# Proper Way To Call Cues



## Luminosity

*Proper Way To Call Cues?*

Hello and thanks for clicking this thread!

I'm looking for a bit of information

-Just last semester I began doing lighting work at my high school. My job is 'Moving Light Designer' in a theatre that uses primarily conventional fixtures. That being said, the 'Conventional Lighting Designer' usually calls cues for the show, due to there being no TD of any sort.

Now this CLD (Conventional Lighting Designer) is a little newer than I am and doesn't completely understand 'cue calling etiquette.'

As an example for an upcoming cue...
CLD: Alright movers I'm gonna need your pink fill light on the downstage thrust at 2:03 in the song, and spots get ready to spot this upcoming dancer.

During a show I find this type of cue calling to be quite the annoyance due to the fact that we programmed together and I know what my cues should look like and don't need a re-cap.

What is the proper way to call cues in a show? (both dance and theatrical please)
And
Am I just in feeling annoyed or is it false pride showing through?

Again, Thanks for taking the time to read my dilemma.


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## NickJones

*Re: Proper Way To Call Cues?*

Generaly speaking the SM calls the shots, but this is how the convo normally goes:
1m - 30 seconds before the cue.
SM: Stand By LX Cue 4, 
Board Op: LX Standing by.
SM: LX Cue 4, GO

Can you not combine the movers and the conventionals onto the same console?
Nick


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## Clifford

It's typically something like what NickJones posted, but it's really at the discretion of the person calling the show. There isn't really a way everyone does it. With some SMs you might get a warning, a standby and a go, some might just give a standby and a go (and if you're unlucky, they may just give you a go). Just make sure that everyone understands the system you're using.


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## cprted

*Re: Proper Way To Call Cues?*


NickJones said:


> Generaly speaking the SM calls the shots, but this is how the convo normally goes:
> 1m - 30 seconds before the cue.
> SM: Stand By LX Cue 4,
> Board Op: LX Standing by.
> SM: LX Cue 4, GO


That pretty much nails it. SMs can also put multiple cues into standby in one shot. IE:

SM: Standby, LX 5 through 8, Audio 2 and 3, Scenic 4.
Lighting Tech: Lights
Audio Tech: Sound
ASM: Deck
SM: LX 5, go. LX 6, go. Audio 2, go.
etc etc etc


Clifford said:


> There isn't really a way everyone does it.


Actually there is. In the real world, all SMs pretty much call things the same way.


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## Luminosity

NickJones said:


> Can you not combine the movers and the conventionals onto the same console?
> Nick



-well we could, but that would take away a learning opportunity. We have a couple ETC's (expression 3, Expresss 48/96) and a Whole Hog II with over 60 studio spots and colors.

Thanks for the reply and info, quite helpful. 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## bdkdesigns

*Re: Proper Way To Call Cues?*

Or if you were me this summer, sometimes the SM dozes off and misses a cue and you get an "oh, lights ____ go." Sometimes the stand by cues will be 5 minutes in advance, and my favorite "Lights ___......crickets.......45 seconds later....Gooooo" These were line cues by the way and not visual cues. The average was 20 seconds between what the action was and th.e go for this person. It was rather annoying to say the least. It wouldn't have been so bad if it were consistent but it wasn't.


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## cprted

*Re: Proper Way To Call Cues?*


bdkdesigns said:


> Or if you were me this summer, sometimes the SM dozes off and misses a cue and you get an "oh, lights ____ go." Sometimes the stand by cues will be 5 minutes in advance, and my favorite "Lights ___......crickets.......45 seconds later....Gooooo" These were line cues by the way and not visual cues. The average was 20 seconds between what the action was and th.e go for this person. It was rather annoying to say the least. It wouldn't have been so bad if it were consistent but it wasn't.


Being on the receiving end of sloppy calling is never fun. Take it as a lesson on how not to call a show if/when you're the SM.


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## NickJones

*Re: Proper Way To Call Cues?*


cprted said:


> Being on the receiving end of sloppy calling is never fun.


Tell me about it, one of the worst was "Nick hun can we please have some lights?" and then she left her headset on all the time. In the end, I took of the headset and had my ALD go through the script at the same time as the show and called everyone in the booth. That was a bad show...
Nick


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## cprted

*Re: Proper Way To Call Cues?*

The worst one I had was a Burlesque show a few months back. The troupe basically makes new members be the SM without any training (teaching the difference between SR and SL was our first order of business that day) for a season before they're allowed to take their clothes off. Anyway for the show, I was on sound and the other tech was on lights. Most of the numbers started with the dancer on stage, so when they settled I'd fire up the music and then sat back. Of course there were also a few numbers where the dancer(s) started off and I relied on a cue from the SM. The interaction usually went something like this ...

Me: Just to confirm, the dancers are starting off stage and you're going to cue me to start the music?
SM: OK.
<long pause>
Me: OK start the music or OK you'll give me a cue?
SM: Yes.

Sweet girl, but ...


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## JChenault

Re-reading the original post, I think there are two issues here.

The first is an annoyance that the CLD is re-capping what the cue does instead of using a cue number.

The second ( which has been addressed) is how to call a cue given a number.


I would suggest that for the first issue, after the CLD says 

> CLD: Alright movers I'm gonna need your pink fill light on the downstage thrust at 2:03 in the song, and spots get ready to spot this upcoming dancer.



you say something like 'What cue number is that?' 


Now for follow spot work - I have no problem with the SM talking the spot operator through what he needs to do - especially on a new or complex show. IE 'Spot one, color 4, 3/4 body shot, on dancer as she enters SL' 

The request 'Spots get ready to spot this upcoming dancer' needs a reply 'What color, what size, sharp or soft' and perhaps 'Where is the dancer entering'. (Assuming there is time - if not you do the best you can).

IE IMHO you are correctly annoyed if you are not getting the clear information you need to make the show as good as it can be. You need to figure out how to get your CLD to give you that info. This is where your people skills get very important. 

Good luck.

John


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## mstaylor

*Re: Proper Way To Call Cues?*

I do a lot of concert work so the LD calls cues. Because we are a secondary market, sometimesour LDs are less than good. One day the LD said he was breaking in a new tech with no board experience or spot calling experience. He said he would ride the com just in case. Opening cue we get,"Spots two and three hit Bill." Who's Bill? The guitar player. From 300ft you can't tell guitar types. The LD jumps in and tells him we don't know who the deivl Bill is. We need stage location or clothing color. 


As to theatre cues, the SM or LD should just be calling the cue number, you should already know what that is. I have worked with directors that would have 200 or more cues an act in straight shows. You had to call numbers or it would have been crazy.


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## mbenonis

Luminosity said:


> -well we could, but that would take away a learning opportunity. We have a couple ETC's (expression 3, Expresss 48/96) and a Whole Hog II with over 60 studio spots and colors.
> 
> Thanks for the reply and info, quite helpful.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_



We had a Hog PC and an Obsession, and for shows they were MIDI linked with the obsession as master. So the PSM would simply call:

PSM: Standby Lights 2-5
LX: Lights
PSM: Light Cue 2 GO.

And that was the end of it. Sound and automation were called the same exact way. Not sure how spots were handled but I think they were also numbered, with spots having cue sheets (and the show memorized).


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## ReiRei

A lot of the stage managers I've worked with have replaced "Standby Light cue 304" with "_ready_ light cue..." Standby is used as a warning for being ready to hit a cue. 

I've had stage managers who call spot light cues and tell me where I'm going to be, and I've also had stage managers who don't _ever_ call spot cues. 

It's always a good idea to straighten out how cues should be called with the person calling them. That way during the show there is less confusion then there needs to be.

There's my opinion of the matter. I hope I've helped shed some light on this. Please excuse the fact that it's four in the morning and try as I might my grammar and my thought process suck right now.


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## zuixro

I was filling in as board op for someone else for one night of a show. The SM would call a standby about 2-3 minutes ahead of the actual cue, and then out of nowhere, "go". One time, after about 5 minutes of nothing, she yells "go" over the headset. It startled me, and I hit go. Turns out it was a sound cue. Thank goodness for the "hold"/"back" buttons on the express. (it was a 30 second fade though, so it wasn't really noticeable)


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## kiwitechgirl

I've always found the most critical thing when calling a show is to be *consistent*. Call your standbys the same amount of time before a cue on every cue; always do your standbys and calls in the same order - mine tends to be LX, sound, followspot, flys, stage electrics, deck and then anything else random which happens to be on the show, but so long as it's the same every time the order doesn't matter. That way all people concerned know what to expect, and how long they've got between a standby and a cue. I don't like giving instructions within a cue - give the followspot ops a cue sheet telling them who, where, iris, colour, brightness all tied to a cue number, rather than saying "standby spot one to pick up John downstage right, halfbody shot in frame 3 at full power". Same with fly cues - it'll be "standby fly cue 4" not "standby flys to bring in the forest gauze over ten seconds". Make the standbys long enough to give the operators a chance to check their cue sheets and leave them to it. Numbers are what you want, particularly on a complex call. Obviously this is in theatre world where you have rehearsals and a definite running order, not in rock concert world where song order may change and the operators have had no rehearsal - in that situation I'm all for instructions!

Over time I've got better at timing my calls so that I can say "LX104 GO" as one coherent sentence rather than "LX104.............GO" which is something I absolutely hate when I'm being called myself.


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## rochem

I've had a number of SMs who do the "Ready Cue 5" thing instead of "Standby Cue 5", which works once you get used to it I guess. Back in May, I was asked to come in as a replacement board op for a community theatre show in the area. I didn't get a chance to talk to the SM before we started, so I just confirmed on headset that she was calling all cues and I'd be working totally off her calls, and she confirmed. So the first cue comes up:

SM: Ready Cue 1
Me: Lights
SM: Cue 1
Me: (Nothing)
SM: Cue 1! Cue 1!
Me: you want me to go?
SM: YES! Cue 1 Cue 1!!

Apparently, this SM forgot the most important part of cue calling, the Go command. It continued like this through the whole show, and I basically tried to time the cues correctly with the music, since her cue calling style gave no idea of when to actually push the button. It was a bad day.

Most touring SM's I work with are really lazy with their light cues, since they've all done it dozens of times and everyone already knows where everything is anyways. So I'll usually just hear "Lights 1, Go", "Lights 2, Go", "Lights 3, Go. 4, Go. 5, Go." and so on. Since both the SM and the board op have the show memorized by this point, it's really not necessary for them to be more specific. I'm 100% sure that the ME (usually the person on the board) would be fully capable of running the show from memory if the SM for some reason was not able to call LX cues.


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## rochem

kiwitechgirl said:


> Over time I've got better at timing my calls so that I can say "LX104 GO" as one coherent sentence rather than "LX104.............GO" which is something I absolutely hate when I'm being called myself.



To be honest, I actually prefer it with a slight pause before the Go, both as the one calling and when being called to. I like to time my cues so I can say "Lights 104 (short pause), Go" because it puts more emphasis on the command and lets the board op tense their hand over the button just before I give the Go. I would think that a board op, hearing it all as one phrase, would tend to be a little more lazy about pushing the button right at the exact moment. But I only pause for about a second - for anything longer than that, you're right, it's VERRY annoying.


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## bull

Well, honestly, I haven't read every reply, but... here is my opinion.

Definitely, yall need to number your lighting cues so the CLD or SM or whoever is calling cues can simply call...

SM/CLD: Standby LX Cue 8 (I sometimes like calling times, so occasionaly if I am calling I might say something along the lines of "Standby LX Cue 8 1:30")

and as for spots, calling is not always necessary, spots need to start operating at rehearsals as early as possible, if a spot cue is necessary, make it something like

SM/CLD: Spot 1 standby, dancer entering stage left :30

Combined Cues should look something along the lines of... (i

SM/CMD: Standby spot 2, tevye (leads names should be usable and known by all tech) stage left, LX cue 9.

LX: Lights
Spot: spot 2

SM/CMD: Cues... GO!


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## ishboo

Along the lines of what rochem was talking about. I've worked under several Stage Managers who don't call consistently, sometimes it would be "Standby Light Cue 4, Go Lights" the problem being "Go Lights" may take 2 seconds to say so the actual cue placement is difficult and there was no consistency. 

Or spend to much time explaining "Stanby Light Cue 4, Standby Fly Cue 7, Standby Sound Cue 8, okay guys, I will say go, Lights and Fly go then and then on the second go sound goes..........go.....go" Talk about confusing.


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## Gretsch

Typically if the SM is calling multiple cues but they have separate go's it should go something like tis

SM: Standing by LX Q 4, Sound Q 16, Rail to take DS tree drop out and vanician drop in (this alerts the deck to what is moving overhead), deck Q 4 and LX Q 5...

LX: Lights standing by
Sound: Sound standing by
Rail: Rail standing by
Deck: Deck standing by

SM: LX 4 and Sound GO! (wait for deck to be in black) Rail GO! (pause to allow first drop to clear deck) Deck GO! (scene shift occurs)

Deck: Clear (as soon as all the shift has occured and everyone is clear of stage)
Rail: Clear (as soon as all rail moves are complete and locked)

SM: LX 5 GO!

At least, in my experience that is the clearest and safest way for multiple cues to be called with the least confusion.


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## kicknargel

*Re: Proper Way To Call Cues?*

One more fussy thing--our rule is never to use the word "Go" unless you mean to execute a cue. If you're talking about an upcoming go, you spell out "g-o." As in, "I'm going to give one g-o for lights, sound and rail." I still have trouble saying the word "go," even outside of a theatre.

Nicholas Kargel
You Want What? Productions INC
scenic design and construction in Denver, CO

www.youwantwhatproductions.com


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## Grommet

I ran one of spots for a touring concert and the LD was calling cues.

Over the com he gave us a a speech of how the show will work.

"The spots will always be on the lead vocals unless i say other wise. If he is sitting only light his torso. If he is standing light his whole body. If he goes out of range of your spot just turn your spot off till he comes in range. I will give a stand by cue followed by a go. sometimes i will say spots go or aannndd go. any questions? "

The 'annnddd go' part were the black outs as the performer dragged out that last note or solo further and further....

With this LD i liked how he let us know all of the little quirks of his que calling


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## MSLD

at our place we had the national tour of Annie. The stage manager got really REALLY sick and was taken to the hospital along with Annie's head spot op. the production manager threw me the script and said "here call the show and run and run a spot. 

Thank God i watched the show a week before that because i was missing 4 pages of cues from a 2007 version, not 2009.


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