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stagecraft 1

Terms

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AIRCRAFT CABLE
thin, very strong wire rope made of straded steel
AMP
standard unit of measurement for electrical currents passing through a circuit
ARBOR
metal frame in which stage weights are carried in a flying system
BACK PAINTING
painting the back side of scenery, usually with black paint
BANISTER
vertical support under the handrail
BARNDOORS
two or four metal flaps fixed to the front of a fresnel or PC instrument to reduce the bean spread
BEAM ANGLE
angle of the cone of light produced by a lantern
BLOCK
frame in which one or more pulley wheels are mounted
BOWLINE
knot used to tie a line around an object
BROADWAY FLAT
a type of flat where the rails and stiles are placed flat against the facing
BUTT JOINT
when two pieces of woof are cut square and placed in contact with one another; the most basic type of joint
C CLAMP
clamp on yoke of most lighting units
CABLE
wiring, temporarily rigged, to carry an electrical current
CARABINER
spring-loaded clip device used by climbers and also in stage rigging
CARRIAGE/STRINGER
supports under stair treads
CD DECK
audio equipment for playback of compact discs
CHAIN HOIST
hoist for lifting scenery and lightig equipment, rigged to fixed points in venue
CHANNEL
a complete control path for signals in lighting or sound equipment
CIRCUIT
the means by which an instrument is connected to a dimmer or patch panel
CLEAR-COM
headset earpiece and mic used for communication and coordination of tech depts during a performance
COLOR TEMPERATURE
a measure of the warmth or coolness of light sources and colors, measured in degrees kelvin
CORNERBLOCK
right-tirangle of plywood used to reinforce corner of a flat at the joint between rail and stile
COUNTERWEIGHT SYSTEM
a way to raise and lower scenery by means of ropes, pulleys, and a counter-balanced weight system
CROSSBRACING
piece of lumber or steel that runs at a diagonal across legs of a platform to provide stability side-to-side
CROSSBY
use for saddle and U cable clamps
CUE
any prearranged signal that indicates it is time to proceed to the next line or action
DEAD HANG
a rigging point direct to the grid/beams above the stage (not a flying bar)
DECIBEL
measure of soound intensity
DELAY
sound equipment that momentarily stores a signal so the sound reaches the audience at the same time as the live sound
DICHROTIC FILTER
glass color filters that reflect all light except the color of the filter, which passes through
DIMMER
electric device which controls the amount of electricity passed to an instrument, and therefore the lamp intensity
DISTORTION
undesirable result of overloading sound equipment
DOWSER
metal louvers used in larger follow spots and projection equipment to dim the light beam
DRY BRUSH
brush with a very small amount of paint is lightly dragged over the surface
EDISON PLUG
standard domestic power connector in the US
EQ
device that allows different frequencies to be enhanced or lessened
ERS
ellipsoical reflector light, allows for greatest light control
FADER
vertical slider used to remotely set the level of a lighting or sound channel
FITCH BRUSH
smaller brushes used for more detailed work
FOCUS
session when instruments are angled in the correct direction with the correct beam size
FOLLOW SPOT
powerful instrument with its own dimmer, iris, color magazine and shutters mounted in or above the auditorium
FREQUENCY
number of times a sound source vibrates each second
FRESNEL
lighting instrument with a graduated lens that throws a soft, generally defocused beam
FUSE
protective device for electrical equipment that melts when excess current flows
GAFF TAPE
cloth tape with flat finish used to temporarily fix cables in place
GAIN
level of amplification given to a signal/system; control of pre-amplification of a sound on its way to the mixer
GEL
thin sheet of colored plastic that is placed in a gel frame and inserted into a light to add color to the beam
GEL FRAME
a frame that holds the color filter in the guides at the front of an instrument
GOBO
thin metal disk with a pattern cut into it inserted into the gate of an ellipsoidal lighting instrument
HANDRAIL
top member that runs along the top of the banisters - part you hold on to
HANG
the process of attaching lighting instruments to pipe battens
HANGING IRON
metal fitting fixed at the bottom of the back of a flown flat to which the suspension wire is secured
HEMP
a type of rope used for flying made from cannabis bark
HERZ
one cycle per second
HMI
mercury-halide discharge lamp with color temp of 5600 K (daylight)
HOLLYWOOD FLAT
a type of flat where the rails and stiles are placed on edge
HORN
device attached to the front of a speaker to direct its output
HOUSE LIGHTS
lights used to illuminate the auditorium before and after a show
INSTRUMENT
general term for a unit of lighting equipment
IRIS
adjustable aperturn which, when placed in the gate of an ERS, varies the size of the beam of light
JACK
an angled support attached to the back of a flat so it stands up
JOIST
bracing on the underside of a platform
KEYSTONE
rectangular piece of plywood used to reinforce a joint between a toggle and a stile
KILOWATT
1 kilowatt is 1,000 watts
LADDER
non-climbable ladder-like structure from which instruments can be hung in a vertical stack
LAMP
what the un-initiated call a light bulb
LAY-IN BRUSH
a large, square brush used to paint large areas
LEKO
slang for an ellipsoidal reflector spotlight
LID
top of platform
LIGHT BOARD
the main control for stage lighting
LIGHTING PLOT
scale drawing detailing the exact location of each lantern used in a production
LOUD SPEAKER
transducer that converts an electrical signal into mechanical energy
MASTER ELECTRICIAN
senior member of the theatre's stage lighting team; not necessarily the lighting designer
MECHANICAL ADVANTAGE
advantage created by a machine that allows people to do the same work with less force
MIC
transducer that turns sound waves into electrical energy
MIDI
musical instrument digital interface - control system for linking musical instruments
MIXING BOARD
bank of faders where multiple audio inputs are mixed, effects added, etc. and sent to multiple outputs
MONITOR
onstage speaker that allows a performer to hear output of PA system or a video display screen
MOVING LIGHT
generic term applied to any unit on a motorized yoke so the focus, etc. can be controlled by the light board
MULTICABLE
flexible electric cable composed of well-insulated cores covered in a strong PVC or rubber covering
NICOPRESS SLEEVE
a metal sleeve used to secure the end of a loop of aircraft cable
NICOPRESS TOOL
a bolt-cutter like tool used to squeeze nicopress sleeves onto aircraft cable
NON-DIMS
channels controlled from the lighting board which are switched rather than dimmed
OHM
unit of electrical resistance
PAN
control on a mixing desk that allows the operator to position the channel's output in the final stereo image
PAR
parabolic aluminised reflector lamp, used in parcans to produce a high intensity narrow beam of light
PATCH PANEL
rows of sockets where plugs are inserted to route sound signals or power for lighting circuits
PATCHING
cross-connecting lighting circuits to a chosen dimmer
PRACTICAL
any object that does the same job on-stage as in real life; an electrified prop
PRE-AMP
amplifier placed between a mic and the mixing board
RAIL
top or bottom framing member on a flat
RESISTANCE DIMMER
decreases the current by introducing a variable resistance
REVERB
sound effect that sustains the sound longer than normal as if speaking in a large room
RFU
remote focus unit - remote control for the lighting board
RISE
the height of a stair
ROLLER
standard paint roller used to quickly cover large areas with paint
RUN
the deoth of a stair tread from front to back
SAMPLER
audio equipment used to play back digitized selections of audio usually by a keyboard/computer
SAND BAG
attached to an unused spot line to keep it from ging back through the pulley; counterweight in hemp system
SCROLLER
a type of color changer where up to 11 colors are passed in front of a light instrument
SCUMBLE
applying two or more colors simultaneously in a cross-hatch or swirl to create a variegated, textured background
SHACKLE
metal connecting device for joining chain, connected by an open link fitted with a pin
SHIN BUSTER
lowest unit on a lighting boom
SHUTTER
ERS accessory; metal blade used to shape the edge of the beam
SIZING
painting fabric with watered down paint, glue or starch to shrink a drop or soft-covered flat before painting
SPATTER
the application of small drops of paint by slapping the brush against your hand
SPONGE
sea or synthetic, used to create a variety of paint effects
SPRAY
using a pneumatic spray gun or garden-type sprayer to paint
SQUARE KNOT
basic knot for attaching the ends of two lines together
STAGE PIN/3-PIN CONNECTOR
connector regularly used on stage lighting equipment
STAGE WEIGHT
lozenge-shaped steel weight that fits into arbors and provides counterweight for scenery
STENCIL
a cut-out design useful for painting repeating motifs, like wallpaper
STILE
vertical side framing member on a flat
STRESS SKIN
created by sandwiching a core material between layers of plywood; good for large and oddly shaped platforms
STRIP LIGHT
long row of lamps (usually PAR lamps) connected in a long strip, often used for lighting cycs
STROBE
device that emits fast, short and intense light flashes
SUB-WOOFER
large speaker for reproducing extremely low frequency sound, more felt than heard
TAPE DECK
audio equipment for playback of taped media
THIMBLE
protective loop used to reinforce and protect the eye at the end of a rope
TOGGLE
interior horizontal framing member on a flat
TREAD
the top of a stair where you step
TRIM CHAIN
short length of chain used to attach a line to a batten
TRUSS
a framework of metal bars and triangular cross-bracing providing a rigid structure
TURNBUCKLE
piece of hardware that can be twisted to tighten or loosen a piece of line
TWEETER
high frequency speaker (1000-20,000 hz)
TWO HALF HITCHES
simple knot used to tie a line to a batten, for example
TWO-FER
connector that allows 2+ electrical devices to be connected to a single outlet
VARI*LITE
trade name for "intelligent" moving lights
VOLTAGE
pressure at which electrical current is available
WATTS
current x voltage - amt of power needed to light a lamp
WET-BLEND
creating a smooth transition between colors by working the wet paints into one another
WOOFER
low frequency speaker (10-250 hz)
YOKE
u-shaped bracket between the unit and c-clamp

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