What's New > Playground Studios and Dual Audio Services present the “Creating with Media Workshop Series”
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Playground Studios and Dual Audio Services presents a useful set of professional development classes that engage theatre artists from various disciplines in an exploration of integrated media design, focusing upon the use of projections, live cameras, animation, motion graphics and other multimedia technologies in storytelling. These sessions directly address the changing ecology of our theatre practice and investigate new territories, and offer participants the opportunity to interact with state of the art technology while providing a window into new modes of creation and collaboration.
The Creating with Media Workshop Series emerges from a desire to share resources and expertise with artists in our community curious to learn more about projection design. Click here to download flyer.
These workshops are generously supported by The Ontario Arts Council and the Canadian Institute for Theatre Technology (CITT).
REGISTRATION INFO: Registration and pre-payment required.
Call DAS at 416 502-0017 or email to register.
Audio and Video 101
Learn the basic basics! Cables, connectors, hardware, software will all be covered. Hands on learning & lots of info! Welcoming artists from a variety of theatre backgrounds (i.e. playwrights, directors, designers, technicians, producers, etc.), this workshop will introduce participants to the various audio and video technologies available for the performing arts. This class will discuss the role of the projection designer and offer helpful tips on how to budget for content creation and the specific equipment needed to integrate visual media into your productions.
Getting your hands on some state-of-the-art gear, participants will explore some of the technologies available both for use as a tool in the re-imagining of texts and for devising new projects. We will address the question of when to bring projections into your process, and how to develop a shared vocabulary amongst creators. This introductory session will promote a greater understanding and appreciation of our art form.
This is a one day workshop.
Qlab2 for Audio and Video: The Basics
This workshop is for anyone interested in knowing more about how QLab works. We will walk the participants through system set up, basic content creation requirements, and basic programming, as well as MIDI control (which allows the user to control other devices like a lighting board). Using examples from the instructors own productions we will demonstrate the various ways QLab can be used for both audio and video designs.
Participants are encouraged to bring a Mac laptop with QLab installed. The free version will suffice for the workshop, but if participants wish to save their work they should purchase a $7 rental liscense. For those who wish, we also encourage bringing a second monitor for the video portion of the class. A portion of the class will include a brief overview of Qlab 3 and the advancements and changes in the new software.
This is a one day workshop.
Sound Designer's Tool Kit
This session will unpack the everyday challenges of modern sound. From system setup (matrixing, processing, networking) to the demands of venue infrastructure and live operation (system selection, power matching, tuning, basic theory) participants will walk away with hands on experience and a playbook for the real world.
This is a one day workshop.
Projection Design for the Playwright, Director, Dramaturg... and you!
By developing a working knowledge of the technologies available for media design, playwrights will be better able to articulate and describe their vision, and better integrate Projection/Video design into their productions. With room to troubleshoot specific concerns and workshop new material, this workshop provides useful tactics for writing projection designs into your script, with an emphasis on how to communicate your ideas. The goal of the workshop is to help theatre creators develop a perspective on Projection Design, the nuts and bolts of how it is done, what is possible, what is impossible, and what is in-between. Combining discussion, demonstration, and active participation, the workshop will help develop a common language between Designers, Directors, Playwrights, and other theatre makers.
We will delve into specific language and terminology, while also sharing methods for devising new works and how bring technology into this process. Participants are expected to bring specific examples from their writing and performance work with them to this hands-on session. We will also discuss the concept of “Dramaturgy of Media and Digital Design” while exploring projection as lighting, the impact of lighting on projection and vice versa. During the workshop, participants will use some of the various projection design tools in hands-on exercises, that will culminate in a small informal presentation.
This is a TWO day workshop with very limited class size
DATES: Saturday June 29 & Sunday June 30, 2013
HOUR: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
FEE: $100.00
LOCATION: Theatre Centre Pop Up, 1095 Queen Street East
The Projection Designer’s Tool Kit: A Hands-On Media Laboratory
This hands-on workshop functions as a technical manual for projection designers and theatre artists alike, offering practical insight into the software and technologies used to create and deliver media for the stage. Through a brief demonstration Photoshop and After Effects, The Projection Designer’s Tool Kit will explore the art of content creation before delving into a demonstration of software packages like Qlab By Figure 53, WATCHOUT by Dataton, Isadora by Troika Tronix, and full media server program Pandoras Box by Coolux. We will discuss variations in projectors LCD versus DLP, and other methods for bringing image to the stage via LED Screens and other Television-style display technologies. Participants will be given a task to create a short sequence and to explore each one of our media servers in action, demonstrating the capabilities and drawbacks of each. Both curious beginners and those with a strong technical background are encouraged to attend.
Class size will be limited to allow for maximum one-on-one participation.
DATE: Monday July 8, 2013
HOUR: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
FEE: $100.00
LOCATION: Cahoots Theatre Workshop - 388 Queen Street East
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