Update on Theatre Lights Project

I thought I had this written up somewhere, but I just can't find it.

Latest is that we did the filming Sunday September 21, after which I was away till the following Thursday.

At this stage, most of the footage is now on my Mac, ready to be edited.
Micky has promised to help me with extracting the sound from the Camino video with a view to hopefully improving the quality in Audition.

Still awaiting the fourth piece of footage before beginning the editing.

PROPS

So far I have got the two long sticks,
I also got two white coverall suits for the two stick bearers.
Am working on the soundtrack but with some difficulty. Let you know tomorrow how I get on.
E

REPORT meeting Wed Sept 17 at Kylemore Cafe

We met at 1800 on the dot, and finished at 1900 on the dot. I think we are marvellous!
Present Siobhan, Stephanie, Laura R, Elizabeth

Siobhan told us about a Conversation and Performance at IMMA Sept 26 1800-1939 (click link for info) This involves a shadow play.

Siobhan had printed out the Instructions/Script for us to discuss.

We covered various topics

PROPS
For the butterfly, possibly use a dismantled collander - the metalic ones that are used for shaking the wet of lettuce. The weight of this might provide an interesting effect. Siobhan will bring wire and toolbox on Sunday.

Could other domestic items be used to make interesting shadows?
Fan and net curtain blowing in the wind
Steam from hot water

What about deep breathing, and loud heart-beat as part of sound-track

If we can make our own GOBOs, would our images be better positive, or negative?
Could we create a human-shape GOBO to create a halo around walker

CAMERA
Elizabeth may be able to get her daughter to do some camera-work
Idea is to use 3 x fixed cameras at different locations, and 1 x close-up camera.
Important not to cross the 'camera line'.
What would happen if we videoed the reflection in a large mirror?
Is there a large mirror available to us at the theatre?

Laura is willing to take responsibility for checking fixed cameras are set up properly.

LIGHTS
Fading light during walking may provide a good effect.
I just realized that we didn't allocate anyone to manage the lights in the control room. Maybe Laura should do this rather than the cameras

SHADOWS
The single most important item we have not dealt with is the issue of a screen, or some surface on which to project shadows.
Elizabeth will bring a sheet and clothespegs.

SOUND
The soundtrack should be prerecorded, and the action fitted in to this, rather than attempting to record the sound live.
However, additional live sound might be possible e.g. tambourine

AGREED
Next getting together is this SUNDAY Sept 21 at 1130 at Tallaght Theatre when we will shoot the project.
Everyone will bring domestic items that they think might make unusual shadows related to the walking theme of the narrative.

We will also get together after the performance at IMMA on FRIDAY Sept 26 2008 around 1945. North Range is where the performance is. (Means we can't stay till the end of the wine reception.)
This meeting will be to discuss what if anything can be done about editing the footage we have before we return to college on the following Monday, Sept 29.

BELATED Reports part one

September
Part one OF REPORT (writing the reports seems to take much longer than the meetings themselves. - not sure there will be time to write the rest of this, seeing that we are currently planning to be filming whatever we are going to do this coming Sunday, September 21 2008. Howver its such good stuff, I'll see how I'm going. Might write it up later on - finding TIME being the challenge.)

LAURA IDEAS (missing from last report sept 11 2008)
Wants to experiment and get as much out of the experience as she can
to push the barriers,

***

2nd visit to Tallaght Theatre September 13 2008
Present: Michael L, Shane (theatre technician), Laura R, Sinead, Elizabeth. Dave was working, Stephanie unavailable.

SHANE ideas on using light to give a sense of movement into the distance by using a low light and walking away from it, causing the shadow to contract, and to pale. ILLUSION using shadows even though the person doesn't actually walk very far.

MICHAEL on using simple enough tricks, to give the effect we want, without using very technically complicated stuff.
Also might work using three people instead of just one, using the projection of continuity.

SHANE on possibility of conveying a longer time by having a young person, followed by someone older, then someone old gives more perspective of time

ELIZABETH Even though we are still at the ideas stage now, by next Tuesday or Wednesday, we need to know exactly what we are doing.
Need to throw out all the vague ideas, and get it down to what we are going to do - five minutes or less if possible.

MICHAEL on 'value for effort' - doing white make-up for such a short piece might be more work than the effects would be worth.
If we decide to use masks rather than makeup, they have to be directed.

ELIZABETH - even a hood/mask combined ....

SHANE: Have we blocked the show - where it begins and where it ends?

ELIZABETH: Need to decide how narrative it is going to be, or just a snapshot into the Camino.

ELIZABETH: Explains what is THE CAMINO - a pilgrimage across the north of Spain, started about 1200 years ago as a pilgrimage, but now is also a challenge for anyone who wants to do it.

SHANE We will have to come up with some sort of script - you have to have something to make a lighting design around
Lighting adds to the story, you have to have some sort of story to light. Try and keep it as simple as possible. One light can do loads - that's just as simple

Sometimes you can absolutely overdo it, and it just doesn't work.
I don't know what sort of piece ye are going to come up with, but keep it as simple as possible, and ye will be OK.

ELIZABETH: (on seeing the extent of the rig) there is so much in it, the difficulty will be so say what we are not using, and to limit ourselves to keep it simple.

SHANE, from listening to what ye are saying, I keep coming back to keep it simple. And keep your colours simple also.
... use of light for example to show harshness by shining light, only upwards to the face.
... take some close ups so these can be slotted in afterwards
...might do these with side lighting to emphasize the face

Sometimes in a live performance the emotion is much more obvious, but when its filmed, its not the same. You can help to bring the emotion through the camera by giving close-ups.

ELIZABETH On the actual Camino, starting in the darkness, the light really was coming up from behind.

SHANE - these lights can be faded in very slowly, even over two or three minutes to show approaching dawn.

Elizabeth: Great to see what's here ...
SHANE: .... to play with. Don't be afraid to experiment either, just try and keep it simple.

ELIZABETH: Joey's suggestion: Start with ONE LIGHT and push that as far as you can take it, before adding a second light.

SHANE: on work he has done with only three lights or less. Even though they had other lights, just because you have them you don't have to use them.
Trust your instinct. Go with your gut feeling and keep it simple, and you'll be fine.

ELIZABETH on her preference for black and white, shadows, reflections.

SHANE there must have been moments of joy on the walk ... well that's where you would put in the colour - to make it warm.
To show the harshness, keep it open white, black and white ...

ELIZABETH likes idea of keeping it black and white with just glompses of colour - actually that's how it was. examples of bowl of cherries, butterflies,

SHANE on how changing light can portray the 'bowl of cherries', also facial expression, especially face into the light, can give impression of hope.

TO BE CONTINUED

In case you aren't aware, Sinead has also been recording our progress on the Tulips Page if you want a look.

Performance INSTRUCTIONS aka SCRIPT

ACTION SCRIPT - includes ideas for lights and sounds.
To be Read while referring to sketches posted earlier (see below)
Scene 1
- Darkness
- Silence
- Empty stage all black -
Scene 2-
- Small light appears at left side facing existing stage.
- Sound of tapping sticks
- Walker appears from right, walks towards left
Scene 3
- About half way across Rosy light begins to fade in
- About half way across, marching music heard very softly
- Walker continues walking, vanishes into darkness at left side, small light vanishes when Walker vanishes. Music fades, not quite completely, tapping of sticks can still be heard.
Scene 4
- Darkness
- music fades in louder, tempo increasing slower,
- Purple light increases on stick Bearer in Black
- Stick Bearer in black raises stick slowly so that swinging weight moves within the beam of light, causing shadows on backdrop
- Music loud and slow (distorted) Begins to fade out
- Purple Light fades slowly
- Stick bearer lowers weight
Scene 5
- Darkness
- Small light fades in on left
- Light at floor level on right increases slowly
- Music sound increases, still very slow and distorted.
- Walker enters from right, walking more slowly as if climbing a hill
- Music slows even more while fading out
- Walker exits again from left
- Light fades out.
Scene 6
- Darkness
- music fades in louder, tempo increasing (faster, but not yet normal speed)
- yellow light increases on stick Bearer in white
- Stick Bearer in white raises stick slowly so that butterfly moves within the beam of light, causing shadows on backdrop
- Music loud and almost normal speed, then slowly begins to fade out
- Yellow Light fades slowly
- Stick bearer lowers butterfly as light fades
Scene 7
Darkness
Small light appears at left
Floor level light appears and brightens slowly
Tapping of sticks is heard
Walker appears, walking more briskly as light brightens
Music fades in, then increases in tempo as well as volume
Yellow and purple lights both fade in
Stick bearers raise their sticks simultaneously.
Various shadows mingle on backdrop
FINALE
Lights bright
Sounds loud and tempo brisk
Walker marking time with sticks
coming to end of music, it fades out
Ends with complete darkness again
ENDS
Walker

Drawings from last night's posting

Fig 1. This sketch is meant to show something like the layout we might use. Its a starting part for our ideas anyway.

In it you can see 9#(looking from top to bottom of sketch:
4 bars overhead across the stage on which lights can be hung, facing in either direction.

On Bar 2 from the front, you can see the crossing lights, purple for sad emotions, Golden for positive emotions. These lights shine towards the two 'stick-bearers' who will raise long sticks with shadow-creating objects. (See Fig 2 below)

Across the front of the stage area, which is also in front of the seating area, depending on which way you are looking at it, is the pathway of the Walker.

At the back of the seating area is a further bar, close to and paralell to the back wall of the theatre. From here a pink light could be shone to indicate sunrise.




Fig 2
This image shows one of the stick-bearers with a butterfly in the beam of the light. The idea would be for the movement of the cut out to cause interesting shadows.

Theatre Lights Project - SCRIPT IDEAS - 1st draft

PERFORMANCE SCRIPT:

Date: Monday, 15 September 2008

Authorship: Elizabeth,

What do we want to SAY? = MESSAGE/NARRATIVE

WHO do we want to say it to? = TARGET AUDIENCE(S)

WHY do we want to say this to these people? = MOTIVATION

HOW are we going to say it? VISUAL/AUDITORY/KINESTHETHIC

HOW are we going to make a RECORD of what we do/say? CAMERA/SOUND

MESSAGES/objectives

At the end of this process/performance, those who see the finished product will have an awareness of the following:

• • That theatre lights have a potential function in the making of art.


• • That performance art can be enhanced by the use of theatrical lighting


• • That in lighting, less is more (means possibly only one light shining at any one time.
  


• • That despite being fixed in position, a certain degree of light movement can be created by illusion.


• • That lighting can enhance, and even create an emotional atmosphere


• • That shadows can have a significant role to play in the use of light.


• • That a simple NARRATIVE can demonstrate the above messages.

PERFORMANCE NARRATIVE tells how walking the Camino to Santiago in Spain can be a mixed experience of pleasure, pain, inspiration, discouragement, triumph, even humour, and sometimes boredom.

TARGET AUDIENCE(S)

• • The participants will be the main audience, especially during the performance itself
  

• • Afterwards a potential audience might be the tutors in college, and fellow students.
  


• • Website ‘Don’t Eat the Tulips’ have expressed interest in the process of this project


• • If the results are satisfactory, the project might be built on for the DARKLIGHT event early 2009.

PEOPLE

What Performers do we need?

• The Walker
• Black stick bearers
• White stick bearer

What Technicians do we need?

Camera person to operate the zoom in camera

Lights person to manipulate light desk

Sound person to manipulate sound desk

Props/Continuity person (to make sure people have what they need next)

Locations: Where will they be?

Walker in the area between stage and seating

Black stick bearer to left of seating, (as seen from walkers perspective)

White stick bearer to right of seating (as seen from walkers perspective)

Actions: What will they be doing?

Walker will be walking; disappears at ‘end’ of walking area, goes backstage, reappears at start again.Uses different styles of walking/stick useage to indicate uphill, downhill, easy, difficult terrain.

Black SB will create shadows using negative cut-outs (perhaps images suggesting steep hills, rocks, )

White SB will create shadows using positive cut-outs ( perhaps flower, butterfly, bird etc)

THINGS

Props:

2 x Long sticks (one white, one black)

Shadow cut-outs:

Butterfly

Flower

Monster

Swinging Weight

Costumes

Stick bearers: long white/black gown and paper mask head-dress

Walker; Red kaftan, blue hat, backpack, two walking poles

Scenery/Location

Minimum – black walls, floor, red seats

LIGHTS

Lights Locations

A – WHITE light at Floor-level shining along front edge of stage

B – YELLOW lightOverhead ? bar 2 over stage,shining diagonally across set –On white Stick bearer, along the path of the stick

C – PURPLE light Overhead ? bar 2 over stage,shining diagonally across set –On black Stick bearer, along the path of the stick

D – Very SMALL WHITE light at ‘end’ of walk. Disappears when Walker goes back stage.

RECORDING

CAMERA

Camera Locations x 4

W – High left top of seating facing diagonally across set – fixed no operator

X – Medium right middle of seating facing diagonally across set – fixed no operator

Y – Low ground level facing slight diagonal along front of stage/seating – fixed no operator

Z – Low ground level centre , manually operated, mainly for close-ups

Camera Shots: During performance, close-up shots of Walker’s face, panning shots to show effect of shadow makers.

SOUND

Source:

Music from Group met on Camino.

Played at different speeds and different volumes to indicate different moods.

Management

Create a DVD to match the proposed movement of the performance