"Dear Evan Hansen" lighting

[IlanaKeller]

Posted: 5/31/17 at 8:46pm

Chatted with the Tony-nominated lighting designer of "Dear Evan Hansen," Japhy Weideman. He gave a great look behind-the-scenes, and brought up many interesting points about the rise of projections vs. traditional sets.

"Now we’re in a world where light is scenery. We create the world. It’s not 'here’s the set, light it.' It’s 'here’s an empty canvas, create it.' I love working that way. I think it opens many more possibilities for the imagination, and especially for this show."

'Dear Evan Hansen' lighting director shares secrets

Any thoughts on LED screens/projections vs. more elaborate physical sets?

 

[Lot666]

Posted: 6/1/17 at 8:24am

I've seen both done very well, but I think projections are better suited for more contemporary subject matter. For example, they work well in Dear Evan Hansen but would be jarring and anachronistic in a show like Phantom.

The idea of a set created entirely out of projections was somewhat revolutionary when The Woman in White opened, but they didn't go over very well in such a distinctly period piece. However, the two approaches have been married successfully in shows such as Miss Saigon, where a projection suggesting the incoming helicopter is eventually directed onto the physical prop and then dimmed out as the real helicopter comes to life.

A recent example of a less successful pairing (in my opinion) is Anastasia, where the same minimal, physical set pieces (basically a pair of curved white walls and connecting columns) are used for most of the show and projections of various settings are displayed to fill in the gaps. Like Phantom and The Woman in White, Anastasia is a period piece and I thought the projections - while generally beautiful - were a bit too hyper-realistic for the story. It felt to me as though the characters were interacting in a video game. However, I did find the "ghost" projections in the ballroom scene to be very effective.

Updated On: 6/1/17 at 08:24 AM

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 6/1/17 at 8:25am

"...were a bit too hyper-realistic for the story. It felt to me as though the characters were interacting in a video game."

 

Yes, my thoughts exactly! I have never seen projections look so ridiculously clear to the point of being fake looking. It was almost distracting at first.

[rjm516]

Posted: 6/1/17 at 8:50am

This was the first time I thought projections were used brilliantly, because it showed stuff that couldn't be shown better with full scenery. With social media such a huge part of the show, it was spot on to use projections to show the neverending influx of messages from an endless number of people and to have the audience feel the anxiety that comes with all of that. 

[trpguyy]

Posted: 6/1/17 at 9:35am

DRSisLove said: ""...were a bit too hyper-realistic for the story. It felt to me as though the characters were interacting in a video game."

 

Yes, my thoughts exactly! I have never seen projections look so ridiculously clear to the point of being fake looking. It was almost distracting at first."

That's because they're not projections; rather ultra-HD video panels. 

[Lot666]

Posted: 6/1/17 at 9:49am

trpguyy said: "DRSisLove said: ""...were a bit too hyper-realistic for the story. It felt to me as though the characters were interacting in a video game."

 Yes, my thoughts exactly! I have never seen projections look so ridiculously clear to the point of being fake looking. It was almost distracting at first."

That's because they're not projections; rather ultra-HD video panels."

I guess that's why the general scenery/background images felt distracting to me (far too HD), while the "ghosts" projected onto the boxes worked.

Updated On: 6/1/17 at 09:49 AM

[JudyDenmark]

Posted: 6/1/17 at 11:07am

I thought they were used flawlessly in Dear Evan Hansen - if ever a show called for a digital set, it's that one. 

But I also want to give a shoutout to the 2005/2008 revival of Sunday in the Park, because those projections elevated the show to a whole new level.