PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE APPLICATION

A testing committee of three honorable full card members will be assembled by the Local to score the practical knowledge portion of the exam. Please read carefully the judging criteria for each section. An applicant will fail immediately if he/she exhibits unsafe work habits or damages any equipment. The testing committee will confer and subjectively decide if the applicant has satisfactorily completed the objectives and passed a particular section. Individual sections may be retaken once at the discretion of the testing committee; a second failure, however, requires the applicant to retake the entire exam no sooner than three months after the original testing date.

ELECTRICS

--Applicant must hang and circuit a light plot (a sample is shown below).

--Applicant should:

• tighten all C-clamps
• pull the shutters on all ellipsoidals
• focus fresnels to full flood
• space instruments properly
• fly batten to 15'-0"

KNOTS

--Applicant must be able to tie:

• two half-hitches
• square knot
• bowline
• sheet bend
• clove hitch
• figure eight, and
• half-hitch over a belaying pin (belay knot).

--Applicant should be able to name an application for each of the above knots.

--Applicant must be able to tie a snub knot.

--Applicant should be able to tie a prussic knot.

--Applicant should be able to show the proper method of attaching a crosby to wire rope to make a loop.

SOUND

Given appropriate adaptors and a pre-patched interface with a house sound system:

--Applicant must show sufficient understanding of sound to connect:

• a Crown PCC 160 (or equivalent) condenser mic;
• a dynamic mic;
• a tape deck or CD in mono;
• to a mixing console and mix down the above inputs to the console's sum or mono pot.

--Applicant should power up the system correctly and must obtain sound at the house cluster when an input is applied to any of the three sources above.

--Applicant should show the location of the house equalizer and describe its function.

RIGGING

--During the hanging of the light plot in the electrics portion of this practical exam, applicant must operate the counterweight system safely and make proper calls when moving line sets.

--Applicant should:

• Describe the correct sequence in loading and unloading goods and counterweights.
• Exercise proper speed and control at all times.
• Weight previously hung electric properly.

--Applicant must:
Given appropriate selection of hardware:

• Assemble a "Five-Five Bridle with Five Baskets and a Ten Stinger".
• Properly tie a rigging rope to one side of the bridle with a 1 ft. Bowline.

RUNNING A FLAT

--With a flat or book flat at least 3'-0" wide and 10'-0" high, applicant should:

Move flat from horizontal to vertical orientation.

Safely run flat across the deck, checking for overhead obstructions.

Return flat to horizontal position.

FOLLOW SPOT OPERATION

Given a disassembled Supertrouper carbon arc follow spot, five minutes, and one assistant:

--Applicant should be able to:

bolt barrel to base

make electrical connections

wipe the mirror

empty drip cup

insert carbons correctly

strike up

adjust transformer tap

adjust knurl

adjust positioning mirror for best knurl

adjust reflector for best pool of light

adjust fine ribbon control for sharpest focus

--Applicant must be able to point to and operate iris, dowser, shutter, and trombone.

--Applicant must be able to correctly identify color frames 1 and 6.

NEW Spot Prac:

Spotlight test

Will consist ofsetting up a spotlight and taking called cues over headset, as in a show environment.

Testing committee shall set up three adjecent person-sized "targets" on stage (e.g. three mic stands with milk jugs or hats for heads), and supply candidate with 4 colors in frames.

Candidate shall be given time to install color, adjust the followspot, align a sight (if available), set reference points, try out a few practice pickups, etc. When ready, examiner will call a series of cues (preferably on headset) in the manner of a stagemanager, with "Warnings", "Standbys", and "Goes". The cues will include such basics as pickups; douser, iris, chopper, trombone, and color changes (bumps and rolls); fades, bumps, blackouts, and ballyhoos.

Candidate must successfully perform the cue sequence to the minimum satisfaction of the testing committee.

WARDROBE

Applicant should arrive for the exam as you would for a work call.

Applicant must sew on three styles of buttons.

Applicant must demonstrate the ability to make emergency seam repair.

Applicant must assist an 'actor' in making a quick costume change.

Applicant must give a brief discussion on deciding to use a preset instead of underdressing a costume change.

Applicant must give a brief discussion on the advantages and proper uses of a steamer.

Applicant must be able to take six unidentifed fabrics and iron them in proper order.

Applicant must explain the order used (and any other precautions used) when ironing the six fabrics.

Applicant must give a brief discussion of the proper actions in the following situation:

A zipper has just broken beyond repair, the actor has two minutes to his entrance.

Applicant must demonstrate the ability to make this repair.

Materials for Practicals:

Stagehand:

Electrics:

2 Fresnels        Ass't cable

2 Lekos        Color frames for above

1 2-fer        Ass't color cuts

Rope for knots
Snub rope (approx. 8 ft. of 1/2")

Short length of wire rope
Crosby clips to fit rope
Thimble to fit rope
"Rigging" rope
4- Five ft. Steel ropes
1- Ten ft. Steel rope
5 Shackles
Burlap bag

Sound:

Crown PCC or eqiv. (condensor)        Phantom power supply

Dynamic mic        Tape deck

Mixing console        House equalizer

House amp and sound cluster

Ass't patch and interconnect cords for all of above

Counterweight system
Belaying pin or tie-off cleat

Running flat: min. 3 ft. x 10 ft.

Spotlight (and carbons if required)