Rookie Mistakes a LD Can Make

Last Updated on November 19, 2023 by LD Ryan Conlon | 🕒 3 min Read Time

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9 Rookie Mistakes a New LD Can Make

You are going to make mistakes. Learn from other people. Try to not make the same mistakes twice. Below are a bunch of mistakes that people commonly make.

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Saying You Can Do a Job – That You Are Not Ready For

Rookie Mistake #1 – Story – I was working a very small show last year. 3 nights Thur – Fri – Sat – On Saturday night a different audio person showed up to work the event. Thursday and Friday everything worked. The bands were scheduled to start at 7 pm. I showed up at 6:45 – turned on my hazer and plugged in my controller. 7 Pm I was ready to go. Audio still needed to Start soundcheck. The new Audio person could not get any thing to work.

I called he owner of the company and the other Audio people from the last couple nights. By 7:15 3 Audio tech plus the owner of the company were there. They got everything turned on and working and soundcheck was about to start. They asked the new guy if he wanted to do the soundcheck. This person was so embarrassed that he could do nothing. The owner of the company did the sound check and mixed the rest of the show.

Once the band started – The owner of the company said to the new guy “We both know you were in over your head. Stay and help us do the next change over and then you can go.” He still paid the new guy for his time.

The main problem with this is – The New Guy was referred to this company by another company.

You need to know your abilities and know what you can and can not do. Most people can get Sound, Lights and Video to work – when the system is installed in a church, venue or bar. It is different if you are the one setting up the sound, lighting or video for an event or concert. A lot has to happen before you can run lights, mix audio or switch video. Don’t put your self in that position where you can fail.

I like on some of my shows. We will have multiple rooms or multiple lighting rigs. New people are able to work on a smaller systems. If they have questions – people are there working in other spaces that can help.

Grow Your Network.

If you have questions or problems – the answer might only be a text or phone call away.

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Setting Off Fire Alarms

My First Fog Machine Rental Story – The First fog machine I rented was a F100. It was for a high school dance. I was Fifteen. The dance started all the people were there dancing. I push the button the RED button one time. After that I could not see anything in front of me and I noticed strobe lights. Funny thing is I did not have an strobe lights. Everyone had to leave the building and let the firemen check out the situation.

The school wanted to charge me with the $500 false alarm charge. After that I always ask and double check about fog machines.

I like to check with the building before I use a hazer. Sometime it is allowed but you need to let them know before you run it. Give them a heads up- this will help save the embarrassment of a fire alarm going off. A Fire Watch might be scheduled at a time that you do not know. Find out the details.

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Not Asking For Permission To Post Photos

You need to ask permission before posting event photos online. Some companies do not like other companies knowing their business.

Sub-Contractor understands and agrees that the Company alone shall decide whether to disclose Confidential Information. Sub-Contractor further agrees that they have no right to disclose any Confidential Information to any outside party without the express consent of the President of the Company, and that the Company prohibits the dissemination of Confidential Information without such express written consent.  (You) Sub-Contractor also agrees to exercise their best efforts to prevent disclosure of the Confidential Information to third parties.

In other words – ASK before posting pictures of the event you are working.

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Posting Event Info On Social Media

You might end up being that person that posts the surprise guest to the event you are working. Messing up the surprise.

We were working an event and did not know the band was a secret. We got to the venue for the week long event. Immediately the word was passed around that the band was a secret. We knew – the Hotel Staff Knew but it was a surprise for the attendees and event staff.

It can be as simple as leaking the secret band or it might be the new logo that the company is releasing. that company might never call you again.

Share and post public information but when you are working an event. The stuff you know might not be public yet.

Extra Tip – Blur out the video screen content

Take a look at these Stage Lighting Dos and Don’ts

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Wrong Voltage

Story – We had a show with multiple distros on it. One was by the air wall. The air wall needed to be shut during the day and opened back up later that day. Later on we figured out that the hotel staff disconnected the soco and reconnected the cables after moving the air wall at night (when we were not there). The distro had 120 and 208. They flipped the soca. All the lights had automatic power supply switching. But the confetti was only 120volt.

Minutes before the confetti. the person that was going to flip the breaker for the confetti – noticed the soca was plugged into 208v. Not much we could have done. When it was confetti time. He flipped the breaker.  Confetti worked.

You need to make it a habit to mark your cables at both ends – A – AA – Upstage – Downstage – what ever it is – mark it. If you add on to a cable add more labels.

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Not Planning Power

Rookie LD  mistake #6  – Plan your power. That goes for lights on a truss or for FOH. You can not just plug in more and more things. You need to have a plan. When I am at FOH and a person asks if I have a place to plug in their phone. I am the jerk that tells people No. Then I point them to the wall outlet- far away from me. Someone disconnecting the wrong cable can shut a show down. I have too many story to tell about people shutting down a generators or building power or over loading a circuit with a vacuum.  Plan your power.

FYI – Most power strips are only rated at 15 amps. So if you plug them into a 20 amp circuit they will still trip at 15 amps.

FYI – Most Hazers and Foggers have heating elements in them. So a 1500 watt  fog machine = 12.5 amps –

Stage Hazer and Fog Machine Charts

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Getting Show Details

Show details are important. Get them in writing. Like an email or text.

The most important details are

• What day is the event
• How many days is the event
• Where is the event
• What time is load in
• Is this an out of town show
• What are the travel dates

Mixing up June 23 and July 23 can equal you never getting call again by that company.

I like to bring it up in a conversation – Like – See you next week or the next time I will see you is… I will use this to see if they say anything. There has been a many times where they reply. And we find out there has been some miscommunication.

Some companies have a dedicated person just for booking labor. I like to send them texts or emails confirming shows that are coming up (If I didn’t get information from them already). This is also the time I ask about future shows.

What To Do On Your First Corporate Lighting Job

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Not Knowing Your Equipment

I have heard a lot of stories about people burning holes with beams. Melting stage decks or burning the sides of monitors. These stories usually come from a lighting person that does not know their gear. You need to be careful with these new lights. Sharpys, MegaPointe and other beams can do some damage to the gear around them.

I was working in a club back in 2007. They had atomic strobes. The lamp had burned out in one of them. So I went an bought a replacement lamp. It was $100. I went to the club got the lift in place and went up to replace the lamp. As I was putting the new lamp in – I heard a crack – Right then I knew I lost $100. That was my first time changing out the lamp in an atomic. When I went back to buy my second bulb. I asked what was the best way to change the lamp. They gave me a tip. And on my second attempt I replaced the lamp.

 

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Using the Wrong Hazer/Fog Fluid

Bars and Club are great at this. Someone brings in some cheap fluid and it clogs up their hazer or fogger. Each hazer or fogger is different. They heat up the fluid at different temperatures. Using the wrong fluid will cause a build up. and the machine will not work the way it should.

Here is a chart of the top hazers. You can see all different wattage – DF-50 and Antari HZ-1000 do not use heat.

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Conclusion

The more you learn – Hopefully you will not make these 9 rookie mistakes that new LDs make. Check out the other articles from this site.

• How to Become a Freelance Lighting Designer
• Skills That Freelance Lighting Designers Need
• Common Stage Directions
• Church Stage Lighting Basics – What Lighting Do You Need
• Lighting Resources – Books – Podcasts -Videos

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