Cinematic theatre

Cinematic Theatre can be briefly described as a fusion of live performance and the magic of the big screen. By utilising the best dramatic devices that each art form has to covey a story and entertain an audience; the possibilities to create interesting narratives and stage dynamics through the synergy of stage and cinematic design is exciting.

Brad Jennings and Steven Maxwell started working together as colleagues teaching in Townsville where they started to produce new original work. Their first collaboration was in 2001 they produced Blowout, written and directed by Jennings, at the Cow Shed, James Cook University.

In 2002 they founded the company as a partnership and the first production was a new play called Advanced Screening, written and directed by Jennings. This was the first time they integrated video into the live performance and although it was a small 3m x 2m projection screen, hung above the stage, it worked well. The show premiered in October at The Dance North Theatre, Townsville and was commended as the most outstanding project for 2002 by the Thuringowa RADF committee.

In 2003 they co-wrote, directed and produced Loose Ends, a contemporary drama for adults at The Dance North Theatre. It was during the development of this project that Brad and Steven decided to specialize in integrating visual content and performance, using the vision to create a continuous experience. When discussing how to describe and market the show, the term Cinematic Theatre was coined as a title for the style of theatrical experience they wanted to produce; which is related to how they described the video content as cinematic sequences when writing and producing Loose Ends.

Cinematic theatre is a contemporary style of drama that revolves around using pre-edited and live vision sequences to be projected onto screens and surfaces. These sequences are then integrated with the live performance to create dramatic meaning that interacts with the dramatic action on stage.

The integrated use of projection during scenes and scene changes allows the stage action to become continuous, therefore creating a suspension of disbelief that engages the audience. In the ever increasing technological environment, more and more information and storytelling is being brought to us through visual images and screens; contemporary audiences are able to read layered visual texts.

In developing a creative rationale for the utilization of cinematic sequences in live performance you have to consider various factors; how to use the projected vision without overwhelming the stage performance, creating a theatrical and visual design that enhances the dramatic meaning and the narrative choice between screen and stage action. To guide the creation and production of new work we have developed a description of the elements of cinematic integration for live performance.

To accompany the Cinematic Theatre style they have devised a comprehensive creative rationale that we teach to educators and students using the conventions and elements that we utilise to produce visual performance work.

Primary Conventions

The basic principle of Cinematic Theatre is to create a continual experience by using visual sequences projected onto screens or surfaces, in conjunction with set design and live performance to create different dramatic spaces. The cinematic design should be active throughout the performance, to achieve this there are 2 primary conventions that are used to integrate the stage with the visual design:

Cinematic Backdrop is the live visual environment that works together with live scenes on stage to create a dynamic visual design to enhance the dramatic action. There a number of ways to utilise the live backdrop:

Cinematic Transitions are the visual sequences between the live stage scenes that allow the performance to continue during scene changes keeping the audience engaged.

These transitions work very well with music and the use of popular songs to accompany these cinematic sequences to add meaning and action, especially if the music chosen is representative of the narrative.

Visual Conventions

In producing a Cinematic Theatre production there are number visual conventions that can be utilised to create a genuinely integrated performance.

Style Elements

When conceptualising the visual component of a cinematic theatre performance it is important to address the overall style with reference to the script/narrative/context.

Technical Elements

Screens and Surfaces

Traditionally projection has been used on one screen directly behind the stage action, much like a movie screen. With more mobile projectors and screens it is possible to think of new ways to place and project images. A number of screens can be used to create different effects, in What Simon Said? three rear projected screens were used to create the walls of the character’s room as the cinematic background. We envisage being able to create large-scale immersive environments to create distant horizons, urban architecture or multiple images.

Stage design allowing the utilisation of projected images on surfaces can create a dynamic canvas on which to apply vision. The applications are only limited by your imagination and ability to position the projector. Some examples include: a window space to see outside, a mirror to show symbolic representations of character, floor space to create a pool of water, smoke, curtains etc.

Lighting design

It is important when incorporating video into live performance that you consider the effect of lights on the screen surface. One difficulty in setting lights is that they can significantly degrade the brightness and colour of the screen images if there is light either directly hitting or bouncing from the floor onto the screen.

One solution is to set the screen up from the floor and placing some blocks/staging in front to block some of the bouncing light. When considering colour gels it is imperative to consider colours used in the screen images and try to match them as well as possible to give a blended effect.

When plotting your lighting design you should unify the transition of lighting effects with the video transitions e.g.; if there is a 5 second fade on the video the lights should also fade over the same time.

References