USA / UK differences?

[gareth]

Can someone just explain why , labeling is called Spiking ? ive never heard it used over in the UK.

It's not labelling in general - spiking is the process of putting marks on a stage floor to record the position of a piece of furniture or other prop.

[JohnPartridge]

Ahh right I see now , cheers for clearing that up for me.

 

You learn something new each day :(

 

Cheers

John Partridge

[Nick512]

Here is a few for you,

 

Feeder = Camlock/Powerlock Run

Snake = FOH Multi / Remote

L620 = (eqivilent to our 16A used to refer to cable like TRS, usually 208v)

Eddison = (equivilent to 13A house supply but unfused, used to power some fixtures, usually 110v)

Deck = Stage Floor

Console = Lighting desk

Board = Sound desk

pipe = scaff

cheeseburger = swivel/Half Coupler

twofers = grelco/paralle splits

 

if I think of anymore....

[Bryson]

"Spike" is American? I say it all the time. Maybe that's why I get such strange looks....

 

You could also look in the Electrical Forum for the thread about US vs UK electrical practice.

[Bobbsy]

I use at least "snake", "board", and "twofer" over here and find them in common UK useage.....

 

Bob

[mackerr]

the one that kept catching me was to set the trim.

 

thats to dead a bar or cloth. although now I think about it there term makes a bit more sense.

I don't know how it is termed in the UK, but in the US, to "dead hang" means to hang a pipe such that it cannot move. It is hung at its proper trim height and can not move. To "set to trim" means to fly to the proper height.

 

Mac

[d_korman]

I don't know how it is termed in the UK, but in the US, to "dead hang" means to hang a pipe such that it cannot move. It is hung at its proper trim height and can not move. To "set to trim" means to fly to the proper height.

 

Mac

 

Same here.

 

We also use the term "bar" for a flown pipe, on which Lx, cloths, etc are hung. So we will dead-hang a bar.

 

In the UK to "braille" a bar (up/downstage) means to fit additional lines to it to pull it off-line with its pulleys, eg to stop Lx fouling an upstage cloth. Of course, it cannot be moved once brailled or the lines will jump the pulleys.

[Bennage]

Jram: Thanks for yours. I'm also looking for a possible flyman's job, too. Any more?

 

b

[Pete]

I use at least "snake", "board", and "twofer" over here and find them in common UK useage.....

 

Bob

 

 

Agree with snake and board,but Ive never heard an English Crew use Twofer,unless maybe an american asks for one!

[David Ripley]

Here's one that got me, some of it dealt with above

 

'Eyeball the spike on the instrument pipe'

 

Means Have a look at the dead on the lighting bar

 

Lanterns are often (lighting) instruments

 

Some of the LX stuff is deeply worrying!

 

David

[Bobbsy]

Agree with snake and board,but Ive never heard an English Crew use Twofer,unless maybe an american asks for one!

 

Maybe it's a TV thing, but I've often heard it in studios...even helped out by making some once when the lighting guys were busy and I had a quiet day.

 

Bob

[dbuckley]

The one you may well have fun with is electrical supply sockets. The civilsed world has C17, the Americans have a bewildering array of connectors, most of which have names which start NEMA, and then followed by a few random numbers, usually with a slash in there somewhere.

[Nick S]

From what I can tell, it's not *that* a big deal - I moved from Bristol to Boston back in September, and I've pretty much got the terms down. Although I still quite havn't come to grips with the electrical safety that goes on out here...or rather, the lack of it - I've seen things that would have a theatre shut down in Britain.

 

The one you may well have fun with is electrical supply sockets.

 

Similarly, there's a lot of variation when it comes to theatrical lighting sockets. I work in three theatres that use three different sockets - one space uses three pin 20A, the other uses 'twist and lock', and the other (believe it or not) uses edisons. You could see the reasoning behind it ("oh, it'll stop stock going walkies between the three"), but in the long run it causes pain.

 

I haven't seen a single job posting for a Master Carpenter over there. Is that because they're called something else? Or am I just being blind?

 

In the States, the technical director will often fulfill the role of master carpenter, particularly true in small theatres (or should that be theaters?).

[cdcarter]

The one you may well have fun with is electrical supply sockets. The civilsed world has C17, the Americans have a bewildering array of connectors, most of which have names which start NEMA, and then followed by a few random numbers, usually with a slash in there somewhere.

There are three sockets in use. U-Ground or Edison are the standard electrical appliance outlet, and is used in some small theatre's and high schools. Twist-Lock connectors (there are multiple types, standardized my NEMA) are used by am drams and Universities. Stage Pin is the most common for a medium-large sized theatre.

[Panzerman]

Try:

http://www.sapsis-rigging.com/NSTTerms.html

 

It's mostly slang, but you might pick up and remember a few phrases when someone is yelling them at you one day!

There's also a US/UK Glossary on Roadie.net, but you have to join up to the board (free). Very handy - and funny !!!!