Leading with Labels
Most automated lighting consoles allow you to label most items within the desk. It is essential that you use this tool to label every palette/preset, cue, list and other items as you store them. Sure, it might be a quick one-off production, and you don’t feel like typing in a name for every cue, but trust me it will make a difference. First, labels help define what you are looking at. How can you quickly determine which palette/preset is for down center stage if they are not labeled? Do you plan to memorize them by numbers?
The old days of programming did not allow for on-console labeling, and we had to have paperwork to cross-reference. But this is a thing of the past. Now consoles will enable you to quickly and easily label most objects within the show file. Usually this can be accomplished with a minimum of keystrokes and, often, a virtual keyboard will appear on-screen if you don’t have one plugged into the desk. There’s really is no excuse for not labeling the elements of your show file. Some consoles even allow you to use symbols or drawings instead of typing words.
Consistency is key with much of programming, and this is no different when labeling. I try to label my palettes/presets using much of the same terminology on every show. This way I always know what the focus label “Up and Out” or “Random House” means. This labeling not only helps me when making position selections, but it also helps me to read the data stored within the cues. I can quickly understand what the data is doing if it reads “Singer” for position and “Bright Red” for color. If I were just looking at “Position 14” and “Color 12” I would have a tough time determining what is happening in the cue.
Label Everything
I like to follow Homer’s example and label everything that I can. I even go into the patch and label each fixture as to its location in the rig. Sometimes it might be the “DS Truss” or the “Green Truss” but it always helps me to later read the exact location of fixtures. Again, with this information visible in the programmer and cue data, I can quickly assess the data and understand the effect on stage. I am meticulous about naming every single cuelist, even if it is just for a simple flash key or other task. I never know when I will come back to a show file to re-mount a show. I certainly will not remember what “list 17” is doing, but if it is labeled “Hazers,” then I have no doubt as to its purpose.
Like a Rainbow
Most modern consoles also allow you to color-code your data. The color-coding can be extremely helpful as it provides you with another method to quickly determine the use of data in the console. I like to organize my color scheme when labeling. For example, with position palettes/presets, I will color all my on-stage positions a green color, my out-in-the-house positions a yellow color and my specials a blue color. This color-coding makes it easy for me to quickly see which palettes/presets are focused in which area, and it helps me to reduce my selection time.
I also find color-coding of cues to be extremely useful. On a recent corporate event, I color-coded each “video look” cue in the list with a dark blue scheme. The speaker look cues had another color, while the performance cues used still another color. As I looked at my monitor showing my cuelist, it was very easy at a glance to know if the next cue was a video cue or a performance cue. Of course, any true blackout cues were labeled with black so that they stood out boldly.
Saving It All
When I save my show file (which I do often to external media), I am very organized in my labeling of the file names. I will typically append the file name with the day and time (showname_Thurs4pm. Then for the last show file of the day I will label it with the word FINAL (showname_ThursFINAL). I will then copy these files into specific folders on my computer that are sub-folders of the organization on my laptop.
Enough About Labeling
Automated lighting programmers must be organized in other areas besides just labeling their elements. The overall layout of the elements on the screen and the corresponding views are equally important. Some people like to place their palettes/presets and groups on the screen in a horizontal manner, while others prefer a vertical manner. Still others will place these items in a graphical representation of the stage layout. The exact positioning is up to you, but anything that you can do to help you quickly make selections is better than just randomly storing palettes/presets and groups.
Automated lighting consoles usually allow programmers to store different “views.” These views will recall exact layouts of the different windows available to the programmer. By determining the layout that works best for you, you can take advantage of the views feature to customize the desk and aid in your efficiency as a programmer. Most consoles will provide a few pre-programmed views, but often your own layouts are more powerful. There is no hard-fast rule for views, but there are a few different methods.
The most common method is to have a programming view that presents the various palettes/presets, groups, programmer and cuelist windows. This provides you with access to the most common elements of your show regardless of the current selection. Using this method keeps the layout consistent as you switch between fixture types.
Another common scheme for views is to create custom layouts for each fixture type. Typically, each view will be labeled by fixture type (Wash X, Spot Y, LED Z) and will present only the palettes/presets and groups for that particular fixture type. Other schemes break up by fixture location (DS truss, US truss, Floor). Some people find these methods help them to understand what is available for the selected fixtures. Others find the repetition of pressing the view buttons rather annoying. Again, the organizational method is up to you.
Get Cracking
Homer wasted no time labeling and organizing his kitchen. You should take the time to organize and label as much as possible on every production. You will find that your programming skills will improve in terms of speed and efficiency. In addition, your data will be much more readable and the show file will be ready to use again at any time. Labeling and organizing is a skill that every programmer should make the most of on every production.
