Developing Creative Ideas

I have been spending a little time each day living in the world of Putnam County's 25th Annual Spelling Bee. Each day I turn another page where in my world a couple of hours has passed, while in their world, I'm lucky if 5 minutes has passed.

I am trying a new method to tracking my thoughts and notes on the production. I borrowed a format from a fellow colleague and adapted it for my own purposes. On one page, I can track the cue number, fade time, page, purpose, and placement. On another page, I can track the follow-spot cue number, fade time, page, color, purpose, and placement. On another page, I can track my notes and thoughts about why I think my choices work. Or, I can ask questions of myself or of others when the time is right. On other pages, when the time comes, I will track light groups, color palettes, moving light pre-sets, among other things.

The benefit of this new method to my old method is simple to explain. It is more detailed; in the past I would only track cue number, fade time, page, purpose, and placement. I would also write the information in a notebook to later be transferred to a computer. Now I am entering the information directly into an Excel document. This saves hours of valuable time that may be spent refining and critiquing my thoughts. Allowing me to always bring the design back to the script and determine what is relevant to the play and what is fluff. My goal is to be finished going through the script by next Wednesday when I will meet with the Music Director. I hope I will be able to present clear needs for concrete development between our departments in order to produce the best possible cohesion of lights and sound in the world of the play on stage.


Cue List Track Sheet


Follow Spot Track Sheet


Notes Track Sheet