I got a couple of emails asking for specifics about the process. Below is what I shared:
From the Director:
To create the Digital Play we recorded individual scenes with all of the actors in each scene. The students signed on to Zoom with their phones. We also recorded some of the monologues separately, and then send them to our editors who describe their process below.
(Note: I've just been doing a project on imovie, and I think the Zoom recordings could be uploaded into that program to add underscoring and sound effects be accomplished with less expertise than the editors we had!)
From the Video and Sound Editors:
All scenes and monologues were recorded with Zoom but the files were edited with Adobe Premiere. The sound technician did the music separately and sent files to the video editor.
After final edit, the sound editor exported all the audio from the edit and fixed it up to try and smooth out the zoom audio recording in a sound editing program and sent the final audio stream back to the video editor to combine with the video. He then exported the Part 1 video and I exported the Part 2 video so that we could finish the final video files on time.
File format for zoom recordings is .mp4, they can certainly stay in the format. If you don't have Adobe Premiere any other video editing software should also work.
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Rosalind Flynn
Head of the M.A. in Theatre Education
Director, The High School Drama Institute
The Catholic University of America
Washington, DC
drama.cua.edu/graduate/MATE
drama.cua.edu/summer
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-28-2020 12:13
From: George Ledo
Subject: From Stage to Computer Screen: An Impressive Example
That was AWESOME!!!!!
Congratulations, and I especially like the fact that the digital set was not "realistic" and didn't need any flats.
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George F. Ledo
Set designer
www.setdesignandtech.wordpress.com
www.georgefledo.net
Original Message:
Sent: 04-25-2020 17:21
From: Rosalind Flynn
Subject: From Stage to Computer Screen: An Impressive Example
If anyone is looking for a terrific example of how students and their director and designers moved a cancelled main stage production to a digital format, I am so proud to share what our Drama Department at Catholic University accomplished over that past 6 weeks. (I know the students and the staff, but I was not involved at all in this production, so I feel that I have the right to brag and share!)
Take a look-even just at the first part of Part 1-and I think some of you may want to use this as a (temporary) template or even as an assignment. No one involved wants to have to do theatre this way, but everyone felt great about their creativity during Covid-19.
Measure for Measure: A Digital Production Part 1
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic The Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art was forced to cancel their in-person performances of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure and move it to a digital platform. We are very excited to share with you our production in this format. Sit back and enjoy the show!
Measure for Measure: A Digital Production Part 2
This article in BroadwayWorld.com -"Catholic U Presents Shakespeare Virtually" – tells more about the process and eventual production.
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Rosalind Flynn
Head of the M.A. in Theatre Education
Director, The High School Drama Institute
The Catholic University of America
Washington, DC
drama.cua.edu/graduate/MATE
drama.cua.edu/summer
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