Live Design International (LDI) 2024

This class is for intermediate Vectorworks users who want an introduction to the Spotlight tools and workspace. We will go through the entire design workflow, from importing a venue file to designing a system, including staging, drape, lighting, rigging, and AV, to publishing a light plot.

Target audience: Live event and lighting designers who have used Vectorworks before, and want to learn the Spotlight tools.

Prerequisites: This is an intermediate class. Attendees must have a basic understanding of Vectorworks or have attended the Vectorworks Training Introduction to Core Concepts. We also recommend taking the Getting Started seminar and completing the online Core Certification Course.

Must bring own laptop. System requirements have been updated to Vectorworks 2025 here: https://www.vectorworks.net/sysreq

A guided approach to creating a project plan using PMP best practices.

Prerequisite:
The basics of how to use a computer.
Laptops are required.

Attendees will develop the skills required to create a practical, flexible and immediately applicable world-class project plan influenced by a PMP. This will become an instant part of your portfolio and templates for all future projects.

Notes on course structure:
This year we are providing an online platform to support the face-to-face presentation.
Provide a WORKSHOP type environment for learning project management.

1. Provide tools and techniques that are immediately applicable to managing all projects and workflow
2. Instructor provided feedback on creation of project plan
3. Access to an online support with all course materials and templates

Rationale for Course:
There are many persons who started their careers as experts in one field or another and have found themselves now managing a team without all the project management training that would have been ideal. For persons operating in our industry, the absence of the term “project manager” as a formal title has hidden the need for this training. Many of the activities being done by the members of the target audience involves managing projects even though they are not recognized as “projects”, many of them are in fact projects. This course (taught by a trained PMP, practicing educator, and an entertainment management practitioner for over 20 years) will provide attendee with skills to take on any project with a sense of confidence and provide useful tools and techniques to ensure increased success. It will also show how to assess your progress and alter your approach before it is too late, so that your projects can remain on time and be completed within budget.

Here is what you will get from this course:

· The confidence, skills and technique to use every day accessible tools to succeed as a project manager, in any industry, by developing a wholistic approach to planning, and executing a project.
· Develop two project plans which can immediately be use in your portfolio as a testament to your current experience and skills as a manager.
· Practical strategies for project management and project plan development through an instructor-lead interactive workshop.

Target Audience:

· Facilities managers for any performance/visual arts venue
· Managers and leaders in House of worships
· Technical Directors
· Production Managers
· Stage Managers
· Faculty in technical theatre
· Students of technical theatre
· Event producers
· Middle managers
· Rental houses team leaders, managers and owners.

Course Schedule
Module 0: Online platform ahead of face-to-face meeting
(This will be accessed via an online platform that will be provided twoweeks prior to the course)

· Orientation and platform introduction
· Course outline
· Overview of tools to be used
· Outline of portfolio to be developed

Module 1:Overview on planning a project

· What is a project and how to define what success looks like on the levels that matters?
· Initiating a project in a systematic way.
· Using tools to decompose projects.
· Gather project requirements.
· How to define and develop a complete project scope as well as understanding technique to break down (decompose) an established scope in a systematic way, applicable to any project (large or small, in any industry).
· How to identify and manage the inevitable risks that are associated with all projects.
· How to gather information to create a realistic schedule and budget.
· How to be successful when you must “back into a budget”.

Module 2:Overview on managing scope and budgets

· Using tools to create and manage budgets and scopes.
· Project Draft

Module 3:Project Schedules

· Executing a project: A serious look at your workflow.
· Tips on how to maximize the use of your team.
· Management of your workflow as a Project Manager, with detailed use of flexible

This two-day course is designed for programmers who have little to no experience with grandMA lighting consoles or for people new to lighting programming in general. It covers the basics of views, attribute manipulation, patching, groups, presets, sequences, executors, and phasers. It provides a comprehensive understanding of the fundamentals of programming the grandMA3 software. All attendees are strongly encouraged to complete the free grandMA3 Beginner Pretest first. If you do not score at least 85% on this test, we strongly recommend reviewing the free grandMA3 Prerequisite course before attending a grandMA3 Beginner course. This class assumes some underlying knowledge of the topics covered in the prerequisite course and we will not have time to review all of this basic information.

Beginner Laser Technician Course
This course is designed for users completely new to lasers and Pangolin control and brings
them up to speed so they can do shows for themselves. This course covers Projectors and
how they work, show setups and cabling requirements, creating Laser content and shows,
controlling your show from DMX consoles, and much more. Go from zero to hero with awardwinning
Lyra Letourneau as she teaches you how to operate a laser show from no production
experience to being able to do shows.

This course is for complete beginners to lasers, pangolin software and even show production
itself. No experience is needed, and absolute beginners are encouraged to take this course.
Those who have some production experience or come from different disciplines in the show
production industry should consider this course. This course will not focus on detailed
content creation, but touch on how you can start creating content for yourself and is more
focused on getting the gig done.

What is covered in major categories:
• History, safety, and operation of laser projectors
• Show rigging, cabling, and networking of lasers
• Software overview, Laser Projector settings, and Show operation
• Laser content creation for live, and timecoded shows References and content

There is a lot of content within this course that is linked to recourses on YouTube, the
pangolin wiki and other locations. This is done to allow the document to live longer than the
course itself, and if information is updated, users can still access up to date information.

Some external content is linked to 3rd party publications and may expire. These links are not
required for the course but provided as a courtesy for extra information related to each
chapter.

Recommended course preparation
It is recommended for students to bring their own windows computer and have BEYOND
installed beforehand, 1 Month licenses will be provided free for all students to follow along
with the course but is not required for participation.

No formal knowledge of lasers, its control systems is necessary. In fact, it’s best for those
taking this course to be complete beginners.

This two-day course is designed for programmers who already have an understanding of the fundamentals of the grandMA3 software. It goes into a more in-depth understanding of patch, 3D, DMX tools, groups, presets, phases, cue functionality, syntax, timecode, layouts, networking, and more. This course should not be taken by someone who has not already completed the grandMA3 for the grandMA2 User course or grandMA3 Beginner courses, or who has not already spent several months actively using grandMA3 software. All attendees are strongly encouraged to complete the free grandMA3 Intermediate Pretest first. If you do not score at least 85% on this test, we strongly recommend you take the grandMA3 Beginner or grandMA3 for the grandMA2 User course before this intermediate class. This class assumes the presence of an underlying knowledge of the topics covered in the Beginner or grandMA3 for the grandMA2 User courses and will not have time to go through the basic information.