Basic Setup
We had a 180-degree screen in combination with the rotating stage element in the center.
My goal was to create the illusion of a flying viewport for the audience. So when the stage in the center turns, the video moves in the same direction at the same speed.
I created a simple "frame" to first get a reference for the "skyscraper view" and second to make sense of the dark area in the back, an area without a window. This area was necessary for two reasons. First, I wasn't able to project in this area because of the position of the projectors, and second, I didn't want to project onto the actors in the center of the stage.
The original picture is an image of two famous towers in Basel. In Photoshop, via AI, I added more skyscrapers to the city picture to support the futuristic scene of Basel in 2032.
In the end, I had a looping picture of 7280x1080px for my projection surface of 3640x1080px, including a 200px overlap area for the two projectors. Because of the necessary warping, I lost resolution.
In After Effects, I created a sequence at 3640x1080px. This allowed me to use the 7280x1080 picture multiple times in the x position and use a "null" to create the movement. I recorded the movement of the stage during rehearsals. I then translated this timing to After Effects and exported the video.
Import the video into the video software, create two cameras at 1920x1080 with the offset in the x position, and then warp the output.
AI Grandfather Rocko
In the show, the grandfather appears via a call on the screen. This grandfather was generated by:
Filming "Rocko," the director.
Exporting the video in PNGs.
Taking one frame and using a mobile app for the aging effects.
Importing that one frame as a reference for EbSynth and generating all the needed frames.
Importing the frames into After Effects to create a video and removing the background.
Adding a hologram effect.
Modifying the audio.
This process was repeated for every text part and a still video was used to blend between, allowing the character to react to the actors.
A picture of the front projection used for an explosion at the end of the show.
Unfortunately, they didn't end up in the show because they didn't work out with the rest of the performance, but there were two huge "iPhones" hanging.
In the rest of the show, there are also advertisements, nature environments, and memes flying around the screen.
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