Digital media, projection design & technology for theatre

Description

Cover Title Copyright CONTENTS Contributors Preface Acknowledgments CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION FROM FIREPIT TO KINDLE FIRE, THE RISE OF DIGITAL MEDIA DEFINING DIGITAL MEDIA IN TERMS OF THEATRICAL PERFORMANCE DEFINING THE ROLE OF THE DIGITAL MEDIA DESIGNER BASIC SKILLS OF THE DIGITAL MEDIA DESIGNER DIGITAL MEDIA DESIGN AS A CAREER JOBS FOR A DIGITAL MEDIA DESIGNER BEYOND THE THEATRE WHY USE DIGITAL MEDIA? MEANING MAKING AND THE LANGUAGE OF DIGITAL MEDIA IN THEATRE A Designer’s Practical Taxonomy Examples of Atmospheric and Interactive Digital Media Atmospheric Digital Media Interactive Digital Media REFERENCES CHAPTER 2 INTEGRATING DIGITAL MEDIA DESIGN INTO THE THEATRICAL TEAM PRODUCERS AND PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT Budget Scheduling Personnel/Crew STAGE MANAGEMENT Digital Media in the Rehearsal Hall ARTISTIC TEAM Directors Actors Rehearsing with Interactive Digital Media TOWARD A UNIFIED DESIGN Scenic Screens Materials and Textures Self-Emitting Media Gear Staging Floor Treatment 3D Models Shared Documents Created by the Scenic Department Ground Plan Elevations and Sections Line Set Schedule Lighting Projections Direction of Light Projector Placement Color Temperature Color Palette Brightness Tech Sound Who’s in Charge of What? Audio Playback in the Performance Space Costumes Props CHAPTER 3 DIGITAL MEDIA DESIGN PROCESS AND WORKFLOW FIRST STEPS Salary Negotiating Deliverables Setting Limits Working with Budgets Equipment Consider the Schedule Know the Venue Design Meetings Production Meetings THE SCRIPT Working with Scripts Reading the Script for the First Time On the Second Reading On the Third Reading A List of Lists DEVISING How to Be Productive in the Devising Process Constraints DESIGN PHASE I: RESEARCH To Research Previous Productions or Not? Finding Your Research Organizing and Sharing Research Mood Boards DESIGN PHASE II: CONCEPTUAL DESIGN Conceptual Design Statement Design Presentations DESIGN PHASE III: FROM SCRIPT TO CUE LIST Creating the Cue List: Scene-by-Scene Content Breakdown Elements of a Good Cue List The To-Do List Reviewing the Cue List with the Director: Early and Often Cue Numbering Looking Ahead to Calling Cues DESIGN PHASE IV: DECIDING ON SYSTEM AND TECHNOLOGY System Stock Equipment Rental Equipment Purchasing Equipment Projector Placement DESIGN PHASE V: CONTENT CREATION AND SHOW INTEGRATION WORKFLOW Initial Phase: Roughs Initial Phase: Firsts Intermediate Phase: Seconds Intermediate Phase: Finals Onsite Phase: Finals in the Theatre DESIGN PHASE VI: LOAD-IN AND TECH WEEK Paperwork Rendering The Order of Tech and Dark Time in the Theatre Load-In and System Setup Alignment/Warping/Blending Mapping/Masking Programming/Cueing Tech Notes Training Operators DESIGN PHASE VII: FINALIZING THE DESIGN Getting Final Sign-Off from the Director Locking Down Equipment, Cables, and the Media Server Show Reports DESIGN PHASE VIII: DOCUMENTING YOUR WORK DESIGN PHASE IX: ARCHIVING THE PROJECT CHAPTER 4 CONTENT CREATION 101 2D AND 3D CONTENT IN A 3D WORLD CREATING CONTENT IN RELATION TO THE THEATRICAL SET AND FOR SURFACES OTHER THAN PROJECTION SCREENS HOW MUCH CONTENT DO YOU NEED AND HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO CREATE? ORGANIZATION OF ASSETS BACKING UP YOUR DATA THE BASICS OF DESIGN Style Line Shape Composition Rule of Thirds Negative Space Unity Variety Balance Color Texture Emphasis Contrast Scale and Proportion Repetition and Pattern Typography THE BASICS OF DIGITAL CONTENT Bits and Bytes Pixels, Rasters, and Resolution Pixels Are Data Pixels in Displays Pixelization Raster vs. Vector CMYK and RGB Color, Bit Depth, and Alpha Channels CMYK RGB Hue, Saturation, and Value RGB(A): Alpha Channels Digital Color Space Chroma (Color) Subsampling or 4:2:0 vs. 4:2:2 vs. 4:4:4 Contrast and Dynamic Range Compositing TYPES OF CONTENT Custom Content Found Content Stock Content Still Images Photography The Ubiquity of the Photograph The Basics of Photography and Still Images Moving Images Video Basics Analog vs. Digital Interlaced/Progressive Frame Rates and Standards Video Resolution/Aspect Ratio Bit Rate Compression, File Types, Codecs, and Containers Transcoding Making Movies: Video Production 101 Types of Shots Video Lighting Audio Video Editing Linear vs. Nonlinear Pace/Speed Looping Cutting on Action/Matching Eyeline Montage Animation 2D Animation 3D Animation Real-Time Effects on Prerecorded Content Generative Art/Video as Content The Basics of Generative Art/Video Data as Content Interactive Systems as Content Meaning Making from Interactivity Live Video/Cameras Real-Time Effects on Live Cameras Rehearsing with Cameras To See a Camera Operator or Not? Computer/Machine Vision Tracking Performers and Objects VJ Style Video Game Theory and Technology Hybrid Content/Systems RENDERING, STORAGE, AND PLAYBACK RENDER VS. REAL-TIME CHAPTER 5 GEAR AND TECHNICAL TASKS SYSTEMS VIDEO SIGNALS Video Cables The Anatomy of a Video Cable with a Single Strand of Wire Coax BNC RCA S-Video or Y/C VGA DVI HDMI DisplayPort SDI Fiber Optic Thunderbolt USB FireWire Cat 5 and Cat 6 Ethernet cable Video Signal Distribution Hardware EDID Managers, Video Amplifiers, Replicators, Extenders, Repeaters, Splitters, and Distribution Datapath Matrox Triple Head Video Scalers Video Mixers Video Cable Adapters and Signal Converters Wireless Video RF Modulator Cat 5/6 Extenders Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADC) and Digital-to-Analog Converters (DAC) MEDIA SERVERS Types of Media Servers Timeline-Based Media Servers Layer/Cue Stack-Based Media Servers Node-Based Media Servers VJ-Based Media Servers Common Media Server Features Built-In Mapping and Masking Features Max # of Inputs Max # of Outputs Max # of Layers Max # of Simultaneous HD Videos Notable Supported Protocols PROJECTORS Projector Types DLP LCD LCoS Laser Technical Specifications of Projectors Lumens Resolution and Aspect Ratio Contrast Ratio Inputs/Outputs Fan/Air Flow/Filters Network Capable Installation Projector Lenses Types of Lenses Working with Projectors Focus Keystone Lens Shift Convergence Calculating Surface Brightness/Luminance Calculating Screen Size, Throw Distance, and/or Lens Needed Calculating Pixel Size, Pixels per Square Inch (PPI), and Approximate Perceived Pixel Size Projection Calculators Warping and Projection Mapping Masks Using Multiple Projectors Blending Step 1: Calculate the Overlap Step 2: Align the Projected Rasters to the Calculated Overlap Step 3: Adjust the Media Server’s Blend Function to the Same Percentage of Overlap Step 4: Adjust the Gain, Gradient, or Blend Amount in the Media Server Projector-Related Equipment Lamps Dowsers Mounts and Cages PROJECTION SCREENS AND SURFACES Screen Gain and Viewing Angle Front and Rear Projection Screens and Fabrics Sharkstooth Scrim EMISSIVE DISPLAYS LED Displays Monitors/TVs CAMERAS Camera Basics Aperture Shutter Speed ISO White Balance Digital Image Sensors DSLR Video Cameras Cameras for Live Video Latency Lighting for Live Cameras VIDEO CAPTURE CARDS AND DEVICES VIDEO PRODUCTION GEAR Camera Kit Audio Kit Light Kit Miscellaneous Video Gear Editing System NETWORKING Open Sound Control (OSC) DMX512-A MIDI Art-Net Wired and Wireless Routers/Switches Network Cable Cat 5/6 Ethernet Cables Serial Cables SENSORS Infrared (IR) Cameras Marker-Based Real-Time Tracking of Performers and Objects in 3D Depth Cameras Microphones Encoders Gyroscopic Pressure, Flex, and Contact REFERENCE Endface Glossary Index