Live Webcast and ... Post-Production
Dear Julia,
... Post-production. The live shows went live on internet (some delay), but we have the Defence Department super-computor on campus (useless after the end of the Cold War, but, nevertheless, 6th biggest in US), we can digitize and store all the footage of all the shows on it; the memory is practically unlimited. Next, is the real webshow: the viewer can simply click, selecting the takes from diffrent dates and diffrenet cameras, arranging his/her own narrative. The problem is that everything has to be broken into small
(smaller) files... The idea was that after the web-spectator got his narrative, he can post it to share with the rest. Basically, we can reread/resee Hamlet through the mind anybody in the world.
I don't know, if you are familiar with Bakhtin, but he wrote almost 80 years ago; any book experiences rebirth when read, this phenomena is visible and here now. The metaphysical implications are enormous. And not understood. You are young and you probably will see "theatre of one spectator" (as I call it) in action, when the word is watching. It's another world we enter, without recognising it.
Look, the plays, where I have the most problems; so I write now (in Russian and the Moscow Art Theatre wants me back to Russia); there are very few comments in English @ http://write.vtheatre.net/r/title.hrml -- My Russian Play.
Anatoly
Equipment, Wish List...
Sam, we never got to the List, everything we used for webcast of 3 Sisters, came from different departments.
A few comments:
I tried (12th Night) to do Virtual Theatre on our main stage; it doesn't work, the space must be organized for vTheatre production, as we did with Chekhov (the audience on the set and the set was on 4 platforms, so the camera crew can move around).
I do not know the nature of your project, but judging by experience, must be at least 3 cameras (CU, MS and LS) and they should be digital (otherwise you have to reformat the signal before eletronic webcast). Online editor, person, who knows how to cut from camera to camera during the show (we borrowed the editing maching from our local TV station).
The sound is a killer: better have several mikes and sound operator to control the levels (we placed four mikes above platforms).
The tapes are cheap, but taped even rehearsals (so everybody can see their shots and learn for the next shoot), we taped even the live broadcasts.
Since 3 Sisters I use the screen as a part of the sets (The Importance of Being Earnest, Dangerous Liaisons); you will need video projector and computer, of course.
What you can do with the video images is another ballgame; effects and etc.-- the multimedia stuff. I call it the 4th channel (prerecorded footage, which you mix with the live shots -- in HamletDreams, we have another person, typing the comments, during the show straignt to the screen).
Once we got to this stage, the rest is easier -- the computing services came with their equipment to digitize the video signal and run it through their computer to the cable (nevertheless, the quality on the computer screens is low).
You probably will find some records of the process on http://egroups.com/group/vtheatre Virtual Theatre Forum.
The whole thing is so time and energy consuming that I do not do webcasts anymore. Especially, because the scripts must be copyright free -- and not every play is suitable (or be turn into special composition). So, basically, I am writing my own now.
The actors and directors, who did 3 Sisters ( http://shows.vtheatre.net/3sisters/title.html }, graduated and everybody involved need special training (stage and film). More notes in https://afronord.tripod.com/vtheatre/intro.html
There must be my equipment wish list in our dept., you can contact our secretary Maya in Sept. 907-474-7751
My advise is to limit yourself to some very small project. The screming video technology is here, but the aesthetics is not.
Best luck,
Anatoly Antohin
Many Questions. . .
We debated it. Cyber? eTheatre? Web-Theatre? I believe that using real actors is only a first stage in developing those new technologies. At some point there will be computer generated images and mixture of different medias. "Virtual" means that the action takes place outside of actual reality . . .
This is very serious question. I keep thinking that perhaps the majority (especially movie-goers) indeed want the film to have control over them. The Game Principle is different from the old theatre principle....Maybe it is only a small group will be interested in becoming co-creators of vtheatre. Anyway, only 5% of Americans go to theatre anyway.
I will teach a Special Topics "Virtual Theatre" in the Spring 2001, see vTHR class and follow the online syllabus.
We have a link @ Theatre UAF but it functions only when we have live webcast. Now we working on breaking "3 Sisters" and "12th Night" into digital files which we plan to downloading University of Alaska super-computer. There is very extensive post-production period (like in movie-industry) and before we can digitize video signal, we have to have final cut. Many problems, since we are not professional film school and we have difficult time getting quality images and sounds.
In the Spring of 2001, I plan to have a workshop-seminar-production of my hyperplay 'The Story of David Z" with a small cast to focus only on vtheatre and not our theatre box-office. (Dramatic material must be original or in public domain in order for us not to worry about the copyright).
For general questions see FAQ @ Theatre w/Anatoly and FAQ Film-North. Also, the guide pages (top left frames with the listing). If yoiu have a lot of questions, subscribe to vTheatre Forum (click on the "Blink-MysteryPage" at the bottom!)
