6
CUEING THE MUSIC

While doing the layout and color chart, you must be thinking ahead to how the cues will work with your plan. Does the layout give you the degree of flexibility you want? Does the color chart work as a palette in harmony with the music? A separate design skill now enters the picture. The designer must take the raw data from the light plot and make the design come to life in the same way a musician does with notes in the score.

From the first time you hear the artist's music, you should be mentally planning the choreography of your lighting, breaking down the music into cue points. Songs are like movies and novels; they have formulas. If you listen to a song all the way through first before writing anything, you will hear the formula or flow of the sound. The usual formula can be identified as intro, verse 1, verse 2, bridge, and chorus, which repeat, followed by verse, bridge, chorus, and a buildup to a guitar solo or instrumental melody, bridge, chorus, and end. Each and every song has some variation on this formula—not exactly as described here because some portions will be reversed or added in a different order—but most commercial pop songs have what is referred to as a hook. This is generally the title of the song and is the part of the song that fans remember and sing. Often, the hook has an anthem style and is considered to be the chorus. The bigger the anthem, the bigger, more intense, and more animated the lighting and effects should be.

CUES, SONG PUNCTUATION

The concert lighting designer's job is to complement the song and enhance the experience, not overshadow it. I have seen concert lighting where every song looked exactly the same with lights flashing to every drum beat and guitar riff. It was so nauseating that my favorite part was the blackout at the end.

The artists spend considerable time writing their songs, rehearsing them, producing and recording them. This labor of love has structure and deep meaning to the artist and loyal fans. It is not possible to take short cuts in writing and producing music and have it be successful to the degree that people will pay to see their favorite artists in concert. Concert lighting is a visual translation of that music, and the lighting requires an equally professional approach to the process of creating cues, just as much as much it did to create the music. Sometimes a song is easy to translate into lighting, such as a ballad or an anthem, and a sometimes it isn't, such as a complicated rock song that is thematic with extreme highs and lows, even tempo changes. Regardless, each song requires attention to detail so it will not be anticlimactic and you will have something left in your bag of tricks for the ending. The only way to accomplish that is to be patient and take the necessary time to structure the song and schedule effects for the entire song set.

I approach new music in the same way I was taught to read a script. You read it three times: first for the fun of reading it, second to find the written stage directions that affect lighting cues, and a third time to find potential cues hidden in the dialog. I approach a song the same way. The first time, I listen to it for the sheer enjoyment, and the second time I try to pick out the cue points, accents, verse and choruses, and tempo changes. The last time I listen for the “color” of the song: happy, yellow and orange; moody or melancholy, blue and lavender; fiery and hot, red; soothing, green and blue-green. Listen to music with your eyes closed, and try to visualize the colors that might be associated with it.

PICKING THE CONSOLE TO MATCH THE CUES

Analyzing a song helps you determine the type of lighting console you will need. Manual consoles are almost a thing of the past, but many hybrid consoles allow manual operation with recorded cues that can be accessed when needed. I was one of the first to take a computer console on tour, the early Light Palette by Strand Lighting, Inc. My reasoning at the time was that the artist, John Denver, had a very large song list to draw from and he was performing without an opening act, thus making for almost 2 hours of music. The computer allowed me to design each look using smooth, subtle cues that were absolutely repeatable and to write them directly into the memory. I devised a way to retrieve each song no matter what the order.

FIND YOUR LOOKS

My years of experience allow me to take a few shortcuts now, but I am sure I still take these steps subconsciously:

1. Listen to the song; try to pick up a lyric, a musical phrase, or the dynamics that make the general statement of the song.
2. Translate the song into a primary color.
3. Find the high point of the song (it may not be thee nd).
4. Find the repeating portions of the music, such as the choruses and verses.

This process will probably lead to four or five looks: the opening, the chorus, the verse, the solo spot, and the ending. Changes between verse and chorus may be repeated several times. Another cue may occur at the turnaround, a musical device found in most pop music that allows the songwriter to repeat a melody by interjecting another musical phrase between similar themes. Are the cues going to be bumps or slow fades? It does not matter what they are. What is important is that they each act as musical punctuation not just flashing lights.

After doing this for all of the songs, look at the song order, or set. See if you have the same color patterns for songs that are played back-to-back, and do not hesitate to change the colors to avoid repeating a look in two adjacent songs. Certainly, a look can be repeated later in the set. If the same color simply must be used, try to change the direction the color comes from; for example, use an amber backlight for the first song but an amber sidelight or an amber follow spot for the next song, with white as a backlight.

CUE PLACEMENT

How do you remember where the cues go? Most artists do not follow a script, such as a play or an opera does; however, when lyric sheets are used, the traditional theatre stage manager cue book method could be used (Figure 6.1). Some touring lighting designers, including Jeff Ravitz, and almost all of the Las Vegas show designers refer to lyric sheets (Figure 6.2) for cues, much as a play does. This is a theatrical form not normally used in concert touring but sometimes handy in longer running shows, such as Las Vegas. Although it is not general practice in Las Vegas for the lighting director to leave after a day or two of a 2-week run, the board operator could follow the lyrics, call the follow spots, and execute the board cues from those notations. I have done this on two occasions when the shows were on long, open-ended runs, and it worked.

THE CUE BOOK

Usually the lighting designer runs the console, except on the biggest tours. If not, the person doing so is traveling with the show and is as familiar with the

cues as the designer is. So, if the designer is with the show and knows the music inside out, why bother with a formal cuing method? There are two good reasons: the possibility of illness or accident and the fact that the designer is most likely working for several clients, and without total recall it is difficult to remember all of the cues for each show. Also, after a few years of touring, an artist can build up an extensive repertoire of songs, not all of which are in the current show. As the tour goes on, old songs may be substituted or new songs tried out. A lot of mental agility is required to stay on top of all that music. John Denver had over 50 songs that the band rehearsed and could play on any show, and he often substituted without warning. Jeff Ravitz told me that on the most recent Bruce Springsteen tour he had a cue book that was 4 inches thick!

Another way to generate a visual plan for a song is to count out and note each eight bars, just as a choreographer counts out the measures (1 and 2 and 3 and 4 …), and then write the number down and mark any musical changes. Jeff Ravitz, who includesRingo Starr and Bruce Springsteen among his many clients, says that he cannot possibly keep up with all the cues from all the songs, so he uses this method.

Take a sheet of paper and listen to the song. Count out each eight bars and then strike a line, put another line after the next eight bars, and so on. If something changes before you get to your count of eight, strike a line and insert the number of bars above it. This way, even if you must call the cues after months or years, you should be able to count out the measures and get the timing right. It is also a great method for knowing when the end of a solo that does not present a nice clean tag is coming to an end—that is, if the artist always plays the song the same way. In any event, it is a good way to jog your memory and helps you visualize the song.

In Paul Dexter's form of the cue sheet (see Figure 6.3), he generally writes a few words of lyrics after

each of the labels to remind him (and others) that a change is going to occur—for example, from the chorus to a lead-in for a guitar solo with a lyric such as “time for me to fly.” He sees key words on a page that

serve as a warning before a change. He said that, “The cue sheet in this basic form is a place to write new discoveries and notes and elaborate exactly in the spot where the effect is going to happen, such as a backdrop change or Kabuki drop, a truss movement or projection cue.” No matter what is supposed to take place visually, it can be organized with the cue sheet

THE CUE CARD

I use 4×5 index cards as forms. Full-size 8−1.2 × 11 pages are too big to place conveniently on the console and scan quickly. What kind of information you place on the card is the trick. I have a format I have used with a few variations for many years. Figure 6.4 shows the form for a manual console, and Figure 6.5 shows a form for a computer console. Although they may not seem to differ much, the detail in the Preset column (column 4) is simpler for a computer, whereas a total breakdown of dimmer numbers and intensity is required for a manual board.

Cue Number

I use A-B-C instead of numbers for cues, so if I am calling board cues along with follow spots no one can confuse cue 1 with follow spot 1 or frame 1. Also, I do not believe in consecutively numbering cues straight through the show, because the song order can and often does change during the course of the tour.

Cue

The cue is the downbeat, instrument, lyric, or whatever you use to indicate when the action should take place. Because the shows are not scripted, I use very simple ones, such as “band starts,” “first lyric,” “sax solo,” “chorus,” “ends ong,” or “restore.”

Action

The action notations (under the Time column) can change slightly depending on whether you are using a computer or a manual board. A computer board is simply noted—for example, P.S. 11 × 12 (2), which means preset 11 is to cross-fade to preset 12 on a 2 count (2 seconds). A variation can be written as P.S. 10 @ (6) and previous cue @ (10), which means to pile on preset 10 and fade the previous preset on a 10-count fade. Note that the parentheses always indicate time; the number inside the parentheses indicates the seconds. A mark of ↑ indicates a bump up, and ↓ or BO indicates a blackout. Brackets, [ ], can be added for other notations. It is also possible on a computer board to use a channel in the manual mode. This is indicated as M d36/7 (8), which means to manually add dimmer 36 to a level of 70% on an 8 count. On a manual preset board, the notation could be A × B (3), which means that scene A cross-fades to scene B on a 3 count. The notation A @ B @ (3) indicates to add scene A and fade scene B on a 3 count. Another action would be A @ (3), which means to add scene A on a 3 count.

Preset

The Notes column provides references to the actions or things that remind you of why the cue is done. On the manual board, the Board column indicates each dimmer level specifically—for example, d9/F d10/F d14/2 d18/6 d26/9 × (2), which means dimmer 9 level full, dimmer 10 level full, dimmer 14 at 20%, dimmer 18 at 60% and dimmer 26 at 90%, cross-fading on a 2 count. Similarly, d14/3 @ (10) would mean to fade out dimmer 14 on a 10 count. This could also be used to lower the dimmer level— for example, d14/3 @ (5)—from the previous level to a lower level. Because a fade out and a change in level look the same in the notes, some people underline when it is a level change only.

Follow Spot

The notations under the Follow Spot (F.S.) column can be complex if more than one reference must beconsidered. As a general example, however, follow spot notations might read (john) F#6 @ (3), which means to fade up on John in frame 6, full body on a 3 count. The use of ↑ @ indicates a bump up, and ↓ @ or BO @ indicates a blackout the same way it does with dimmers. You can develop letter or numerical notes for the size of the circle of light needed; for example, I use “1/2” for a waist shot and “HS” for head and shoulders. You can make up anything that is easy for you to remember when you are looking at your cards.

Miscellaneous

A Miscellaneous column could be added for additional notations such as effects cues, set or curtain cues, warnings, etc. I do not use colored pencils on my cards, because it is time consuming and the colors can be misread under red or blue work lights. You may have been taught that warnings were indicated in one color pencil and go's in another; however, we do not normally have the script format to do that, so it doesn't work for me except in Las Vegas venues. Be aware, though, that the work light may have a color filter over it, and it may be difficult to see what color you have used on your cue cards.

VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS

When calling the follow spot cues, be friendly but firm and do not joke with the operators. If some operators try to take the instructions lightly and make inappropriate comments, then I say that there is not time for that now. Paul Dexter said he waits until 15 to 20 minutes before a show to put pressure on the operators so they stay focused.

The way you communicate to a house light operator, a board operator, or a follow spot operator will directly affect the smoothness of the show and accuracy of the cues. It is truly an art form unto itself. Chip Monck has always been highly regarded for his effective follow spot cuing, especially on the 1972 Rolling Stones tour. He is certainly one of the pioneers in concert lighting and developed many of the cuing techniques still being used.

When I was an air traffic controller, I learned something that is generally overlooked. Speech pattern, meter, and accent are very important. If the operator cannot understand you, he will not be able to do the cue properly. Your diction and local accent can frustrate the operators and reduce your comments to unintelligible noise. This is not to put down any regional accent; it is just a proven fact that how you speak will affect the understanding of the listener. The Air Force says that the Midwestern accent can be best understood by every English-speaking person. Meter is important because the speed and inflection you use in your speech will affect the operator emotionally. Obviously, if you are screaming or talking very fast over the intercom, you do the greatest harm possible, because the operator will tune you out. He will think you are not in control, and that is disastrous. As air traffic controllers, we were taught to speak at a rate of 60 words a minute, and I still find this a good speed for show cuing. I realize that at times you have a lot to say in a very short time between cues, but I would suggest that you take the time to find a way of saying it in fewer words, rather than speeding through to get it all. After all, if you say it so quickly that no one understands what you've said then you might as well not say it at all. All of these points can be worked on in a speech class if you have the opportunity, but you can also learn by speaking cues into a tape recorder and then assuming the role of the operator. See if you would listen to yourself. Or, have a friend who is not in the business listen and try to repeat what you say.

CUEING FOLLOW SPOTS

The object is to simplify, particularly if you are operating the console. You will not always have union or experienced follow spot operators, so if you always maintain a keep-it-simple approach, no matter what, then you can depend on some continuity from one show to the next, even when different people are involved every night.

Most often follow spots already have a number assigned to them by the facility that the operators are used to hearing, but the numbers may also represent a simple position. As a very basic example, 1 and 4 might be the lead singer, 2 the guitar player, and 3 the bass player. In this case the following spots will beassigned to operators with very little position deviation during the entire show.

Some people like to meet with the operators by the side of the stage before the show to point out the stage positions and lay out how the follow spots will be numbered or called. Other designers prefer not to meet the operators face to face before the show, only asking that they be in their positions 15 to 20 minutes prior to the show. With the house lights on, you can ask each of them to direct their lights on to the area where they will be assigned. This is when the designer can adjust the iris sizes, balance the intensity, and review some of the rules.

Because the designer has so much to look at and keep track of, most tell the operators to fade out on their own if the performer walks off the stage; they should not follow the performer and wait for him to return. If the performer is getting a drink, talking to technicians about the sound levels, or changing guitars, the operator should automatically fade out.

You can use the key word method of follow spot cuing. This is a method of calling cues by using words such as GO or OUT or FADE to prompt someone to react as planned, instead of relying on visual or mechanical signaling devices to call the cues. The pre-show speech, whether delivered with the operators standing around you or over the headset when they get to their positions, might go something like this:

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'll call the follow spots as spot 1, spot 2, etc. [Indicate which light you are referring to; for example, northeast corner, left or right of stage, man in red shirt, whatever makes it obvious which position is which.] I give all cues as READY … and … GO. Do nothing until you hear the word GO. It will indicate a color change, blackout, fade up, or pickup. Anything else you hear is information or prepping for an upcoming cue. All cue warnings are given as, for example, STANDBY spot 1 in frame 6 waist on Fred for a 3-count fade-up … READY … and … GO. The counts are in seconds, and all fades should be evenly executed throughout the numbers.

Verbally count off so they can hear at what speed you count. Lay out the placement of all players, including items that would help the operators remember each musician. Some people use letters for areas of the stage. If the artist moves around the stage a lot, do such a plan in four or five areas across the stage and two or three areas deep. To close, I say:

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. I'm looking forward to a great show. Take your color and head for your lights; check in on the intercom when you are in position.

Some designers use the operators' first names to call cues, but you should do whatever is most comfortable for you. Using their names makes it more personal and eliminates one number that could be confused with all the other numbers being heard by the operators. During the show, I tend to talk a lot to the operators, mainly to make them feel as though they are a part of the show and not just robots who turn lights on and off. And, if you find that the operators like to chatter a lot, keep up a running dialog so you can call a cue anytime it is needed. But, be careful not to confuse them as to what is your chatter and what is actual cue information. I find this approach to be better than telling people to “shut up.” Give people credit for their skills, and they generally respond with their best effort. If they have a general idea of what is about to happen, they relax and the tension is relieved. Certainly, this is not always the case, and I have been in positions where the less said the better; your own judgment must be used in each show.

SUMMARY

Whether you use cue cards or other forms, the important point is clarity and being frugal with cue words and notations. Cue cards are not necessarily designed so that another designer and board operator could walk in and take over right away. The cue cards are a summary of my personal preferences; they are only there to assist me in running a smooth show. When I use board operators, I do not write out their cards. I use mine to talk them through and let them do their own cue notations as they choose.

In the final analysis, the smoothness of your show will be directly related to your ability to cue both board and follow spots in time to the music.

Your choice of colors and angles will affect the audience, but not nearly as memorably as a late or missed cue. The rock & roll audience has become very sophisticated and realizes that the lights are a very important part of the show.

There has been a change in how some shows use follow spots. It is not unusual to see very rapid color changes and utilization of all six available frames with saturated colors. Because more video is being used, and the audience views performers on larger-than-life image magnifi cation (I-MAG) screens, there is a tendency to keep a constant light on the performers at all times during a song at an intensity level that balances with the stage lighting. No matter where the camera is focused, you want the performer to look good. Even when no cameras are present, you may find this a comfortable method to use because it is a reliable way to maintain continuity. If you involve six or even eight other people in your show on the follow spots, chances are greater that something is going to go wrong. The less you rely on follow spots to do anything other than give the performers key light (front light), the better!