Monday, October 05, 2015
Media Design in the Rehearsal Hall Part 3
HowlRound: A type of interactive media that is common and essential in rehearsal is the use of live cameras. When using live cameras there are latency issues, so it is best to give the performers enough rehearsal time to adjust to the delay between video capture and display. In rehearsal we should try to simulate the production set-up as much as possible. If you can’t afford to have HD cameras in the rehearsal hall, use a cheap camera, a cheap projector, or monitor and start rehearsing with the live footage. Performers react differently when working alongside a digital version of another character than a live performer standing in front of them. Performance changes in subtle and not-so subtle ways when framed inside a monitor, or placed within the confines of a projection surface.
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3 comments:
This sounds like a project I would love to experience for myself. It seems this interactive media is actually a watchable performance for those who are also in the room. With the evolution of media, designers are coming up with crazy idea. I love seeing and hearing about the designs that are created to become interactive experiences. It truly allows the audience to be immersed in the element of the piece. I think audience interaction is key with generation coming up. Technology is advancing and lots of people are becoming visual and kinesthetic learners. I also feel that school and educational facilities in the future should use media as a leeway into helping students learn through fun and interactive lab experiments that consist of sound and media elements to help further a student's education. I know when I go to museums with interactive piece, I seem to be more intrigued by what I'm encountering than if I was just starring at a painting.
Even though there have been several articles in this series on the usage of media during rehearsals, this one captured my attention because I’m reading it after the Conservatory Hour designer talk on the upcoming production of Lord of the Flies. As someone who hopes to go into scenic design, I have conflicting feelings on media design. In the few shows I’ve seen that have used media, for the most part I thought that it took away from the story more than it added to it, with a few exceptions (such as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime). However, after hearing the media designers discuss their concept for the show, and seeing renderings of what they’re picturing for this modernized, digitized version of a classic story, I’m super excited to work on and watch the show. I’m particularly intrigued by the idea of using live cameras, which is something the article highlights, and I can’t even begin to imagine the complexity and intricacy of designing and organizing the usage of live cameras during a show. I’m really looking forward to seeing how this unique concept for Lord of the Flies develops, and I hope that the media design ends up being as successful as they’ve described it can be.
I think that one of the most important aspects of this article was that not every production has the ability to rehearse in the performance space. And even here at Carnegie Mellon, we most often don't have the ability to do this. And obviously there is a clear economic reason why productions do not get the ability to rehearse in the space, but I think as the industry shifts more and more towards found locations for productions and incorporates media into productions, like the article mentions, trends may begin to shift. The economic reason of why do not practice this now is because a venue typically wants to have performances in their spaces, so they can bring in revenue, not produce costs like a rehearsal would. But if a show is performing in a warehouse that the company found specifically for that show, it would not make sense to have another show perform there, so the show would be able to hold rehearsals in their performance venue.
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