The houselights go down. A hush falls over the audience. And the air fairly hums with anticipation. Theater professionals feel this thrill every night their creation comes to life and their play is performed. Now you can experience this same sense of accomplishment with Opening Night! The depth of this program is sure to spark your imagination and inspire you to create great plays. Here are a few hints that may help you learn the ins and outs of the trade.
| To gain access to the help system, double-click on the online help file on the CD. |
| Q – What can I do with sets? The Sets button is one of nine buttons found at the top of the Opening Night work screen. Select the Sets button to bring up the Category and Item Viewers. The Category Viewer features 23 types of sets. To select a Category, choose its picture in the Category Viewer or click on the arrow to pick a name from the pop-up list. The Item Viewer displays the sets in each Category. There are more than 115 sets from which to choose. When you choose a Category, its sets are automatically displayed in the Item Viewer. To put a set on stage, double-click on its picture in the Item Viewer and it will appear on stage. To delete a set, select The Stage in the Category Viewer and double-click on the Blue Backdrop. Q – What can I do with props? The Props button is one of nine buttons found at the top of the Opening Night work screen. Select the Props button to bring up the Category and Item Viewers. The Category Viewer features 10 types of props. To select a category, choose its picture in the Category Viewer or click on the arrow to pick a name from the pop-up list. The Item Viewer shows the props in each Category. There are more than 300 props from which to choose. When you choose a Category, its props are automatically displayed in the Item Viewer. To select a prop, double-click on its picture in the Item Viewer and it will appear on stage. To move a prop, click to select it, and then drag it to a new location. To move a prop above or below the stage floor–like the prop on the left–click to select it, hold down the Shift key, and drag it to a new location. To record the movement of a prop from one location of the stage to another, select the record button in the Director Controls, hold down the Option key, and click on the prop to select it. Then drag the prop to a new location.To flip a prop, click on it to select it, and then choose the Flip Prop option under the Director menu. To make a prop ghostly, click on it to select it, and then choose the Ghostly option under the Director menu. To delete a prop, click on it to select it, and then press the Delete key. Q – What can I do with actors? The Actor button is one of nine buttons found at the top of the Opening Night work screen. Select the Actor button to bring up the Category and Item Viewers. The Category Viewer features nine types of actors. To select a Category, choose its picture in the Category Viewer or click on the arrow to pick a name from the pop-up list. The Item Viewer shows the actors in each Category. There are more than 45 actors from which to choose. When you choose a Category, its actors are automatically displayed in the Item Viewer. To select an actor, double-click on his or her picture in the Item Viewer and the actor will appear on stage. To move an actor, click on the actor’s torso, hold down the mouse button, and then drag the actor to a new location. To move an actor above or below the stage floor–like the actor on the left–click on the actor’s torso, hold down the Shift key and mouse button, and then drag the actor to a new location. When you record the movement of an actor, he or she will appear to be gliding or floating. To record the movement of an actor from one location of the stage to another, select the record button in the Director Controls, hold down the Option key, and then click on the actor. Then drag the actor to a new location. To make an actor walk, click on the actor’s feet, hold down the mouse button, and then drag the foot icon in the direction you want the actor to walk. To make an actor turn to the left, click on the actor’s left side between the waist and the knees. To make an actor turn to the right, click on the actor’s right side between the waist and the knees. To make an actor turn in circles, hold down the mouse button on the actor’s left or right side between the waist and the knees. Each actor has his or her own set of actions. To see an actor perform an action, that actor must be on stage and selected. The Action button is one of nine buttons found at the top of the Opening Night work screen. Select the Action button to bring up the Category and Item Viewers. The Category Viewer features all the actors and will automatically display the actor you have chosen on stage. To select another actor, choose the actor’s icon or click on the arrow to pick a name from the pop-up list. The Item Viewer shows the actions for each actor. When you choose an actor in the Category Viewer, his or her actions are automatically displayed in the item Viewer. To make an actor perform an action on stage, double-click on the picture of the action in the Item Viewer. To record actors as they walk, turn, and do special actions: 1. Begin with the Counter at the desired frame. 2. Select the Record button. 3. Make the actor perform the action or actions that you want to record by double-clicking on the action in the Item Viewer. 4. Select the Record button a second time to stop recording. 5. To see the action played back, rewind the Counter to the place you began recording and then select the Play button. 6. To see and hear everything you have recorded, use the Beginning-of-the-Scene button to rewind and then select the Play button. To make an actor ghostly, click on the actor and then choose the Ghostly option under the Director menu. To assign a voice to an actor, he or she must be on stage, or waiting in the wings, and selected. The Text-to-Speech option under the Director menu also must be selected. To assign a voice to an actor, select the Actor Voice option under the Director menu. Once you have assigned voices to actors and written lines of dialogue, to hear the dialogue spoken you must choose the Text-to-Speech option under the Director menu. To hear written dialogue spoken aloud by actors, you must choose the Text-to-Speech option under the Director menu. 1. Select the actor on stage. 2. Select the Dialog button to bring up the Actor Dialogue Viewer. 3. Begin with the Counter in the Director Controls at the desired frame. 4. Click on the Dialogue Viewer and type in the line or lines of dialogue. 5. Select the Record button a second time to stop recording. (The Counter will not have changed.) 6. To hear the dialogue spoken, select the Play button. 7. To see and hear everything you have recorded, use the Beginning-of-the-Scene button to rewind and select the Play button. To edit actor dialog: When you select the Dialog button, its icon appears at the bottom of the Director Controls to indicate that the editing buttons on either side of the icon are active. Click on the editing buttons in the Director Controls to automatically rewind or fast-forward the Counter to the frames where you have assigned dialogue. When you find a line of dialogue you want to change, type in your edits in the Dialogue Box. You do not need to re-record. | To edit actor names: Select the Actor Button. Then, click on the picture of the actor in the Item Viewer whose name you want to edit. Highlight the name of the actor and type in a new one. The new name will now appear in the list of names found in the Action and Dialogue Viewers. The Edit menu provides simple editing features: Undo/Redo, Cut, Copy, and Paste. Cut, Copy, and Paste are available when editing dialogue and names. The Edit menu is not operational during the creation of a playbill. To delete an actor from the stage, select the actor and press the Delete key. Q – What can I do with lights? Whenever you double-click on a lighting design, you automatically assign it. It will be the lighting design that appears on stage until you assign a new one. The Lights button is one of nine buttons found at the top of the Opening Night work screen. Select the Lights button to bring up the Category and Item Viewers. The Category Viewer features four types of lights. To select a category, choose its picture in the Category Viewer or click on the arrow to pick a name from the pop-up list. The Item Viewer shows the lighting designs in each Category. There are more than 30 lighting designs from which to choose. When you choose a Category, its lighting designs are automatically displayed in the Item Viewer. To select a lighting design, double-click on its picture in the Item Viewer and it will be displayed on stage. Use the scroll bar to alter the intensity of lights. There are seven levels of intensity: full intensity at the top of the scroll bar, nearly black at the bottom, and five levels between the two extremes. When you select the Lights button, its icon appears at the bottom of the Director Controls to indicate that the editing buttons on either side of it are active. Click on the editing buttons in the Director Controls to automatically rewind or fast-forward the Counter to the frames where you have assigned lighting designs. When you find a lighting design you want to change, simply choose a new one by double-clicking on its picture in the Item Viewer. Q – What can I do with sound effects? The Sound Effects button is one of nine buttons found at the top of the Opening Night work screen. Select the Sound Effects button to bring up the Category and Item Viewers. The Category Viewer features 12 types of sound effects. To select a category, choose its picture in the Category Viewer or click on the arrow to pick a name from the pop-up list. The Item Viewer shows the sound effects in each Category. There are more than 200 sound effects from which to choose. When you choose a Category, its sound effects are automatically displayed in the Item Viewer. To hear a sound effect, double-click on its picture in the Item Viewer and it will be played. To record sound effects follow these steps: 1. Begin with the Counter at the desired frame. 2. Select the Record button. 3. Double-click on the picture of the sound effect in the Item Viewer that you want to record. 4. Select the Play button while the Record button is still on to hear the sound effect played back. 5. Select the Record and Play buttons a second time to stop recording. 6. To see and hear everything you have recorded, use the Beginning-of-the-Scene button to rewind and select the Play button. To edit sound effects: When you select the Sound Effects button, its icon appears at the bottom of the Director Controls to indicate that the editing buttons on either side of the icon are active. Click on the editing buttons in the Director Controls to automatically rewind or fast-forward the Counter to the frames where you have assigned sound effects. When you find a sound effect you want to change, simply choose a new one by double-clicking on its picture in the Item Viewer. To remove a sound effect without replacing it, double-click on the No Sound icon, which is the last Item in the Item Viewer of every Sound Effect Category. Q – What can I do with music? The Music button is one of nine buttons found at the top of the Opening Night work screen. Select the Music button to bring up the Category and Item Viewers. The Category Viewer features five types of music. To select a category, choose its picture in the Category Viewer or click on the arrow to pick a name from the pop-up list. The Item Viewer shows the music in each Category. There are more than 195 musical selections from which to choose. When you choose a Category, its musical selections are automatically displayed in the Item Viewer. To hear a musical selection, double-click on its picture in the Item Viewer and it will be played. To record music follow these steps: 1. Begin with the Counter at the desired frame. 2. Select the Record button. 3. Double-click on the picture of the musical selection in the Item Viewer that you want to record. 4. Select the Play button while the Record button is still on to hear the musical selection played back. 5. Select the Record and Play buttons a second time to stop recording. 6. To see and hear everything you have recorded, use the Beginning-of-the-Scene button to rewind and select the Play button. To edit music: When you select the Music button, its icon appears at the bottom of the Director Controls to indicate that the editing buttons on either side of the icon are active. Click on the editing buttons in the Director Controls to automatically rewind or fast-forward the Counter to the frames where you have assigned music. When you find a musical selection you want to change, simply choose a new one by double-clicking on its picture in the Item Viewer. To remove a musical selection without replacing it, double-click on the No Music icon, which is the last Item in the Item Viewer of every music Category. Q – What does the Perform button do? The Perform button is one of nine buttons found at the top of the Opening Night work screen. When you’ve completed your play, the Perform button lets you and your audience see it performed. To interrupt a performance, click anywhere on the screen. The Closed Caption option shows your play’s script at the bottom of the screen. If Closed Caption is off, audience members will appear in the seats at the bottom of the screen in place of the script. Q – How do I create a script? While you put together the elements of your play, Opening Night generates a script for you.To see your script, select the Show Script… option under the Director menu. Q – How do I create a playbill? Select the Playbill… option under the Director menu to create and print out a Playbill for your audience. The playbill features four page templates. To see the playbill pages, click on the arrows at the top of the help screen. |