# horizontal fly system?



## sdrival (May 31, 2011)

Until today I didn't even know that these existed and I haven't been able to find much information about them. Does anyone know of any companies that build them that I could get in touch with? Is there a certain amount of off stage space that would be required to install a system like this?

Here is a video example of what I'm talking about from a Disney production. Jump to 6:35.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKxyHd691Q8


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## gafftapegreenia (May 31, 2011)

Is that any different from a regular old traveller curtain?


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## dmx (May 31, 2011)

gafftapegreenia said:


> Is that any different from a regular old traveller curtain?


 
Thats what it looked like to me.


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## sarahsliefie (May 31, 2011)

A stage I use to frequent had all their curtain tracks in a fly line and extending far offstage so they could both slide and fly. They even had them set up so they could do both simultaneousnessly.


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## Footer (May 31, 2011)

Yup, those are just traveling drops. they might be piped and just travel offstage, but odds are they are chained and just fold offstage. Years ago (can't remember the year, it was in the last 10 years) the Tony's did a pretty amazing show using just travelers and a border. I also think they did some type of U/S D/S trackign with it. When one act would finish, the next act would be revealed by moving the portal to the other side of stage and changing its size. It was simple but looked great. It also does not hurt to have one of the biggest stages in the country.


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## wolf825 (May 31, 2011)

sdrival said:


> Until today I didn't even know that these existed and I haven't been able to find much information about them. Does anyone know of any companies that build them that I could get in touch with? Is there a certain amount of off stage space that would be required to install a system like this?
> 
> Here is a video example of what I'm talking about from a Disney production. Jump to 6:35.
> 
> YouTube - ‪Disney's "Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage" (now in 1080p HD and remastered stereo!)‬&rlm;


 

The example you gave--its a straight traveler track system dead hung from the grid overstage on a pipe with the manual pullies offstage left. The drops are chained at the bottom for weight. In your example--there are 3 of the travelers in the air--one for the Town scene, one for the Castle exterior and one for the 'scary trees' of the forest... The only overstage pipes that fly in are the electrics on that stage and they are on electric winches. I worked on that very show at the Mouse for about a year...10 shows a day...over and over and over...... They have revamped the choreography since I was last there--the beast-to-prince change at the end used to be much better.

As some have also stated--you can have a fly system that both fly's out or travels its curtains--depends on the venue... I have a couple of those traveler curtains that can either travel horizontal or fly out in my current venue. Its just a traveler track / Carrier system hung to the pipe... 


-w


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## chausman (Jun 1, 2011)

That's a traveler like everyone else has said. For the past 4 years the only theater I have been is dead hung and that's what we did. In fact, we had to tie drops to the scrim (2' from back wall) and the Cyc (1' from back wall) just to get them in and out.


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## Chris Chapman (Jun 1, 2011)

chausman said:


> That's a traveler like everyone else has said. For the past 4 years the only theater I have been is dead hung and that's what we did. In fact, we had to tie drops to the scrim (2' from back wall) and the Cyc (1' from back wall) just to get them in and out.


 
The old Goodman Space adjacent to the AIC in Chicago was a traveling only site. Traveler track would be dead hung from a grid, and frequently hard scenery would travel on and off. I got pretty good hanging track, splices and block hardware in there.

Could get a little dicey sometimes. I remember on "Black Snow" a large wall piece got hung up on some scenery and a stage hand tried (the worst idea) to pull through the jam. The wall piece and scenery carrier ripped apart and the unit fell to the deck, missing an actor by a few feet.


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## beachbum (Jun 1, 2011)

They look like standard traveler tracks rigged with a piece of hardware called a "back pack" (Automatic Devices Company) which fits on the operating line between carriers (also called a backpan). This causes the drop to stay flat until the offstage carrier hits the live end pulleys and begins to stack up offstage first, leaving the traveling part flat until it gets off stage. The whole operation is pretty simple and reasonably priced, and takes up no more space than a standard track. We use them and a lot of scenery carriers, as our space is dead hung.


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## techieman33 (Jun 1, 2011)

Most of our soft goods travel and fly out. Our grand, act, and black split down the middle, the black also has legs that travel off stage from the black traveler. Our legs are setup like that also, 2 legs one that travels on stage and one off stage, it makes masking much easier.


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## DuckJordan (Jun 1, 2011)

techieman33 said:


> Most of our soft goods travel and fly out. Our grand, act, and black split down the middle, the black also has legs that travel off stage from the black traveler. Our legs are setup like that also, 2 legs one that travels on stage and one off stage, it makes masking much easier.


 

I think your thinking of standard traveler track. This would be something that could take a flat that covered the distance of the seen stage and take it completely off the seen stage.

Similar to the sliding pocket doors found in some older houses as well as on star trek.


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## BrianWolfe (Jun 2, 2011)

I like how the "dark foreboding castle" is beige, pink and baby blue.


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## CSCTech (Jun 2, 2011)

The voice overs look pretty poor in the video :/ I suppose if you're in the audience you couldn't tell much though.

I like how Gustav has a mic on but he isn't actually talking


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## cmac (Jun 4, 2011)

CSCTech said:


> The voice overs look pretty poor in the video :/ I suppose if you're in the audience you couldn't tell much though.
> 
> I like how Gustav has a mic on but he isn't actually talking


 
It appears to be simply a delay between the video and the audio.


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## StewTech (Jun 8, 2011)

I've always wondered these things about the Mouse.

I was once told that they pre-recorded all the numbers for shows like these, so the chorus didn't wear out their voices doing so many shows.

I asked a tech who worked a show like this, and he defensively stated that WDW would NEVER dare to do such a thing, and informed me that the chorus was really just that talented.

Any truth to such?


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## chausman (Jun 8, 2011)

I know "the mouse" is very strict on things as far as who gets cast. Like, when your auditioning, if your hair isn't the right color, you can't even audition for cinderella. If you don't fit the costumes, you either find a different job, or change yourself to fit. They won't change them in any way.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## StewTech (Jun 8, 2011)

chausman said:


> I know "the mouse" is very strict on things as far as who gets cast. Like, when your auditioning, if your hair isn't the right color, you can't even audition for cinderella. If you don't fit the costumes, you either find a different job, or change yourself to fit. They won't change them in any way.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


 
Yeah, I've been told that as well. Disney is so incredibly strict with it's branding, which is probably one of the reasons they are so successful.


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