Are LCD sets going to be the new 'thing'?- Page 2

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 7/8/11 at 1:21pm

LED screens in musicals aren't really THAT new. They've been in Dirty Dancing, the Dreamgirls tour, Rock of Ages, Jersey Boys, etc. I remember the first time I saw them used was in Hoy, No Me Puedo Levantar in Madrid in 2005. It's definitely a trend that has found some traction, but for the most part, I think it's just a form of technology that is still in an experimental phase determining its effectiveness and cost.

[LegallyBroadway2]

Posted: 7/8/11 at 1:38pm

DrMike! Thanks for that link. great video.

Posted: 7/8/11 at 8:03pm

Aren't the use of projections (i know they often aren't technically projections anymore) and LCD screens different? I mean as weird as they look, the LCD screens for Ghost also look to be undeniably expensive--the backgrounds for Baby It's You look like a cost saving measure to me. I kinda miss the use of more physical sets--

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 7/8/11 at 8:24pm

I think the show curtain for Baby, It's You was just front projection, not an LCD screen. I'm pretty sure I remember seeing the projector on the balcony rail. I've actually forgotten most of that show, to be honest. It wasn't even bad enough for me to remember it as awful, just a bland, nothing of a show that had no memorable quality to it, good or bad.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 7/8/11 at 8:33pm

The best use of them ive seen is in Ghost. The set is a marvel (yes it has walls that move around the stage etc to create shapes of buildings,m rooms, locations but each wall is a video screen. Images from evil, streets, inside walls etc are all used, it's incredible. It's like watching a show with 50 set pieces but without flying things in, rolling it on etc, its fast and fluid and adds to the show

[Dennis-in-ct]

Posted: 7/8/11 at 10:31pm

<<<<< Yes, they and digital projection are already well on their way to being the new 'thing'. Sadly. >

I don't agree that digital projection technology would be a "sad" thing to make use of in scenic design. I think it could be effectively used to enhance - not replace - stage sets. The special effects it can create is wild.

As an example, if anyone saw Roger Water's recent The Wall tour you would know what I mean. They made use of digital projections that made the Wall set ripple and invert and so on.  

Another good example of digital projection technology is the New Disney night time show "Let the memories begin". In CA the show happens on the facade of the Small World building and in Florida the show transforms the castle in the Magic Kingdom.

To see what I mean, check out the videos in the links below or just go to you tube   

http://thedisneyblog.com/2011/01/24/the-magic-the-memories-and-you-debuts-at-magic-kingdom/

http://www.insidethemagic.net/2011/01/video-magic-memories-and-you-show-premieres-projected-onto-cinderella-castle-at-walt-disney-worlds-magic-kingdom/

Posted: 7/8/11 at 10:34pm

Call me a hypocrite--I love these kinds of screens for rock/pop concerts (the screens for Kylie's Aprhodite concert were simply put, brilliant). But I only sometimes accept them in musicals and plays.

[LegallyBroadway2]

Posted: 7/8/11 at 11:02pm

I enjoy them majorly at concerts, but at the theatre I am more critical.

Posted: 7/8/11 at 11:11pm

Glad I'm not alone.

I mean Baby, It's You uses a projection for a FRIDGE. Could they not have used a real, old fashioned looking, fridge? A 2 dimensional one just looks cheap.

[LegallyBroadway2]

Posted: 7/8/11 at 11:12pm

“The Magic, The Memories, and You!” honestly was stunning. Incredible.

[Dennis-in-ct]

Posted: 7/9/11 at 8:29am

^^^^ Right.

Now imagine that technology to enhance a three dimensional set piece on stage. I think some very cool special effects could be created for moments in a show.


In terms of projections being the only scenic design, wasn't Sunday in the park with George all projections? I saw it a little more than a year ago in NYC and it was a great show.

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 7/9/11 at 8:39am

Sunday in the Park's set was basically 3 white walls with projections on them, yes. I thought it was really effective there, as you could see the paintings and drawings actually appearing and it made it look like the whole thing was inside the painting, which was a very nice effect.

I'm also surprised someone hasn't mentioned the screens in Sondheim on Sondheim. I know that was a revue, but I loved the way they used the screens there and just generally how the set moved and shifted to fit the different numbers/configurations of the performers.

I have seen some shows use the LED sets and projections really effectively, and some not so much. It depends, for me, how well they're done and in what context they're being used. If they're well-executed, they can add a lot, but if not they can just be distracting and/or ugly.
Updated On: 7/9/11 at 08:39 AM

[Princeton Returns]

Posted: 7/9/11 at 3:50pm

Doesnt We Will Rock You use them too?