Study guide
for
new applicants
pursuing full member status in
I.A.T.S.E. Local 470
North-eastern and Central Wisconsin
Notice to applicant:
This guide contains multiple choice, fill in the blank, and true or false questions. Only information taken from the following pages will be used on the full card examination. Keep written answers as concise as possible. This guide, as well as the final test, will quiz you in the nine knowledge areas:
basic union information, carpentry, sound, shop, properties, electrics, wardrobe, hardware identification, and practical application. Applicants must score eighty percent or better to pass. Good luck.
--Local 470 examination committee
3/17/99 edition
BASIC UNION KNOWLEDGE
1. For what does I.A.T.S.E. stand?
2. With which branch of organized labor is IATSE affiliated?
3. If you were in charge of a job which required more hands, where and how would you get these additional hands?
4. If you were having trouble with the management on a job, or disagreed with the safety procedures you were asked to use, what would you do to straighten out the problem?
5. List the four primary contractual departments listed on a yellow card.
A._______________________B.____________________
C._______________________D._____________________
6. A new department has recently been added to the Yellowcard. What is it?
7. If you are going to be late or decide you can't make a call at the last minute, who should you contact and when, and in what order?
8. What resources do you have as a worker if you disagree with a department head or Steward on the job?
A. argue with him
B. see the Business Agent
C. take a long lunch
D. request a personnel complaint form from the Executive Board
9. In what month is the official Local 470 election usually held?
10. How often does Local 470 have a general membership meeting?
11. How long are Local 470's officers elected to serve?
A. 4 years B. 3 years
C. 2 years
D. 1 year
E. Until impeached
12. How much is currently withheld from Local 470 members' paychecks to pay for general expenses?
A. 6% B. 5% C. 2% D. $35.00 E. None of the above
13. Explain the general concept of the Steward Bill of Rights.
14. True or False: If you cannot attend the meeting of the official 470 election, you will not have the opportunity to vote.
15. True or False. All negotiated contracts for wages, terms, and conditions are the same for all employers and all venues.
16. Local 470's "mother" office is located in ___________________________.
17. That three reasons are grounds for immediate dismissal from a job?
A. --
B. --
C. --
18. In what year was IATSE Local 470 founded? ______________________
19. What recourse do you have as a worker if you disagree with a warning or late fine issued to you by a Steward?
GENERAL
THE BASICS
1. List the basic tools of a stagehand consists of:
A. miter saw, hammer
B. Allen wrench, duct tape
C. crescent wrench, gloves
D. multi-tool, night vision
2. The first thing you do when you arrive at a jobsite is:
A. report to the Steward
B. call Business Agent
C. find catering
D. fill out W-4 form
3. When working a showcall, a Stagehand should come dressed in:
A. boots, work clothes
B. gloves, jeans
C. dark clothing
D. T-shirt, slacks
4. A "Trade Show" is:
A. a television production
B. pipe and drape
C. bartering wages
D. video
5. Explain why it is important to be on time for a job:
SAFETY
6. The proper procedure for lifting is to lift with the:
A. arms
B. back
C. legs
D. shoulders
7. The proper position for a Stagehand(s) to be in when pushing something up a ramp is:
A. in front/ behind
B. the sides
C. in front/ sides
D. behind/ sides
8. Rigging ropes hanging from a Theatre grid should be:
A. coiled B. kept tight
C. left alone
D. maintained with light oil
9. When working with a fork lift, the responsibilities for safety fall on the:
A. fork operator
B. people around operator
C. Steward
D. operator/ workers
10. The most common injury for Stagehands is:
A. fatigue B. smashed fingers/ hands
C. back injuries D. death
STAGE CARPENTRY DEPARTMENT
1. What is a sunday?
2. What is a batten, and what is the standard batten size?
3. Name two places where endless lines are used.
A.________________________________________________________
B.________________________________________________________
4. In a counterweight system, which is the pull line?
5. Explain the fundamental difference between a single and a double purchase counterweight system.
6. What does the head flyman have to remember about a double purchase system when computing weights?
7. In what applications are breast lines used?
8. Name each line on a three-line counterweight.
A.____________________
B. __________________________
C. __________________________
9. If a unit you are hanging is too heavy for one batten and arbor, what could you do?
10. Define the following terms:
--head block:
--spot line :
--contour curtain:
--scrim:
--cyclorama:
11. How would you trim the soft goods?
12. How would you trip a drop?
13. If you are an electrician and need a certain batten brought in to the deck, to whom do you speak?
14. Explain the difference between a parallel and a platform.
15. How would you repair a rip in the muslin on a piece of scenery?
16.True or False: When loading weight on a double arbor, load the first arbor completely before loading the second arbor.
17. Name five important knots used in theatre and their respective uses.
A. _______________________________________________________
B. _______________________________________________________
C. _______________________________________________________
D. _______________________________________________________
E. _______________________________________________________
18. If you drop a belaying pin from an elevated pin rail, what is the first thing you should do?
19. What tools should be carried to the grid of a theatre, and how should they be carried?
20. What is a snub, and how should one be used?
21. What is a carabiner, and for what is one used?
22. Explain the difference between a teaser and a tormentor?
23. When the head flyman tells you to take a batten to pipe weight, what does this mean?
24. Where are sandbags used?
25. Define the following rigging terms:
Pickle:
Spanset:
Deadhang:
Bridle:
Basket:
Choker:
PROPERTIES DEPARTMENT
1. Define the following types of props; give two examples of each:
a) set props:
b) trim props:
c) set dressing:
d) hand props:
e) personal props:
f) greens
2. What kinds of effects are part of the props department? Give examples:
a)
b)
3. The production needs smoke or steam on stage. How might you accomplish this?
4. List some precautions when using dry ice:
a)
b)
c)
5. A production called for "snow". Of what might it be made?
How can you make it fall?
6. What is a ground cloth, and from what material should one be
7. Where would the propmaster begin when laying out a groundcloth, and with what should he fasten it?
8. The base falls off the nutcracker doll seven minutes before it has to make its entrance. What kind of glue should you use to repair it?
9. What should the propmaster do before the load-in?
10. What should the propsmaster do after load-in?
11. Fire extinguishers are rated according to the materials they are meant to extinguish. What materials are in each classification?
Class A:
Class B:
Class C:
12. What should the props department do with sharp hand props?
13. After setting the piano for a recital, what should the propmaster do to it next?
14. What should a propmaster place on the speaker's podium or on a table next to a speaker?
15. What is a break-away?
16. What is a practical?
17. Why or why not is it permissible to allow individuals to sit on show furniture?
18. True or False. It is the propmaster's job to set the orchestra pit before the show.
19. What should the propmaster do to a picture with glass in it, and why?
20. True or False. The propmaster must deal with live animals used in a stage production.
21. True or False. The propmaster must deal with the on-stage intercom.
22. How do you mark the placement of furniture or set pieces?
23. Name the three primary colors of pigment.
A.__________________________________
B.__________________________________
C.__________________________________
24. What is the first thing to do after painting a prop?
25. What precautions should be taken when using spray paints?
26. An actor has personal props, i.e. eye glasses and a wallet, which he keeps ;in his dressing room. Who's responsibility is it to aquire and repair them?
27. A broom is standing in the way of the electrician's ladder. Whose responsibility is it to move the broom?
SOUND DEPARTMENT
1. Circle one. What type of current is most important when dealing with sound systems?
A. ground-looped
B. wireless
C. AC
D. three phased
E. dB
F. none of the above
2. What does the term CCTV mean?
3. What is phasing, and why is it important to a sound signal?
4. Give two uses for CCTV in the theatre.
A. _________________________________
B. _________________________________
5. Beginning with the microphone in this flow chart, connect with arrows the path the audio signal should take to the speakers.
1. [MIC] 2. [SPEAKER]
3. [MIXER] 4. [AMP]
5. [EQ]
6. What of a three conductor XLR connector is ALWAYS the shield ground in a sound system?
A. Pin 1 B. Pin 2
C. Pin 3 D. The chassis
7. Connect the following components with the appropriate cable type. (One wire type will have two correct components.)
Components Wire
--microphones 2 conductor
--wireless receiver antennae 75 ohm coax
--Clearcom headsets 3 conductor
--speakers 52 ohm coax
--CCTV 4 conductor
--Clearcom beltpacks
8. Is it permissible to lay a microphone on the floor, on a dirty workbench, or in the dirt? Why or why not?
9. True or False. If a sound system does not require the use of an equalizer, a microphone can be plugged directly into a power amplifier.
10. What does a power amplifier do, and where is it placed in the signal chain?
11. What does a crossover do?
12. What is the advantage of a bi-amped system over a full range system, and what component is necessary for the former to function?
13.Number the following steps to power down a sound system.
_____ turn off equalizers
_____ turn off mixers
_____ turn off amplifiers
_____ disconnect AC power
14. Where is the ideal location for a soundman to mix a show?
15. True or False. It is advisable to parallel microphones. Why or why not?
16. What does an equalizer do?
17. Why do soundmen try to EQ a sound system as flat as possible?
18. What do professional stagehands do immediately after communicating on the intercom system?
19. Define phantom power, and explain what type of microphone requires such power?
20. In terms of a mixer pot, how many decibels must you increase a slider in order to double the sound level?
21. How do a PZM and a PCC microphone function, and what do the acronyms stand for?
SHOP DEPARTMENT
1. True or False: Parallel tops are generally made of 1/4" plywood.
2. Describe a coffin lock.
3.True or False: Theatrical keystones and cornerblocks are made of 3/4" plywood.
4. Describe a cheeseborough:
5. True or False: A three-fold will generally have a tumbling stile.
6. How long should a fastener (nail, screw, staple, etc.) be when making a wood joint?
7. True or False: A butt joint is stronger than a mortise and tenon joint.
8. Circle one. A rip in muslin should be patched on the upstage/downstage side.
9. What is the first thing to do when changing the blade in a power tool?
10. What is a scenery jack and how is it used?
11. Describe the difference between Broadway and Hollywood style flats.
12. Why should the rails extend the entire distance of the bottom of the flat, instead of making the rails less wide and extending the stiles to the floor?
13. Name two materials from which you could construct three-dimensional rocks. Chicken wire and:
A. __________________________________________
B. __________________________________________
14. Name four types of joints used in set construction:
A. ___________________________________________
B. ___________________________________________
C. ___________________________________________
D. ___________________________________________
15. A performer must crash through a brick wall. Of what materials could the bricks be constructed?
A. __________________________________________
B. __________________________________________
C. __________________________________________
D. __________________________________________
16. How many legs should be attached to a standard 4 x 8 platform?
17. Explain the difference between a dependent and an independent staircase.
18. When describing a step unit, what is meant by the term "run"?
19. When describing a step unit, what is meant by the term "rise"?
20. List three tools that could be used to cut a circle in 3/4" plywood.
A. __________________________________________
B. __________________________________________
C. __________________________________________
21. Circle one: Flameproofing should be added to the painted / unpainted
side of a flat.
22. Draw the missing parts of the flat and label all components.
23. Below is a drawing of a step unit; label the indicated parts.
ELECTRICS DEPARTMENT
1. List the load capacity in amperes of the following cable sizes:
4/0 _________ #10 ________
2/0 _________ zip cord ________
#12 ________
2. Name the terminations in a three-phase, five wire disconnect.
Red ___________________________
Blue ___________________________
Black __________________________
White __________________________
Green __________________________
3. Using the previous question as a reference, what voltage would you expect to find between the:
red and blue legs?__________________
red and white legs? _________________
red and green legs? _________________
green and white legs? ________________
4. What is the first thing an electrician should do after connecting tails to a disconnect?
5. Using leg A, leg B, leg C, neutral, and ground to designate the terminations, in what order should a house electrician connect feeder cables to tails?
1. _________________
2. _________________
3. _________________
4. _________________
5. _________________
6. After you have tied in rigging power as house electrician, the road electrician informs you that chain motors run backwards. Using the colors in question 2, which two terminations could be inverted to rectify this problem?
7. True or False: Direct current and alternating current differ by their voltages.
8. How many of the following instruments can be safely controlled by a 5000 watt dimmer:
500 watt fresnels _______________
750 watt ellipsoidals _____________________
600 watt __________________
1.5k far cycs __________________
9. True or False: Placing an electrical motor under the control of an SCR is acceptable if a phantom load is hooked up in parallel.
10. Explain the fundamental difference(s) between altering a cue in the stage and blind modes of a computer lighting console.
11. What capacity fuse would you use to protect a 2000 watt circuit?
12. Circle one: The first electric is the farthest upstage / downstage electric batten.
13. What device is used to connect multiple instruments together to one feeder cable?
14.Standard 2-pin-and ground connectors have a ______ amperage rating.
15.Using "S" for a single pole switch, "F" for a fuse, and "L" for a lamp, draw a simple and legal two-wire electrical circuit. Label one of the plug's prongs "hot" and the other "neutral".
16. Name a common instrument used at the balcony rail position.
17. How do you spot a Fresnel?
18. Using R for red, G for green, and B for blue, indicate on the drawing below how a three-circuit borderlight should be arranged.
19. What are the instruments on booms and ladders in the wings called?
20. Circle one. What is the best device to use to keep an electric batten from rolling?
bumper stiffener
breast line bridle
21. Some arc spots use a rectifier to convert ______ current to ______ current.
22. True or False. A Super Trouper's positive and negative carbons are interchangeable.
23. True or False. Xenon follow spots require special carbons.
24. True or False. Carbons have different amperage ratings.
25. Circle one. An arc lamp is dimmed electrically / mechanically.
26. Name three types of bases found on lamps.
A. _________________ B. _________________C. _________________
27. Circle one. The load capacity of #18 wire is greater than / less than that of #22 wire.
28. True or False. A xenon follow spot should be shut down whenever possible to save the lamp.
29. True or False. The ground wire connects to the neutral buss at the company switch.
30. Name the three primary colors of light.
A. _________________ B. ________________ C. _________________
31. Circle one: The first thing you should do after receiving a package of color media is:
--smooth it out
--get it out of the light
--mark the number on each sheet
--cut it to frame size
32. Explain the difference between a control channel and a dimmer.
33. What is tracking, and how have electronic lighting consoles made tracking easier?
34. Circle one. An analogue / digital control signal for a 100 dimmer system uses fewer wires to connect the board to the dimmer rack.
35. Lighting a scrim from the back makes is______________________ and lighting it from the front makes it _____________________.
36. List two advantages of a soft-patchable dimmer-per-circuit system over a hardpatched system.
A.
B.
37. Which theatrical material has the lowest reflectance value? _____________
38. Circle one. The amount / proper balance of light is the most important concern when designing television lighting.
39. A submaster on a lighting console is used to:
40. What are pipe ends?
41. What are the functions of the top three controls on a Super Trouper?
A. _________________ B. _________________ C. _________________
42. Explain color temperature.
43. In a 6 x 9 ellipsoidal, the first number refers to ______________________ and the second number refers to _______________________________.
44. Circle one. From the same distance, a 6 x 9 / 6 x 12 would produce a larger pool of light.
45. Circle one. From the same distance, a 6 x 12 / 8 x 12 would produce a larger pool of light.
46. In a Vera*light moving light system, the mirror/ whole instrument moves.
47. In a Cyberlight moving light system, the mirror/ whole instrument
moves.
48. Describe a Color Scroller:
49. Besides a power cable, what other connection is required to operate Vera*lights, Intellabeams, and Cyberlights?
50. Why should electrics systems and sound systems use separate power supplies?
51. What is a fan-out or breakout? _________________________________
52. What is a meatrack? _______________________________________
53. During focus the LD tells you to "spin the bottle". You should:
--remove the gobo and turn it over.
--reach in the back of the PAR can and turn the lamp.
--advance to the next dimmer.
--advance to the next instrument.
54. During focus the LD tells you to "flag the instrument". You should:
--pass your hand in front of the instrument
--close the leaves of the barndoors (more)
--unplug the light and tie an overhand knot in the cable
--fold over the last half inch before sticking it down
VIDEO DEPARTMENT
1. A positive locking connector for video cable is called:
2. A "grip" on a video shoot is usually the person who?
3. What is Betacam-SP?
4. What is the miniature microphone used to "mike" the "talent" called?
5. Using a typical three instrument set-up to light the video set, your back-light, fill-light and key-light happen to each have 1000W, or 1K lamps in them. What circuit or combination of circuits must you have to avoid tripping a breaker?
A. 1 - 15 amp circuit
B. 1 - 20 amp circuit
C. 2 - 15 amp circuits
D. 2 - 20 amp circuits
6. What is the maximum wattage a 20 amp circuit will handle?
7. Drawn below is a basic video lighting scheme. Match the appropriate names for the various lights using three of the following possible choices?
A. Key
B. Bounce
C. Fill
D. Back
8. What is the most important thing to remember during a "take".
9. The director has asked that the key-light be softened. What do you use to
bring the sharpness down?
10. Before each scene is shot the cameraman asks that a white card be placed in front of the lens. He flips some switches and white balances the camera. Why is this done?
WARDROBE DEPARTMENT
1. If your call time is 8:00, what time should you arrive for work?
2. What is the proper work attire for a wardrobe person?
3. What are the duties of a wardrobe person on a load-in? _______________
4. What are the duties of a wardrobe person for a show?
5. What are the duties of a wardrobe person for a load-out(strike)?
6. You do not have a steamer, or pin board. How would you remove wrinkles from a velvet skirt?
7. You must iron a man's collared (dress) shirt. Describe the process you will follow.
8. What are the tools a wardrobe person should carry on any call?
9. What precautions would you use when trying to remove wrinkles from an unidentified fabric?
10. What is the correct way to zip a tight bodysuit?
11. How would you free a stuck zipper?
12. How can you identify a wardrobe preset backstage and what is its purpose?
13. Define the term "dead costume".
14. Define "underdress". When is it most useful?
15. Describe a sleeve board. When and why are they used?
16. What is a serger and how is it different than a sewing machine?
17. List two safety precautions when using a steamer.
18. What is a drop sheet? When and why is it used?
19. Most costumes should have "pit pads" (dress shields). What are they? Why are they in costumes?
20. Define the term "dresser track."
21. Define the term "continuity".
HARDWARE IDENTIFICATION
Identify the hardware on the following two pages:
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11. |
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12. |
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13. |
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| L. |
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| M. |
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| Q. |
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| R. |
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| S. |
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| T. |
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| U. |
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| V. |
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