MA Digital Theatre
LAB 2
Proposal
For the second Lab my intention is to keep developing the idea of constructing a small (in scale) sample of a physical theatre performance. The aim is to design this performance from the director’s/designer’s point of view in order to create a more intergraded approach that will help me to take my skills to a higher and more professional level and to experiment on an alternative perception of theatre making. The theme of the second lab is based on the 2nd and the 3rd Stage of Grief.
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I will create the set for this performance in a model scale 1:10 or 1:15. My idea is to design every element of this approach digitally and use the projection mapping techniques in order to present that. I will use still or moving digital projections, which I will design them, in order to create the lighting, the atmosphere, the text and its symbolism.
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I will do the design and the performance of the choreography as I did with the first lab. I will create a live performance with live feed recording which will be presented:
a: on a monitor screen that will demonstrate details of my body during the performance,
b: on the plexy-glass surface of the model, by using the pepper’s ghost technique.
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The time of this sample will last 10 minutes in order to give the audience the freedom to walk around and watch also these 3 parts separately.
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Tools that I will need in order to experiment my idea are: (Catalyst), Isadora, Kinect, Theatre lights with colored gels, green screen room, 1 HD Camera for the recordings with the tripod, a Mac computer, a speaker, a cd player, 3 HD projectors,HDMI/VGA/DVI cables, triplehead2Go /dualhead2Go.
The objectives for this work are:
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To use the Isadora software and Kinect in order to create the invisible dialogue visible, between the detailed parts of my body that will present on the monitor screen and the model set’s esthetics/atmosphere, with the live performance.
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To create a digital lighting design in a form of a “living organism” that reacts and acts in relation with the emotions and the movements that the body can reveal.
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To experiment on a different way of performing for Theatre (Physical Theatre).
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To see how everything will be combined as whole piece.
DOCUMANTATION
The Process
The second Lab was focused on developing the first Lab's idea and experiment more in the way of performing. My aim was to explore the area of live performing. According to this idea I created a new approach for the 5 stages of grief. The aim was to perform live and on the same time to demonstrate the digital visuals and the lighting by projecting them on the set model next to me. It was a risk that I wanted to take in order to see if I could create a link between the performer and the model in small scale.
Music
"Are you OK?"
A question that I couldn't answer it with the same way every time. A question that created more questions in my mind. Questions about my states of emotions, my life, of what is important or not, of my reality, the purpose of my existence. A question that is so general that is impossible to answer it with one answer, especially when you are experiencing a life changing situation such as the loss of a loved one. The pain and the strong feeling of survival are able to blind your judgment and make you unable to observe your actions and your behaviour objectively.
The music of the 2nd Lab was created on this value. The idea was to create a dialoque between the live Character on stage who is dealing with the pain and the Voice of a memory. Memory of different phone calls, with the same question over and over again in which is not clear in the end, if the character creates this question to herself. The repeatition of the question creates uncontrolled reactions which might lead to anger, frustration and depression, the 2nd and 3rd Stage of Grief.
The music continues with my voice over a melody that breaks the "walls" of resistance. The words that I used were: "Breathe", "That's it", "Keep going". Words that give hope and ease the pain. The aim of this kind of editing was to create a continuous flow, a timeless thought, an unlimited dialogue between the memory and the protagonist's present .
For the editing I used the After Effects software and Power Sound Editor in order to change the values of my voice and create the effect of delay and depth.
Visuals
The digital design of the Visuals had the same texture with the 1st Lab aesthetics. The same rythm and colors.
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At the beggining and at the end there is the visual of TV white noise in order to give the impression that the world tries to connect with the character's mind.
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After she answers her phone the blue and red lliquid form textures appear, which demonstrate the emotional states of Depression and Anger.
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The visuals were choreographed on the body movements and on the music with cues that I created in Catalyst and Isadora.
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I used 3 HD Projectors: 1 Pico projector for the box, 1HD Casio for the Top projection on the model and 1 HD Epson for the front projection.
For the lighting of the performing area I used a Birdie in order to make my body silhouette more visible for the recording. I wanted to have strong shadows on my face so I placed the light in a diagonal right position of 45 degrees. I didn't use colored gels for the light because it had a warm dimmered light that was perfect for the effect.
I used the count down digital clock in order to put a pressure on the time of the performance. To give the impression that the feelings are like a bomb that is about to explode.
Blue liquid texture with a small light source on the face in order to focus the attention of the audience there. The Depression.
Blue liquid texture with a small light source on the face in order to focus the attention of the audience there. The Depression.
Red liquid texture. The Anger.
2nd Lab PRESENTATION
Final Result
Feedback
The feedback of my peers was very good. Some of them liked the fact that I exposed my feelings through my tears and they felt that the music and how edited my voice in order to create an invisible dialogue with the memory of my mother's voice was a very strong element of the performance.
It was very positive the reaction on the gestures and the movements that I used in order to create a story board, a path line that the audience could feel the links between what they could see, hear and understand.
On the other hand there were some of my peers that they needed a more clear demonstration about the relationship between the model box meaning and the live performance. In addition there was a gap for them that couldn't let them feel empathy and attached with what was happing.
The live performance area is complicated. The semiotics and the symbolisms have to be as clear as possible in order to engage and make the audience a part of the performance.
It was a liberating experience and very interesting area to explore more in the future. My intention is to develop more my ideas in this area and to cover the gaps and clarify the links in my projects.