Scenic automation has earned a reputation of being complicated and cantankerous, a craft best left to the elite of our industry. Not sure of the difference between a VFD, PLC, or PID? If you have dreamed of choreographing scene changes with computerized machinery, but get lost in the technical jargon the Scenic Automation Handbook will guide you along the road to elegant automation. Adopting a pragmatic approach, this book breaks down any automation system into five points, known as the Pentagon of Power. Breaking down a dauntingly complex system into bite- size pieces makes it easy to understand how components function, connect, and communicate to form a complete system. Presenting the fundamental behaviors and functions of Machinery, Feedback Sensors, Amplifiers, Controls, and Operator Interfaces, the Scenic Automation Handbook demystifies automation, reinforcing each concept with practical examples that can be used for experimentation. Automation is accessible – come along and learn how!

Scenic effects involving rotating turntables, tracking stage wagons, and the vertical movement of curtains and painted drops have become common in both Broadway and Regional theatre productions. The machines that drive these effects range from small pneumatic cylinders pushing loads of a few pounds an inch or two, to 40 horsepower winches running multi-ton scenery at speeds 6 feet per second or more. Usually this machinery is designed by theatre technicians specifically for a particular show's effect. Compared to general industry, this design process is short, often only a few days long, it is done by one person, design teams are rare, and it is done in the absence of reference material specifically addressing the issues involved. The main goal of this book is to remedy this last situation. Mechanical Design for the Stage will be a reference for you that will: * provide the basic engineering formulas needed to predict the forces, torques, speeds, and power required by a given move * give a technician a design process to follow which will direct their work from general concepts to specific detail as a design evolves, and * show many examples of traditional stage machinery designs. The book's emphasis will be on following standard engineering design and construction practices, and developing machines that are functional, efficient to build, easily maintained, and safe to use.

Scenic Construction for the Stage is a comprehensive guide to the practical processes involved in constructing scenery for the theatre. Offering key insight into the role of the scenic carpenter, Mark Tweed details the progression from interpreting design, model boxes and drawings, to material selection, fabrication and finishing. Additional topics include advice for developing accuracy, finish and consistency; tool selection and sharpening; CDM, Health and Safety; practical workshop mathematics and geometry, and how to fit ironmongery. With an in-depth but accessible approach, this practical book offers advice on how to start out and improve as a scenic carpenter, building a solid repertoire of reliable techniques and working practices to achieve professional results. Includes a foreword by Sir Kenneth Branagh and illustrated throughout with 350 colour photographs and 34 technical drawings and detailed step-by-step instructions.

Automated Performer Flying: The State of the Art shares the secrets of performer flying in entertainment history and provides step-by-step instructions on how to create a performer flying effect from scratch. This book sheds light on all aspects of performer flying, covering its history, explaining concepts like mechanical compensation versus electrical compensation, providing guidance on how to calculate stopping distances and forces, and sharing tips on how to build successful relationships with performers. Case studies of prominent productions featuring performer flying, including Cirque du Soleil and Beyoncé, are included throughout. Written for technical directors, theatrical riggers, and students of rigging, technical direction, and stagecraft courses, Automated Performer Flying takes readers through the process of creating a performer flying effect from the first spark of the idea to opening night.

It is an undisputed reality that the tourism industry in Asia is getting exposed to more innovative technologies than ever before. This proposed book provides the latest research in the application of innovative technology to the tourism industry, covering the perspectives, innovativeness, theories, issues, complexities, opportunities and challenges. This book, a blend of comprehensive and extensive effort by the contributors and editors, is designed to cover the application and practice of technology in tourism, including the relevant niches. This book focuses on the importance of technology in tourism. This also highlights, in a comprehensive manner, specific technologies that are impacting the tourism industry in Asia, as well as the constraints the industry is facing. The contents of this book deal with distinct topics, such as mobile computing, new product designs, innovative technology usages in tourism promotion, technology-driven sustainable tourism development, location-based apps, mobility, accessibility and so on. A good number of research studies have conducted outlining the contributions and importance of technologies in tourism, in general. However, the tourism industry of Asia so far has attracted very few researchers. Some contributions have been made but not sufficient. Considering the ongoing trend of technology application in the tourism industry in Asia, very few research attempts have been made aiming to explore diverse aspects. Tourism is expanding enormously across the world. which actually creates more demands for effective technologies. This book will be a reading companion, especially for tourism students in higher academic institutions. This book will also be read by the relevant policy planners and industry professionals. Apart from them, this book will be appreciated by expatriate researchers and researchers having keen interest in the Asian tourism industry.

Completely expanded and remodeled new edition of this unique look at theatrical scenery construction.