So I have a client, who as usual shall remain nameless... We have been going back and forth on a bid for the event as we always do... Here's the problem of the moment... They don't want us to load in the scenery untill the morning of the event... Hey, that's great if you are talking about some simple set, and some decking... This set is not simple. There are a bunch of things going on that we have never attempted in this room before, and honestly, that always worries me. My solution is to roll in the door at midnight, giving us a ton of time to get it together, and assure everyone that the event will be perfect from the scenery, and lighting side... It also means my crew would be out of the way of sound and video... All I can see is a win/win situation... Somehow the client keeps telling me it will cost him more... I have yet to get a good explanation of this from him. The room is available, and they don't exactly charge for overnight time... My crew should be done within the time I alloted... Generally they push hard to get done way before that allotment, as they get the same paycheck if they are there for an hour, or 10... (after 10 there is more money involved) If I blow my estimate of the time needed, that's my nickle... My only concern here is making sure I actually have enough time... This is an experienced client, and he knows we provide solid service... We do no gouge people on time... In the past, we have established that we like to get in as early as possible, so it shouldn't be a suprise... and yet, its like this is a brand new client...
Some times I wonder why we bother...
I was planning on doing a post about how we use some odd electrical connections in the theatre industry... I should have known that power would cause me issues in doing so... When I got home from my office today, I found my UPS had died a quiet death at 12:42pm... Let it rest in peace, it has saved my computer several times over the years... On to power though...
One of my projects today was changing out the plugs on some lighting fixtures... I picked these units up via salvage a few years ago when a retail store went out of business... I haven't had any call for them since then, but they're solid units, and I wouldn't want to buy them new... Here is where the change started... These units had Edison plugs on them... Edison plugs are the typical parallel blade and ground plugs you find on just about any 110v item in the US... Well in the arts, it has been found that that type of plug just doesn't cut it for many reasons... (yes, I know there are places that have them as the house installation, but I assure you nobody working there is happy about them) So, what do we use in the arts?... Do we use the ANSI approved and recommended L5-20 twist lock plug?... Well some places do... They're ok, but they have some durability issues, they're bulky, and they are very expensive... What most places use, unless local code prevents it, it referred to as either a "three pin", or "two pin and ground" (2P&G), or stage pin. (not to be confused with "stage plug" which is an old, very scary electrical connection that I hope I never have to actually use) These lovely plugs were actually designed for theatre use... That doesn't sound like a big deal, but believe me it is... The arts has no money to waste on R&D of most kinds of equipment... We tend to scavenge around industrial, architectural, marine, and whatever other industry actually has money to develop equipment... So what the 2P&G is, is this... Think of 3 heavy brass pins in a line, encase them in a (usually) black plastic housing, and (more and more commonly) put a good strain relief on the back side where the cord comes out of the plug... The ground pin is slightly longer than the two hot pins, and is placed just off center, so you can only plug the things together one way... The nice part about these plugs, is that they are only about 3/4" thick when they are lying on the ground, so they aren't much of a trip hazard, unlike the rather bulky L5-20 (around 2.25" diameter). Edisons are a little better, coming in just over an inch in diameter, but they are only rated at 15amps rather than the 2P&G's 20amps... (yes, I know you can get a 20 amp edison type plug, but in reality, they suck for the same reason their 15amp brothers do) So apart from the size, what's the difference?... Well edisons have thin brass contacts that will bend easily, they are also made to plug in and unplug easily, finally, they're rated at 15amps, so most of the housing are made to take wires up to 14ga (15amp capacity). They always seem to pull apart on you when you don't want them to, and unless everyone is careful, you have mangled contacts. (that's not real likely in the hectic world of production) The L5-20 is a real solid plug, that will not pull out inadvertently if you lock it together... The problem comes in the thin metal contacts again which always seem to get bent up... The 2P&G (when it is maintained as it should be) does not pull apart as easily as the edison (though very few of them lock, most people simply tape them) and the pins are 1/4" diameter, so they really take a pounding before they bend... Here's the best part though... To get good quality Edison connections you will pay $8-$15 bucks a pop, good L5-20's will go $15 for a male and $50-$60 for a female, 2P&G will go $3-$8... Now naturally there will be variation in pricing, and you can get cheaper versions of the edison and L5-20, but you will invariably be disappointed in them soon... For once, it seems like the arts came up with something that works well, is durable, and is actually cheaper... Who would have ever thought a bunch of "artists" would pull that off...
Ok... There will be no complaints here today... I'm simply in too good of a mood... God help the first person that manages to ruin that...
Here's hoping you all have a great day and thanks for stopping by...
So I was running through the list of usual suspects this morning since I had nothing to do, and ran across this one from Tammi... Ashame that it was inspired by anger, but sometimes that's just how it works I guess...
Incidently, you can find her place over on the right now... I don't know how I managed to forget to put it in the blogroll sooner...
Why is it that clients think they deserve a discount?.. The scenic business is not a mass production industry where you can get a better price because of volume... The vast majority of what we do is custom, every time it goes out the door... Yes we have stock units, however they need either new fabric, or fresh paint, or new carpet just about any time they go out... In order to make that happen, I have to pay someone to do the work, and that too cost money... Why is it then, that clients feel they should not have to pay for the same unit they rented from me last month, when they want it again this month?... The entire concept makes my skin crawl... This runs along the same lines of clients that feel that this years show should not cost more than last years show... Hello?... My rent goes up every year on my shop, the trucks and fuel cost more every year, my raw materials keep climbing up in cost, and labor sure never gets cheaper, but yet, they feel they shouldn't have to pay more... All I get is sob stories about how we are pricing ourselves out of the competition... Guess what... If I'm pricing myself out of the running, why are they still calling me... Number two on that is that, fine, don't hire me since I'm apparently making too much money, and go with another shop that will generate an inferior product... I'm patient... They'll be back...
But, I digress... Discounts...
I worked for a company in the A/V side of production for a while... Companies live and die by the discounts in that area... They can do that, because the base price is so over-inflated, that even 50% discounts are still ok... The problem is however, that if you don't have the gear in stock, then you have to sub it from your competition, and if you're not getting 50% from them yourself, you're losing money... These fools also discounted their labor... You can not discount your labor folks... There isn't enough markup on labor ever as it is... I watched this company discount themselves almost out of business just so they could keep certain clients... Guess what... They should have stuck to their pricing, and let their competition take that client, so they'd still be financially healthy, ant their competition would be on the ropes...
I do not do discounts... I give my clients a fair price for their event, and if they choose to haggle, they don't get any place... Strangely enough they are all still calling us, and we pick up more every year... I do comp units now and again, and I will ignore the charge for a tool box or such now and again to make a budget work... I make very sure that they understand that that is a one time offer, not likely to be repeated. I have had a client who always seems to have a budget deficit of the cost of the toolbox rental... They no longer get any breaks... Fortunately, we're at a point where I can loose a show now and again if they want to get in a snit... They either come back and pay, or they find another company to try to abuse... Either way works for me...
Ok... I think I managed to not do anything horribly wrong... Let me know if you find a gremlin someplace and I'll see if I can hunt it down... Next step is something more interesting as a header...
At some point soon, (in the next couple days I hope) I'm going to be messing with the templates... If I manage to nuke myself, just trust me... I'll be back... (I hope)
Note to clients... If you get off the line early, your event will be built/designed/loaded in better/faster/cheaper... If you instead choose to wait untill the last possible moment, you will end up getting lower quality, and pay far more in labor/overtime to make it happen... You know you are going to spend the money, so get moving!!
Sadly, Tony Randal passed away... Most people think of his television shows first when they hear the name... The majority think of The Odd Couple... He was also highly active in the live theatre scene in NYC... Alas, I never had the chance to work on anything he was associated with, but he was one of the really good people in the arts... He will be missed...
Today, I want to discuss "Pipe and Drape"... Pipe alone, or drape alone are ok things... Usually they are used for any variety of things... "Pipe and Drape" however is a far more specific thing... P&D is what we call a system of thin wall aluminum tubeing that hooks together on steel base plates, from which drapes hang... Sound ok right?... Actually, it sucks, because of several factors...
If, and only if, you use it for what it was designed, its ok. That means that you are hanging very light weight drapes on it, no higher than 16' high. There are 22' tall versions out there, but the the work of evil forces I won't comment on. The problem with thin drapes are they do not fully block light, and sound goes right through them. So clients want you to use veavy velour on the P&D tubing... Guess what that leads to?... Tubing bends since it isn't designed for those loads... Any little breeze can take your whole setup over in a slow motion domino effect... Mostly though it leads to annoyance from the people having to set it up... The added weight also often jams the gravity locked adjustments... This is a royal pain when you are trying to get all the drape nice and level... Apart from it looking like crap in my opinion, my biggest pet peeve with it, is that clients seem to think it should be almost free to rent... On average, you can rent P&D for around $14-$18 per foot. That's right... It gets rented by the foot... (16' is kind of a standard height) It also varies with height of the drape used, so it comes down to around $1.00 per square foot of drape... Think about that for a moment... Just to put up a 10' x 10' drape panel, with no fullness (that's pleats incidently) would cost you $100... Now, think back to a trade show or convention you've been to... How much drape do you see at those things?... Seems like miles of it right?...
One of my upcoming events just called and asked me to re-do the pricing useing P&D... They are doing this because they want to cut the cost of the event, which was high due to the labor bill... Of course, they already own all the scenery, so that was basically free except for a couple repairs here and there... Once they tell me what they want, I'll give them a price, and they'll be sitting just about the same place probably... The main difference is that now they'll have a crappy looking event... I hate doing "cheap" shows... Ugh...
I ran across this saying/expression/quote someplace earlier today, and forgot to write down where... Alas... No credit can be given then, but here it is...
Happiness is a Cat - Chase it and it will run from you, sit quietly and do your work and it will come and curl itself at your feet.
Generally I couldn't agree more... And being a cat person to boot, it rings more true...
Note to self... When renting a truck to transport and subsequently store scenery for a couple days, remember to tell the rental idiot that the truck should not leak like a seive...
Ugh... What a pain in the ass...
This morning, I helped a friend of mine (read that as driveing her around mostly) figure out what was wrong with her car... She drives a '63 Ford, with a V8... Its one of those nice things that when you look under the hood, it all makes sence what is going on. There is no way to develop some electronic gremlin, since there aren't any electronics, just basic electrics... My last truck was an '88 with a mess of electronics and fuel injection under the hood... I hated trying to work on that... My current truck is a diesel engine with virtually zero electronics, and not much electrical... That's exactly what I wanted too... I could have gotten a Ford diesel, but they decided on running everything electrically, so there's all sorts of potential gremlins... Cummins has it right, my engine is the same engine they've been building for 30 or 40 years, virtually no change... Why try to make it better when it already works perfectly? I suppose that's human nature... I suppose that's also why I like old cars, and old machinery... They worked then, and they still work now... I tend to doubt that all these new gadgets will last as long... Only time will tell...
I just caught this, and I'm a bit behind... On May 6th, a stagehand fell to his death in Miami. He fell because though he was wearing a full body harness, he had not bothered to clip it in to the fall arrest system... There is simply no excuse for this... Personally I love heights, but I'm scared to death of falling, as should anyone... A lot of time has been put in to getting fall arrest systems out on the road for this reason... To no use it is simply insane... Stagehands do not work under the best circumstances, so it’s simply a must...
The background on this one is that he was climbing to a spotlight position between the opening and headline act. The climb is usually up a wire rope ladder, though I do not know for sure in this case... Climbing a rope ladder is difficult at any time, but in the dark between acts, it’s ugly... There is a retractable system that attaches to your harness while you climb, and it works like a seatbelt sorta... If you slip, and accelerate downward, it locks and you hang there, uncomfortable, but alive... It seems that not only him, but two other hands felt it was too dark to use the tether system, and simply didn't... (I'm not sure how it can be too dark, so don't ask) The thing that kills me on this, is the guy that fell, had a fall in 1989 that had him disabled for 6 months... Wouldn't you think he'd be the king of fall arrest?... I feel sorry for his family, his friends, the promoter, the gear company (who will probably be in litigation shortly in our lovely country), and all the patrons who saw the fall... I am not, however, in the least bit sorry for someone who does not use the safety equipment that is in place to protect them...
So over at Rocket Jones, is a list of things he "knows way too much about"... He got the idea here, and the thought is to have other post their own lists, so I figured, why not, I've got a real light day here at the office...
Top 10:
1) Tools
2) Woodworking
3) Metalworking
4) History of lighting in the arts
5) Strength of rope and cables and how to use them (rigging)
6) Electricity
7) AutoCAD Drafting
8) The Lord of the Rings (the books thank you very much, from long before the movies)
9) Old farm equipment
10) Industrial Catalogs (just trust me on tis one, its hard to explain)
Minor Geekish Tendencies:
1) Instant message engines
2) Professional Audio
3) Professional Video
4) Astronomy
5) Graphics programs
6) Meterology
7) Fluid Dynamics
8) Chemistry
9) Coffee
10) Beer
Lately, I've been having issues with other people driving large veihicles, who apparently, are incapable of handling such... I am not going to get up on a soap box, and start in on banning SUV's, because I don't see them as the problem... Yes, SUV's are getting big, and they're wussifying the trucks, but all that does is annoy me a little... The main problem here is the people driving the veihicles...
Let me explain... Today, I pulled in to my usual bagel place I stop at every morning... I noticed a new H2 taking up 2 of the few parking spaces for the second day in a row... The parking places at this shop were repainted in the fall to be wider, and they fit anything... So that's strike one in my thinking that the person responsible for the parking travesty is incompatent... I still will give someone the benifit of the doubt though, because perhaps they didn't know the spaces were wider there... So I headed in, and who do I find in there?... 5 little old ladys, the youngest of which had to be late 60's, the rest solidly in their later years... So I'm thinking who the hell does this thing belong to?... I know the people behind the counter aren't buying an H2 on what they make... So on the way out, I didn't have much to do today, so I thought I'd wait... Sure enough, 10 minutes later, the women came out, and they filed off to their cars, except one that I swear was moving so slowly, she was going backwards... She headed directly (if slowly) to the H2... It took her 5 minutes just to get up, in to the veihicle... Now I ask you, what does a little old lady need an H2 for?... Do her kids think she would be safer in that thing?... When she backed out, she went all the way across the lot untill she hit the opposing curb, and then managed to get it going foward...
So, What's my solution?... Well funny you should ask... Apart from my thought that people should have to re-take their driving test periodically, and especially an eye test, I'm thinking that we need to start getting a special endoresment for large veihicles... Currently my drivers licence is good up to 24,000 pounds, but it doesn't cover size of veihicle... (24,000 lbs will get you a 24' truck from Ryder, I don't even want to think about most people driving them) SUV's and trucks get a bad rap for safety and roll-overs, but the problem isn't the veihicle, the problem is the people that should be driving volvos and the ones that still think they're driving sports cars...
I keep hoping that the high gas prices will scare people from their SUV's that they can't handle... but somehow it isn't working... Untill then, I just give them lots of space on the road, and park at the far side of parking lots where they don't want to walk...
Tammi over at Road Warrior Rules for Survival has a different perspective on sales folks than I do... She's on the other side of the fence, but it sounds like she's got it right in her market...
Not that this has anything to do with anything, but I hit a milestone today I hadn't noticed aproaching... No, not something blog related, or business... I noticed the counter on my pop-up-blocker is sitting at 1000... There is something mildly satisfying about that... If you are having pop-up issues, I use a free one from Google... It integrated nicely with IE, and I don't notice its there the vast majority of the time...
Now back to your usually scheduled bordom...
Well we put in yat another opera this morning... This show is the reason posts have been very light lately... I really didn't have anything to complain about with the show, so I wasn't documenting it... As I sit here now, I think that was wrong... Why is it that only the bad, or annoying shows get noted for posterity?.. I'll have to try to remember this in the future...
On another note, I want a damn vacation... We have been going just about full steam since January with minor exceptions... We are booked lightly untill late June... Lightly to me at this point means I'll only have to do a 40 hour week, so I can't squeeze even a weekend out of town. (we have ins and outs on the weekends naturally) I swear, I am getting out of here in July if it kills me... While I know it is never good to shut down your company, it really will not be any good for the company if the guy that does all the number crunching suddenly snaps...
And now back to your usual lack of programing...
So I was driving from my shop, to my pub earlier in the week, when some kid tried to thin himself out of the gene pool under my truck. You may notice my lack of caring... You would be correct...
The road I was on is a state highway, so traffic isn't crawling, and if you know anything about NJ, then you know we tend to take driving seriously... I noticed this kid (late teens I'm guessing) standing on the curb, which I thought a tad strange, but hey, no problem... Well as I got closer, I noticed he was perched on a skateboard, balanceing with one wheel on, and one off the curb... It was about that time he lost his balance and fell back into the street... Let me take a moment to thank Dodge Trucks for putting anti-lock braking in my truck... By the time I stopped, I couldn't see the kid on the street anymore as he had slipped below the hood from my perspective...
I'm not looking to go out and run down people... Hell its rough on insurance rates, and odds are it can do some damage to your veihicle. However, if you choose to perform stunts of amazing stupidity on a major road, and end up getting squashed as a result, you will not find me shedding a tear...
If you own a company, you have to deal with salespeople frequently… I doubt there is any company out there that doesn’t have to… As a scene shop and lighting company, I end up with a ton of suppliers… Fabric (3 companies), Steel/Aluminum (3 Companies), Lumber (3 Companies), Printing (3 Companies), Large Paper Products (1 Company), Lighting Rental (4 Companies), Lighting Parts and Purchase (2 Companies), Lighting Cable (3 Companies), Laminate (5 Companies), Hardware (2 companies), Rigging (3 Companies), Etc… Some of the suppliers are great, and don’t bother me unless I need something, and when I do, they make it happen… Most of them are simply adequate, and will just do their job… Some however, should be selling used cars in Las Vegas… This last group always makes me want to take a shower after just talking to them on the phone… When they come to my shop, I want to power wash the floor wherever they were standing… Unfortunately One of those guys stopped by today, un-invited…
Now, I already deal with these people for some things, and the company falls in to the adequate group… I never had a specific salesperson, because I only call them a couple times a year… Their salesguy slithered in today though to give me his sales pitch… His first approach was to essentially tell me my normal supplier wasn’t as good as him in pricing… So he rattled of some prices for the material we were working with today… He made the mistake of not finding out what I pay before he opened his mouth…. When I told him he wasn’t any better, he had already lost his ability to impress me… I don’t represent a huge account to a big lumber yard, but over the year, it does add up… If I start splitting my orders between suppliers, my discount goes away… This guy doesn’t carry anything other than plywood and other sheet material, and he wants to sell by the skid. I buy 3 sheets of one thing and 2 of another from my usual guy and its never a problem… He next tried to sell me on his stain and finish products… I told him we use all water based products because it is easier to dispose of, gives off very few fumes, and generally is better for my employees health, and the environment… Plus it dries pretty fast and is easy to cover with sealer more quickly… Well he latched right on to the quick aspect and ignored everything else… He went on and on about his solvent based product… What solvent you ask?... Lacquer Thinner… Now lacquer thinner is a great product for certain things, and I keep a gallon around the shop… Am I going to start letting my shot fill up with the fumes from it?... I don’t think so… Apart from the carcinogenic aspect, it is highly flammable and pretty much it will melt your skin and brain… He was pushing it so hard, he decided that he would have his “stain guy” call us and set up a demo… Well, we’ll have his demo, because now and again, I need something that will dry and finish as fast as he claims this stuff does, but he’s nuts to think we’re going to convert… I finally managed to get him out of my place by telling him there was a guy two doors down from me that was looking for some specialty plywood…
And one more thing… He didn’t bring anything with him apart from a line card… Shops like swag… Next time he should show up with pencils, pads, pens, etc for my crew… Though my regular guy has been a bit slack lately, he usually keep my place stocked with pencils and pads, which are the currency on the shop floor…
I suspect they’ll still get a couple calls a year, but I hope they aren’t going to start holding their breath…