Feedback on SELEM; thoughts for improvement...

[platinum]

This year's SELEM was quite a production. I was amazed how many people showed up and I was relieved that there weren't many issues thereof.

We talked about dividing up tasks this year, but it didn't seem as if there was much more "organization" than last year -although there probably was on the part of Adam/Buffo.

I agree with ireedz about moving the truss forward and adding floor mats especially. We could also have some intermediary lighting of the stage area when the event is in full swing. We're all a bunch of geeks here and I think we could come up with some sort of lighting for the stage that would give the backstage area some light without interfering much with laser shows out in the auditorium.


One more thing, as an aside: How about scheduling Pangolin or other meetings for the morning or maybe later in the day, not right after everyone gorged themselves on pulled pork! I saw so many people nodding off and I was one of them. I finally had to remove myself for fear of falling off my chair!

I had a blast this year, as I do every year. Also, I officially volunteer to set up the projector layout next year. This is something I do a lot back west working on music events and it would be second nature to me. I'd be happy to help out in this regard, either way.

-Jonathan

[ImageLight]

Just one simple observation from me.

Everyone MUST be more mindful of cleaning up after themselves. There was alot
of trash left to be picked up this year due to attendees not throwing their food
plates, cans, and bottles away.
Perhaps we should keep all the food in one area to make this clean-up process more manageable.

Mark

[Laserchik]

As a first timer, I have to say it was a very enjoyable experience. I do echo all of the above as far as scheduling, as meals were few and far between for many of you. Maybe schedule assigned times for everyone so all may show their talents, then work in breaks for meals/snacks, etc. As an official "significant other" to member Displaser, I am more than happy to chip in an help out where needed...including planning and organizing. I am a travel agent, and I have experience booking large groups-so just let me know.

[Displaser]

Wow...

Great event, as it was good meeting everyone from PL over the years. I'd like to volunteer for the balcony next year as well, as mentioned by MechEng3. Next year, I'll have my 2W+ beam table running as well as my 2W RGB on an adjustable tripod (uneven surface) mount that would lend itself to this.

Any suggestions for an inexpensive white projection screen (other than scrim) source appreciated. Maybe hang it between the scaffolds?

One nice improvement would be if you're not heading out immediately on the last day, help with the cleanup and load out until everyone can leave. I know that Spec and Buffo were the last to get their gear loaded and it was getting late... it would be nice to see everyone get out at a reasonable time.

Greg

[polishedball]

Any suggestions for an inexpensive white projection screen (other than scrim) source appreciated. Maybe hang it between the scaffolds?
Greg

Blackout cloth, the stuff that is used on the back of drapes. Works well and is cheap. I'll pull my link for the 10' width I have later. Just gotta look out as a lot are now using it for home theater screens so people are gouging on the price at some sites.

[JohnYayas]

We need to have SELEM in one of these!

http://zoetheclown.netfirms.com/disco_dome.html

[buffo]

Great feedback people! Thanks so much for taking the time to write things down.

I agree that we need a better schedule. Most of the problems with this year's event boil down to scheduling issues, so I'm going to work on that first. And I think we need to post the schedule in multiple places throughout the venue (including backstage, in the lobby, upstairs in the classroom, etc) so people always know what's going on. And yes, with the main curtains closed, we should be able to run shows more or less continuously in the auditorium, even if people on the stage need the lights on to work on stuff.

Also, I really like the idea of extending the event by one day. It will increase the rent for the venue, but we're big enough now that we can afford it. An extra day will go a long way towards getting the setup done right. (Which is something we desperately need to do!)

Regarding assistants, YES YES YES! I need more lieutenants that I can rely on. It's definitely too much for me to handle by myself. I'll be talking more about this in the coming months. A few people have already been drafted, but there's more to come!

One question regarding graphics shows: How does everyone feel about putting a scrim in the audience? If we close the curtains, that will move the projectors about 5 ft closer to the edge of the stage, leaving no room for a scrim.

I'm thinking about a 9 ft square scrim like we had this year, but positioned maybe 10 ft back from the stage in maybe the 5th row of seats or so, at a safe height of course. We'd only loose a few rows of seats, and that shouldn't be an issue given the size of the auditorium. Would that work for graphics shows if the projector was in the middle of the scaffold on-stage? Or do you think we should put a regular reflective screen on-stage (perhaps between the scaffolding as Ian suggested) and have a dedicated graphics projector located in the balcony? What do you folks think?

Another thing I'd like to try next year, at least for the Pangolin shows, is to put a computer at the back of the venue in the audience, near the sound booth. That way everything can be controlled from there, and the operator can see what's going on.

With regard to the beams in the audience on the ground floor, I have a bit of a problem with that. We had a lot of guests this year, and I don't think it's fair to them to put beams beyond the MPE down into the ground floor seating area. That's why we've always aimed our projectors at the balcony area or higher.

We could maybe lower them a little bit, but I want the audience area on the ground floor to always remain safe and legal, from a regulatory standpoint. You can make the argument that everyone was warned that the balcony was unsafe, but if you make the ground floor unsafe too, I think that's crossing the line a bit.

The ILDA splitter was basically unused at this event. We had 6 projectors plugged into it at one point, but we weren't running shows then! Again, more organization is the key here, and that's something I can handle. I'll put together a time-line and show schedule that should help a lot. Better attention during setup will help too. I'm going to need to off-load some of my other duties onto others so I can concentrate more on getting the setup done right. Also, as Steve mentioned, we need to work on better projector placement. One thing I'll work on is getting a detailed equipment list ahead of time so I can plan the layout better.

With regard to ion lasers... I agree that the hallway is cramped, but moving them to a dressing room is problematic, both from a power standpoint and from a water perspective. The real problem is (once again) organization. I propose that we move the drinks/beer/etc to the lobby area to keep the hallway clear.

Also, I propose that *ANYONE* who wants to bring a water-cooled laser must first do a leak-check of the system before they bring it. The water on the floor was primarily due to a massive leak on one power supply (which was never energized because of the leak). Small drips from a hose can be dealt with using a pair of pliers or a paper towel, but if you need a bucket to contain your leak, you need to fix it before you get to SELEM.

Also, next year we'll have the power cables routed slightly differently which should alleviate any concerns about water and power mixing...

Another note about testing lasers: remember that we can *NOT* run a fog machine in the hallway or dressing rooms. It will set off the fire alarm. Likewise, we can't have the doors between the hallway and the stage area open, as the fog from the auditorium will drift down the hall and set off the alarm. (Which it did this year, on Sunday morning.) So if you need fog to test your laser, you'll need to be on-stage with it, where the fog is. But with the curtains closed, we can have people "geeking and tweaking" on-stage with the lights on while we're still running shows in the auditorium. That way we're making better use of the available space.

A big question in my mind for next year is what to do about food/meals. Doug and his wife have graciously donated a significant portion of their time over the years to supply us with food, and this year Len (Hakzaw1) also spend a good deal of time preparing and serving food. Likewise, several members agreed to help out at the last minute, and several people helped up with the significant clean-up required after the meal.

While I'm sure everyone appreciates all their hard work, I don't think it's fair to burden anyone with such a large task, especially considering how big this event has become. Handling the food for that many people takes them out of the fun for a significant portion of that first day. So maybe we ought to think about having an official "break" in the schedule, when everyone can head out to grab a bite to eat.

No doubt a few of the die-hards will still run out to a fast-food joint to choke down a burger before heading back to the venue, but for those people who would appreciate a nice meal with real silverware, they won't feel pressured to stay and skip a meal. I'd really like to hear more opinions on this matter, because with 70 + people, I think meal scheduling was a big source of confusion this year.

Tables were in short supply this year, but the venue is aware of that, and we should have more of them available next year. We actually had 5 more tables we could have used, but by the time we discovered them we already had just about everything set up, so we left them alone. Next year we'll bring some of those tables down for the for-sale area at least.

Speaking of the for-sale area: we need better labeling on the stuff in there. Many people wanted to buy stuff, or even ask questions about it, but they didn't know whom to talk to. So next year we need to be sure people label their stuff better.

Finally; there is room upstairs for us to have seminars going on (in the classroom areas) while we have shows running. This will also increase the rent we have to pay, of course, but it may be beneficial to have more presentations as a part of the event. I'd like to hear people's opinions on that, and if there is enough interest, I'll try to book some more "special guests" who can do presentations at SELEM next year.

Thanks for all the feedback, people. Keep it coming!

Adam

[dchammonds]

This is my 3rd SELEM, and I thought it was the best ever. The scaffolding worked out great, with most of the many projectors pointed out into the auditorium, so you could walk around the stage and not be worried about getting nailed in the eye by a projector! The placement of the speakers out on the auditorium floor instead of the stage was a great idea. I also liked the unique projection screen that was placed just beyond center stage; you could view projected images from either side of the screen. Saturday's shows were best as they used the combination of screen projection, beam, and good music together with strategic orchestration of so much equipment. Scheduling the Pangolin presentation in a separate room was a good move as the venue has plenty of space, so you may as well take advantage of it. And the best thing is, the fire alarm didn't go off this time. There's always room for improvement, but I was more than impressed that a group of hobbiests could get together over a short weekend and make such an excellent thing happen! Making the event a day or two longer would be great, beacause so much time is required to get things set up.

I was disappointed with the Artist's Cafe experience this time around, and I also missed the Buffo Brew!


For the future, I agree that there should be more delegation of specific tasks in advance to reduce the burden on Buffo, as well as a tighter pre-planned schedule. Even with all that said, I'm still amazed with all the enthusiasm and participation of everyone!

[buffo]

I was disappointed with the Artist's Cafe experience this time around, and I also missed the Buffo Brew!

Sorry about that. I guess I'm to blame for both of these. I just didn't have time to get some beer brewed before the event, and I left the Artist's Cafe early to deal with some drama at the hotel. Of course, when I left, everyone else did too. Normally we're there until they close the place, but this year we left at 10 PM. (In fairness, it was rather hot upstairs...)

A few people have suggested that we try a different restaurant for the dinner party next year. There are a few chain restaurants in the area (Texas Roadhouse, Outback Steakhouse, etc) that would work, but they are farther away (around 8 miles, or 1 exit west from the hotel) and I'd hate for people to get lost... I'm open to input on this though.

Adam

[flecom]

Sorry about that. I guess I'm to blame for both of these. I just didn't have time to get some beer brewed before the event, and I left the Artist's Cafe early to deal with some drama at the hotel. Of course, when I left, everyone else did too. Normally we're there until they close the place, but this year we left at 10 PM. (In fairness, it was rather hot upstairs...)

A few people have suggested that we try a different restaurant for the dinner party next year. There are a few chain restaurants in the area (Texas Roadhouse, Outback Steakhouse, etc) that would work, but they are farther away (around 8 miles, or 1 exit west from the hotel) and I'd hate for people to get lost... I'm open to input on this though.

Adam

it just seemed like they were not prepared for us... drinks took forever to come up, there was generally one girl running around franticly... poor David didn't even get drunk the drinks were so delayed!