical tones that are in the same atmosphere of the show. There is also no order to this list.

Also, I had an odd idea that I wanted to run by the group. This idea would only work if it were somehow integrated with other design elements. Instead of using scene transition music in the ordinary, presentational manner, I wondered if it might be more interesting to have it coming from somewhere off in the distance, like it was coming from another room, another room where the next story was living perhaps. Thoughts?

yoshi

Cold, Cold Ground -- from Frank's Wild Years by Tom Waits
That's Someone You Never Forget -- Elvis Presely
The Dark -- from The Dark by Guy Clark
Truly, Madly, Deeply -- from Till the Sun Turns Black by Ray LaMontagne
A Lack of Color -- from Transatlanticism by Death Cab for Cutie
Standing in the Doorway -- from Time Out of Mind by Bob Dylan
Do You Realize?? -- from Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots by The Flaming Lips
The Mist -- from Blue Alert by Anjani Thomas (written by Leonard Cohen)
Reservations -- from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco (begin at the 3:48 point in the track)
Hush Little Baby -- from Human Fly by The Horse Flies

There was several others that I can share with you off list. These were the stronger options.

Todd Hido

Richard Diebenkorn

Richard Diebenkorn

Richard Diebenkorn

Richard Diebenkorn

Richard Diebenkorn

Richard Diebenkorn

Richard Diebenkorn

Kati Rediger

Kathy.

Three: David Gelles-Hurwitz

This is KID.

Number Two: Lisa Chess as WOMAN

Two cast members are now officially on board.  More to come...

Our First Cast Member

THE TEAM IS COMPLETE

Happily added Bertie Michaels as PSM and Naomi Wolff as Costume Designer. The designer meeting is set for March 2 at noon. Still setting up auditions and have a general lack of granddads. Any help would be appreciated! Tom Aldredge is the guy we offered the role to and haven't yet heard... That's him in the pic.

GETTING UNDER WAY...

Well, we're at the beginning of another great adventure. Please feel free to use this blog for ideas, pictures, brainstorming, etc. As of today, I'm busy trying to put together our first design meeting as well as setting up auditions for February 23. We're still interviewing Costume Designers and are about to make an offer to a Stage Manager. More later...