# Special F/X Forum Welcome & FAQ's



## cdub260

Welcome to the Special F/X forum!

The world of Special Effects is an ever-evolving realm that covers a wide array of subjects and technologies. As you peruse the Special F/X forum, you will find effects that range from the disgustingly simple to the extraordinarily complex and all points in between.

As controlbooth.com is primarily an educational forum, we will do our best to keep you informed on the various technologies and subjects under the umbrella of Special FX, but we need your help to do so. The membership of controlbooth.com represents a wide range of history and experience, from the newbies just getting a first taste of the entertainment industry to the 50+ year veterans who’ve seen changes in technology that wouldn’t even have been thought possible in the early stages of their careers. Each of you sits somewhere on that scale. What we need from you is simple. If you have a question, ask it. If you have an answer, give it. If you’ve come across a new piece of effects technology, please share it.

With that said, there are a few basic rules regarding posting which are covered in the Site Wide FAQ’s and controlbooth.com Terms of Service (TOS). If you have not already done so, you should take a few minutes to review these general CB policies. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact a CBmod or a member of the Senior Team.

Welcome Aboard!

Your Special F/X Moderators.

[user]cdub260[/user] and [user]philhaney[/user]

Posting Rules:

Watch Your Step:
When discussing electrical or rigging questions, please remember that these are very dangerous subjects. Mistakes can cost lives. The CBmods and Senior Team will do our best to monitor these discussions to prevent them from crossing over into dangerous territory but we could use your help in doing so. If you have any questions or concerns about a post or a thread venturing into unsafe areas, please contact a CBmod or a member of the Senior Team and we will address your concerns as soon as we are able.

Please try to avoid discussing how to do pyrotechnics in these forums. The simple fact of the matter on this subject is that most of us are not qualified to answer your questions. Also bear in mind that most countries have licensing rules that limit who can legally setup and operate pyrotechnic effects. We can, however, help you find a qualified professional in your area should the need arise.

Use the Search Luke:
Before you post your question, please take a moment to use the search function. There is a very good chance that someone else has encountered the very same issue. If after doing this you still don’t find your answers then feel free to post your question.

The Devil is In the Details:
Make your questions as clear and detailed as possible. We want to help you, but there is only so much we can do if you do not provide us with all the details pertinent to your situation. The same holds true for rambling questions. We cannot help you if you ask a question that never quite gets to the point, so please try to be as clear and concise in your questions as possible.

Please try to follow the same guidelines when answering questions.

The Edit Button is Your Friend:
If you find you’ve made an error in a post, please do not make a second post proclaiming to the world that you’ve made a mistake and are now correcting it. In the bottom left corner of your post box, you will find the Edit Button. Clicking the Edit Button will take you to the Edit Screen where you can make changes to your post.

One further note, if you are using the Edit function to add additional information to your post, please make a note before the additional information.

Example:

Edit: I used amber and blue floods in creating this fire effect.

What Were We Talking About Again?
Sometimes through the course of discussion, a thread will go off on a tangent, often moving in completely different direction than the Original Poster (OP) intended. Please try to be aware of this when responding to posts, and do your best to keep the threads on subject. The Forum Moderators and the Senior Team will do their best to return a thread to it's original purpose when it moves too far off topic, but this will be much easier if you, the controlbooth membership help by trying to keep your posts on topic.

Thread of the Living Dead:
Please try to pay attention to the last post date when replying to threads. There are many old threads lurking about controlbooth.com. Some have been answered, some not and have become inactive for various reasons. Even if you have an answer to the original question, odds are good that too much time will have passed for your answer to be of any benefit to the Original Poster (OP). Essentially, by doing so, you are bringing an old, dead thread back from the dead, or Necroposting. Does this mean you should not reply to old, long unused threads? Maybe, maybe not. There is no hard and fast rule to cover this. Just be aware that your post may or may not be helpful to the OP and use your own judgment as to whether or not you should reply.

I Kin Speil Rilly Gud:
Please try to use proper spelling, grammar and punctuation when posting. You are what you write. If your posts are chock full of spelling errors, poor grammar and internet slang, other CB members are far less likely to take you seriously. The controlbooth.com forums are read by a variety of industry professionals, some of whom may be your potential employers down the road. Try to impress them with your professionalism. You never know where your next job or contact is going to come from. Consider your posts practice for the future.

Play Nice Kids:
Please use common courtesy when posting. Here at controlbooth.com, we try to maintain a certain degree of civility and professionalism. With that in mind, there are a few posting guidelines.

• AVOID SHOUTING
Generally, you should try to avoid using all capitals. There are occasions where it’s appropriate, but will be interpreted as shouting.

• Watch Your Language
This is one of those hard and fast rules. As it states in the controlbooth.com Content Policies, we do not want various schools’ content filters to block students’ access to this site because of objectionable language. As such, posts using profanity will be edited.

Forum Moderators:
Your moderators for the Special F/X Forum are [user]cdub260[/user] and [user]philhaney[/user]. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Feel free to send any questions, comments or concern along to the Senior Team.

Enjoy your stay here in the wonderful world of Special F/X.


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