Post 8: SHADOW PLAY

    If we don't light the dancers and musicians, we could get a shadow play with people "floating" in the air.We would have to project the same pattern as the background just on the scaffolds and platforms to make them disappear. Background could change from blue to amber as figures move:

     Hanging figures could swing:

     We could also possibly use two of my "Mannequin Sculptures" , the "Archangel Michael" and the life size horse "Bucephalus":

Post 7: POSSIBLE SET DESIGN

   I have come up with this idea for a set with both front projection on shapes and people, and rear projection on a screen behind the set:

    The white shapes can be mapped with the front projector using MadMapper, and different images and videos projected onto them. The white cylinders are the size of a 55 gl drums, 5 gl buckets, and 1 gl cans. The pan flute shape is a set of PVC pipes played with the hands or paddles like those used by Blue Man and others, but with straight pipes instead of using elbows to lower it:

 Ideally, I would like the platforms at different levels to be suspended on cables as a unit, but that is obviously an Adam thing, as Jessica would say:

   I came up for the moment with three different looks that could be projected on this set. Just keep in mind these are very rough ideas, and the figures would be dressed accordingly (Vera's job). The guy on the top level playing "PVC organ" and a huge drum would be John Scalici (are you still up to it?). Randy is going to have to figure out the "Long Strings Harp" stretched in a vertical plane from floor to rafters, it's strings doubled with EL Wire... 

   First, sort of a Steampunk rust, brass gear and weathered look:

     I could see Steampunk inspired costumes with that:

     Then there is sort of a "Blue Moon" look:

     People could either be lighted with the front projector, or with black light, or wear EL Wire outfits.

   And third, I thought of a "Fire" look. The drums become antique fire buckets. and people could be set on fire with the projector if they wear white loose overalls:

     Please guys, give me some feedback. Jessica, what do you think? Adam, can we build such a set? Vera, do you have ideas for the costumes, which of course should incorporate lights? John, how do you feel about it? Real drums could be inside the white cardboard shaped. Or you could play 55gl drums and Jamaican Steeel Drums... Mary, how do you feel about dancing around the set with EL wire on, or projected on?

Post 6: 3D PROJECTION

    I have been experimenting with 3D Photography a long time, and you can refer for information to my two blogs on the subject:
                                               crosseyed3d.blogspot.com
                                     anaglyphsandphantograms.blogspot.com
the second being the most relevant, as most everything can be applied to movies.
   Because it is the one with the deepest 3D space, I plan to use the "Danse Macabre" scene of my "Lux Somnia" show to experiment with two cameras in After Effects placed more or less an eye width apart, and render the sequence as an Anaglyph movie to be seen withRed/Cyan glasses. This is the cheapest and easiest way to achieve the effect, as long as the images contain neither Red nor Cyan.

We could possibly play a 3D animation on a screen during possible set changes.

Post 5: RANDOM IDEAS FOR THE STAGE SHOW

     Draw inspiration from the Blue Men last shows, which now use a lot of projection, balloons, lasers, BIG LED Panels, and take out the blue:  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wENtnlkLbX4    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bol07E6rt3c

     Also think Cirque du Soleil.

    Make musical instruments: electric washtub and broomstick bass, Long String Harp, BIG drums:

 and gongs, thunder panels, a plastic pipe organ:

Explore sounding the pipes individually with a compressor, coiled hose and nozzle:    

Which can also be used to inflate BIG balloons right on stage during the show:

• Light up instruments: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R09qVSOL5Ko   
  
  
  
  
  
• Use recycled instruments: 55 gl drums, garbage cans, 5 gl buckets, pots and pans, wooden spoons, etc... (how about it John?):

• Use exotic instruments: jamaican steel drums, guatemalan marimba, cytar, Musical Saw, etc...  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Use unusual voices: counter tenor, deep booming Robeson type bass, Bulgarian voices, etc... Use Nicholas Lens music.
• Stage set with many different levels, with platforms, boxes, scaffolds, flying cable, trapeze, ropes, cut out luminescent shapes, etc..
• Suspended Light Sculptures like Randy's Styrofoam piece:   
• Visually defy gravity:    
  
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-RXohKepp4
• Use fire? Or at least sparklers:  
  
• EL wire on black costumes, but also lighted sculptural costumes with LEDS, etc...(how about that Vera?):    
  
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8S2cjuTAk-g
• Black light:  
  
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozHAkApTlDg&list=PLAF04DEF5EF730D17      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_9iXFeu5ZA&list=PLAF04DEF5EF730D17&index=33
• Bring a white horse on stage with black lights.
• Shadows in front of projection on scrim(think Balinese Puppet Theatre): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bS1B11-ey4   
  

• Bring the show out into the audience
• Projections on side walls and ceiling, and above the stage.
• Projection on fabric panels, waving banners or loose hanging panels with fans:   
  
• Build a shallow pool of water and do an "Hommage to Pina Bausch" type Dancing in the Rain piece(get ready Mary!), while rear projecting on mist using a 16 ft ring(think BIG Liesa, Tony and Christophe!):     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aANfMDccoy0     
  

Post 4: THE LONG STRING HARP

  When William Close was here for the Season Opening, Randy and I helped take the harp down, and they gave us all the strings. There are made of a special bronze wire I have not yet found a source for.
  We would like to build our own "Long Strings Harp", but I want to make two improvements: try and make it a (barely) portable instrument, and get a better amplification device. William is using a microphone inside the sound box, or right next to the board where the strings are attached. I propose to use a magnetic pickup like those used on bass guitars:

     But there are two big differences between a bass guitar and the harp: hte guitar strings are steel and vibrate transversally, whereas the harp strings are non magnetic bronze and vibrate longitudinally.

    What I propose to test is to attach one end of a string to a wall, and the other end to a $5 wooden tray from Hobby Lobby using a small steel drill bit stop. The pickup will be thin copper wire wound around a cylindrical magnet made of a bunch of small disk magnets held together by a piece of black shrink tubing:

    The steel stop will be glued to the "sound board with epoxy, and the pickup placed about 1/8" to 1/4" from it. The sound board will be strapped to the opposite wall and the string given a much tension as possible. Eventually, I will build a proper resonator box:

Post 3: ANIMATION LASER LIGHT MACHINES

     That is a subject I don't know anything about, and therefore a perfect opportunity to learn something new and exciting. The machines range in price from around $300 to $4000 depending on the output power and the number of colors. I have no idea at this point what is needed for a 4000 sq.ft area.
                        SMALL MACHINE 300mW WITH FULL COLOR ANIMATION RGB LASERS
                           MEDIUM MACHINE 1000mW FULL COLOR ANIMATION RGB LASERS
                              BIG 4000mW MACHINE RGY LASERS ONLY
The Animation Software to do the shows comes from:
                                 LASER ELECTRONICS LTD
The one that seems most adequate and works in 3D is :
                                            ZION LASER LIGHT SHOW SOFTWARE
I have downloaded the demo and started playing with it. It doesn't seem too hard to learn.

Post 2: ON THE STAGE

1. Scrim for rear projection:
            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDRFDdhdxvI&feature=related
2. Grid scaffold painted either black, or Neon green with black lights.
3. Dancers in suits of light. Remote control for the EL wire suits and props, to turn on/off, change color, blink, etc...:
            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTAS_zjpK5o
4. EL wire outlined props: black boxes, ladders, doors, etc...
5. Trapeze, rings, ropes hanging from ceiling.
6. Remote control for the EL wire suits and props, to turn on/off, change color, blink, etc...
7. Front projection on dancers, or mapped on props:
                http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p4GcLqN_d8&feature=related
               http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wVq41Bi2yE&feature=related
          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xK355QRPQpI&feature=related
8. Musicians and instruments outlined with EL wire
9. Lighted costumes:
           http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8S2cjuTAk-g&feature=related
           http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP3fYcCtPRQ&feature=related
           http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGbhp6Y_7d0&feature=related
10. Blue man inspired antics, instruments and music with drums and Earth Harp, lighted balloons, etc...:
           http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI-TvddH2Yw
11. Shadow dance:
            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjwgQ7XwRyA
12. Use Kinect Camera for interactive stuff:
            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUG-Uvq-J-w&feature=related
                  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeQwhujiWVk&feature=related
13. Tesla coils:
             http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdrqdW4Miao

Post1: BRAINSTORMING

    Well, "LUX SOMNIA: LIGHT DREAMS" is now only a souvenir... Let's start a New Dream. My proposal is called " SCAENA LUMINARIA: STAGE LIGHTS".
   Weather was a major issue with "Light dreams", we almost got drowned out, we had to reschedule, and had to re install everything for the second show. Frankly, we were lucky. But that was lots of trouble and hard work, as well as difficulty of a last minute setup, projector alignment, etc...
   What if we left the party outside(with the backup option of bringing it in the lobby in case of rain), and brought the show inside on the stage and in the performing hall itself(side walls, ceiling)?
    Instead of everybody showing their stuff at the same time, we could build the evening like either an ongoing vaudeville show, or a more formal stage show in 3 acts of 3 scenes with intermissions outside with a band and laser projections on the brick building. No need to wrap the building unless Adam really wants to...