What name to give to that type of shows that involve several levels of production ?
To recognize the different roles involved in the process of production.
To redefine the roles through what we do, not through who we are: what is a light designer, what is a videast, what is a musician, what is a dancer ? What type of material does each of them provide ?
Example: you're a theater director and you may need some lights for your show. As the "designer" of the show, you give some directions to the light designer. He proposes you a light project: he chooses the type of lights, their number, the colours; you made him a designer, meaning he creates the set of lights for your show.
What status for your light designer ? A technician ? A co-designer ?
We need to recalibrate the relation between the different persons involved in the production of a show. How many times have we had to face a director who completely denied the creation part included in the technician's task ? Thus it is about understanding who does what and about acknowledging the part of creativity of each.
A proposal
to co-sign a work. In fact, in pop music, are mentioned the author(s) of the lyrics and the composer(s) following the convention "lyrics/music". For the new type of show we are thinking of, we could decide a convention as in pop music: for example "lyrics/music/dance/video/light" or "lyrics/music/light/video/dance". The idea is that we start the process of work alltogether from the beginning, looking at and listening to each other producing the different types of material.
Two consequences from these propositions:
- first, as the light designer, the sound engineer and/or the videast are recognized as creators or co-designers inside a show, they could also be the instigator of a show, like a theater director very often is. We can imagine a light designer wanting to elaborate a show around, let's say, Dreams. He hires people to realize his project: a videast, a musician and a dancer; himself doing the lights. At the end, he's identified as the main designer or the instigator of this work co-signed with the videast, the musician and the dancer.
- the second consequence is that it does change the production's expenses, since we acknowledge that a light designer, (a videast or a sound designer) beside the technical part included in his/her task acknowledged by everyone, needs some time to connect the technics to the artistics, exactly like for a musician: it is recognized, as well as by the institutions, that a musician needs time for rehearsing before the performing time: it is the part of his/her job and s/he gets paid for that. So as we accept the computing-programming part of a full and necessary step towards the creative work, we start the process of working alltogether. That changes the balance of a production's budget: we need more money (subventions) to achieve that type of works. This is about redefining the economy of that type of show.
Example
the project initiated by Simone Aughterlony and Isabelle Schad in March 2009 in Berlin, called Sweet dreams are made of this.
These two choregraphers have decided to gather dancers, a light designer and two musicians for producing a material which is going to be put alltogether on stage in a show that will be premiered in Zurich in December 2009. In March, the all team has gotten a residency in HAU 3 in Berlin to start the working process. The dancers, the two musicians and the light designer have shared the same space (Probebühne 1) to see each other producing the material. Although each of the protagonists has its own expertise, this was about looking at, being inspired by, giving to and sharing with the others. This material produced in this common place has a cost: building that type of team means to think about housing, food, salary and travel expenses.
Influence of technology on dramaturgy and of dramaturgy on technology
There are two ways of viewing this: either you have a project for a show and it is already structured and thought in your mind but you are not aware of the tools existing that would help you to achieve your work; or you start to elaborate a project, you know the tools and you influence the elaboration of your work towards the use of these tools available. In any case, unless you are a very solitary person and want to get control over all the parameters like sound, light and dramaturgy of a show by yourself, you have to interact with those people who have the expertise that you need. In both ways, obviously it doesn't deal only with tools or functions but with the human interactions existing between people: whether you have a project, you need to understand what you artistically want to achieve, what you are able to realize, what you are exactly in charge of and then when what objects (tools, knowledge, experts) you miss to be able to go further. Since we are mentioning interaction, you have to find the right people having the expertise you need and having the comprehension of your artistic project. They have to be willing and able to answer the questions you might have and to participate in the structure of your project. And since we acknowledge the creative work included in the technician's work, they should find a way to propose you and be able to test new directions in the construction of the project.
Another proposal
since the show is the final product of a creative process, this product resulting from a perpetual exchange between persons agreeing on the goal to achieve, this is about defining a behaviour (a sort of human conduct) that all the actors involved in the interaction have to adopt, to be aware of. This behaviour should have some characteristics. As there is a behaviour to prepare a set-up light-and-sound system (what protocol, what software, what lights, what PA), there should be a behaviour to put in relation all the different elements, the different media that structure the show. This doesn't go through hardware, software, materials, but preferably through which persons are involved. Being inspired by the position of symbolic interactionism, we should focus on the meaning of the interpretation that we have from who the person is and from what the person can actually do. So if you are willing to interact (exchanging datas: software, knowledge - working together: helping each other, doing the same task, etc) with someone, you have to first identify who you are talking to (the basic ID: is that the light designer of my show I am speaking with ? The director ? the composer or the videast ?) and then what skills does s/he have to propose in relation to the final product you would like to obtain. Then you should define as a sort of protocol to communicate: how do you exchange, propose, realize ideas ? Simple things like brainstorming alltogether, basing a conversation on a document read and watched by everyone, presenting a particular idea to put in discussion, reacting to an idea (or a method) brought by someone outside the process. The all process has to be put in a time frame. Time is a notion very important in this creative process: you need to give time to each actor of the project so each person can develop, test and use their own skills before/after interacting with the others, to the all group, each one using their own skills while being aware of being part of the group and of course to the protocol of communication itself. Each of these different phases have to be organized (can be repeated each day, can be linked differently) and always connected to the final product. It is a flexible behaviour that allows you to readapt the organisation of the protocol and the time dedicated to individual practice and to the group gathered according to the distance you are far from what you would like to artistically achieve.
== Status of the musician-composer == what status for the technicians providing artistic material ? (intermittence, cachets de répétition et cachets de représentation, résidence, SACEM, droits de l'interprète)
Next topic
Gangplank is initiated by Bruno Pocheron, a light designer, who organizes a two-week session with technicians (light designer, videast, musician, choregrapher and theater director) who are used to deal with different levels of production in an artistic work. Gangplank gathers all these technicians to invite them to think about the interaction of these different media and to improve the communication between them. Gangplank's philosophy has to be built. A method should be outlined from analysis and confrontation of ideas. 8 people, including Bruno Pocheron, share their knowledge and their issues and questions. This is about creating a common space where reflection will shape the Gangplank's world and will make emerge the characteristics of functioning of it. It comes out that the following protocol will be followed: introduction to a concept, a notion, a software or a hardware in group by one of us, with a simple direct application of what has been presented. Then, the second step is to put in a more practice time through a real set up that you might need in a show, the notion, the concept, the software or the hardware presented before. It has to be connected to a real artistic question each one may have. Small groups are made. Individual moments are also welcomed if needed. Afterwards an exchange time is organized so that each participant can share what s/he wanted to achieve, what s/he has done, what type of problems s/he has to face, how s/he processed to deal with the issues and what conclusions s/he has made from this practice time. Interaction is the rule: each participant can comment and/or give advices.
What is a lanbox ?
To be continued...