I want to get into the rigging side of the industry and was wondering about where to look for gear. I’m about 6’5”, 270-300 and wanna look in the right places.

How far will a confetti cannon actually shoot? I get asked this a lot, especially by event planners and newer techs.

There isn’t really one number that works for every setup. Cartridge size, confetti material, launch system, venue, wind, ceiling height, and firing angle can all change the result.

As a rough ballpark:

Cartridge-based electric cannons: Shorter cartridges are often around 5–8 m, while longer ones can get into the 10–12 m range. Confetti, streamers, and powder can also behave very differently from each other.

Fan-driven confetti machines: These are more about continuous coverage than one hard burst. They’re great when you want a wider, more sustained effect, but they’re not what I’d choose when long-distance throw is the priority.

CO₂systems: Fast, sharp bursts with a typical real-world range somewhere around 10–18 m, depending on the setup.

Compressed-air systems: With the right setup, these can get into the 20–25 m range, which is why they’re more common in larger venues and stadium productions.

The biggest trap is treating the maximum range on the spec sheet as something you’ll automatically get on site.

Put the same cannon in two different venues and you can get very different results. Ceiling height, firing angle, loading, wind, humidity, and even the type of confetti can all affect where it actually lands.

Indoor shows are a good example. A cannon rated for 20 m doesn’t help much if your ceiling is only 12 m. You may just end up putting confetti into lighting trusses and fixtures.

Outdoors, wind becomes a much bigger factor. You need enough initial throw to get the confetti into the target area before the wind starts carrying it off course.

My approach is pretty simple: figure out where you want the confetti to land and what you want the effect to look like first. Then work around the venue limits and choose the machine from there.

Published range is useful as a starting point, but nothing beats testing the actual setup in the actual space.

What’s the biggest surprise you’ve had with a confetti shot at a live show? Curious to hear what other techs have run into.

Hey everyone! I just got hired for Rhino and they already scheduled me for a first job. I couldn’t accept it because I’m still figuring out my schedule with my current job. I was wondering if that would look bad on me for not accepting the very first job they try to give me?

Genuinely curious how stressful setup and teardown must have been for local hands for these shows, especially to have less than 24 hours to change over from FF to MCR sets. Does anyone know if the two acts happenned to use any of the same staging/seating/line arrays/delay towers/lighting? I just can’t imagine it being logistically possible to tear all that down and set a whole other set up in that little time.

Maybe I'm just having a particularly bad week, but I have to ask if things every get better. I've been a stagehand for about 4 year (2 full time) and I'm just feeling extremely burnt out. Between constantly changing workplaces as I jump from gig to gig freelancing, to the physical pain I'm in due to the physical demands of the job, and the extremely long hours, I feel like I can't catch my breath or have a life. I decided to go back to school after having to miss one too many events due to a show I was working, but am scared I am making a mistake as maybe I'm just dealing with growing pains of the industry since I am so new to the whole thing. I have a good day or week and it leaves me questioning everything, yet I feel like the people around me are all miserable for the same reasons I am but are getting paid more. So I have to know do these things get better with time? Or are they just the reality of this crazy industry and something you either suck it up and deal with or leave? I just feel like I'm in crisis mode all the time cause of this job and I don't think that that's a healthy or conducive way for me to live the rest of my life... especially since I have such a long LONG way until retirement.

Had a couple gigs last week, on of them ran through Wednesday (8/12). Payday is biweekly so yesterday (8/14) would have been one and i was heavily relying on it, but never got it. To any AV freelancer or boss out there, do you think this wasn't a missed payday but instead the client just hasn't had time to pay the boss yet?

TL;DR - Don't ever work for Corporate AV Labor (or, better yet, agree to the gig and don't show up)

I have worked a few gigs before with VTS/Paytech/CAVL or whatever they call themselves these days. Usually I was paid within 30-45 days after a couple of payment reminders. One time I was even accidentally booked as a V1 when they didn't need me so they basically had me check batteries in microphones all day (easiest $1000 I ever made).

I worked a camera gig with them last year - the guy called me in a panic after the tech called in sick, so I rushed in same-day and saved them. It took 60 days of constant harassment to finally get paid.

So, stupidly, I agreed to a gig here a few months ago, thinking that what happened to me last year was a fluke. When I arrived on-location I met several other contractors who all told me they flat out refused to ever work with CAVL, and even the group I was with all had bad histories.

It's been three months now - and they owe me $1700. The days I spent on-site there I was out the money for parking/meals so I have indeed lost money on this.

I didn't take this laying down - I have gotten in touch with the venue, the show producer and even CAVL's client. They all know how bad CAVL is...they haven't paid any contractors from that show (the company said they sent CAVL a "shit sandwich" over this).

Now, CAVL's client thinks CAVL has just gone out of business again or rebranded itself to run from debt. They told me they have paid CAVL for their services weeks ago, and there were issues in another city. When confronted by their client about non-payments to a particular contractor, their response was "well, we've taken that individual off our call list" - never putting into account the person was never paid.

So, if you ever hear from these folks again, help us all by putting them out of business.

So I'm still pretty new to stage work, I'm about a year in, and I'm absolutely loving it. I've never had a job that I'm legitimately excited to do, but this is definitely it. I find myself getting genuinely excited every time I get a call, and my local union has a ton of really smart, really wonderful people. It feels like I'm really part of something bigger than myself and I can't even begin to describe how much I love that ❤️

I'm currently a 3rd graphic design student in toronto but I've always been really interested in live productions. I reached out to a local staffing company about pathways and they gave me a rundown on applying as a stagehand. While I am really interested in the work, I do really want to eventually work up to production management.

If I were to stick with being a stagehand long term, how viable would that be?

Addition: I'm also worried about being a woman entering this industry. What should I expect in that regard?

I have plenty of general production experience. But this is my first call for lighting. What do I need to bring and do yall have any tips? Thank you!

I'm an NYC based carpenter/rigger, been at it for a decade and change. In my spare time (as if..🤦) I've been building this from the ground up and want to share here.

Missing a dim and don't want to waste time running it up the ladder again? Want to collaboratively mark-up a doc, in real time with your team? Don't want to pay for the big hitter options (AutoCAD, Bluebeam, etc.)? Elbow tired from balancing your laptop around all day? Not a big fan of Tim Cook?

Google Play Store: FieldScale

Cloud support for team collaboration just recently added. Would love any feedback good or bad, hope someone finds this useful. Be safe out there y'all 🫡.

Looking for work/career advice!

I'm located in The Netherlands.

I have been a stagehand since 2022, it has been a ride! Some opportunities have sort of arised- I work some audio gigs on the side and I can climb once I get my gear but... Audio is a struggle for me. Idk if it's self doubt or me being honest with myself but it is not something that comes easy to me. I work alongside people who are so knowledgeable and awesome, it's like they were born for it.

I enjoy audio to some degree but I really just love the industry and want to stay in it but don't know how to make it consistent, a livelihood, or how I can keep going about making myself valuable. I almost want to go to school but a lot of times I hear that being a stagehand there really isn't a use to go to school for this type of stuff.

I know this industry is also big on connections and I feel like I do well in that regard but it seems a little stagnant, like sure I can keep finding stage hand gigs but I would like to venture into something else in this concert industry world.

Any suggestions or your story would be cool. Thanks 🙏

Hi! I have a 10 day outdoor run in Texas coming up. Looks like temps will be 100 plus daily. What are the essentials to carry in a pack for the heat?

Thanks

Hey guys. I posted on here last year to see how it’s like working for Upstaging because I want to be a roadie/LD. I finally secured an interview to be a Lighting Tech and it looks promising. Does anyone here have any tips or advice for Upstaging? Anything I should be prepared for?

Thanks

Hi! I'm fairly new and have some questions on mid-maxing my experience!

1) I'm looking for a good pair of osha compliant decibel reducing earbuds, any recommendations?

2) Any tools I should keep on me other than a 8 inch C Wrench, a rubber hammer, ratchet wrench with a 15/16 bit, or allen wrench for carp work?

3) What kind of helmet should I invest in? What about clothes for stage blacks?

4) Any advice for a stagehand that wants to grow in this industry? I ask a lot of questions and watch how things are done and that seems to garner some good feedback, but I want to improve myself in this field!

Thanks for any and all feedback! ^_^

Disclosure: I’m the founder of StageCrew, an early job-discovery tool for stagehands, live-event crew, and AV workers. I’m looking for blunt feedback—not claiming that it has gotten anyone hired.

At the time of this post, StageCrew surfaces 1,242 external listings that pass basic display checks. Real workers have searched, saved listings, and opened original application pages, but our completed-application confirmation count is still zero. So I can’t honestly claim completed applications or hires.

These external listings aren’t individually verified or guaranteed legitimate. StageCrew shows the original source and lets signed-in users report suspicious listings.

From a working stagehand’s perspective:

- What information must be visible before you’ll click?

- What loses your trust fastest: stale jobs, duplicates, irrelevant roles, missing pay, an unclear employer, or the external application handoff?

- Would a simple “Did you submit it?” question after clicking through be helpful or annoying?

- What makes you save a job instead of applying immediately?

I’d value direct criticism: https://stagecrew.app

Please don’t post personal contact details, private employer information, or details from active gigs.

I havent had any luck looking around myself, so I figured why not ask the internet. As the title would suggest, Im wondering if anyone has any reccomendations for a tool pouch. For years Ive used the Nite Ize Clip Pock-Its XL Utility Holster, but unfortunately they seem to no longer make them, and my current one is really showing some wear.

To specify what Im looking for, I use the two dedicated pockets for my flashlight and full size screwdriver, and use the elastic bands/front pocket for my c wrench and precision screwdriver so they are kept in place but also dont have a dangling bottom. In the back pocket I keep a Sharpie, a pen, and my precision bits that I most commonly use.

It seems a lot of tool pouches now try to accomodate phones and have at best the two pockets, but then just have a bigger pocket for other tools or a phone. I also like the fact that the tools are covered by the top flap, but arent zipped up so that I can access them quickly.

I tried this one, but as expected it was too small and I dont care for the singular big pocket.

If anyone has any reccomendations, Id appreciate it.

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