The show has now transferred to The Lyric Theatre, Shaftsbury Avenue, for a West End run. XL was approached by Dick Straker of Mesmer, a theatre video specialist, who co-ordinated and produced the show's video for designers Bill Dudley and Terry Johnson. Dudley is a pioneer in the use pf computer generated images and projection to create integrated and dramatic onstage locations or scenic effects.
The fascinating Hitchcock Blonde plot's dark intricacies unfold around a university professor and one of his students, ensconced in a villa on a Greek Island, restoring what they believe is a rare unseen reel of Hitchcock film. Both front and rear projection is utilized and is projected onto a series of flats and gauzes on stage. XL has thus supplied 2 Barco G5s and two Barco 6400 projectors, 3 Doremi hard drives and a Dataton Trax control system, plus all cabling and monitoring. The two G5s are rigged above the stage and front project onto the main upstage backdrop, with one of the 6400s is integrated into the set and back projects, whilst the other is rigged at the front of the circle. Video also runs throughout the performance, providing the show's scenery and backdrops.
Dudley supplied all the scenic material and artwork, while Johnson shot the insert footage. Straker asked editor Richard Kenyon to edit and format the two pieces and load them onto the Doremi hard drives. Kenyon's business partner, Sven Ortel, then programmed the Dataton control to manage the vision mixing, routing, switching and shutter control of the projectors.
XL Video's project manager for the production is Malcolm Mellows, who has worked with Straker on many previous projects. "It's very much been a collaborative pooling of skills to make this happen," explains Straker. "The most galvanising projection aspect was getting the angles and perspectives to work, with a short throw and a steep angle onstage, projector positioning had to be spot on!"
XL Video has also supplied plasma screens to Mesmer for the National Theatre production of Jerry Springer The Opera.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)july2003/Hitchcock Blonde.jpg - done
