Using such gear as Watchout 4.0 with an Osprey live video capture card, Medialon 3 show control, MOTU midi to serial converters, a live camera feed, and Lighthouse R16 LED panels, projection designer Zachary Borovay, who will be featured at the Live Design Broadway Projection Master Classes in New York on May 21, has designed the images for the hit Broadway musical, Rock of Ages.
"One of the more interesting things about this setup is that in addition to the live camera moment, there are many other moments in the video that contain stills or movies featuring various combinations of actors who in the show. In the past, projection designers would try to obscure an actor’s face in order to avoid dealing with understudies –
like the hand in front of the face in The Who's Tommy, which was born out of necessity but became an iconic image," says Borovay. "For Rock of Ages, we actually pre-programmed different versions of the show that can be called up depending on who was in or out that day, as well as different versions of the show for weekday and weekend performances. There are even some different jokes depending on which version you see. All of the different Watchout shows live on the display computers, and we configured Medialon to call up the particular show that is needed that day. This is the first time I have ever done something like that with Watchout. There is also an interesting story regarding our attempt to implement Watchout 4’s newly added DMX capability for triggering the cues. Ultimately, it didn't work in a way that was viable for theatre, but it led some very interesting new features that will appear in the next update of Watchout."
Borovay and Rock of Ages LD Jason Lyons will present an in-depth analysis of their designs at the BPMC on May 21, and all attendees at the Classes will see the show that evening. Join Borovay and other leading designers Elaine McCarthy, Jake Pinholster, Jason Lyons, and Adam Dunaway as well as representatives from TMB, Green Hippo, A.C.T Lighting, and Enttec at the BPMC and focus your sights on Broadway projection designer with the best in the business. Register here today, and save $100 on all prices for the BLMC, BPMC, and BSMC, the industry's most comprehensive professional training.