How to Take Blocking Notes (Part 1) | The (Almost) Complete Guide to Stage Management #13
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- Опубліковано 23 сер 2024
- Let's talk about how stage managers take blocking! A stage manager's blocking notation is one of the biggest jobs a stage manager has. Today, we break down the stage manager's blocking sheet, how to take blocking notes, and how to create your own system for blocking notation. There's a lot to cover, so stay tuned for part two coming soon!
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This is part one- check out part two here: ua-cam.com/video/AsVbC_lrSAQ/v-deo.html
I just found your channel last week and your videos are excellent in both quality and content. You strike a great balance between informative and overwhelming. I think you are filing a much needed hole in the within the community.
As a Welsh Stage Manager I find what you said so interesting! A lot of what you say is not what we are taught is the way to do things and I may not agree but like you say a lot of these things are personal preference. I have to disagree with not a having a key, a key is SO necessary! We had a saying at my uni “what if you get hit by the stage management bus?” Meaning that anybody on your team whether they are a trained stage manager or a technician or anybody from the production team should be able to walk up to your book and be able to read it and call the show. Having a key means that your blocking notes could be littered with abbreviations and symbols (although this should be kept as simple as possible) and as long as there is a key they can quickly reference this is possible. I personally stick a piece of plain paper on the inside cover of my file/binder this normally leaves an edge of the paper visible as you are following the script, meaning the key is always visible. I’d love to discuss more differences between our styles if you are interested
This is all valid! I didn’t do a great job of elaborating correctly. I meant if you have to use your own key to take blocking your system could be more efficient, not saying that you shouldn’t create a key for OTHER people outside your team to read it! I’ll usually create a key for the archival copy.
In rehearsals I have the key in inner pocket of the binder too. The top left section of the key is my character abbreviations so those are always visible to me and not covered by the script pages. My abbreviations are the first letter of the character's name, capitalized, and Circled. If two characters have the same first letter then I'll drop a second, lower case letter in the circle too for those names, chosen carefully to evoke the name (Er for Eric, El for Elaine). Ensemble are usually initials like Kent suggested, or even just their first name (if it doesn't take long) and aren't circled.
Funny story...
One of my first days as an ASM, my stage manager asked me to hole punch the massive script. I spent almost 15 minutes on it, but it felt much longer. (Then I accidentally dropped the hole punches, and had to clean them up.) I got back, and gave it to her. She glanced at it and very nicely said, “I need it hole punched on the other side.” She was right-handed, and I hadn’t realized she wanted the other side punched, so I had to re do all of the hole punching...
That was a great start to my first practice... 😂
what the where are all the views this channel deserves im dumbfounded
Thank you so much for this!! I’m living for your videos at the moment. I take every chance I can to better my craft and your videos are so great!
Very helpful as we're training our interns!! Thanks
YOU might not need a key. But you should ALWAYS create one. I go so far as to define "&" as "and" in mine because you really never know the level of intuitiveness of someone looking at your book. You can never over-clarify. If there's a symbol, abbreviation, or shorthand in your book there NEEDs to be a note as to what it means in the key.
Also, there's nothing wrong with actually writing out blocking in words, even if you have to go back later to do so. It doesn't HAVE to be in a shorthand.
And, create a Ground Plan with every entrance and other furniture/wing/are reference labeled and DISTRIBUTE it so you never have confusion between "Door #1" and "SL door" etc.
Love this!! So true!
Also, distributing ground plans with labeled entrances/elements is a GREAT idea! I will be stealing that!
@@HalfHourCall I did a summer stock show with a large number of platforms, runways, wings, escape stairs, etc that the Director wanted to be very specific of the naming of and reference to. We has a meeting during prep with the GP and named each thing, then I prepared a labeled GP in Word that was distributed to every person in the cast in the welcome packets, in production meetings, and via emails with the first daily call and the first report. We taped this GP on every wall of the rehearsal studio and constantly prompted the correct name of each area and corrected people if they used a different name or colloquialism. in the first prod meeting and in the first rehearsal we sat each group down with the model and this GP and had them look at it while we talked through the set & the tapeout. We were hyper specific at all times, company wide, and it made it so much clearer to go from the studio to the stage and open within 2 days.
@@Sunrek I love this. Did you label them on the tape out too? Like white gaff w sharpie?
@@HalfHourCall you betcha! On the DSR corner of each platform to be read from the actors' perspective, and each entrance had its label across the walkway to be read from the perspective of the actor entering.
Thanks again for this Out-Foxtrot-Standing information!
Kent, the Play that goes wrong was being performed in the town I live in. I went to see it tonight. It was funny and exciting. The cast was great. I took my version of the play book and had the cast sign it.
Thank you for liking the play and sharing it with your viewers.
Love that!!! Where was the show?? Yay for supporting local theatre!!!
@@HalfHourCall in Bakersfield, California at a theater called The Empty Space. It closed Saturday, 9 July.
I am usually stage manager of plays out here.
Oh my gawd THANK YOU!
Thanks for watching! Only a few days left to get your Stage Manager Ducks in time for Christmas! Visit www.KentJamesCollins.com/store for more!
Thank you for making these videos! I am a baby college stage manager
Your channel has been so helpful for me! Thanks so much!
Thank you for watching! So glad they're helpful.
Your playlist guide is spot on! Certainly helping me out lately for my first gig as ASM.
One quick question though, could you perhaps jot down in a reply the steps you took in creating the blocking notation sheets on Powerpoint please? Not much of a wiz in the program and have just a couple of weeks before rehearsals begin for me to have a prompt book ready.
Thanks in advance! Keep up the good work - God bless!
Sure! Text box for the lines, faint color so it's easy to ignore if I need to draw something.
Groundplan PDF converted to a JPEG, cropped to eliminate anything that isn't playing space. Then added in the corner, wherever you want them.
Does that help?
@@HalfHourCall Yeah! Super helpful! These steps certainly got the job done.
Thanks again for your help! :)
These are excellent videos. Sharing with my students!
Glad you like them!
gracias.. ha sido de gran ayuda y orientacion
Fantastic. Thank you.
Glad you liked it!
I'm on the always have a key team. Honestly my stage managers always has the short hand memorized within a week. That said, if or when someone else needs to look at the blocking they can read it witout an explination. I also want it for when I archive everything postproduction. I didn't do this at first and regret it now.
Have you tried any blocking apps or other digital alternatives?
Do you have a link to the slip sheet you used?
Trying to figure how you made the ground plans.
Hi! For these, I just did an approximation in PowerPoint with shapes and outlines. But for real shows, I get a PDF copy from the production manager (usually ask for any text and annotations to be removed) and convert to JPEG online!