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PRODUCTION DESK
Table in the auditorium at which director/designer etc sit during
rehearsals. Usually has its own lighting and communications facilities.
PROFILE
1) A type of lantern with at least one plano-convex lens which projects the
outline of any chosen shape placed in its gate, sometimes with a variable
degree of hardness/softness. Profiles include four beam-shaping metal
shutters, a gate to take an iris or gobo and an adjustment to make the beam
smooth and even ("flat") or hot in the center ("peaky").
2) Shaped piece of scenery added to the edge of a flat instead of a straight
edge. Also known as a cutout.
PROJECTION
1) Slides are used to project still archive images or textures. Libraries of
slides contain images for every occasion. Kodak Carousel projectors are the
industry standard, and some types can be linked to a controller to perform
complex dissolves and fades from one projector to another. More powerful
projectors are available using very intense discharge sources and large
format glass slides to produce a massive image.
2) Lighting effects, Moving cloud / rain / fire effects can be achieved
using a powerful lantern known as an effects projector with a motorized
glass disc painted with the required effect. An objective lens is required
in front of the disc to focus the image.
4) Film, 35mm film projection is common in many theaters as a device for
keeping the building open to the public when productions are in preparation.
16mm film projection is used in smaller venues. Film projection can, of
course, also be integrated into a performance.
5) Video, Video projection is now being used to bring television pictures
to the large screen. Cheaper than using film, but the image quality is not
as good. Video projection equipment can also be more difficult to set up.
Images can be front projected or back/rear projected depending on the amount
of space and the effect required. For example, if actors are required to
walk in front of the screen and not have the image appearing on them, back
projection is the only answer.
PSU
Power Supply Unit.
PULL
The amount of electrical power required by a touring show in a venue.
PVC TAPE
Plastic insulating tape used for taping cables to bars and for securing
coiled cables. Neater and cheaper than Gaffa tape. Also known as LX tape.
PYROTECHNICS
(Pyro) Chemical explosive or flammable firework effects with a manual
detonation. Usually electrically fired with special designed fail-safe
equipment. There are many different variations of pyrotechnic effects
available. The categories are as follows:
Theatrical Flash - a flash and a cloud of smoke
Maroon: produces a very loud bang. Must only be detonated inside a bomb tank
covered with a protective mesh.
Gerb: version of the Roman Candle firework, throwing a shower of sparks into
the air. Possibly named from the French "Gerbe" meaning a sheaf of wheat,
due to it's shape.
All pyrotechnics should be used with close reference to local licensing
laws, and the manufacturers instructions. Professional advice should be
sought before the first use of effects.
PAR CAN
A conventional lighting fixture which represents the original workhorse of
the rock and roll touring industry. A PAR can is comprised of a PAR
(Parabolic Aluminized Refelctor) lamp and a mounting fixture and base (the
can). Standard PARs range in size from 4.75" (PAR 38) to 8" (PAR 64). The
most common configuration for touring use is the PAR64. The PAR64 is usually
fitted with a 1000 watt narrow or very-narrow beam PAR lamp. ACLs are often
substituted for PAR lamps.
PATCH
The process by which different parts of an electrical or control system are
selectively connected. Patching traditionally takes place at several key
points in a lighting system: at a patch panel, at a pin patch, or in a soft
patch.
PATCH PANEL
An electrical panel where individual circuits can be connected to the
physical dimmers in a dimming system. Common patch panels look like large
old-fashioned telephone switchboards. Patch panels have all but been
replaced by dimmer per circuit systems in which the dimmer to circuit
relationship is permanently fixed. A touring lighting system rarely includes
a patch panel since individual connections between circuits can be made
directly on the dimmer rack.
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