bio box
Sat, 23 Sept 2000, 08:10 pmPip5 posts in thread
bio box
Sat, 23 Sept 2000, 08:10 pmI have been pondoring this question for a while now and have yet to come across a person who can actually tell me the real answer. Where did the term 'bio' as in bio box come from. We all know what it is but what does it mean?
biograph box mystery
Sun, 24 Sept 2000, 12:37 pmGud On Ya' PIP
A TECH subject at last.
Well, my understanding is that 'BIOGRAPH' was the earliest form of Cinematograph (trade name of the U.S.Machine Company) (as the french Luminair Brothers had registered theirs with a 'K') so I am told? - This was exhibited in London in 1897.
However, as most venues, where the biograph was shown, were theatres they had to modify or gaffer up a room in the gallery or gods at the rear of the FOH, which nearly always turned out to look like a box - hence the name 'Bio-Box'. I would say around about the 1960's at the advent of Rock 'n Roll and because of it, more resources were put into lighting and audio to make it better and easier (this was to reduce the labour costs of shows - as most were one night stands in weid and wonderfull places - as is today, so they can have fast bump-in's & out's "Wip IT in - Wip IT out and if we have time Wipe IT" the 'Roadies creed'). Theatres and venues who also did 'fliks' had Bio-Box's, therefore when we moved into electronic control of lighting (that was smaller and portable) and moved away from having 'sunset row' and 'water' dimmers and/or bleeding great 'reostat windings', the Bio Box was utalised to house the lighting control - unfortunetly the audio techs descoverd this and took over (if they are not taking up space and seats in the centre of the house - they always give 40,000 reasons for doing so, but me thinks it is so they can be seen by the punters, bleeding Prima Dona's - bless their hearts?)
It did take a while for large Theatres to acept this change and move the operator upto the box, they also found they had better control of the 'mise en scene' colour palate and they started to hear the lighting, but thats another story - it probably came about faster in the 70 to 80's in community theatre, when the Strand Company started to produce their "Junior 8" dimmers at a reasonable cost as oposed to their 'state of the art' SCR dimmers which the proffessionals used (@ about 10 times the cost). Prior to this the community theatres had rather strange arrangements of switching into series and any other way they could afford (some have not changed???) - still the best is with trough and border lights ( or as the yanks call it "strip lighting" - when I hear this, I get strange images of strobes and Alexander the Great '48 prancing about!!! - ah yes! I remeber it well) where they are turned off stage or up in to the flys and then turn off and/or on, which in my book gives the proper outward fading away effect, unlike the inward effect we have today, but thats always only my opinion.
I hope this helped and possibly answered your burning question -PIP!
We need more questions like this!
Chookas
Joe McCabe
Old Mill - Stagecraft Guild
A TECH subject at last.
Well, my understanding is that 'BIOGRAPH' was the earliest form of Cinematograph (trade name of the U.S.Machine Company) (as the french Luminair Brothers had registered theirs with a 'K') so I am told? - This was exhibited in London in 1897.
However, as most venues, where the biograph was shown, were theatres they had to modify or gaffer up a room in the gallery or gods at the rear of the FOH, which nearly always turned out to look like a box - hence the name 'Bio-Box'. I would say around about the 1960's at the advent of Rock 'n Roll and because of it, more resources were put into lighting and audio to make it better and easier (this was to reduce the labour costs of shows - as most were one night stands in weid and wonderfull places - as is today, so they can have fast bump-in's & out's "Wip IT in - Wip IT out and if we have time Wipe IT" the 'Roadies creed'). Theatres and venues who also did 'fliks' had Bio-Box's, therefore when we moved into electronic control of lighting (that was smaller and portable) and moved away from having 'sunset row' and 'water' dimmers and/or bleeding great 'reostat windings', the Bio Box was utalised to house the lighting control - unfortunetly the audio techs descoverd this and took over (if they are not taking up space and seats in the centre of the house - they always give 40,000 reasons for doing so, but me thinks it is so they can be seen by the punters, bleeding Prima Dona's - bless their hearts?)
It did take a while for large Theatres to acept this change and move the operator upto the box, they also found they had better control of the 'mise en scene' colour palate and they started to hear the lighting, but thats another story - it probably came about faster in the 70 to 80's in community theatre, when the Strand Company started to produce their "Junior 8" dimmers at a reasonable cost as oposed to their 'state of the art' SCR dimmers which the proffessionals used (@ about 10 times the cost). Prior to this the community theatres had rather strange arrangements of switching into series and any other way they could afford (some have not changed???) - still the best is with trough and border lights ( or as the yanks call it "strip lighting" - when I hear this, I get strange images of strobes and Alexander the Great '48 prancing about!!! - ah yes! I remeber it well) where they are turned off stage or up in to the flys and then turn off and/or on, which in my book gives the proper outward fading away effect, unlike the inward effect we have today, but thats always only my opinion.
I hope this helped and possibly answered your burning question -PIP!
We need more questions like this!
Chookas
Joe McCabe
Old Mill - Stagecraft Guild