This has been my most complex video design to date. It involved creating video for five surfaces with five projectors, throughout the entire 80 minutes of play’s runtime. Set during the apocalypse, the script was very vivid and cinematic, which made it especially fun to design for.

After the initial recce, I began by creating a digital model of the Marble Factory with the right textures to get a sense of the space. I made a suggestion to the director Tanuja and set designer Charlotte that a flown sphere might be a great centre point for projection, seeing as there was sun, moon and earth imagery in the script and early research. Thankfully both were on board and it turned out we could source a suitable sphere. With Charlotte, we planned the placements of the projectors in relation to the surfaces: four large canvas screens and the sphere. This digital model also allowed me to create test clips to share with Tanuja for feedback. This was a useful exercise in itself for me to see how to balance and plan what video needed to be made.

I made the video almost entirely myself, bar some apocalyptic woodcuts by Albrecht Dürer and a video of a black disco light (thanks to John Gunning for sending me this!). I used a variety of different techniques and software depending on what effect I wanted to achieve. For example, the trippy marble designs I made using a drawing tablet and Photoshop, before animating them in another software later. My mood board heavily drew inspiration from the photographs of Petra Collins and New Queer Cinema. I worked hard to create detailed animations that would feel alive. The sun animation took several tries in particular - it’s not easy to digitally recreate the sense of the sun! We used live feed too for one moment when a character makes an emergency announcement using an old camcorder (photo from tech). The video clip above shows some of the scenes and how the five surfaces interacted. I think one of the most fun moments for me was collaborating with lighting designer Mary to have a real disco ball lit behind the sphere, so that the projected one felt just a bit more real as it appeared.

I programmed the show on my work computer, which was a good learning exercise in itself. I generally enjoy programming my own designs to get a full sense of how they will transition and work with the action.

I wouldn’t have been able to complete this design without Joe Stathers, LX and AV Tutor at BOVTS. He gave invaluable advice and support along the way, in particular with the technical elements of system set up. Thank you, Joe! I hope that I get to work on another project even more technically challenging in the future.