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Big Fish

  • 1.  Big Fish

    Posted 05-25-2017 22:31
    I am considering BIG FISH (full version), but I am concerned about the projections that make that production beautiful. I remember the projections from the TEXAS ALL STATE show last year and how incredible those were. Were those created in Texas, or were those projections the DMB deluxe projections which are incredibly expensive?
    Please contact me if you have them AND/OR to give advise as to what you have done.


  • 2.  RE: Big Fish

    Posted 05-26-2017 08:36
    Hello!
        We just did the show, and we did our own projections with images/gifs found online.  They worked very well for us.  It's a fantastic show!

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    Rick Dorn
    Troupe Director
    Worland WY
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  • 3.  RE: Big Fish

    Posted 12-28-2017 22:07
    Do you happen to have a collection of those images/gifs on hand? I'm trying to sort out my options for backgrounds. I'm from a small school and an equally small budget. The cost of the projections is completely intimidating.

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    Yana Reinhard
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  • 4.  RE: Big Fish

    Posted 05-26-2017 08:54
    We did this show three years ago and made our own projections and it worked out beautifully.  I had a student in charge of them, it was gorgeous and inexpensive.  Great show!

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    Nancee Beilgard
    Lawrence KS
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  • 5.  RE: Big Fish

    Posted 05-26-2017 09:52
    Talk to Kelly Rivera at Flagler Palm Coast High School. She recently did it and may be able to give some advice. (:

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    Heather Cribbs
    Theatre Director
    New Smyrna Beach High School
    New Smyrna Beach, FL
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  • 6.  RE: Big Fish

    Posted 05-26-2017 11:46

    We did it this year and used the projections from BMD - http://broadwaymediadistribution.com/

    I think they were $700, and since our set was built from materials we already had, that was essentially all we spent on our "set."  It may seem spendy, but it saved us a lot of time and headache, and the people at BMD were awesome at helping us figure out, especially since this was the first time I'd ever used projections.  The projections were also editable in Q lab, so we were able to flip things, just use specific pieces, etc. which was really nice.



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    Laura Steenson
    Theatre Director
    Reynolds High School
    Troutdale OR
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  • 7.  RE: Big Fish

    Posted 05-27-2017 13:23
    Thanks for the kind words, and thanks for your business! 

    The exclusive authorized scenic projections for BIG FISH (and many other titles) are available through TRW directly. They can just be added to the licensing order.

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    Quentin Sanford
    President
    Broadway Media Distribution (BMD)
    Fresno CA
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  • 8.  RE: Big Fish

    Posted 05-27-2017 13:46
    We just did the show in April with the TRW/BMD projections. It worked extremely well. I'll give you the pros and cons.

    Cons: 1. Yes, they were expensive. Very expensive. 2. They take forever to download. 3. They only give you one license, so you can't put them on two devices. As a person that likes to be prepared for the worst case scenario, it was almost physically painful not having a backup. 4. There are way too many slides included, lots of duplicates. It takes forever to go through and weed out what you want and don't want. The names of the files are confusing. Lots of numbers and letters.  5. The slides for the hospital scene in Act II and the dream sequence where Edward goes to the river to die are awful. The hospital looks more like a run down mental institution. And the dream sequence slide is more like a psychedelic trip tunnel. If you're allowed, I would insert my own slides here. 

    Pros: 1. Very professionally done. 2. Moving images in the second package are well worth the money. The jumping fish were awesome. I also loved the swamp, the saloon/courtroom, and the rain and lightening SFX for "I Don't Need a Roof".  3. There are lots of slide options. Only a fraction of what's offered is shown on BMD's website. 4. It was very easy to use during the show and really added a special dimension to our show. We got tons of compliments.  5. BMD was easy to work with, very nice customer support. 

    We will definitely be using projections again. We couldn't afford to use TRW  every time, but it's made me more confident about creating my own or having our technology class design them for us.

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    Valerie Boehm
    Pickens High School
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  • 9.  RE: Big Fish

    Posted 05-28-2017 11:39
    Thanks for the great feedback! I'm glad to know you had a good experience with our product. In future rentals feel like you can reach out and discuss those few cons. We happily assist customers with file organization, offer an USB shipment to alleviate the download (which can take a long time on low speed internet, agreed!), and also have alternative scenes available for certain settings. Our main goal is to not only deliver high quality content but also to provide stellar service. Thank you for being a BMD customer!

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    Quentin Sanford
    President
    Broadway Media Distribution (BMD)
    Fresno CA
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  • 10.  RE: Big Fish

    Posted 05-29-2017 10:01
    I suggest you contact Kimberly Staples of Buford High School in Ga.  Thespian Director and I believe she's on the National Board... her show a couple of years ago was amazing and I don't remember the use of projections.  Her staging is always creative.  She should be able to be found in the directory.

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    Valerie Scott
    Drama Teacher/Director
    Perimeter School
    Johns Creek, Ga
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  • 11.  RE: Big Fish

    Posted 06-01-2017 10:17
    Jumping into the discussion only to clarify the word 'projection.' (I'm not a tech.)

    The BMD digital products are twofold:
    (1) slide projections (static images) and
    (2) MOVING projections. Which are --- in my non-tech opinion --- very cool. There's not so much movement as to steal focus but certainly more than a hanging backdrop (or 2 or 3 or 4...)

    My two cents.
    And might I add an endorsement for BMD's superior customer service (esp helpful for my non-tech colleagues).


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    Michael McDonough
    TRW Director of Amateur Licensing
    New York
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  • 12.  RE: Big Fish

    Posted 06-01-2017 16:32

    Yes, the BMD moving projections are very cool.  Ripples in the water, fish jumping, and there are animated transitions as well, which is more fun that just fading in and out.  You can see them here

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xljOiOmlBPA&list=PLOAT6mWruzNQaAQxvM5vI4kK4lZvTreK8

    I know I sound like an advertisement but it was a really great experience for us.  I put off dealing with it forever because I was so intimidated by projections.  I wish I'd known that it's not nearly as scary as it seems!



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    Laura Steenson
    Theatre Director
    Reynolds High School
    Troutdale OR
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  • 13.  RE: Big Fish

    Posted 06-02-2017 09:55
    I've ventured into the BMD world and everyone is right, the projections are cool and the customer service is excellent.....however..... I found them a little cost prohibitive with all of the extra equipment you have to either rent or buy to run the projections.  If you already have all of the equipment you need and don't need to rent anything else, then I say go for it!  If you are like me and have to rent a large portion of the equipment needed, I'd weigh that cost against devising and building your own set pieces.  I also had to take into account the amount of stage space I would loose for blocking/choreography using the projections.  That being said, my Musical Theatre classes are quite large and we have a lot of people on stage for the chorus/ensemble numbers.  Just something to consider.

    Mike

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    Mike Hancey
    Musical Theatre, Drama, Theatre Guild, & Theater Manager
    Laramie High School
    Laramie, WY
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