Spike (stagecraft)

During a theatrical [[technical rehearsal]] one of the [[stage management]] team will be ready to mark positions as required. To enable spike placement to be done quickly, staff may pre-cut small strips of tape either by scoring tape still on the roll or by cutting strips of tape and placing them onto a small piece of wood or clipboard called a ”’spike board”’. When spiking a position for a performer, a small cross is typically used. For furniture pieces and [[scenery wagon]]s, the marks are usually two pieces of tape laid in an ”'”L””’ shape at two points or corners of the item. Usually this will be the [[up-stage]] side to minimize the visual impact for the audience. In larger productions the [[stage manager]] will typically use different coloured spikes to differentiate the positions of various items and performers. Depending on the performance, writing will be placed on the spike to indicate what items are being marked, and in which [[Act (drama)|Act]] and [[Scene (drama)|Scene]] the spike is used.

During a theatrical [[technical rehearsal]] one of the [[stage management]] team will be ready to mark positions as required. To enable spike placement to be done quickly, staff may pre-cut small strips of tape either by scoring tape still on the roll or by cutting strips of tape and placing them onto a small piece of wood or clipboard called a ”’spike board”’. When spiking a position for a performer, a small cross is typically used. For furniture pieces and [[scenery wagon]]s, the marks are usually two pieces of tape laid in an ”'”L””’ shape at two points or corners of the item. Usually this will be the [[up-stage]] side to minimize the visual impact for the audience. In larger productions the [[stage manager]] will typically use different coloured spikes to differentiate the positions of various items and performers. Depending on the performance, writing will be placed on the spike to indicate what items are being marked, and in which [[Act (drama)|Act]] and [[Scene (drama)|Scene]] the spike is used.

In film and television, a generic ‘X’ spike for performers is typically replaced with a ”'”T””’ mark, where the actors’ toes are placed on the horizontal bar and the vertical bar is between their feet.<ref name=”Gloman” /> This mark is most commonly used to spike “stop points” allowing actors to travel around a set and stop in the correct position and orientation to be in focus for the cameras.<ref name=”Gloman” /> When entertainment professionals advise one another on “hitting your marks,” this is what they are referring to. (For various technical and artistic reasons beyond the scope of this articles, professional cameras normally do not use [[autofocus]], meaning that actors who cannot hit their marks will be out of focus in the resulting [[Shot (filmmaking)|shot]].)

In film and television, a generic ‘X’ spike for performers is typically replaced with a ”'”T””’ mark, where the actors’ toes are placed on the horizontal bar and the vertical bar is between their feet.<ref name=”Gloman” /> This mark is most commonly used to spike “stop points” allowing actors to travel around a set and stop in the correct position and orientation to be in focus for the cameras.<ref name=”Gloman” /> When entertainment professionals advise one another on “hitting your marks,” this is what they are referring to. (For various technical and artistic reasons beyond the scope of this article, professional cameras normally do not use [[autofocus]], meaning that actors who cannot hit their marks will be out of focus in the resulting [[Shot (filmmaking)|shot]].)

The placement of spikes in film and television is typically the responsibility of a camera assistant (North America) or [[Grip (job)|grip]] (Europe).

The placement of spikes in film and television is typically the responsibility of a camera assistant (North America) or [[Grip (job)|grip]] (Europe).