Just wanted to send along a few thoughts that may be helpful for today's
meeting. I also wanted to say that I think your suggestion for showing
AMONG IMMORTALS in Linz is excellent!! And I agree with your other
suggestions that we translate the MC text into Spanish and that we include
a RealAudio transmission of the MC's words.
---------------------------------------------------
Ok, here's some things I was thinking about that might help in our
discussion and in rehearsal. You already know most of this but I thought
it would be helpful to bring them up again before tomorrow's meeting:
After the oudeis logo appears on the screen and the Parodus begins, the MC
takes the stage;
Now, in my view, the MC is the metronome of the performance. After all,
the MC provides cues for the screens, cues for the MOOMC, cues for the
lighting, and also controls the timing, slowing down when necessary and
speeding up when necessary. This may seem like a lot for the MC to have to
deal with but in reality it is not as complicated as it appears. these
cues are all contained in the MC's text and with a little rehearsal we will
begin to see just how easy all the pieces should fit together.
I also see the MOOMC as the secondary metronome. He (Georg) follows the
cues from the MC and then passes separate cues on to the actors in the MOO.
This, of course, results in the returning translated text becoming part of
the screen.
The screen operator (you) also follows the cues from the MC's text and
triggers them at the appropriate points.
The lighting technician likewise follows the cues from the MC's text which
would put the lights in synch with not only the MC but the screen and audio.
--------------------------------------
Ok, so the way it works is this:
The MC says "Blah, blah, blah, cue"
On cue;
The screen operator triggers the next screen.
The MOOMC enters the appropriate MOO text which serves as a cue to the actors.
The light tech makes the lighting change.
(of course, the cues for the screen, MOOMC, and lights are not always
simultaneous but in practice it still works the same. Everyone follows
their cues from the text)
This process is then repeated a number of times until the end of the
performance. Simple, right :-)
--------------------------------------
INDIVIDUAL ELEMENTS AND WHAT IS NEEDED:
ULLI'S CONES - from what I hear Ulli's cones were great. All that we need
to do in rehearsal for the next performance is to have the lighting tech
get his cues down and check for the optimum intensity for our characters
(cones).
TEXT - the text seemed to work quite well. Since it is included in the
screens and in the audio portion of the performance, I don't think we want
to make any major changes here.
MOO PERFORMANCE - this went very well. With more time Juli and Jim can
perfect the scene changes which was the only missing element.
SCREENS & AUDIO - what I saw (which was not very much) looked great.
However, this is the area where we need the most work and refinement.
*timing of screens - from what Georg said, sometimes the screens moved
slowly and sometimes they moved too rapidly. We have to see if we can
control them to a greater degree.
*loading time of screens - this seemed to be a major problem. We have to
be able to ensure that the screens are loaded and ready for their cue. If
we can not resolve this in any other way, then I would suggest that we get
another computer for this purpose. With two computers for the screens and
audio we could have one computer cued while the other computer is loading
the next file needed. One person should be able to handle this task since
it is the same amount of work, just divided between two machines. I also
know this increases what we need in the way of resources by one computer,
but I think it is worth it if it leads to a smooth performance and no
delays.
*Proper screen timing with MC & MOOMC - with adequate rehearsal time and
the resolution of the previous difficulties, we should be able to get
near-perfect timing.
Well, this is all I can think of right now. As always, tell me what you think!
Really looking forward to the next performance of AMONG IMMORTALS :-)))
Best,
Lee