CAMELOT Theatrical Special Effects

In my March 26, 2004 post, in which I introduced the concept behind "Anderson's Ghost," I quoted Tim Hansen of Oasis Stage Werks on where the industry is heading in the next 5 years or so:

"I see more technology entering the industry, more moving lights, more motorized rigging, more projected and video effects, more LED's, for instance. This is not a bad thing but it will require more savvy technicians. It will also allow bigger and better shows in smaller spaces. As the technology becomes more affordable, the things that the High School drama teacher has always wanted for a show now become possible. Helping people execute their creative vision is a really great thing."

Later, on September 17, I pondered the future again in light of "The Sky Captain Syndrome:"

Does any of this translate to the live stage? Maybe when holographic projection becomes readily available, that is, reaches that stage where the hardware and software fall into the gap between "available to professionals" and "available to every kid on the block." In the meantime, consider optical illusion more strongly: imaginary sets and props of the Kurt Wenner type and projected background tricks like "Anderson's Ghost." After all, the audience expects us to justify the ticket prices even if we don't sell as much popcorn as "Sky Captain."

Today arrived the Fall 2004 issue of Theatre Design & Technology magazine from USITT containing an article called "The Edge of the Illusion" regarding Mark Reaney's virtual reality production of Mozart's "The Magic Flute" at the University of Kansas that pushed the envelope of what I had been trying to convey. Actually, Reaney sums it up well on his own website with a quote from Robert Edmund Jones: "The business of workers in the theatre is, as I see it, to express a timeless theme by means of the tools of one's own time."

Mark Reaney: I really, really like this guy even though I've never met him. I first stumbled upon his work back in 2000 when I was researching (i.e. stealing from the best) lighting and set designs for "Amahl and the Night Visitors" and found myself on Reaney's website which I promptly bookmarked with the comment: "Keep an eye on this guy." Then I ripped off as much of his lighting design as our instrumentation could handle! It was a pleasant surprise to see him pop up again at the cutting edge of my dream world: the merging of computer graphic technology with live theatre. He goes "Sky Captain" one better: there is no fixed set, it's all computer-generated, but it's re-created live every night and never exactly the same. That's what I've been talking about all these years.

To quote Reaney:

Virtual reality or VR is the practice of using computer generated models that can be manipulated in real-time. Unlike video or computer animations it is not prerecorded and so is unique to every performance. This technology allows artists to communicate to a modern, media-savvy audience and retain important characteristics that make live performance special and distinctive. Furthermore new staging techniques have provided a great deal of freedom and flexibility compared to conventional scenery. Changes of scene are instantaneous, virtual locales are not constrained to budgets of money or manpower. They are not limited to the physical confines of the theatre or even to the laws of physics. VR scenery is ultimately portable, entire productions being created with a computer and a video projector. Fantastic special effects can be achieved with no extra cost, special equipment or danger to the performers. But the real power of VR scenery may be in its malleable nature. VR scenic environments can move, grow or otherwise change in order to reflect the development of the drama.

If you're not a USITT member and can't get your hands on the magazine, at least take a look at Reaney's Magic Flute website, then go back to his i.e.VR homepage and look at the Research section. The concept of "The Edge of the Illusion" flies in the face of what most directors have been taught to believe: that the audience must not see backstage or be aware of the mechanics behind the show. My last director would not even allow the actors to acknowledge the booth at the curtain call; they could acknowledge the pit orchestra but the tech crew were nonentities in his opinion. I had to mount an active revolt on closing night to get the cast to acknowledge the crew. Hey, techs work just as hard as those talking clothesracks out there or, as I said to one director once in the words of the McDonald's ad: "Would you like lights with that?"

posted by C. J. # 9:34 PM