bigclive

Solar milk frother.

I filmed a few more videos before returning from Glasgow to the Isle of Man.  One was an old milk frother I bought out of a charity/thrift shop many years ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTRc0BGD7VI

Right after I'd made the video I tried to gently remove the solar panel and it shattered.

Weird and wonderful gifts.

A selection of the things I was given at the Glasgow meets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5McPF_LOvU8

Aluminium flex.

Another short video made at work.  Don't worry, I'll be back at the usual bench in a few days and normal service will resume.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7aa-cJ1ki0

This is a look at a cheap box-ticking flex supplied with an imported product, and how to test for the dreaded copper coated aluminium...

Traditional teardown.

I managed to squeeze in a couple of traditional teardown style videos between tasks at work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ob_ejGM1Yw

Not as good as at my usual bench, but all I could really do with room lighting and somewhat larger tools.

Normal service resuming soon.

The job is done, the lights and distro have been boxed and shipped back to the depot, and I'm finally getting to sleep in a bed better suited to my size.  (The student accommodation that was provided had single beds.)

I know you guys prefer the ambient bench teardowns, so when I get back to my bench in a week I'll be making up for lost time.

Right now I'm in Glasgow (Scotland) looking...

Show power distribution.

A look inside one of our many power distribution cabins on the show.  It's all based on standard flightcased power distribution equipment.  There's more information in the videos's description on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhhIXWziEbg

Meet the gas-burner crew.

Another stealth video where I just propped my phone on a crate of beer and made a quick video with the gas department of the show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvLzpf5jLbY

The Edinburgh Tattoo has a lot of large gas burners that run continually during the show.  It looks good and you can also bask i...

Meet the projectionists.

One of the significant parts of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is the projection on the castle which creates a spectacular animated backdrop to the arena.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeFRH2v1w4w

I asked some of your questions to Karen the projectionist.

3rd electrical questions video.

This is the third of three videos covering questions for the crew.  This time it's Cara who is a fellow lighting technician and was also calling cues for the 12 followspots during the shows this year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7xV6Kt8tPc

Some of you have noted that I have dominated the conversat...

Short show load-out clip.

There isn't much time to film during the loadout as we have to get all of our lighting and power equipment out of the castle and shipped away in trucks in just two days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3uaGCk9jbM

Main pyro crew Q&A.

I didn't notice how close I'd put the camera to a piece of show relay equipment, so there's a slight 50Hz hum on most of the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2_PuWOtPi4

This is a chat with Jim, one of three main pyrotechnicians on the castle-top fireworks.

More lighting answers.

More backstage lighting answers from Steve and myself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f19LHFg4mbs

Lighting answers form backstage.

The first part of the lighting answers with me and Steve.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEpBsSvbupc

Meet pyro-Ewan.

Ewan manages all the stage effects like pyro and bubbles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3tdrsMTMys

Here are some answers to the questions for his department.

Massed bands entrance.

Another backstage video clip of the start of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo when the massed bands enter the esplanade from various points.  These bands are entering from the castle via the drawbridge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n2h29cUEcM

Trust me when I say that the only way to properly exp...

Backstage life. (ain't glamorous)

Here's a glance of a typical show from our backstage workshop/crew-room/office.  If we've done our job well we have very little to do during a show unless there is stuff needing fixed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_magldaGqU

If we've NOT done our job well or general technical issues occur then we w...

Backstage at the Edinburgh Tattoo.

Another snippet of video that will probably be just Patreon only.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bef-5hLVys0

Backstage at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is actually better than being backstage at Disney parks.

Is this bassy? (speaker test)

I filmed this as the audio department was doing their daily walk-through of their speakers.  In the same way we do a daily light test and placement they do their audio tests where each group of speakers is used to play a section of music while they walk round the auditorium and check they are all outputting sound.

In this case it was the test of the bass bins under the stands and the track ...

Poundand light rude version.

This is the rude version of the LED floodlight video, with the "incident" happening at around 3 minutes in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbjJq_P0ptg

I'll let you guys make the call of whether I should release the polite one, rude one or both for general viewing.

Poundland LED floodlight.

This is the non-profanity version of this video, since Vince the crew chief managed to inadvertently make me say the word "c*nt" in the first version.  If you guys want I can release the other version here and you can make the decision of which version gets released for general viewing on YouTube.

https://www.yo...

Poundland's remote lights.

One of Poundlands "not actually a pound" products that still manages to represent very good value.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYPk-60-MfQ

The transmitter and receiver units are textbook designs.

I got a rogue standby current reading on the transmitter in the video, it's actually extremely low. &n...

Meet Moose!

Moose (Owen) answers your questions about the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo audio system.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdlzTpOnUR8

This was suddenly recorded at the Tattoo Crew room snack table (also used for technical repairs).

Unexpected repairs.

I managed to break a semi-operational bedroom light in my work accommodation, simple by poking its wiring.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrjFpHLvTxE

No problem, I have tools.....

Backstage stuff - connectors.

A look at some of the connectors we use in the event/concert industry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ay9T3o9OSw

Explosive lamp failure aftermath.

Occasionally a discharge lamp will fail with such force that it destroys the optical components in its vicinity.  That happened in this light.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucTEqLtUEJI

The first clue is when you move the light and hear tinkling glass inside.

Edinburgh Hacklab visit.

Edinburgh Hacklab generously allowed us to use their laser cutter to prototype and cut some new rugged sight mounts for the followspots on the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu_pbyzmZ9Q

I filmed the process, including sticking the phone inside the laser cutter for a closer ...

Work foolishness.

We managed to convince Vince to put a lighting weather-cowl on his head for a "photo".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HihvnJyRu7w

Laser tests in audience seats.

Another video I probably won't release for general viewing.  This shows the nightly laser tests I have to do for the required audience exposure certification.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZJ8mLSRz6k

We have scanning lasers that aim above the audience and diffracted lasers that rotate in the audienc...

Edinburgh meet-up.

If you're in the local Edinburgh (Scotland) area then we'll be meeting for beer, coffee, tea, food and technical chat at the Caley Picture House on Lothian Road in Edinburgh on Sunday the 19th August at 3pm.

Random video about a faulty light.

This video was recorded at the boxy work-accommodation and while walking back from work (after beer) with my meddlesome work colleagues.

It's about an interesting road signage light that was one of several that were pulsing continually due to an interesting failure mode.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMXIJJep...