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Uni Stuff => General University Discussion and Queries => The University Journey Journal => Topic started by: technodisney on January 30, 2019, 03:43:14 pm

Title: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: technodisney on January 30, 2019, 03:43:14 pm
So...

I have decided to start a Uni Journey Journal.
I want to have something to look back on in the future, and there is no way I could keep motivated to do a private journal, making it public like this will help motivate me to add more stuff.

Here are some things you should know about me:
1. I am a master of procrastination, it will be a miracle if I actually even start something a while before it needs to be done. I can always find a way to distract myself (and AN is one of those tools I use to procrastinate), I am hoping to try and change my habits this year though, and get into the habits of using programs like Cold Turkey which help me stay focussed and not get distracted while getting work done on my computer.
2. It is very likely I will at some point leave this thread abandoned for long periods even though I will say I'm going to try and post something once a week. I am very disorganised and I apologize for that.
3. My grammar and spelling is not very good and I don't have a very wide vocabulary, I am also good at just writing on and on about one thing withhout adding anything new, I also apoligise for all of the above.

My dream for the future is to work in the technical behind the scenes side of large scale Live Theatre productions. I have always had an interest in what is going on behind the scenes at large scale musical's and plays I have seen and would love to be apart of creating the magic that happens on stage. Even though I am talented in the field of IT and I am the go to tech guy for most people I know, I can't really see myself doing that in the long term, yes I will be challenged with getting new technology to interact with each other but I feel I will get bored of it over time.
Whereas being apart of Live Productions requires technical and troubleshooting skills but it also has that aspect of creativity with it.

This year I am studying a Certificate IV in Live Production and Technical Services at the RMIT City Campus. This is the only course I could find that had some sort of vague connection to being in Live Theatre, although this course is just a general overview of the industry, it will provide me with some skills and possibly some contacts that I could use to get in the specific area I want to get into.
I am also planning to volunteer at a community theatre on their productions in my free time this year, that will give me the chance to practice and gain some skills specific to the Live Theatre side of the industry. At the interview for this course I asked whether I will be able to go into the Live Theatre side of the industry from this and he said that it will help me alot but people who work at the big theatres have gained a lot of experience in smaller community thatres, so I am making sure I can get involved as much as I can.
My mum has a contact who helps at a local theatre who is looking for a sound person, so I am going to take up that offer.

On the Uni side of things, it's bloody hard to enroll in RMIT. First I couldn't enroll properly because I couldn't get a clear enough scan of my passport and then I accidentally enrolled in the wrong class groups because I didn't realise I received another email telling me specifically which classes I need to enroll in. So I unenrolled from everything and then enrolled into my new ones. Yay all good, NOT. Then my timetable wasn't working properly and I have been bumped around to all these different people who could apparently fix it, they enjoy passing the buck. I just found out after going through like 5 people they are aware of the issue and 'should' be fixed before Monday.  ::)

And the other problem I didn't think of is money, because it is a Cert IV I am not eligible for HECS, luckily my parents are happy to give me a $4,000 loan, but I've realised that I'm gonna have to pay them back 4 grand at some point, that thought is scary to me, I don't have a job right now but I am frantically looking for one, I also need to work out how I'm gonna find $4 a day for the train into the city Monday - Friday. I know it will all work out, but it is scary that it has now dawned on me I am going to have to manage and work for my own money.

I am feeling kind of worried for orientation next week Thursday, but it should be all good. There are only 50 people doing the course, so I am a little worried that I am not going to be accepted and be an outcast of the cohort. Except for Year 12, all through my schooling I have been 'that kid' that's always left out. I am worried it is going to happen in this new Uni enviroment and I will make a fool of myself.

I will try to update weekly once Uni has started.
And I will probably update after orientation.
Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: Joseph41 on January 30, 2019, 03:46:17 pm
So much love for this thread. 😍

Re: cohort, this is a new opportunity! My experience of uni was that it was generally more accepting than school. Fewer cliques and the like. I hope it works out that way for you, too!
Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: Bri MT on January 30, 2019, 03:50:23 pm
Reminder that this is your journal and we don't really care about how many elevated lexemes you use - nothing to apologise for :)


Can't guarantee anything but I've found being in a small uni cohort (under 30) to be incredible. No outsiders,  no cliques, just a brilliant bunch of people supporting eachother.   
I hope that you have a similar experience. 
Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: sweetiepi on January 30, 2019, 04:42:28 pm
With going into the city- if you travel at least 5 days a week, myki passes are generally cheaper: I usually buy them as 28-day passes and it roughly equates to $2.65/day ($74.20 for the 28 days :) )

Looking forward to seeing more updates, techno! :D
Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: Aaron on January 30, 2019, 04:56:39 pm
Re: the loan/lack of HECS... Just be happy you're in a position where your family can afford to give you that loan. You'd be absolutely screwed if they weren't. A lot of people don't have that luxury so I think you are damn lucky. Thought i'd put it out there.

Quote
Except for Year 12, all through my schooling I have been 'that kid' that's always left out. I am worried it is going to happen in this new Uni enviroment and I will make a fool of myself.
Been there done that. I think you'll actually be better off because you're in such an environment where you are with like minded people rather than kids who are forced to attend school. I was in a very similar situation during my schooling - but I think if anything that gave me a greater appreciation for those that wanted to be friends with me and a carefree attitude towards those that didn't. Just stick to your values and appreciate those that go out of their way to engage with you and those that deserve your friendship will remain.

Re: myki/travel, I agree with Lou.. get a myki pass if you're travelling frequently. Especially if you aren't eligible for concession rates, it can be quite costly using the prepaid money option.

Quote
My mum has a contact who helps at a local theatre who is looking for a sound person, so I am going to take up that offer.
Good stuff. Start somewhere - foot in the door is  the first step to the big stage (jeez I had to think about that one for a minute... needed to use a saying relevant to your chosen path).

I am a bit disappointed you didn't go down the IT path but at the same time I didn't do IT either and I finished my degree cos the  office 9-5 slavery didn't appeal to me, so I understand.

gl hf, PM's always open if you need it

Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: technodisney on February 09, 2019, 11:38:38 am
Thanks for those kind words/advice/encouragement joseph41, miniturtle, insanipi and Aaron.

I have been full on the past week, I have been working all week plus I had orientation Thursday. Every day the past week I have caught the train into the city, and that is exhausting, an hour in and an hour back. On the way in, I get on at the end of the line so I never struggle to find a seat, but I have noticed that when it is peak hour on the way back the train is soooo packed and it is not good feeling being absolutely exhausted and worn out while standing up on the packed train.

It is kind of good that I have been working in the city the past week, I have been preparing myself for what it would be like constantly going into the city. I can see that it is going to take a massive toll on me if I'm not looking after myself. I need to make sure I get out of my bad habit of being on my phone till the early hours of the morning. I know the first step to that should be to keep my phone out of my bedroom but I can't bring myself to do that. I also need to get out of the habit of checking my phone so much during the day.I noticed that even while they were going through the kinda interesting important stuff on orientation day I was constantly looking at my phone.

Anyways, onto the uni stuff. Orientation was on Thursday. It was kinda interesting it mostly took place in a lecture theatre designed to hold a few hundred people BUT there are only 50 people doing the course so it felt very empty. It was a real awkward environment, everyone was obviously very nervous and not many people were talking. I did try to talk to a guy whom was quite nice, it is just like starting school all over again, barely anyone knows each other and we are all aware that we will be around each other quite a bit for the next 24 months. The good news is that all of the staff that are apart of this course were all super friendly, they each talked to us and explained their background in the Live Production industry. They all seem very experienced in their own areas of expertise. They kept emphasising to us that the course is not a complete course about everything to do with every aspect of Live Production, since it is so vast and complex, but it is an overview of all of the aspects so we can work out which we would like to focus on in our careers.

I emailed the course coordinator (because she has a background in theatre) yesterday explaining how I am looking to get into Live Theatre and where my passions are and whether I could have a chat to her at some point of how people tend to get into the industry, her response made me so happy and excited for what is to come in my future and where this course could end up taking me and how it will help me.

The classes I am doing this semester are:
 - OH&S (yuck)
 - Making a Presentation (Even Worse)
 - Operate Vision Systems (sounds interesting)
 - Mix Live Audio (Looking forward to learning how to do it properly)
 - Repair and Maintain Equipment (Will probably be a little boring but worth it)
 - Install and Test Lighting Equipment (this is what I am most excited for, I have had a little experience with Vision and Audio but none with lighting)

I guess every week I will provide an update on how each class went.

Besides the making a presentation class the 50 of us are split into group A and group B, we are with our group for all of our classes all year, I am hoping that I am able to get along with the people in my group well. It has been suggested that I should bring some food to share and that will make people want to approach me, I think I will give that a go to try and make some friends.

Classes start Monday, and I am still nervous about starting it all, but I am sure I will be able to cope.

I am also seeing HP & the Cursed Child again on Wednesday, so I am going to make sure that I am not taking in the story this time but moreso trying to look at the show from a more technical perspective.

I will update next weekend, until then, byeeeee
Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: technodisney on February 16, 2019, 11:16:23 am
so... week 1.
I feel like I have already been pushed to my physical limits. even though I am one week in.

Because as well as a full week of full time Uni, in between classes and in all my spare time I have been working in an office building doing boring tasks like sorting files and I saw Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Wednesday afternoon/night. Along with all that I have been having some trouble with some friends which has taken quite a bit out of me, I have had an overly exhausting week.

Everyone in my class is super friendly, I don't think I will make any friends though.

OH&S
This class was super boring, listening to someone talk about OH&S procedures for two hours in a monotonous tone is not very exciting. The teacher is very nice though, luckily this class only goes for the first 8 weeks, so I am just going to have to keep pushing through all of this important/boring stuff.

Make a Presentation
This class was kind of fun. She spent an hour going through the assignment we will be doing at the end of this subject and then we did getting to know you games and also had a paper airplane throwing competition. This class is all based around making a presentation of something in the Live Production industry. I am not looking forward to having to present in front of a class, but oh well, if it has to be done it has to be done.

Operate Vision Systems
This was fun, it started by the teacher giving us equipment and telling us to set up these projectors and screens. he was trying to judge how well we work with each other so he can give us our groups. That was the first part of class, the second part was learning about different types of screens and how they work and how they are made, that was actually interesting.
We were also shown a Linus Tech Tips video on screens. So that was kind of funny.

Mix Live Audio
Of course we start at the basic stuff. Like how to correctly roll up cords and set up microphone stands. I stood there for an hour trying to get the technique correct and I don't think I quite got there. We are being assessed on it next week. The teacher for this looks  very intimidating but is actually very friendly. It should get a little more exciting than rolling up cords in a few weeks.

Repair and Maintain Live Production Equipment
This was quite boring as it was mostly an introductory into what sort of stuff we will be doing, we also completed a small workbook about repairing and maintaining the equipment. In a few weeks we are going to do quite a lot of soldering, so that should be exciting, but in saying that, last time I tried soldering I made the biggest mess ever, I will see how I go.

Lighting
Once again this class was an introductory, with well over an hour going into explaining the big assessment we will be doing in a few weeks. I guess it is good for us to know about what is coming.



I saw Harry Potter and the Cursed Child for a second time on Wednesday, it was nice seeing it again as I could sit around thinking about all of the technical side. I also had a very different view this time around, last time I was in the stalls but this time I was up in the Grand Circle so I could see different things going on.I noticed some lights from this view which I did not realise were there in the stalls, even though they were and would have just seemed more ambient.

Uni Life is fun. I just need to be careful all of my money doesn't go down the drain, there are so many food places around the City Campus, that is not good for me, RIP wallet. Although it is reasonably cheap.
I took some time to just aimlessly wander around the campus, that was fun just discovering everything around and where everything leads, as it does get quite complicated in the main buildings. It is absolutely crazy how big the place is and how busy it all is Three of my classes are in the exact same room so I am happy about that.
It feels nice to have this freedom. And I discovered I can get Gigabit internet in the library :O

I'm not looking forward to next week of Uni mainly because of the not so good mental place I am in right now.
wish me luck
Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: beatroot on February 16, 2019, 06:00:04 pm
so... week 1.

OH&S
This class was super boring, listening to someone talk about OH&S procedures for two hours in a monotonous tone is not very exciting. The teacher is very nice though, luckily this class only goes for the first 8 weeks, so I am just going to have to keep pushing through all of this important/boring stuff.

It actually surprises you how much WH&S is forced upon you during film/theatre studies. It's literally the last thing you would care about on set/stage but it is so important. I too found all this safety stuff boring when I first learnt it at film school but was so shocked to hear about Uma Thurman's car crash on Kill Bill and how the director tried to cover it up. They made her drive into an area they hadn't done a risk assessment for because they changed their mind about the original route. Uma ended up crashing which is so unfortunate.

So even if all these safety talk might be boring, it is so so important in ensuring production runs smoothly!

Mix Live Audio
Of course we start at the basic stuff. Like how to correctly roll up cords and set up microphone stands. I stood there for an hour trying to get the technique correct and I don't think I quite got there. We are being assessed on it next week. The teacher for this looks  very intimidating but is actually very friendly. It should get a little more exciting than rolling up cords in a few weeks.

I can totally relate to this! Rolling cords is so confusing but essentially all you need to do is hold the end of the cord in one hand and use the other hand to make loops of the rest of the cord and you should end up something like this! It's super fun once you get used to it :)



Wishing you all the best with uni <3
Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: smamsmo22 on February 16, 2019, 11:37:42 pm
As someone who knows close to nothing about live theatre (especially the BTS kinda stuff), your posts have been really fascinating, even though you found your week pretty mundane.
Just wondering, what sparked your interest in live theatre, especially since your VCE subjects were pretty unrelated? Do you want to study further after this course or find work?
Best of luck and I can't wait to hear more about your experiences (:
Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: technodisney on February 17, 2019, 09:22:35 pm
It actually surprises you how much WH&S is forced upon you during film/theatre studies. It's literally the last thing you would care about on set/stage but it is so important. I too found all this safety stuff boring when I first learnt it at film school but was so shocked to hear about Uma Thurman's car crash on Kill Bill and how the director tried to cover it up. They made her drive into an area they hadn't done a risk assessment for because they changed their mind about the original route. Uma ended up crashing which is so unfortunate.

So even if all these safety talk might be boring, it is so so important in ensuring production runs smoothly!
That is one thing they kept emphasising, how important it is so we don't tune out. The first thing we were shown in the class were examples of what happens when proper OHS procedures were not followed.
Because of that I'm trying to pay attention, I don't want to make some silly mistake rigging a set because I didn't pay proper attention in this class.

I can totally relate to this! Rolling cords is so confusing but essentially all you need to do is hold the end of the cord in one hand and use the other hand to make loops of the rest of the cord and you should end up something like this! It's super fun once you get used to it :)
That sounds simple. We were told we have to do an "over-under" technique, we have to twist it one way on one loop while going the opposite way on the next.

Wishing you all the best with uni <3
Thank You! :)

As someone who knows close to nothing about live theatre (especially the BTS kinda stuff), your posts have been really fascinating, even though you found your week pretty mundane.
Just wondering, what sparked your interest in live theatre, especially since your VCE subjects were pretty unrelated? Do you want to study further after this course or find work?
Best of luck and I can't wait to hear more about your experiences (:
I'm glad you are finding them fascinating. I hope I can give you a bit more of an insight after I learn more of what is going on myself.

I have always had an interest in what is going on behind the scenes at live shows. And watching people like Christian Jackson (a lighting designer) on Youtube it has kind of ignited a spark in me. I am actually incredibly excited about this course and where it could take me.
Theres 2 reasons , one is that my high school offered nothing that is along these lines for me to take, like there was Drama and Music but I don't want to directly perform as the center of attention. I want to provide the technical supplement to the main performance. My school also doesn't have a big musical program and last year it was actually cancelled, if I got the chance I would've got my self involved behind the scenes.
The other reason is that I didn't really realise I had this passion until October of last year, I guess I knew but I never really thought about it, like I didn't think I'd get anywhere or there was even any courses.

In regards to the second question, after I have completed the Cert IV this year I will do the Diploma next year (or probably 2021 as I have a plan for next year), from there I am hoping to find a job and slowly move up the chain in the industry and eventually work on the big touring shows in Australia (and surrounding countries).
Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: technodisney on February 25, 2019, 09:13:17 am
So... I am writing this while in my OHS class for this week. The teacher is going around each person checking our work, so I am missing out on socialising and not learning content.

Once again I am physically exhausted and I developed a really bad cold over the past week, combined with me still staying up late that has not been good for me. I need to focus on trying to get to sleep at a reasonable hour (11 at the latest), not regularly after midnight.

The next week is looking to be just as busy, so I'm not particularly looking forward to that. Two nights I am doing Red Frogs at MelbUni O-week parties, so I am going to be up until 2am which will make me absolutely exhausted but it should be worth it for the experience.

OH&S
Last week was just as boring, I mean all this stuff is important, but in the end it comes down to don't be an idiot. There is a chance that this class will finish before the entire 8 weeks of it scheduled are up. I am hoping so much that will happen.

Make a Presentation
This class was just as boring as OHS. We went through presentation types. And then we had to give someone a quick improvised speech to another person, I unfortunately shut down and didn't really want to talk to anyone. But the guy I was sitting next to was very encouraging of me so I appreciated that. Everyone is actually really nice, I'm just not putting myself out there.

Vision Systems
This class was soooo much fun, the class of a bit over 20 was split into two so there were only 10 of us which is a really good size for a class and helps with discussions. We learnt how projectors work, I actually found that super interesting, I've never put much thought into what goes on inside a projector, but now I know it is all very clever and smart

Mix Audio
Boring, we just had the cable rolling assessment, which was kind of pointless, because some people struggled he just sat with them and did the tasks with them. Next week hopefully we will get to making some sound.

Repair and Maintain Equipment
We learnt about electricity, current, resistance and amps. That was a little interesting, but I remember alot of it from year 10 physics. We also learnt how to use a multimeter. One guy had the end of an extension lead EXPLODE when he plugged it in, there was alot of smoke.That added some excitement.
The night before this class when I had my multimeter out I convinced my family it was a lie detector that zaps you when you lie, so that was exciting, I tricked my sisters, little brothers and Mum.

Lighting
This was a bit of a physics lesson, we learn what light is. Then we went on to learn the protocol that lighting desks use to control lights (DMX), the way it links the desk and fixtures was interesting but it uses Binary and we were given a lesson from scratch in how Binary works, I got bored to death during that section and actually guessed how it all integrates together before we were told. But overall was an ok class.


This week I am feeling just as sick, and I have full days every day until Friday with super late nights Wednesday and Thursday, wish me luck!
Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: Joseph41 on February 26, 2019, 05:49:01 pm
Good luck for the week! :D

Sounds like you have a bit of a mixed bag with your units at the moment. Overall, are you enjoying it? Pretty crass representation, but how would you rate each unit out of 10 atm?
Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: technodisney on March 03, 2019, 09:02:25 pm
Sounds like you have a bit of a mixed bag with your units at the moment. Overall, are you enjoying it? Pretty crass representation, but how would you rate each unit out of 10 atm?

I am actually really enjoying it overall, it is fun doing classes that directly relate to what I want to do in the future even if it is starting at the boring stuff. And the uni life aspect of it, I am enjoying AAAALLLLLLLL of this freedom, but not the responsibility. It is scary that all of this learning is completely up to me. Right throughout high school I relied on the teachers the whole way through to pull me up and motivate me to work. At Uni they don't give a crap at all, it is kind of scary.

I am a little outcast in the class socially, but that's because I didn't end up putting much effort in... Everyone in the class is super duper nice, I just feel like I'm left out. But when the class has all gone to a place before or after I have been either visiting my grandpa in hospital or working. But work finishes this Friday and Grandpa has a MAXIMUM of 3 weeks left in hospital, so hopefully after that I can be a bit more social once I aren't occupied with other things.

Volunteering for red frogs was fun. I got to support people at parties and that made me happy and feel like the 2am nights then Uni first thing were worth it. Although by Friday night I was absolutely ded physically.

Classes this week with ratings..
(as suggested by @J41)
OH&S
Meh, boring, we seem to be making really good process through the booklet though. We probably only have around 3 weeks left, and then I get Monday mornings off. I am sooooo looking forward too that.
Overall I give this subject so far a 2/10 for being overly simple

Comms
This was once again very meh. Talking about types of presentations and stuff like that.In 2 weeks we are starting our group assignment, I feel like I could just start this now and miss the information we are currently being taught.
I give this subject a 4/10, I mean the stuff is a little interesting but doesn't really relate to the Live Production industry.

Vision Systems
We went through different screen ratios and compression. It was interesting hearing where all these technical terms I have come to know well actually mean and where they come from. And the compression stuff I never really understood until this class. Same with the colours and what different bits of colour mean.
I am loving this class, I give it a 9/10 overall.

Audio
We finally did some prac work. Which was just setting up a basic analogue PA system. We learnt a little of how the mics/speakers work and also what all the knobs on a basic mixing board mean.
Currently I would give this class a 6/10 because the teacher isn't the best at teaching, he is very skilled with mixing audio and is also very nice.

Repair and Maintain Equipment
I had so much fun this week. We had the task of soldering different parts onto a basic logic board and I came out of it super happy with how I did. Last time that I tried soldering I completely wrecked the board and melted it. This time everything went smoothly and I came out of the class overjoyed with how it all went.
I would rate this class around a 7/10 it is quite interesting and covers little stuff I have always wondered about.

Lighting
This was fun. We learnt about different lighting angles on a stage and the different ways in which they can be used.
I loved seeing how it all got wired up and it was surprisingly easy to address all of the lights in the desk so they can be controlled via the DMX protocol, I thought it would have been much more complicated how it all works, but nooope. (I am using these fanceee lighting words because I can, makes me feel smart).
I give this class a 9/10 overall. It is mostly new stuff to me and all very interesting.

My next week looks packed with Work, Uni AND I have an audition for The Chase TV Show as well. So I am going to be very busy. I hope I am able to cope. But after last week I'm sure I can!

Peace out!
Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: ZAZ on March 04, 2019, 04:55:03 pm
A very interesting read, what you are doing seems really cool. :)
Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: sweetiepi on March 04, 2019, 07:57:46 pm
I'm really glad you're loving the freedom, but I agree, the independent learning style the uni expects of you can be a bit of a shock once you start haha! I'm also glad you're really enjoying some of your classes, I find personally that enjoying some classes gives me motivation to do work for the others I don't enjoy as much )But maybe I'm weird aha :') )

Quote
My next week looks packed with Work, Uni AND I have an audition for The Chase TV Show as well. So I am going to be very busy. I hope I am able to cope. But after last week I'm sure I can!
I'm sure you can pull through! I believe in you fam! (Also good luck for the audition!!!) ^-^
Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: Joseph41 on March 05, 2019, 03:59:39 pm
The Chase, y'reckon? Will be keen to hear what the interview is like. :)
Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: technodisney on March 06, 2019, 09:33:11 pm
The Chase, y'reckon? Will be keen to hear what the interview is like. :)

Didn’t go well...
Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: Joseph41 on March 07, 2019, 09:58:35 am
Didn’t go well...

That sucks. What happened?
Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: technodisney on March 18, 2019, 09:36:24 am
That sucks. What happened?

I ended up stumbling and stuttering so much and answered questions wrong by accident even though I knew the answers.
The pressure is real.


Meanwhile back at Uni.........

I completely forgot to update this last week. So I guess I will update you on the past two weeks of classes. It has all been going pretty well and I am really enjoying everything besides OHS and Comms. We are really getting into the hands on aspects of it all and every class we are now doing something practical.

Everyone in my class simply gets along and respects everyone else. We have a group chat with heaps of fun banter and I am now feeling quite comfortable in the classroom.
My Grandpa is finally going to be out of Hospital sometime this week!!!! 6 Months and he will finally be back home!! Not as healthy as he was as he has almost no small bowel. But he is not going to rely on hospital support to keep plodding along. Although I am incredibly happy he gets to go home that also means that I will need to find something else to do too in my breaks. My class has been hanging out together as a big group and I think I am going to join them. If not I'll probably fall asleep in a park somewhere in my breaks.

OHS
Didn't have a class last week because public holiday. YAY!!
But that doesn't make it anymore fun. We are 3/4 through the content and I can't wait for the time when this class is no longer scheduled.

Comms
Today we are going to start working on our group presentation. Which i AM NOT looking forward too as I hate working in groups. I will see how I go but I feel like I will enjoy researching a topic but I will not be a good contributor to the group and actively participating as a group member. I am going to end up just agreeing with what everyone else in the group says and being too scared to contribute anything of my own. I will see how I go and I may end up pushing myself. But it doesn't seem likely at this point.

Vision
I seem to be understanding AND enjoying this content really well. It is probably my favourite class at this point. For this class we split into two groups so we have classes of around 10 which makes it much easier to learn the content and actually get a go with the equipment. Alot of the stuff is stuff I already know but I am learning all these technical elements of it which keeps surprising me, I am learning how the stuff I have always used actually work and all these little bits of information from my hours of youtube watching are coming together to form a bigger picture of everything.

Audio
We are meant to be reading a book for this class about Audio Engineering, we have been supplied with an ebook version but because I haven't been motivated to read it I borrowed the copy in the library and have it sitting in my bedroom taunting me so I would actually be motivated to read the physical copy of it.
Classes are kind of interesting in regard to the content but the problem is there are 20 of us all huddled around a sound desk and it is a bit tricky to learn with that many people around. It also means the classes aren't as engaging as only one person can be behind the audio desk at a time.
It is also very cahotic when 20 of us set up and pack down the PA system every class.

Repair and Maintain
I have finished my 4 soldering tasks. I now feel very confident in soldering both mic leads and guitar leads. And it has been quite challenging yet enjoyable going through the 4 soldering tasks. Because I just sat there and foccused on it and wasn't being social with others around me I have done these 4 tasks in 3 lessons. So next week I get Thursday off. YAY!!
We have some broken cables at home that I want to practice fixing, it's good just focussing on it and completing the challenge.

Lighting
This class has also been fun the past two weeks. On Friday we got some hands on experience with a simple analogue desk and played around with mixing different colours. Most the class we were sitting around and watching others create colours but the teacher was very good at explaining how to make different environments with different colours and it was very interesting.
It feels powerful to be sitting at a desk and have control over the sliders which will completely change the mood and atmosphere of the room.



In other news I have decided that a need a new hobby that is tangible and is not LEGO or Puzzles as they both get money and get quite pricey.
So I have decided, thanks to a comment Nina made last year about how I should give drawing a go that has been dwelling in my mind, that I am going to see if I can try out drawing things, my goal is to be able to draw something and not have it look crap. It will give me a tangible hobby to do, that doesn't cost anything and is also something tangible, and not something computer based like coding.
Any tips on getting started with drawing will be greatly appreciated. I just want something to do for when I am feeling overwhelmed with life so I have something to distract me that is also kinda productive as I will be developing a skill.
Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: Aaron on March 18, 2019, 06:46:31 pm
Quote from: technodisney
I am really enjoying everything besides OHS and Comms
I don't think anybody gets excited at the thought of OHS theory. The amount of times i've been trained/refreshed in it.... blah.

It's great to hear you're enjoying your course. Hopefully all works out and you get to experience some big events (perhaps events is not the best word.. I cannot think of it at the moment) to work in.

Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: technodisney on March 19, 2019, 10:14:52 am
I don't think anybody gets excited at the thought of OHS theory. The amount of times i've been trained/refreshed in it.... blah.

It's great to hear you're enjoying your course. Hopefully all works out and you get to experience some big events (perhaps events is not the best word.. I cannot think of it at the moment) to work in.

I would call it events.
I mean I am going to have to start with experience at event type scenarios before I can get into theatre.
Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: technodisney on March 24, 2019, 08:28:53 pm
YEET.

YAY ASSSINGMENTS AND WORK. 🤕🔫

This week at Uni has been fairly meh.
Outside of Uni I caught up with a friend whom I haven't seen for a while and that was a fun time.


I DID GET A JOB OFFER THOUGH!!!! That was exciting. I am going to be teaching the older people in the community to use smartphones, tablets etc...
The only problem is I can't attend my first shift due to a Uni assingment. I hope that will be ok. I have told the person who sent me the job offer this and I haven't heard back yet. :/ So it may go to someone else because of that. Especially because it is just a 6 week casual job.

Anyway, my classes:

OHS
Still boring as heck but we are approaching the end and that day when we finish that boring booklet I am going to celebrate and have a PARTAY.

Comms
I am in a group with the 2 oldest people in the class. One of which is very bossy and set in her ways. ::)
We need to prepare a group presentation that is due in 2 weeks. The good thing is that as soon as this assingment is done. NO MORE COMMS CLASS AND I GET MONDAY FREE!!!!!!!!!

Vision
Just that second I remembered I need to complete a quick online assessment. brb, it's nearly due  and I don't wanna miss the deadline. And I am back 2 hours later, that assessment only took me like 5 minutes and was a super simple quiz but then I had Dinner and got meself ready for tomorrow.
But vision has been going well, every class we set up the system and talk about how all of the elements link together and how to operate the switchers.
We have a practical assessment next week and this week I don't have this class.

Audio
Class was eh this week. Once again we just set up the analogue system and then all just sat around listening to how all of the different effects and equalisers plug into the system and looked at the signal flow through the desk.

Repair and Maintain
I didn't have this class last week. YAY!
The saddest part is that we are done with the soldering. :( It's not going to be as practical now.

Lighting
I expected this class to be more exciting then it actually was. We looked at how this room is all patched up with both DMX and power. I loved it but then all of a sudden she had explained how it all works. And it ended up being a million times easier than I expected it too be. Then we looked at adjusting the zoom and focus on lights, I was a bit of an idiot and sat there without getting my hands dirty. I was too nervous to speak up that I hadn't actually done anything yet.

Goals
From this week forward going to give myself goals every week.
Next week I will give an overview of how I went with each of them and set some goals for the following week. I am doing this because if I don't write them down here I will never have the motivation to get it all done in a timely manner and I will stress myself out.
My goals for next week:
- Read the small Audio Engineering Handbook
- Organise all my due dates and important dates in some form of timetable/organised way
- Complete planning for Vision assesment
- Have at least 75% of my Comms presentation complete
- Make sure I participate and get my hands dirty
- Not spend more than $30 on food this week. (I have been averaging more than $50 and I really need to properly budget so I am saving some money)
- Complete the next section of my Informatics SAT Guide

Long term goals:
- Don't leave anything to the last minute
- Get more sleep
- Joyfully spend more time with my family on my own accord

technodisney out!
Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: CalebG on March 25, 2019, 02:54:32 pm
Interesting to see the Cert side of Live Theatre, I am heavily involved with the Audio Visual production side of my high school, in fact, we finished up a largeish scale one night Music Festival just last week and will be starting pre-production on a Musical next term! Too bad it won't help contribute to my study scores this year but I enjoy it nevertheless.

I particularly enjoy the audio side and I can't stress enough how important EQ and effects are for live sound, I suggest looking up some videos on sound theory to supplement your class work if you want to dive a bit deeper.

Keep the updates coming! Would love to hear more.
Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: technodisney on April 01, 2019, 09:21:18 pm
Not doing a full entry this week.
I might do one mid week but if not I will do a full one by next Monday.

But I am going to keep myself accountable with the goals.

Goals
Last weeks goals:
- Read the small Audio Engineering Handbook
- Organise all my due dates and important dates in some form of timetable/organised way
- Complete planning for Vision assesment
- Have at least 75% of my Comms presentation complete (got around 25% done, F)
- Make sure I participate and get my hands dirty (Did when I could but I got barely any opportunity)
- Not spend more than $30 on food this week. (I have been averaging more than $50 and I really need to properly budget so I am saving some money) (spent extra money on useless junk though whoops)
- Complete the next section of my Informatics SAT Guide
Score 3/7 43%

Goals for next week:
- Read the small Audio Engineering Handbook (Week 2)
- Organise all my due dates and important dates in some form of timetable/organised way(Week 2)
- $30 max budget for anything
- Finish my Comms assignment, working as a team member
- Complete the next section of my Informatics SAT Guide (Week 2)
- Complete my online Lighting Assesment

Ongoing goals:
- Make sure I participate and get my hands dirty (1/1)

Long term goals:
- Don't leave anything to the last minute
- Get more sleep
- Joyfully spend more time with my family on my own accord
- Get Fit
Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: technodisney on April 05, 2019, 10:28:58 pm
Interesting to see the Cert side of Live Theatre, I am heavily involved with the Audio Visual production side of my high school, in fact, we finished up a largeish scale one night Music Festival just last week and will be starting pre-production on a Musical next term! Too bad it won't help contribute to my study scores this year but I enjoy it nevertheless.

I particularly enjoy the audio side and I can't stress enough how important EQ and effects are for live sound, I suggest looking up some videos on sound theory to supplement your class work if you want to dive a bit deeper.

Keep the updates coming! Would love to hear more.

Sorry I didn't get back to you last week.

But I will definitely check out videos on the you tubes to do with live sound production. The way we are being taught is very dry and there is stuff that I should be interested in but I simply can't due to the way that the class is done.

OHS
DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am getting my white card in the mail in a few weeks and I have now passed the THREE units bundled in this class.

Comms
Group presentation on Monday that I still have a bunch of work to do beforehand, it looks like it is going to be a busy weekend for me. But then after the presentation is done on Monday I am DONE! with this class as well.

Vision
YEET, assessment went well. We probably could have been more prepared but we did it in an adequate amount of time and it's not graded so I got an S and I am happy.

Audio
Eh........ It honestly couldn't be taught in a less engaging way, in the vision, light and repair classes we have been doing a week of theory then 2-3 weeks of pracs based on the theory we have gone over. But in sound it is all taught as a prac class and we are not actually taught how it all works we are just being told "this does this, you will work it out". I honestly feel like I am getting nothing out of attending this class and could probably just sign the roll at the start and then leave early.
We spend an hour of the three hour class with too many cooks in the kitchen setting up pretty much the same sound system, we have a 20 minute break (so the teacher can have a smoko), then we listen to the teacher for around an hour going over the SAME stuff he has been doing the past 3 weeks and then by that point we have to spend 20 minutes pack up the system and leave.
There isn't even any chance for us too take notes as the class is in a theatre and we are all standing around a tiny space all cramped.
RANT OVER!

Repair and Maintain
I think we have two more weeks of this and then we are done. Which is kind of sad because I have been interested in how all the circuitry we have been learning about works and I was looking forward to going more in depth then we are.
This weeks class we tested the circuits we soldered a few weeks ago. Mine worked. So I'm happy 'bout that.
It did finish very early though.

Lighting
OMIGOISHHHHH
TODAYS CLASSS WAS AMAMAMAAMAAMAAZZZIZNZIZNINNGGGGNGNGNGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We worked in groups of 4 to set up simple light systems and then play around programming them. My group was full of people who either 1. were too overwhelmed or 2. had no interest in lighting. Then there was me who was supepeppeprrr dudppepeprrr excited that I got a chance to play around with the lighting desk. Because of my IT skills I found it really easy and spent an hour really trying to work out how the intricate things it can do work. Keep in mind the only lighting desk I had used before this has been a suuuuuuper simple analogue desk which you can do pretty much nothing on besides light on/light off. This desk had all these complicated patterns and things that you could configure and I LOVVED experimenting with it!!!!!!!
Next I want a chance to play around with movers and how to configure them. As with them they have a million different more complicated things you can do with them compared to the simple LED Parcans and dimmable Fresnel fixtures we used today.


Goals audit will be coming Sunday night.
I am going to try and use the weekend to knuckle down on a few!!!!!
Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: technodisney on April 08, 2019, 09:28:00 am


Goals
Last weeks goals:
- Read the small Audio Engineering Handbook (Week 2)
- Organise all my due dates and important dates in some form of timetable/organised way(Week 2)
- $30 max budget for anything SUCCESS
- Finish my Comms assignment, working as a team member I'm gonna say done. I am meeting up with my group at 11:30am today to finalise it all but I have done all I need to do
- Complete the next section of my Informatics SAT Guide (Week 2)
- Complete my online Lighting Assessment DONE (even though I did do it an hour after the deadline :-\)


Goals for next week:
- Read the small Audio Engineering Handbook (Week 3)
- Organise all my due dates and important dates in some form of timetable/organised way(Week 3)
- $25 Budget for the week
- Complete the next section of my Informatics SAT Guide (Week 3)
- Start preparing for my upcoming sound assessment

Ongoing goals:
- Make sure I participate and get my hands dirty (2/2)

Long term goals:
- Don't leave anything to the last minute
- Get more sleep
- Joyfully spend more time with my family on my own accord
- Get Fit

Also, I have found myself a goal of something to save up for.
Next year I would LOVE to work at Disney World in Florida for 6 months on their exchange program and take a gap year from Uni before completing my Diploma in 2021.
Once I am there I will earn enough money to cover living costs but I need to have flights there and back, accommodation for a night or 2 before the program starts and around $600 USD in program admin costs.
That is now my goal of what I am putting all the money I earn towards.
Applications just opened and I have started going through the application process. But I don't think interviews are till like September.
Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: technodisney on April 16, 2019, 03:07:06 pm
Oops, completely forgot to update this. And this morning I was sitting around bored with nothing to do

Comms
Presentation is DONE!
Class is DONE!
I probably didn't put as much effort into this as I should have but it's done, I have passed and I am happeeeee!!!!

Vision
We looked at cameras which I really enjoyed. Well not really cameras but moreso balancing out the different whites and blacks in different cameras and using different tools to do that.
We also looked at the signal flow through the bio box and how the video and audio signals are all connected to each other and how to patch them.
I found it really interesting.

Audio
WE DID THE SAME THING AGAIN!!!!
The signal flow stuff so many are struggling with. I actually fell asleep before our 15 minute break and in the break I jjust walked out because it was nothing new just going over the signal flow again and again and again and again and again and again. I mean I know it's important but from my perspective I instantly understood how it works and I am sick of it.

Repair and Maintain
We looked at how you would normally go about troubleshooting a broken piece of equipment. Again it was fairly basic and alot of common sense stuff. But I was actually good at taking notes this week so I guess that is a good thing.

Lighting
AWMWMWMWWMMMAAAAAZIZZINZINZINZNGGGGGG AGIIININIANIANINANNNN!!!!!
My group was assigned a Martin M1 desk (a big fat old complicated digital desk) and it was super confusing but I found it super fun patching it all and then again I spent a good hour playing around with it and seeing what I can do with it.
In saying that the reason the rest of my group weren't touching it was because they were drawing the diagrams that I never got around too. :/ But I did end up doing them out of class.


Goals
Last weeks goals:
- Read the small Audio Engineering Handbook (Week 3)
- Organise all my due dates and important dates in some form of timetable/organised way(Week 3)
- $25 Budget for the week I spent barely anything lol. (thanks to two minute noodles and stealing food from the pantry at home)
- Complete the next section of my Informatics SAT Guide (Week 3)
- Start preparing for my upcoming sound assessment I never got around to it. I will make sure I have a look at it this week


Goals for next week:
- Read the small Audio Engineering Handbook (Week 4)
- Organise all my due dates and important dates in some form of timetable/organised way(Week 4)
- $20 Budget for the week (besides Endgame tickets lol)
- Complete the next section of my Informatics SAT Guide (Week 4)
- Start preparing for my upcoming sound assessment (week 2)
- finish some web design work for mum

Ongoing goals:
- Make sure I participate and get my hands dirty (3/3)

Long term goals:
- Don't leave anything to the last minute
- Get more sleep
- Joyfully spend more time with my family on my own accord
- Get Fit

SOMEONE PLEASE YELL AT ME FOR PROCRASTINATING STUFF FOR FOUR WEEKS!!

After this week I have mid semester break YAY!
Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: Joseph41 on April 16, 2019, 03:26:46 pm
Any plans for mid-sem? :)
Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: Bri MT on April 16, 2019, 05:28:23 pm
Hey techno,  you know not having read the handbook is stressing you out and the sooner you get it done the better.  You've had 4 weeks and haven't read it,  so by Wednesday/tomorrow I expect you to have read 5 pages. 

Get. On.  It

marking scheme for you
A: read 10+ pages
B: read 5 pages + read or skimmed more
C: read 5 pages
D: skimmed 5 pages
E: less than 5 pages but more than 0
UG: did not read or skim at all
Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: technodisney on April 16, 2019, 05:41:42 pm
Hey techno,  you know not having read the handbook is stressing you out and the sooner you get it done the better.  You've had 4 weeks and haven't read it,  so by Wednesday/tomorrow I expect you to have read 5 pages. 

Get. On.  It

marking scheme for you
A: read 10+ pages
B: read 5 pages + read or skimmed more
C: read 5 pages
D: skimmed 5 pages
E: less than 5 pages but more than 0
UG: did not read or skim at all

😡 FINE!

I will grade myself each day.

p.s. I am actually really thankful.

Any plans for mid-sem? :)
Work and procrastinate doing work. By work I mean stuff for my mums business and my casual job.

Oh aaaaand Endgame!!!
Title: Re: technodisney's journey into Live Theatre
Post by: technodisney on May 02, 2019, 12:05:55 pm
Hey techno,  you know not having read the handbook is stressing you out and the sooner you get it done the better.  You've had 4 weeks and haven't read it,  so by Wednesday/tomorrow I expect you to have read 5 pages. 

Get. On.  It

marking scheme for you
A: read 10+ pages
B: read 5 pages + read or skimmed more
C: read 5 pages
D: skimmed 5 pages
E: less than 5 pages but more than 0
UG: did not read or skim at all

Thanks for your marking scheme.

But I got a UG for all days except for a D one day. :(

I however just got an email saying someone has put it on hold. So I have two weeks before I need to return it. Hopefully that will motivate me.