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