AWARD WINNER: 33 1/3rd – Projections Production Design

We worked together for weeks prior to tech collecting; historical images from the time and places, graphic design elements from the era, and textures (watercolor, wallpapers). We then assembled these into evolving animations that covered both the false, on-rails, proscenium, and the upstage wall, that helped to tell the story, and add texture and feeling to certain moments.

Before we could build the show however, I had a look at their projections setup, and discovered that with the VGA they had run there, we would be unable to project the full 1980×1200 resolution (which we required to get a ceiling to floor throw). So I worked within the budget of the show to acquire two HDMI to HDBase-T adapters. Using the cat-5 cable the theatre already had, and the projectors native HDBase-T inputs, I was able to get us the full resolution, with no additional budget.

One of the main challenges was the proscenium. Designed to be rolled in and out for different sections, the proscenium had a total of sixteen different positions throughout the show. What I did was split the stage in half (just like the proscenium was) and created four different masks for each side of stage (corresponding with the four different positions), and one global mask that went on top of everything to add a grunge texture, and keep the projections out of the actor’s faces.