# How to write cues?



## Claire

Could someone explain to me (as simply as possible!) how cue's go from being in someone's mind... or being spoken about... to being written on the prompt script? For example, where do the numbers come from? Surely they must all be written at once, or if an extra cue had to be inserted (for example) it would be lx1, lx2, lx3, lx48, lx4!

Sorry if I'm being completely dumb!

Thanks!


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## Footer

It is usually up to the lighting designer or sound designer to assign cues to their given area. Usually lighting takes the numbers and sound takes letters. So Sound A, LX 3, etc... Shift/Deck cues and Fly cues are usually assigned by the SM and are usually numbered. 

As far as the insterting goes, any modern lighting console has the ability to do point cues. As in... 3.5, 4.2, etc. Some newer console can have point cues to the thousandth, so 3.456. The call for the G O would go L X THREE POINT FIVE... GO.


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## Anvilx

When I write lighting cues I usually use whole numbers for my major cues like the start of a song/ scene. Within the scene I use decimal points to indicate subtle changes like a shift upstage or down.


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## erosing

I dolor the everyother method. I am always odds or evens, I find it easier, it also allows for some one else to take the opposite numbers (odds or evens) which ensures a little more clarity when something is called. For example if I wrie my cues as odd numbers my board op had better not hit the button on cue 22.


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## sk8rsdad

If the show is scripted then I number cues based on the page number: 4.1 would be the first cue on page 4, for example. It makes it easy to insert/reorder cues without having to resequence the entire show and makes it easy for the board op and SM to know how long it will be until the next cue.


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## Les

As you can see, everyone does it differently. As long as the cue happens in some kind of logical order, you are good to go.

I myself prefer this system.
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9.

Oops, last minute changes...
1,2,3,3.5,4,4.2,4.4,4.6,4.8,5.


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## ptero

Agreed with the above, the lighting designer normally numbers the Qs for lights. 

I try to locate and number Qs after seeing one or two run-throughs. For me, it helps structure the show and move on with development. Plus, I can get the numbering to the SM before the final crush into tech. 

I'll normally number evens - 2 4 6 8 which leaves room for inserting a whole number Q between each if necessary. I prefer to avoid making a Stage Manager voice "point anything" when calling Qs. 

If I am unsure about how many Qs a section may require, I'll skip up 4 or 6 numbers so that in the end I still try to avoid 'points'. For musicals I will often number in 5s - 5 10 15 20, and build in larger breaks for unknown sections. 

Then I'll use point Qs for auto-follows (or waits in Strand speak). Point 1s, point 3s, and point 5s denote different kinds of follows - fx calls, things lagging up, or down, or long-timed changes, skies or color mixes. Sure, sometimes multiparts can do this, sometimes it helps to structure with waits and points. Depends!


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## icewolf08

sk8rsdad said:


> If the show is scripted then I number cues based on the page number: 4.1 would be the first cue on page 4, for example. It makes it easy to insert/reorder cues without having to resequence the entire show and makes it easy for the board op and SM to know how long it will be until the next cue.



I hate that system. If your console doesn't support more than one decimal number you could find yourself hosed. Also, most SMs hate calling point-cues so the fewer point cues you give them the happier they will be when calling the show!


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## sk8rsdad

"hate" is such a strong word... I guess it's a good thing that my console supports more than 1 decimal point, and our SM's are bright enough to say "four-one" instead of "four-point-one". Personally, I can think of maybe one show I've done that had more than 10 called cues on one page. Anything more complicated usually involves follow cues or linked cue lists. YMMV.


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## coldnorth57

I would have to agree with Icewolf that as few point Qs the better and as an LX op why do I care what page of the script we are on so this seems to me as a silly way to number cues, All i want to know what is the next cue and when is my GO. The board i use can give point cues, up to 4 places passed the point but I only use points cues when I have to add cues in between cues I all ready have recorded.


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## zuixro

TFACTech taught me a cool way of numbering cues. He starts at 100 for the first act, does the pre show in decimals, then numbers them by page, and their position on the page. So if the next cue is on page 10 half way down, it is cue 110.5. If there is another one immediately after, it is 110.6, etc. Act 2 starts with 200 and adds the page number. If it rolls over to page 100, the cues go to 300's. If it's a 3 act play, then there probably aren't 100 pages so it doesn't matter. That way makes a lot more sense to me than just numbering them 1, 2, 3, 4. I haven't been able to find any problems with it.


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## JChenault

It seems to me that there is at least one serious drawback to the 'base your cue numbers on pages in the script' method. If you ever do a new play that is under development rest assured that the page numbers will change - scenes will be re-written and moved around, etc. Seems to me that in that scenario using page numbers would be a bad idea.

As to the OP question - I tend to take a sheet of yellow paper and , as I am watching the show, I write down what I want each cue to accomplish, when it is, etc. I put scene numbers in the list so I can keep track of where I am. Then I simply number sequentially leaving a block of cues where I know I need some room ( Like that big dance break which is not finished - or top of show preshow, etc). Sometimes I use an excell spreadsheet instead of paper ( much better if I have time or will be seeing multiple run thrus ).

Then I sit with the SM and we go through the show. ( Paper Tech) I explain when the cue is to be called, give a short description of what it is doing, and give the number I have assigned. The SM typically puts all of this info in the script, using some kind of sticky tab or simply writing in the script. 

As we go through rehearsals I add, remove, and refine placement of cues as needed.


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## Jackalope

I like to number the cues using the director's beat break down. I give each Beat a 10 cue window and as beats are usually small it is usually plenty of room. Also the cue number aligns with the beat numbering in which the whole company is working from so it is even more convienant. If the cast is working on beats 2,7, and 12, I can watch rehearsal and sketch out cues for those sections in the console using 20-29, 70-79, and 120-129 etc. and the next day I can sketch beats 1, 17, 23 etc... 
the added bonus is that I can quickly find the series of cues that relate to the beat that they are currently in. Also the director's beats have some meaning---ie they are not arbitrary and the beats intention helps me to craft relevant cues. If the director doesn't do a beat analyis (god help him) then I use my own.


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## derekleffew

Jackalope said:


> I like to number the cues using the director's beat break down. ...


What's a beat?


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## sk8rsdad

derekleffew said:


> What's a beat?


Maybe it's another term for a "french scene" where every entrance or exit of an actor marks a new scene.


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## GrayeKnight

It is. Our last production of Macbeth was broken up into beats, not scenes.

We called the acts drums... Drum 1 Beat 20 etc. Just for giggles.


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## rochem

I don't really have any fancy system for numbering my cues. During the rehearsal process, whenever I think I may want a cue in a certain place, I write a small letter Q in pencil in the script or score, depending on the show. When it comes time to program, I just go through the script and assign sequential whole numbers to each cue. If there's a large dance break or something which I haven't blocked specific cues for yet, I will skip a few whole numbers, but generally it's just sequential all the way through.

The only "system" I use when writing cues is that I try to program any auto-follows with a point 1, to distinguish them from cues the SM should be calling. I work with a lot of less experienced board ops, and this keeps them from freaking out because the SM didn't call a cue.


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## Jackalope

GrayeKnight said:


> It is. Our last production of Macbeth was broken up into beats, not scenes.
> 
> .



It is similar to french scenes except the breaks do not require an entrance or exit of a character--just a change in intention. Let say you direct a show that has two characters, you would break the script down into units called beats so that you could manage rehearsals and also so that you could understand the arc of the story better. Doing this kind of analysis will illluminate a lot about a text. As a lighting designer I too do a beat analysis (using the directors beat locations) so that I can better understand the story I am trying to tell.
As a side note, actors do beat analyses as well although there beats aren't numbered and a far more detailed and smaller in size, sometimes a single word can be an acto's beat.


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## Van

derekleffew said:


> What's a beat?


 

sk8rsdad said:


> Maybe it's another term for a "french scene" where every entrance or exit of an actor marks a new scene.


 

Jackalope said:


> It is similar to french scenes except the breaks do not require an entrance or exit of a character....., sometimes a single word can be an acto's beat.


 
Perhaps some are not aware that this is Dereks <ahem> Subtle, way of asking someone to put a definition into the Wikki.


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## Jackalope

Ah, sorry I'm only one month old here so still wet behind the ears. I just clicked the wiki tab... very cool. I am assuming that this is a glossary item more than a topic?


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## Van

Jackalope said:


> Ah, sorry I'm only one month old here so still wet behind the ears. I just clicked the wiki tab... very cool. I am assuming that this is a glossary item more than a topic?


 Yeah, I think so, since it can classified in many different ways; Acting beats, musical beats, Intern Beats < you know, that time of day where you get to take the interns out and beat them ...>


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## NickVon

sk8rsdad said:


> If the show is scripted then I number cues based on the page number: 4.1 would be the first cue on page 4, for example. It makes it easy to insert/reorder cues without having to resequence the entire show and makes it easy for the board op and SM to know how long it will be until the next cue.



This is what I do as it for Sound Ops that inherntly have less ques then LX know how much possible time there is between cues. If more then one cue on a page then use a lowercase letter to denote. That said I'll use an X or an Arrow next to the cue to denote whether a cue is a cross fade or a seperate independent cue like a phone ringing. I use AF if the cue stack or CD tracks "Auto Follow each other, (song plays through for 15 seconds, ends next track plays. (not an issue if you have an actually theatrical CD player or using an audio program))


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## Les

zuixro said:


> TFACTech taught me a cool way of numbering cues. He starts at 100 for the first act, does the pre show in decimals, then numbers them by page, and their position on the page. So if the next cue is on page 10 half way down, it is cue 110.5. If there is another one immediately after, it is 110.6, etc. Act 2 starts with 200 and adds the page number. If it rolls over to page 100, the cues go to 300's. If it's a 3 act play, then there probably aren't 100 pages so it doesn't matter. That way makes a lot more sense to me than just numbering them 1, 2, 3, 4.
> 
> ...I haven't been able to find any problems with it.



Except that it's confusing as heck!


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## mstaylor

Les said:


> Except that it's confusing as heck!


I agree, read the script, decide how to design it and number the cues. The whole "beat" thing sounds pretty weird too. I understand that you have different moods within a scene but it just another cue. If you add cues then use decimels or letters, something to set it off, but some of these methods seem way too complicated to be useful. Of course if it works then go for it but remember others may have to walk in behind and figure this arbutary method out.


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## Dionysus

I do Lighting Design, Sound Design, Stage Management... Whatever needed for particular productions.
I have three productions on the works right now, am Sound Designer for one, General Tech for another, and Stage Manager/Lighting Designer for another.

I always label the cues in my prompt book (SM) as:
LX# - For Lighting
SX# - For Sound Effects
etc.

(Of course in place of the # there is a number).

I number my cues sequentially as a Designer, Individual number sets for each (Lighting gets LX1 through LX.. whatever, say 200. Sound gets SX1 though say 50). I find that this system leads to the least amount of confusion for the technicians running the show, anyone on headset and myself. This is also of course a rather industry standard method (with lots of small variations).

I know some stage managers who ONLY work with ONE SET OF NUMBERS (frankly when I am the tech pressing "go" I HATE THIS, because it is harder to keep track of which cues are to do what... The SM could call "cue 3 go" while I am running lights, press "go" and then realize it was a cue to open a curtain or run a sound effect). I think this is a bad practice.

When I am behind the lighting Console I want to hear "LX#", then I perk up and prepare. When I am running playback I want to hear "SX#" or "sound #". When I am on a follow spot I want to hear "spot 2-#" or whatever. This way the person knows that they are the one to do the action.

Sequential numbers, are easy for the technicians to follow as well.
As a Designer I go though the show and number with whole integers, and then if I need to add a cue in later I use even decimals (that way I reserve odd decimals if I need to stick in yet more cues). Starting with the first decimal place and yes occasionally moving into more digits if needed (that is extremely rare). I also often use an odd number in the "tenth" space with a series of numbers in the "hundreth, etc" spaces to use for auto-follows. I usually never have an auto-follow running an integer.

An example of calling cues for a show:
SM: "Standby L-X Two through Four, S-X Two and Three, and Main Drape to go out"
LX: "L-X standing by"
(Standbys should be in the same order that the SM called them, so people do not talk at the same time and it is easier for the SM to notice that one of the people asked to stand-by did not respond)
SX: "S-X standing by"
ASM or Rigger (whoever is running that drape): "Main Drape Standing by, to go out"
SM: "L-X Two, and S-X Two, GO, call complete"
(Sometimes I ask for certian cues to be called "complete" and thus for those shows, not every cue gets a "complete" called out)
LX: "LX Complete"
SX: "SX Complete"
SM: "L-X Three, GO"
SM: "Main Drape Out, GO, call complete"
ASM: "Main Drape is OUT"
SM: "L-X Four, and S-X Three, GO"


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## kiwitechgirl

I'm pretty much with Dionysus. Cues are numbered sequentially - numbering by page number, by beat or by act is confusing things unnecessarily for me! Lighting cues are LX# (always starting with whole numbers, point cues inserted as need be), sound cues are SQ# (I've never liked the letter method for sound cues), fly cues are FlyQ# and so on. I've worked with a few stage managers who have called all deck cues as "floor" cues and that has caused some confusion with "floor" and "fly" cues which has in turn caused scene changes to go slightly wrong....so I prefer to call them as Deck# cues. We don't tend to use "rail" for fly cues here at all. Spot cues are also called as just that - SpotQ# - although when I was working in Britain we did sometimes call them as "Lime" cues and you might occasionally get "Dome" cues here DownUnder. I honestly think though that provided you are consistent and everyone is on the same page, it doesn't really matter how cues are written and called - I once had a long discussion with my people-flying operator about how I should call his cues; I couldn't call them as fly cues as we were already calling rail cues as fly cues. We ended up calling them as "aerial" cues which both he and I were fine with and it sounded different enough to everything else I was calling that we weren't going to get confused. Above all, cues should always be consistent - standbys and GO cues called in the same order for every cue - for me it's usually LX, SQ, spot, flys, deck and then anything else - aerials, pyro, whatever (I don't work with automation at all).


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## dollydaydream

How - and at what stage - does lighting / sound design turn into cues, and at what point does the SM add these to his / her script?

Thanks!


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## Les

dollydaydream said:


> How - and at what stage - does lighting / sound design turn into cues, and at what point does the SM add these to his / her script?
> 
> Thanks!



Usually about a week prior to the first performance (aka 'Hell Week') there is a tech-in.

For lighting, Usually the lighting designer, director, light board operator, possibly stage manager, etc will sit down and work through the script and record the lighting cues (looks) as they go along. The last show I did, it was just me (master elect) and a director. He doubled as the lighting designer. As he went through the script, he chose where he wanted his cues and how he wanted them to look. I then called up the appropriate lighting instruments and set the cue and moved on. The actual procedure for this depends on the staff, schedule, etc. Preferably, the space will only be used for programming the lighting at this time. Any other activity will really mess up the process -- not to mention mess up their process since the lights are constantly being brought up and back down. 

Sometimes, the stage manager will be present to write these cues in their script as they are created. I prefer this, since there is a much smaller change of a breakdown of communication. Just be sure to write those cues in with pencil because something WILL change. Other times, the cues will be transferred from the lighting designer, master electrician or light board operator's script (whoever was present and assigned with taking notes during tech-in) to the stage manager's script the day following tech-in. [Note that I find it extremely inefficient to have the same person who is programming the lights also write them into the script.] In my experience, this has usually been a Monday night, and tech-in normally falls on a Saturday morning (typically lasts all day and sometimes into the night). Shows start the following Friday if following this schedule.

This is a generic lighting process that I have experienced in the past (usually in a Community Theatre setting). Sound tech-in is much different, and usually not quite as involved since there is rarely any actual programming to be done. Generally, the sound designer works with the director to choose the music/SFX and places them into the appropriate parts of the script. It is more of a 'trial and error' process in my experience.


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## kiwitechgirl

Les said:


> Sometimes, the stage manager will be present to write these cues in their script as they are created. I prefer this, since there is a much smaller change of a breakdown of communication. Just be sure to write those cues in with pencil because something WILL change. Other times, the cues will be transferred from the lighting designer, master electrician or light board operators script (whoever was present and taking notes during tech-in) to the stage manager's script the day following tech-in. In my experience, this has usually been a Monday night, and tech-in normally falls on a Saturday morning (typically lasts all day and sometimes into the night). Shows start the following Friday if following this schedule.
> 
> This is a generic lighting process that I have experienced in the past (usually in a Community Theatre setting). Sound tech-in is much different, and usually not quite as involved since there is rarely any actual programming involved. Generally, the sound designer works with the director to choose the music/SFX and places them into the appropriate parts of the script. It is more of a 'trial and error' process in my experience.



As a stage manager, I am ALWAYS at the plot to put lighting and sound cues in my script. We plot lighting and sound at the same time - we run Sound Cue System so there is definitely actual programming involved for us, although we run it in the rehearsal room as well, so by the time we get to plotting we have most of the cues in the right order so it's more about setting levels and fade time.


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## cprted

kiwitechgirl said:


> As a stage manager, I am ALWAYS at the plot to put lighting and sound cues in my script. We plot lighting and sound at the same time - we run Sound Cue System so there is definitely actual programming involved for us, although we run it in the rehearsal room as well, so by the time we get to plotting we have most of the cues in the right order so it's more about setting levels and fade time.


Likewise for me.


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## NHStech

Step one for me is to get the stage manager, run crew manager, and lighting/sound technician in and watching rehearsals about four weeks before performance. For that week, they watch and take notes. The run crew manager is diagramming sets/drops, while the lighting/sound tech and sm are getting a feel for the show. By the beginning of the next week (three weeks out), lighting cues are put into the prompt book so programming can be done the following week. That week, the rcm is working on assigning items to the run crew. Sound cues are being put in also at this time. Two weeks out the programming of lights begin and run crew is starting to move sets. The Saturday before "Hell week," we load rental drops, spike sets, and a couple dry techs, so by the week before performances, lights are in place, the run crew knows their stuff pretty much cold, and the only nuance we are left with is sound, which is when the rental mics come in.


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## kiwitechgirl

NHStech said:


> Step one for me is to get the stage manager, run crew manager, and lighting/sound technician in and watching rehearsals about four weeks before performance. For that week, they watch and take notes. The run crew manager is diagramming sets/drops, while the lighting/sound tech and sm are getting a feel for the show. By the beginning of the next week (three weeks out), lighting cues are put into the prompt book so programming can be done the following week. That week, the rcm is working on assigning items to the run crew. Sound cues are being put in also at this time. Two weeks out the programming of lights begin and run crew is starting to move sets. The Saturday before "Hell week," we load rental drops, spike sets, and a couple dry techs, so by the week before performances, lights are in place, the run crew knows their stuff pretty much cold, and the only nuance we are left with is sound, which is when the rental mics come in.



Oh, the luxury of time! Four weeks out from tech week, 9 times out of 10 we're not even in rehearsal yet (most of our shows have a 3 week + tech week rehearsal period, with big shows and musicals getting 4 weeks + tech)...we have exactly a week from one show closing to the next opening in the same space! Set and lights get packed out on closing (Saturday) night and some of the new rig and set go in; Sunday is set pack-in day and the sound system usually gets sorted out; Monday is rig and focus day, Tuesday plot, Wednesday tech, Thursday and Friday two dress runs each day and Saturday open! The SM is in rehearsal right from the word go - and the operator might see a couple of runs before going into tech week. The LD, SM and director will usually have a cueing meeting the week prior to tech, just so everyone is on the same page, and sound effects and music get fed in during rehearsals, but other than that, it all happens in a week.....


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## propmonkey

The lighting designer I am currently assistant likes to leave space so our last cue for Our Town is 400 something. He numbered his cues like 10, 20, 30, etc to leave plenty of space and to avoid using points.

Thats the first I have heard of using the page number system (4.1...). I think it could be useful for a small play.


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