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Reddit mentions of The Backstage Handbook: An Illustrated Almanac of Technical Information

Sentiment score: 10
Reddit mentions: 22

We found 22 Reddit mentions of The Backstage Handbook: An Illustrated Almanac of Technical Information. Here are the top ones.

The Backstage Handbook: An Illustrated Almanac of Technical Information
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Height8.75 Inches
Length5.75 Inches
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Release dateJanuary 1994
Weight0.89948602896 Pounds
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Found 22 comments on The Backstage Handbook: An Illustrated Almanac of Technical Information:

u/SGTree · 64 pointsr/CatastrophicFailure

To help with your understanding try reading this

And this

That should get you started.

But for real though. They're talking about the cables that hold everything up. Specifically, someone mentioned they were using verlocks to level it out, and that's what gave way. This is what they're talking about. ...I think. In which case I think you're right about the price. Though they may have been talking about this: in which case $12 is a descent estimate.

Source: Fuck if I know I'm an electrician I just plug shit in. Don't listen to me.

u/The-Sha-of-Nanana · 14 pointsr/ABoringDystopia

Hi, Ive been a stagehand for 22 years, buy her this if she likes the technical side of theater.

u/Matchstix · 13 pointsr/techtheatre

Go pick up the Backstage Handbook and read it cover to cover. That will give you enough basic understanding of terms and rough practices to survive overhire calls.

u/2buggers · 13 pointsr/Tools

That is the backstage handbook.

The Backstage Handbook: An Illustrated Almanac of Technical Information https://www.amazon.com/dp/0911747397/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_KO6CDbSZ34KFT

u/invincibubble · 8 pointsr/techtheatre

Scene Design and Stage Lighting is an often-used text-book from what I can tell. I have an old version myself, but can't attest to the current version. Design and Drawing for the Theatre is also an old standby (and denser), though it appears it's out of print.

If you want something lighter and less expensive, perhaps Fundamentals of Theatrical Design or An Introduction to Theatre Design, though they aren't limited to just scenery. I haven't read the former, but the I've taught from the latter in an intro to design course. It's rather light, but that can be good for a first book.

You can also go the more theoretical route, and pick up the classic Dramatic Imagination by Robert Edmund Jones. What is Scenography? and Scenographic Imagination are chock-full of great theoretical discussion for the long term, but not suited for your first dip into the pool. Might be worth bookmarking for down the road, though.

And sometimes it's good to just have a survey of other's work. American Set Design isn't a bad place to start for that. I recently picked up World Scenography, and while I haven't had the chance to sit down extensively with it, it's a gorgeous book.

This is of course just going from scene design, there's also options out there about the history of design, useful technical handbooks for the craft, or even more specific things like model-making.

If you're already generally familiar with theater and roughly understand the production process, maybe grab one of the two in the first paragraph. If you're coming in completely fresh, starting with one of the cheaper super-introductory books in the second paragraph might be better to ease in. If you have the funds, I'd suggest one from each paragraph. Perhaps others in this sub have more specific choices they feel are definitively superior than other options.

Also, I'm guessing your university may not have a design professor, but you might suggest an independent study in scene design as a course. Hope this helps!

u/micpenlaw · 8 pointsr/techtheatre

I have never seen a stage manager or really any professional backstage that doesn't have a Backstage Handbook. It is incredibly resourceful and will probably be a required text for her in school anyway. I am primarily an actor but having worked in a few scene shops, it has been a great help many times.

u/TheWoodsman42 · 6 pointsr/lightingdesign

First things first, different areas are going to call different things different names. Never be ashamed about asking what people mean by a term, as clear communication is critical in this industry.

Next, three books that will help you.

  1. Backstage Handbook while a little outdated, this is the stagehands bible.

  2. Electricity for the Entertainment Electrician and Technician this is a good reference for how electricity works. Less of a what things are and more of a how things are. Good book regardless.

  3. A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting also more of a how things are, this details more of the design and communication side of lighting. Also a very good read, as it details out paperwork for shows.

    As far as what equipment and systems you should be familiar with? ETC EOS family is a good starting point. It’ll get your mind familiar with how to program lights and is a pretty universal starting point. ETC Sensor Racks are also fairly standard for dimming. For moving lights, that’s really going to depend on what you’re able to get your hands on. If there’s a production shop nearby to you, call them up and see if they’re willing to take you on as an intern so you can learn things, or just ask them to spend a couple days showing you how everything works. Or see if there’s an IATSE chapter that’s nearby to you, they’ll also be able to help point you in the right direction.
u/kokiril33t · 4 pointsr/techtheatre

Great! Then I'm gonna make two book recommendations to you. The first book is The Stock Scenery Construction Handbook by Bill Raoul and Mike Monsos. It'll be a great help to get some knowledge about how scenery goes together and is structured before you dive into a job where this'll be common practice. The second book is the Technical Theatre Bible, The Backstage Handbook by Paul Carter and George Chiang. Even if you don't ever end up in theatre, this is a brilliant reference from how to build stairs to creating and calculating large arcs. Every technician should have a copy of it.

u/mhochman · 3 pointsr/techtheatre

at our HS, We give out the backstage handbook to senior techs, I even have a copy around myself, https://www.amazon.com/Backstage-Handbook-Illustrated-Technical-Information/dp/0911747397

u/secamTO · 2 pointsr/Filmmakers

To get the fullest overview, I'd suggest three things. Two of them are books.

The Grip Book (http://www.amazon.ca/Grip-Book-Michael-Uva/dp/0240812913/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377525369&sr=8-1&keywords=the+grip+book) is pretty tight. You can read through it completely, or flip through it focusing on subjects particularly relevant to the upcoming short (grip stands, sandbagging, important knots).

The second book is The Backstage Handbook (http://www.amazon.ca/Backstage-Handbook-Illustrated-Technical-Information/dp/0911747397/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377525614&sr=8-1&keywords=backstage+handbook). It's geared more towards theatrical rigging and staging, but will give you a wider range of knots and hitches to learn, as well as introducing you to rigging concepts (which can always help on set if you have a weird shot to attain and need to figure out how to rig it on the fly).

Lastly, I'd suggest you do what I did when I started out -- call up a few rental shops that deal with grip equipment and see if you can drop by and familiarize yourself with some of the equipment. If the shop is small, a round of coffees and donuts (nothing too expensive) might help grease the wheels to an equipment demo from someone. Hell, even if they give you a dark corner to fumble around with some grip stands and flags, you'll be more comfortable on set when you'll have to be gripping in front of a waiting crew.

u/IceManYurt · 2 pointsr/AutoCAD

Speaking as someone with a MFA in Theatrical Design and Technology and who has worked in film and television the last few years, I never ran across a widely accepted standard.

I setup my layers up in a very straight forward fashion:

0-ghost, 0-very light, 0-light, 0-med...0-very heavy
1-line type (hidden, phantom, etc)
2-Dims, 2-Notes, 2-Notes Red, etc

I'm not sitting at my computer so I can't recall all my layers, but I feel like I approached them as I approached linework as a hand draftsman... And I feel like I change how I do it every year.

For my layouts

Page 1 is Plan and what elevations for (in 1/4" and 3/4" for more complicated objects)
Page 2 to as needed is continuation of elevations
Then I go into details (full or half scale) and renderings as needed


Some excellence books

Drafting for the Theatre https://www.amazon.com/dp/0809330377/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_4CUiDbWGFMX9A


Designer Drafting and Visualizing for the Entertainment World, Second Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/0240818911/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_JEUiDbK121Y4D

The Backstage Handbook: An Illustrated Almanac of Technical Information https://www.amazon.com/dp/0911747397/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_DFUiDbGBHHPHK

Architectural Graphic Standards. Third Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EZI774/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_.GUiDbZP96C4H - for theater, don't bother with a brand new edition, I have 3rd (all the drawings are by hand and are shit yourself gorgeous) and seventh? (I would have to check my library). The current edition is needed for current building code, but that typically doesn't pertain to what I do.

u/zstone · 2 pointsr/Magic

Absolutely! Here's a short list of non-magic books that I commonly see recommended to magicians.

Understanding Comics - Scott McCloud

Purple Cow - Seth Godin

Delft Design Guide - multiple authors

An Acrobat of the Heart - Stephen Wangh (shouts out to u/mustardandpancakes for the recommendation)

In Pursuit of Elegance - Guy Kawasaki

The Backstage Handbook - Paul Carter, illustrated by George Chiang

Verbal Judo - George Thompson and Jerry Jenkins

Be Our Guest - Ted Kinni and The Disney Institute

Start With Why - Simon Sinek

Lots of common themes even on such a short list. What would you add to the list? What would you take away?

u/cquinn1 · 1 pointr/Theatre

If she wants to Stage Manage professionally you should look into a light weight headset. I just got one for my birthday and I love it. Mine is from Production Advantage, but other places sell them too. This is what I got: http://www.beltpack.com/smh710.html

Another good thing for a theatre technician is The Backstage Handbook: http://www.amazon.com/Backstage-Handbook-Illustrated-Technical-Information/dp/0911747397/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=IFV9ERGDDMYE2&colid=1F2QN9CCSL803

u/Leko6x9 · 1 pointr/techtheatre
  1. The extra belt can help but I wear mine on my normal belt
  2. Check that you have not put to much weight on the lineset and you have enough counter weight on the line
  3. Spend some time with the fixture so you understand how it moves and the various functions it has. You will also need to work out how to "aim" it in the dark so you are ready for any quick pick up shoots in a blackout.
  4. Gloves are important, radio not so much unless you are on a large call and the crew is using them. A mini maglite and multitool are a must. Comfortable shoes!

    Get a copy of he Backstage handbook by Paul Carter

    https://www.amazon.com/Backstage-Handbook-Illustrated-Technical-Information/dp/0911747397/ref=sr_1_2?crid=22CR70DWJO96M&keywords=backstage+handbook&qid=1556880004&s=gateway&sprefix=backstage+%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-2
u/drewofdoom · 1 pointr/livesound

A few books to consider:

Backstage Handbook. ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL.

Quantum: A Guide for the Perplexed. This one is... well... it helped me to understand some things about physics. Not all of it is relevant, and you'll have to draw some conclusions yourself as to how it all applies to audio engineering. At the very least, it's a great introduction to subatomic physics for people who aren't great with math. YMMV, but I found that a basic understanding of what sound waves actually do goes a LONG way. From there you can discern certain things like how ambient temperature and humidity will affect your mix.

The Business of Audio Engineering. Worth the price of admission, despite grammatical errors.

Mixing Engineer's Handbook. Might be worth it. Interviews with established recording engineers. Has some interesting info. Only the first half of the book is really worth reading, though.

Mixing Audio. Relevant information. Could almost act as a textbook.

That will at least get you started. I know that you're looking more for the mixing side of things, and that's great, but trust me on this. You will want to know as much as you can about all facets of theatrical/concert/special event work. THAT'S how you really get gigs.