LOOKING BACK ON THE OTIS RETREAT

The Otis retreat was so full of non-stop activities that I could hardly catch my breath and certainly did not have time or energy to post on this blog.

Now that I have had some time to reflect, my overwhelming response to the experience is this:

I learned a great deal about using a camera, creating a simple visual effect, editing in iMovie and working with iDVD.

I loved the creative process of envisioning a cinematic image

I hated the intensely time consuming process of lugging the equipment, setting up, dealing with noise, lack of light, technical difficulties, etc.

I was frustrated by the fact that when we screened our tiny video during the final event (thank you Traci for attending!) the sound malfunctioned and we had a gravely, then silent film.

Final conclusion:  I love theatre more than ever; I cannot watch a film now without trying to figure out if a shot is a camera tilt, crane or over the shoulder close-up; and I am grateful for the opportunity to discover and learn so much is such a short amount of time!

Otis College of Art &Design multimedia retreat DAY ONE

Just what I needed to round out my study of multimedia as an enhancement to live theatre projects. Today we learned how to make storyboards, shot lists and camera angles. Tomorrow we begin to shoot our team based mini documentaries

They are feeding us well, the Custom Hotel is great and I am totally enjoying this opportunity.

Tomorrow I will take a turn as the cinematographer. Looking forward to the challenge!

CREATING MY FIRST PROJECTIONS FOR WILL PLAY 2011

My summer theatre program, Will Play (that I run as a program of my company TheatreWorkers Project in partnership with Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles) is approaching its final week.  Our production this year is Romeo & Juliet...Reconsidered, a performance college inspired by Shakespeare's famous play and the Broadway classic West Side Story.  As the producer and costume designer (plus the program director--yes, I am exhausted!) I get to do many creative things while my amazing staff directs the piece.  Today at our production meeting I suggested that we use projections to create the digital scenery as the piece moves back and forth between two worlds.  I am in the process of researching images and am excited about working with the tech director to figure out how best to set up the rear projector and create the best throw onto the scrim.  We are also going to use shadows in the rumble scene, using the light from the projector to the light the scrim as the actors move behind it.

If anyone reading this is interested, the link to our site is http://theatreworkersproject.info/.  If you would like to see the show, (performed by young actors ages 7-15) playing Friday, 7/29 & Sat, 7/30 at Shakespeare Center/LA, just contact me and I will be delighted to give you a comp.

WICKED: not what I had hoped for

Maybe it's me, but I just need more substance to really buy sitting thru a huge bgt production or maybe any bgt production. Yes, it was a delightful and witty story. Yes, the actors were excellent and the singing was terrific. But after War Horse and even Memphis, (which had subject matter that meant something)Wicked seemed like so much fluff. And the visual effects that I had hoped for seemed minimal compared to what I had just recently seen--- except for the time when Elphaba went up into the sky on her broom-- thanks to amazing lighting effects , that was spectacular. Oddly, one of the times when they could have used multimedia effects (when Elphaba fizzles and apparently dies) they employed the lowest tech technique imaginable: an actor literally hand pulled a muslin half curtain across the stage and the actors appeared as shadows behind it. It was effective, but so unlike anything else in the show.

I did enjoy seeing the use of cut out miniature scenery that was backlit and appeared way upstage. It added depth and perspective to the stage picture and is something I can easily employ.

Am now on my way back to DC via Bolt Bus ($20 one way, complete with wifi). Looking forward to visiting a few exhibits at the Smithsonian, visiting with friends and having really good food. DC has become a foodie paradise and always has had terrific sea food.

Final food report from NY: I had a little argument with the elderly man behind Zabars's smoked fish counter. I wanted To buy a little piece of whitefish---just a snack. He said absolutely not! He would only sell me a hefty chunk, so I had to pass. No amount of begging would persuade him. Will have to go to Canter's when I get back home if the urge still persists.

ONE HIT, ONE MISS (a big one)

Friday nite: After seeing War Horse, anything was going to potentially pale in comparison. Luckily, Memphis was a total delight. nowhere near the amazing theatrical experience that I had had the nite before, but a good time. It was great to see a traditional Broadway musical in the old classic Shubert Theater. And probably due to the subject matter (race relations and rock n roll) the audience was fairly integrated----many age groups & ethnicities. The projections were fine. Sometimes it was hard to tell what was projected and what was painted. but overall, worth seeing.

Unfortunately, the Museum of the Moving Image was a real disappointment. nothing like it was advertised or at least not in any way what I had hoped for or expected. If one knew nothing about the film or television industry, this museum would have been good. But for a museum that is trying to celebrate the "moving image" it had the worst and most boring exhibits. Where they might have used video installations, backdrops and effects, there were none. Just words on a wall or artifacts in a case. The most interesting thing was riding the subway and getting lost (as usual) walking thru Queens trying to find the museum. My first time in Queens. Other than that, a total waste of time.

Risk Assessment noted: pay close attention to descriptions on a website and call before you go to a museum if you have expectations of something very specific!

Food report: the rugulah at Zabars are tasty, but not as good as my mother's. And, can you believe it, there is a Trader Joe's on Broadway & 72nd. I popped in to take a look. It was sort of bizarre seeing all the same products. A little too much like home. It was jam packed. Obviously just the thing for the busy New Yorkers.

THEATRE IN NEW YORK, DAY ONE

Tonite I saw War Horse at Lincoln Center. Hands down the most amazing evening that I have spent at the theatre EVER! The production values, visuals, multimedia, amazing puppetry, acting, story.....everything moved and inspired me. I feel so lucky to be a part of a profession that brings such work to audiences. I can't wait to see it again when it comes to LA next year.

I definitely got many ideas for how I can incorporate some of the visuals into my work. The latest thing seems to be to project onto a piece of hanging screen that serves as both a piece of the set and a screen. It is very effective and quite different from the usual sq slide screen or simple scrim. The secret has to be how to make the projection fit into the slice of screen. Will have to experiment


I love being in NY. I have walked about 3 miles a day and that is just getting to and from places. Went to Zabars and got some take out delicacies for lunch and did the same for dinner ..got a great piece of Grilled salmon from a local gourmet deli. Last nite met a friend for dinner at Ocean Grill on Columbus and 78th. Delicious shrimp and scallops, marinated in lemon, garlic and olive oil, grilled lightly and served with two spicy sauces on the side. We split a lemon brûlée tart. Small portions, big price tag, definitely worth a litle splurge!

More tomorrow .....theatre, food, walking and the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Quens. Can't wait!

APPROACHING LEG #2 OF MY JOURNEY

I leave tomorrow for the second phase of my journey:  New York & DC to see plays that feature multimedia and museum exhibits that focus on moving images.

Saw two Radar LA shows. One that I had seen in Copenhagen called Two Dimensional Life of Her and another featuring images, shadows and animated video in combination with live actors. Both wonderful to watch and inspiring--got many good ideas for how to create and use "low tech" multimedia effects. But in all cases, I missed STORY. For me, theatre has to have a good story--the images are not enough.

More from the east coast....and of course, a food report will be included!