Stage Directions: Peter Mumford drew on Clay Paky’s Sharpy luminaires to turn light into scenery for King Kong. Mumford used 46 Sharpys to create a “web” of light projected onto a smoke screen for Kong’s first appearance and for gun effects as Kong gets shot down from the Empire State Building. Mumford also used 39 Clay Paky Alpha Profile 700 fixtures (among the 240 moving lights for the show) to supply the general back and side light for the show, as well as gobo projection and aerial effects. All lighting was supplied by PRG.
10 comments:
Okay, can I just say I am pissed, I wrote this comment then my gmail failed on me and I lost it. But here we go again...
I really like the idea of using these moving lights for a show that is supposed to take place in the 1930s. When I think if King Kong I think of the black and white movie, and so I am very curious as to what the show looks like onstage. Knowing the story, the drama can really be enhanced by dramatic lighting. From the picture it looks very rock and roll-esk because of the beams. These beams also seem to do a lot for the ape, making his size more dramatic and supernatural.
After reading the article I'm still not entirely sure I understand the effect that Mumford is trying to create but based solely off of the picture it looks like a really cool and very different show. So I went and looked up some video of the show and it looks spectacular. Like Simone said it has a very rock and roll feel to it with all the media and lighting effects. It looks a lot more dynamic than most other shows I've seen and I think looks really cool. I'd be interested in seeing it if the shows makes it to the states.
I've always been one to say that throwing a lot of Sharpys on stage together does not make for a good lighting design. However, it seems as though Mumford has found a use for them that I might enjoy. Found the sound of things, Mumford uses the Sharpys in a way that captures them as more of a structural and sculptural element that an element of light. The unique use of interlocking webs of beams seems as though it is a captivating look that aids the performance in more ways than one. This is definitely a show I would like to see.
Upon some further research and youtube searching, it looks like the lighting was something that was definitely done right with this musical. Mumford really puts a modern twist on his design for a show based on the 1930s, and does a phenomenal job with the use of so many Sharpys. Although from the picture supplied with the article and even with some youtube searching it was rather difficult to find an example of what this grid-like structure was supposed to be. Other than that, I think that it is an exceptionally innovative way to use so specific of lighting fixtures.
What an intriguing idea to recreate King Kong in lighting. Mumford definitely is thinking outside the box on this particular project. Sharpys, in theory, seem like an interesting media. A bunch of the lighting lingo is really over my head, but I can appreciate the amount of time it must have taken to focus and program the moving fixtures to represent such an iconic piece of cinematographic history. I also like the way that the piece has a crazy kind of rock and roll feel. What interests me about this show is precision of the beams. That really adds to the overall effect.
It sounds like another lighting designer is confirming what most already agree on: Clay Paky makes some pretty awesome fixtures. I remember reading about the Sharpy when it first came out and being amazed by the looks and effects it could produce. The Sharpy definitely helped push automated lighting into an area previously dominated by lasers. In the case of King Kong, I am especially intrigued by the idea of using the Sharpy's tight beam to simulate gunshots. I think that is highly innovative and I applaud Mumford's design idea!
It seems like Mumford has created a really neat effect, using moving lights almost as media generators instead of just to illuminate the stage. The effects he creates with these lights are really cool, and add to the industrial feel of the show that is apparent in the pictures and video. And, as Simone said, it does give it a cool black and white feeling that makes it seem like an older monster movie, as I can only assume the designers intended it to.
Is this the future? Am I eventually just going to be replaced by more lighting and media designers? Is actual scenery going the way of the giant apes? "With a scenic backdrop that primarily comprises video and lighting effects," it sounds like what some people would like to see in theatrical spaces are 3D movies without the glasses. As soon as we can replace the animatronic (and frankly a little lame-looking) monkey with a holograph, the last outpost of designers and builders of actual scenery will have been over-run by the barbarians of technology, and I will hang it up, move to Nova Scotia, and learn to knit hats and tea cozies, because there won't be anything fun to do in theatre anymore.
I think that this show looks really cool. It offers a lot of opportunities for bringing new technology into the theatrical world. The images that I have seen on social media have looked spectacular. However, I have a lot of the same concerns with King Kong being a musical as I did when Spider-Man the musical came out. This would be, would King Kong actually make a good musical?
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