OK, dumb question here. For a magician with a large traveling show, how exactly does one transport large set pieces, say 4' x 8'? An ATA case that big and thin? Giant heavy duty zip up bags, perhaps? Again, dumb question!

Trucking companies such as Yellow Freight will ship your props out of town, if you have time. Or rent a truck for your needs for local or out of town shows. Of course, these charges are added to the client's fee.

Personally, I would have a case made for all the props in your show.

If you have ever seen my trailer, you know I'm a huge fan of cases. Haha

Sam

Thanks for the reply but I should have been more clear. I've got the truck end of the deal covered. What I meant is how does one protect large set pieces during transit? I'm just trying to envision how someone would travel with 27 different huge backdrop flats which would all require their own unbelievably giant ATA case. Is there another type of covering commonly used to protect them?

I work with freight carriers every day in my "job". I hate dealing with them. Inevitably something always gets lost/broken/damaged/whatever and they always seem to have a way of getting out of taking responsibility.

Do you guys seriously have good luck with them when it comes to magic props? I suppose if you packed the trailer yourself and didn't let the load go into a terminal you might be ok...

At the risk of sounding argumentative , I'm going to say that there are lots of ways to do this, depending on the situation. Touring theater companies can have very large flats (and a lot of them), and they don't need or use ATA-type cases for them. On the other hand, they generally have their own leased trucks, and crews that are experienced in packing the things.

Actually, ATA cases are overrated. Yes they're good, and yes they protect the stuff inside, and yes they look nice, but also yes they're very expensive and often not necessary. Good old-fashioned theatrical road crates with casters are often more than enough to protect stuff in a touring show, and they're far less expensive.

One tip: flats are usually stored and shipped face-to-face and back-to-back to avoid marring the paint job.

Hope that helps a bit.

While I'm on it...

When theatrical companies are preparing for a touring show, every large piece is made so it can break apart to fit in a truck (usually a 53 footer). Even when it's not a touring show, stuff may need to fit in a truck; for instance, when the scenic studio is not in the theater itself. Back when I was the head designer at a major scenic studio, we always took the inside proportions of a trailer into consideration when planning a build. In one case, we were shipping some huge pieces to Dubai (five 53' containers) and actually started out by drawing the container floor plan first.

It isn't rocket science, but it makes you feel kinda silly to build the boat and then realize you can't get it out of the basement.

I've never seen a book that shows you how to plan for shipping scenery, but I think it would be a fascinating read. Those old road crates were something: the varieties were endless, and the tricks used to make them easy to pack and move were really cool. They had to be; the longer it takes to pack and unpack a crate, the longer it takes to set up and strike a show, and, when working with union crews and inflexible deadlines (like an 8:00 p.m. curtain), time is definitely money.

We move all the flat pieces to our Illision Show face to face and back to back with moving blankets placed were they are needed.

Our flats also travel face to face, back to back, in a wood crate, mounted on a caster board. It holds nine flats. Hope that helps.


Kevin

Also keep in mind whatever piece it is must be able to fit through certain sized less then convenient doorways and tight loading docks!