Live Design International (LDI) 2022

This session will give those looking to implement MVR a basic understanding of the implementation and structure of the file format. Non-manufacturers will gain an in-depth knowledge of how MVR files are structured and how one can manipulate them.

Do you feel reading specs is boring and very often the text is hard to understand? Great, then this little course will guide you, to read the DIN SPEC 15800 (GDTF) and how to find the important information. We will look at the structure, the points of interest and where to find the specifics.

After sundown, Times Square is as bright as day. We’ve all seen the viral videos of LED screens located on corners where sharks appear to burst through the building, water spills over, and even dinosaurs appear to be caged in. Screens are no longer simply advertising a brand logo or an upcoming sale. Tlhey are literally embracing the architecture and creating memorable artwork. In the world of digital signage, the line between art and commerce is blurred more than ever. Learn how the architainment industry uses digital signage to deliver your message in a way that won’t soon be forgotten.

You're all set to make an impact with giant LED screens: you've got the venue, the vision and the content is ready to roll. But have you got the power? Mats Karlsson, CEO at Stage Smarts, looks at key factors to keep in mind when planning power distribution for LED screens.

Attendees will explore how ConnectCAD, the latest add-on module of Vectorworks Spotlight and Designer, allows for the design and coordination of complex integrated systems for permanent and temporary installations - perfect for systems integration, event production technology, broadcast operations, or just about any connected system. Discover how ConnectCAD can save you time and money by helping to build a more efficient workflow and establishing better communication during the design and documentation phases of the project.

Media Clown is an ongoing, devised research project that utilizes Augmented Reality and virtual green screen production to break the fourth wall between the physical and digital worlds for a live virtual broadcast. A Beckett-meets-Buster satire of Big Tech, Media Clown tells the story of an oddball entrepreneur as he tries to raise capital for his idealistic (and potentially catastrophic) invention. Three audience members in Las Vegas and three audience members attending virtually from around the globe will be selected to participate in the live, telepresent performance, which is realized via UnReal Engine, Touch Designer, Zoom, Zoom OSC, Qlab, Lens Studio, and motion capture via Optitrack integration. The broadcast audience at LDI and online will also have the opportunity to interact with the solo performer via a custom web app.

Additionally, LDI audiences present in Las Vegas will be offered an exclusive peek behind-the-scenes with a simultaneous side-by-side view of our virtual greenscreen studio in Iowa City. After the performance, join us for a Q&A with the interdisciplinary team comprised of industry professionals from theatre, visual art, engineering, and computer science based at the University of Iowa Department of Theatre Arts. 

Media Clown is produced in affiliation with the University of Iowa Department of Theatre Arts and is sponsored by Epic Mega Grants and the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies. 

Join lighting designer Ethan Steimel for the LDI edition of his podcast, Artistic Finance, as he hosts a panel of lighting designers who discuss financial challenges and solutions from a freelancer's point of view.

The practice of architectural placemaking through technology has transformed dramatically in recent years, with addressable LED, sensors, projection, and advanced digital control systems pushing the boundaries of what is possible. A new industry is emerging that combines innovative interactive tech and fabrication techniques with technologies traditionally used on the stage. The combination results in dynamic architectural centerpieces and interactive "light-art" installations that are being integrated into public and private spaces around the world.

Set within an Edinburgh landmark transformed, offering eight floors filled with breath-taking experiences, bars, event spaces, and views across the capital, Johnnie Walker Princes Street stands at the heart of Diageo’s £185million investment in whisky tourism in Scotland. Join three of the project’s creative and design leads for a panel discussion on lighting design’s role in the contemporary retelling of Johnnie Walker’s legacy, through immersive storytelling, interactive experiences, and the performance arts.

Learn how large brands are using light to shape and amplify their visual identity in the development of 21st century branded destinations; How the design team married the lighting design with the media’s visual storytelling, for a fluid luminous environment and an immersive, seamless experience for guests; Lessons of scale: how the design team was able to carefully integrate over 4,500 light fixtures in the 71,500 sq ft building, such that every item in the building honestly emits light.

A review of fiber optic basics, including maintenance and trouble-shooting. Chris Conti of PRG will take attendees through the basic system components and provide examples of real-world use cases like the Super Bowl Halftime Show, concert tours, and Broadway shows.

Short 30-minute talks by dynamic women in the lighting industry on a series of different topics. Presented in association with Women In Lighting, an inspirational and global digital platform that profiles women working in the field of lighting and lighting design.

Followed by a Women In Lighting MeetUp at the LDI Circle Bar immediately following the sessions at 5pm. Sponsored by
AYRTON

Amy D. Lux: Considerations For The Built Environment 
Entertainment lighting design from concerts to theatre, film, or broadcast all have recognizable overlap in approach, syntax, and personnel. However, when crossing into traditional architectural design or permanent installation for the built environment, there are several differences in product, protocol, language, personnel, and the buying process. While these worlds can overlap, they can often be completely siloed with very different methods and procedures. In this session we will discuss the differences and what to consider when approaching architectural lighting and systems design, whether pivoting into the built environment permanently, or for a bespoke integration piece.

Paula Dinkel: Find Your Light
Paula will explore both the literal and figurative meaning of finding your light.

Carrie Heisler: Women in Sports Entertainment
As LD at Little Caesars Arena, Carrie does all the lighting for the Red Wings and Pistons, as well the Detroit Lions, where she helps L2. She will discuss what being a woman in a very male-oriented side of entertainment is like, as well as how women can impact the sports industry, and focus on how sports lighting differs, from other branches of lighting, and how the sports market has so much room for growth, and creative avenues for lighting.

“Nothing in culture is static, so your cross-cultural strategy cannot be static either”

International work can be a challenge when you are faced with clients and colleagues who come from different cultural backgrounds. With each culture comes different ideas, motivations, strategies, business values and methods. Understanding the written theories behind cultural differences can help you navigate the workplace with a greater knowledge and understanding of others and perhaps even more importantly, yourself.

In this session you will learn about: Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension Theories; Cultural Motivations and The Globe Study Leadership Styles; Non-Verbal communication; How understanding the above theories can be applied practically in the entertainment sector as you work and/or tour globally.

This session is presented in conjunction with TheatreArtLife.

This 90-minute seminar will focus on correctly setting up a file in Vectorworks with a focus on modeling techniques. A look at all Vision settings and how each affects the scene to improve the look a performance. Attendees will also learn how to correctly set up and work with video inputs, DMX transforms, emissive mesh objects, and GDTF / MVR.

A one-hour exploration of the differences between hardware and software pixel-mapping and how to control LED with video or DMX. A look at protocols to control LED; Dynamics and limitations of LED systems; Codecs and color spaces; Use of pixel mappers, media servers, and lighting consoles; Content creation and content modification.

The field of Broadway design is constantly shifting, and over a year of shuttered live events has shifted the way we think about technology more rapidly than ever. Broadway veterans, colleagues, and frequent co-creators, lighting designer Jen Schriever, sound designer Palmer Hefferan, and projection designer Caite Hevner discuss crafting stories for the stage, using technology to support re-emerging live experiences, finding camaraderie in collaboration, and they will share their unique experiences as women in the field.

Ryan Metcalfe, managing director of visualisation studio Preevue, discusses how visualisation has rapidly developed from a desirable luxury to something that is a necessity in theatre and live event production. The session includes an overview of LiDAR laser scanning technology, 3D CAD modelling, Digital Twin creation, and the growing adoption of visualisation within theatre production, using shows such as Harry Potter, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, and Bat Out of Hell as case studies. Metcalfe also discusses how to future-proof your venue by investing in 3D CAD right now, highlighting Preevue’s work creating digital twins of venues such as the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre, and how views-from-seats are on the cusp of mass adoption in the theatre industry.

In this session, producer Ola Melzig and creative director Cory FitzGerald will take the audiencethrough the rigors of fitting the 67-year-old Eurovision Song Contest format to work with a completely new set of rules in a United States broadcast network. They will walk throughwhat the show entails, how to pull off a live broadcastand how they achieved dozens of completely different looks for the stage. Get a glimpse into the challenges of broadcasting a live competition on TV in Hollywood and the differences and similarities between designing for live music and television.

Dragone has been instrumental in shaping contemporary resident and spectacle performance. Referred to as Dragonian Theatre, this specific type of multidisciplinary, collaborative, original performance was pioneered by Franco Dragone with Cirque du Soleil in the 1990s (O, Mystére, Alegria, Quidham, etc.) and further developed by Dragone with projects like Celine Dion’s A New Day, Le Rêve, The House of Dancing Water, and more. These iconic shows are all original properties and the result of Dragone’s signature process that prioritizes discovery, collaboration, artistic authenticity, and spectator experience above all else.

This panel will investigate how the Dragonian process impacts design, content, and story as well as the challenges from a technical and production standpoint that accompany an open- ended process. The conversation will focus on transforming challenges into opportunities, accomplishing the impossible, and how a discovery and collaboration driven process can lead to success far beyond the theatre.

Hailed by critics as “explosively imaginative” and a “dazingly, one-of-a-kind new musical”, A Strange Loop, one of the few musicals to ever receive a Pulitzer prize, went on to win the Tony this year for Best Musical. Join the Tony-nominated design team —Jen Schriever (lighting), Arnulfo Maldonado (scenic), Drew Levy (sound) —and learn about their four year journey from Off-Broadway to out-of-town tryouts to opening on Broadway. Explore the technologies used in each of the disciplines to execute the vision of this culturally ground-breaking production including the sophisticated scenic automation, the spatial audio system and the state-of-the-art lighting.

Virtual stages have revolutionized how productions are created as well as how performers interact with each other, visual effects, sets and objects. This seminar will take a look on how physical elements and performer interaction is crucial to creating virtual productions of the future and how the use of automations helps allow interaction and increase in creativity.