Preface
From the smallest black box theatre to the largest live performances, such as the Olympics, the Super Bowl, and rock concerts, the use of digital media, such as projection and video, is commonplace on stages the world over. Some of these productions are massive, utilizing very large budgets, dozens of team members, and truckloads of professional broadcast technology. At the opposite end of the spectrum there exists a vibrant community of do-it-yourself (DIY) artists who are working solo or in small groups to experiment with and explode the boundaries between live performance, projection, video, and new technologies.
We believe that adding digital media into theatre and live performance can result in more vibrant, malleable stages and storytelling environments that offer endless options for theatre makers to tell stories and craft experiences in ways not possible otherwise. The benefits and detractions of including projection, video, and new digital technologies into the world of live theatre is a constantly debated issue. Supporters proclaim a new age of theatre is upon us. Critics argue that the use of digital media ruins the liveness of the theatrical experience and that there should be a firm division between the worlds of recorded and digital media and that of the live theatre. In-between these two extremes, there are many nuanced ideologies. Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum, the simple fact is that the inclusion of digital media into theatrical performance is here to stay.
Formalized use of projection in theatre dates back to at least the 1920s with Erwin Piscator, even earlier with the work of artists like Loie Fuller, perhaps even with the invention of the zoetrope, or still earlier with ancient shadow puppetry. Josef Svoboda’s advancements of Wagner’s idea of a total work of art by integrating projections and new technology into theatre are an inspiration to digital media designers. Their use of automation, blended projection, and mechanically timed and driven displays was loved by some, but replicated only by those who could afford it. Now that these types of media systems are more universally affordable, the industry and educators are still figuring out standardizations and best practices to incorporate them into the industry and theatrical training.
Technologies emerge, evolve, replicate, die, and reemerge as something new at an extremely rapid pace. Because the technology and methods of integrating them into theatrical productions have changed so rapidly over the past few decades, and more productions and academic departments are including digital media, it is vital for our industry to create and share best working methods.
While many seminal texts exist on the theory and history of digital media in live performance, we have noted a lack of one that provides a comprehensive and straightforward practical guide; one that holistically addresses the fundamentals of digital media design and the technical aspects for its integration into theatre and more broadly into a live performance. We hope this text fills an underserved niche and proves a useful tool for those already familiar with theatre who are about to embark on the journey of becoming a digital media designer.
What’s in a Name?
There are a number of different ways of referring to and crediting a designer. Digital media design, the term we primarily use in this book, is often referred to as media design, projection design, video design, stage projection, or interactive video design, among many others. Do the differences in these names really matter? Is this just semantics? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. So, what do we call ourselves?
Despite the fact that projections have been used in theatre since the early twentieth century, it wasn’t until 2007 that The United Scenic Artists Local USA 829 offered a category known as “Projection Design,” and not until 2010 that the Yale School of Drama offered an MFA in projection design. Since one of the most ubiquitous tools used by digital media designers is video projectors, then projection design seems an appropriate title. Yet, the range is now quite vast for what is possible to achieve with other technologies. Video content can be created by a vast number of different styles, forms, and methods, such as cinema, animation, generative computer-driven imagery, video games, or any other method you might be able to name. There is a similar bevy of display possibilities available for the designer, from projection screens to TVs to 3D head-mounted displays. To regard the role of digital media design as only projected light can seem too narrowing for some designers.
At Arizona State University, where the authors earned their MFAs in interdisciplinary digital media and performance, and at other academic institutions that train designers, the term media designer is used. This title is broader in scope and more inclusive of not only projected content and system design but also elements such as motion capture, interactions (sonic, haptic, sensors), exotic display types (e.g., lasers), and even robotics, to name just a few. Yet, even though we have often been credited as media designers, we have come to see that this title is not perfect. It is too broad and confusing for audiences to understand what it means, since media can be inclusive of so many mediums.
Hence, there is no real uniformity in titles across the industry. Titles are flexible and will change depending on exactly what kind of digital or analog media you are using and how it is integrated into the performance. Yet it seems important to have a unified title for the field. Since the union has adopted “projection designer,” in many ways we think this should just become the standard—so that there is one title used across the industry. But the more we discuss the topic with our colleagues working in the profession, we have come to believe that projection design is too limiting in scope. It would be akin to calling sound design “speaker design” or costume design “sewing machine design.” It does not account for new technologies and methods of display that are not projection-based.
Since nearly everything we do in this field requires the use of a computer, which is a digital technology, we have planted a flag in the ground, and moving forward we will use the term digital media design(er). While maybe too long a title and perhaps not perfect, it includes projections and all the other various elements, described earlier, that may be incorporated into the field of theatrical design known as projections. More than the title we give ourselves or the debates about what the proper term should be, what ultimately matters is that we:
- Are on the same page as our collaborators.
- Have a shared vocabulary.
- Understand our responsibilities as creators, designers, and technicians.
- Have a knowledge of the history and lineage of the field.
- Have a clear understanding of the story we are telling when including digital media into performance.
Who is this Book for?
Our intention is to provide a foundational understanding of how to design digital media for theatre and to provide an overview of the current technical considerations that adding digital media into a theatrical production demands. It is our assumption that the reader has a basic knowledge of theatrical terms and production practices. Primarily this book is intended for theatre artists and technicians who are only just starting to get their hands dirty with the ins and outs of adding digital media and projections to the theatrical production process.
We hope that this book will also help directors, actors, and other artists, technicians, and storytellers to better understand the possibilities, specific opportunities, strengths, weaknesses, and demands that including digital media into live performance entails. We are optimistic that what brought you here is an interest in telling stories through a mix of visual media and a thirst for integrating new digital technologies into live performance.
How to use the Book
Learning how to create and implement digital media in theatre is not a linear process, yet the nature of a book is. In digital media design, there are often times when you have to think about or implement a certain concept throughout various points in the production process. Similarly, it would be impossible for us to explain digital media design in a simple linear fashion. Yet, this is what we had to do given the nature of the book medium. We have tried our best to place ideas and themes in sections where they make the most sense or are first introduced, but often there are times when a digital media designer deals with a subject repeatedly throughout the process.
We found that it would break the flow of the linear process of the book to jump into detailed explanations of something technical too early. We have done our best to identify these moments and point you, as a hyperlink would, to other sections that may come later or earlier. This will allow you to gain a deeper understanding of something we are currently discussing. Given this, it may become necessary and useful for you to read this book in a nonlinear fashion, as much of the material is interrelated and self-referential. These “hyperlinks” are identified with the text “For More Info” and by the following symbol: Alongside the main body of the text are case studies, asides, and tips, which have been clearly marked with corresponding symbols for ease of identification.
For More Info Sample Graphic
Case Study Sample Graphic
Aside Sample Graphic
Tips Sample Graphic
Some of the case studies and asides have been written or adapted from interviews we have conducted with professionals working in the field. They are written in the original author’s or interviewee’s own words and edited by the authors for length. Since these writings are in the author’s own words, we have deferred to how they refer to their job titles and the terms they use for digital media design.
Please note that all of our information regarding electronics, equipment, power, and electricity is based upon North American standards, specifically those of the United States of America.