Open Forum

Hi All. There has been a fair bit of discussion on using projections for scenery here, but I have not seen one on floor projection. On youtube, you'll see lots of examples of interactive floors - where sensors see a person walking across the floor and the imagery changes...water splashing, for instance. And there are amazing mapping applications, like projecting video on the side of a building in a way that masks it to the specific building shape. While these are really cool, I'm not thinking of going that far just yet. What I am mulling over is simpler, but I'm still wondering what approach is best for it. I am considering staging a show in the round, eliminating a lot of scenery, and instead focusing on the floor. The show jumps back and forth between a straight-forward static surface – stone slabs, hardwood, etc. – to a more magical, multi-colored, possibly swirling surface. I'm sure some of this could be achieved with specialty lighting rigs, but we don't have a huge amount of lighting equipment and we are far away (Kenya) from most vendors. Plus, I am interested in the idea of being able to project video or animations onto the surface of the stage, not just spinning gobos or disco lights from a stand-alone light. 

Have any of you tried this? If so, how did it go? And did you use any specialized software or hardware? Did conventional stage lighting wash it out and interfere? I've watched a couple videos of much larger installations that used 16 projectors and a ton of sophisticated software. Really dazzling, but we're at the baby steps stage. 

Thanks for any thoughts or experience you might have to offer. 

Steven

------------------------------
Steven Slaughter
English/Theatre
Rosslyn Academy
Nairobi, Kenya

"Be joyful, though you have considered all the facts." - W Berry
------------------------------

​Steven,

I have not attempted this as the technology is quite expensive. Those projectors use IR technology. Its super cool. Some of the other things coming down the road are LED floors. We have a Martin LED paneled backdrop. We are going to try to place it on the floor, frame it and put plexi over the frame. I'll let you know how it goes.

------------------------------
Crit Fisher
Lighting/Sound Designer
New Albany High School
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 10-26-2018 06:39
From: Steven Slaughter
Subject: Floor Projection

Hi All. There has been a fair bit of discussion on using projections for scenery here, but I have not seen one on floor projection. On youtube, you'll see lots of examples of interactive floors - where sensors see a person walking across the floor and the imagery changes...water splashing, for instance. And there are amazing mapping applications, like projecting video on the side of a building in a way that masks it to the specific building shape. While these are really cool, I'm not thinking of going that far just yet. What I am mulling over is simpler, but I'm still wondering what approach is best for it. I am considering staging a show in the round, eliminating a lot of scenery, and instead focusing on the floor. The show jumps back and forth between a straight-forward static surface – stone slabs, hardwood, etc. – to a more magical, multi-colored, possibly swirling surface. I'm sure some of this could be achieved with specialty lighting rigs, but we don't have a huge amount of lighting equipment and we are far away (Kenya) from most vendors. Plus, I am interested in the idea of being able to project video or animations onto the surface of the stage, not just spinning gobos or disco lights from a stand-alone light.

Have any of you tried this? If so, how did it go? And did you use any specialized software or hardware? Did conventional stage lighting wash it out and interfere? I've watched a couple videos of much larger installations that used 16 projectors and a ton of sophisticated software. Really dazzling, but we're at the baby steps stage.

Thanks for any thoughts or experience you might have to offer.

Steven

------------------------------
Steven Slaughter
English/Theatre
Rosslyn Academy
Nairobi, Kenya

"Be joyful, though you have considered all the facts." - W Berry
------------------------------

The technology is quite expensive. You would likely need multiple projectors with a high lumen count to be able to compete with stage lighting so the images do not get washed out. The creation and manipulation of the media content to be projected is quite a design feat in itself. That need to be designed with the lighting so that colors and angles work well together. Doing it in the round would make it all the more difficult since that multiplies the audience viewing angles you must address. You would need a media server to be able to deal with the media content well. This would be pretty advanced unless you had someone experienced in creating the media and dealing with both the projection technology and lighting design. With out many major suppliers near you, this may not be the best way to set you and your students up for a successful production. 

~Dave

------------------------------
David Simpson
Performing Arts Center Manager
East China Schools
East China MI
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 10-26-2018 06:39
From: Steven Slaughter
Subject: Floor Projection

Hi All. There has been a fair bit of discussion on using projections for scenery here, but I have not seen one on floor projection. On youtube, you'll see lots of examples of interactive floors - where sensors see a person walking across the floor and the imagery changes...water splashing, for instance. And there are amazing mapping applications, like projecting video on the side of a building in a way that masks it to the specific building shape. While these are really cool, I'm not thinking of going that far just yet. What I am mulling over is simpler, but I'm still wondering what approach is best for it. I am considering staging a show in the round, eliminating a lot of scenery, and instead focusing on the floor. The show jumps back and forth between a straight-forward static surface – stone slabs, hardwood, etc. – to a more magical, multi-colored, possibly swirling surface. I'm sure some of this could be achieved with specialty lighting rigs, but we don't have a huge amount of lighting equipment and we are far away (Kenya) from most vendors. Plus, I am interested in the idea of being able to project video or animations onto the surface of the stage, not just spinning gobos or disco lights from a stand-alone light.

Have any of you tried this? If so, how did it go? And did you use any specialized software or hardware? Did conventional stage lighting wash it out and interfere? I've watched a couple videos of much larger installations that used 16 projectors and a ton of sophisticated software. Really dazzling, but we're at the baby steps stage.

Thanks for any thoughts or experience you might have to offer.

Steven

------------------------------
Steven Slaughter
English/Theatre
Rosslyn Academy
Nairobi, Kenya

"Be joyful, though you have considered all the facts." - W Berry
------------------------------

On the other hand I saw Bill T Jones dance do something like this at Jacob's Pillow about 8 or 9 years ago using video. It was not interactive but simply cued for different sections of the piece. It did require multiple projectors to cover the area as it was in a black box type space with a 20-24' grid height.

------------------------------
John (Jerf) Friedenberg
Director Of Theatre
Associate Teaching Professor
Wake Forest University Dept of Theatre & Dance
Winston-salem NC
Jerf@wfu.edu
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 10-26-2018 06:39
From: Steven Slaughter
Subject: Floor Projection

Hi All. There has been a fair bit of discussion on using projections for scenery here, but I have not seen one on floor projection. On youtube, you'll see lots of examples of interactive floors - where sensors see a person walking across the floor and the imagery changes...water splashing, for instance. And there are amazing mapping applications, like projecting video on the side of a building in a way that masks it to the specific building shape. While these are really cool, I'm not thinking of going that far just yet. What I am mulling over is simpler, but I'm still wondering what approach is best for it. I am considering staging a show in the round, eliminating a lot of scenery, and instead focusing on the floor. The show jumps back and forth between a straight-forward static surface – stone slabs, hardwood, etc. – to a more magical, multi-colored, possibly swirling surface. I'm sure some of this could be achieved with specialty lighting rigs, but we don't have a huge amount of lighting equipment and we are far away (Kenya) from most vendors. Plus, I am interested in the idea of being able to project video or animations onto the surface of the stage, not just spinning gobos or disco lights from a stand-alone light.

Have any of you tried this? If so, how did it go? And did you use any specialized software or hardware? Did conventional stage lighting wash it out and interfere? I've watched a couple videos of much larger installations that used 16 projectors and a ton of sophisticated software. Really dazzling, but we're at the baby steps stage.

Thanks for any thoughts or experience you might have to offer.

Steven

------------------------------
Steven Slaughter
English/Theatre
Rosslyn Academy
Nairobi, Kenya

"Be joyful, though you have considered all the facts." - W Berry
------------------------------

Lombardi on Broadway saw the coach draw the x's and o's of the Packer sweep on a chalkboard which then morphed into video, which then moved onto the floor, and then morphed into game film.  Obviously, the projections were on the actors except where lights washed out the projections, but coolest thing ever.  Probably not cheap.

------------------------------
[William] [Myatt] [Director of Theatre]

[Pleasant Valley High School]

[myattw@pleasval.k12.ia.us][563-332-5151][Bettendorf][IA][USA]
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 10-27-2018 07:59
From: John Friedenberg
Subject: Floor Projection

On the other hand I saw Bill T Jones dance do something like this at Jacob's Pillow about 8 or 9 years ago using video. It was not interactive but simply cued for different sections of the piece. It did require multiple projectors to cover the area as it was in a black box type space with a 20-24' grid height.

------------------------------
John (Jerf) Friedenberg
Director Of Theatre
Associate Teaching Professor
Wake Forest University Dept of Theatre & Dance
Winston-salem NC
Jerf@wfu.edu

Original Message:
Sent: 10-26-2018 06:39
From: Steven Slaughter
Subject: Floor Projection

Hi All. There has been a fair bit of discussion on using projections for scenery here, but I have not seen one on floor projection. On youtube, you'll see lots of examples of interactive floors - where sensors see a person walking across the floor and the imagery changes...water splashing, for instance. And there are amazing mapping applications, like projecting video on the side of a building in a way that masks it to the specific building shape. While these are really cool, I'm not thinking of going that far just yet. What I am mulling over is simpler, but I'm still wondering what approach is best for it. I am considering staging a show in the round, eliminating a lot of scenery, and instead focusing on the floor. The show jumps back and forth between a straight-forward static surface – stone slabs, hardwood, etc. – to a more magical, multi-colored, possibly swirling surface. I'm sure some of this could be achieved with specialty lighting rigs, but we don't have a huge amount of lighting equipment and we are far away (Kenya) from most vendors. Plus, I am interested in the idea of being able to project video or animations onto the surface of the stage, not just spinning gobos or disco lights from a stand-alone light.

Have any of you tried this? If so, how did it go? And did you use any specialized software or hardware? Did conventional stage lighting wash it out and interfere? I've watched a couple videos of much larger installations that used 16 projectors and a ton of sophisticated software. Really dazzling, but we're at the baby steps stage.

Thanks for any thoughts or experience you might have to offer.

Steven

------------------------------
Steven Slaughter
English/Theatre
Rosslyn Academy
Nairobi, Kenya

"Be joyful, though you have considered all the facts." - W Berry
------------------------------

I think I would look into using gobos in various combinations to achieve the desired result of a swirling world.  Moving gobos can be pretty cool and that technology has been around for awhile.

On another track... I've had pretty good success just painting the floor with various designs.  For example, in our production of The Adams Family musical the floor was tinted with a green wash... no one noticed under most of the lighting looks-- looked like a typical slate floor; however, when the green wash was up, all of a sudden Lurch was not a very good housekeeper.  It was a fun trick, and I think you might be able to pull off something similar with an embedded design in your paint that is revealed with light.

------------------------------
Michael Johnson
Trinity NC
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 10-29-2018 15:55
From: William Myatt
Subject: Floor Projection

Lombardi on Broadway saw the coach draw the x's and o's of the Packer sweep on a chalkboard which then morphed into video, which then moved onto the floor, and then morphed into game film.  Obviously, the projections were on the actors except where lights washed out the projections, but coolest thing ever.  Probably not cheap.

------------------------------
[William] [Myatt] [Director of Theatre]

[Pleasant Valley High School]

[myattw@pleasval.k12.ia.us][563-332-5151][Bettendorf][IA][USA]

Original Message:
Sent: 10-27-2018 07:59
From: John Friedenberg
Subject: Floor Projection

On the other hand I saw Bill T Jones dance do something like this at Jacob's Pillow about 8 or 9 years ago using video. It was not interactive but simply cued for different sections of the piece. It did require multiple projectors to cover the area as it was in a black box type space with a 20-24' grid height.

------------------------------
John (Jerf) Friedenberg
Director Of Theatre
Associate Teaching Professor
Wake Forest University Dept of Theatre & Dance
Winston-salem NC
Jerf@wfu.edu

Original Message:
Sent: 10-26-2018 06:39
From: Steven Slaughter
Subject: Floor Projection

Hi All. There has been a fair bit of discussion on using projections for scenery here, but I have not seen one on floor projection. On youtube, you'll see lots of examples of interactive floors - where sensors see a person walking across the floor and the imagery changes...water splashing, for instance. And there are amazing mapping applications, like projecting video on the side of a building in a way that masks it to the specific building shape. While these are really cool, I'm not thinking of going that far just yet. What I am mulling over is simpler, but I'm still wondering what approach is best for it. I am considering staging a show in the round, eliminating a lot of scenery, and instead focusing on the floor. The show jumps back and forth between a straight-forward static surface – stone slabs, hardwood, etc. – to a more magical, multi-colored, possibly swirling surface. I'm sure some of this could be achieved with specialty lighting rigs, but we don't have a huge amount of lighting equipment and we are far away (Kenya) from most vendors. Plus, I am interested in the idea of being able to project video or animations onto the surface of the stage, not just spinning gobos or disco lights from a stand-alone light.

Have any of you tried this? If so, how did it go? And did you use any specialized software or hardware? Did conventional stage lighting wash it out and interfere? I've watched a couple videos of much larger installations that used 16 projectors and a ton of sophisticated software. Really dazzling, but we're at the baby steps stage.

Thanks for any thoughts or experience you might have to offer.

Steven

------------------------------
Steven Slaughter
English/Theatre
Rosslyn Academy
Nairobi, Kenya

"Be joyful, though you have considered all the facts." - W Berry
------------------------------