- Production.
- Agency.
- Silbersalz Film
- Silbersalz Film
- DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY.
- EDIT.
- Jannis Dornheim
-
Jannis Dornheim,
Thomas Bergmann
OPERA VIDEO DESIGN.
STAGE AND VIDEO
WORKING TOGETHER.
OPERA VIDEO DESIGN.
Internationally acclaimed Nederlandse Reisopera challenged us to once again produce the video design for their 2018 Dutchman production.
The whole back wall of the stage is one large screen, showing our production the whole length of the opera.
THE FLYING DUTCHMAN.
The old sailor’s myth, and most famously the opera classic by Richard Wagner.
The tale is the story of a captain who is cursed to travel the seas forever, without rest or redemption.
His only chance of being set free is to find true love.
The story of the Dutchman is set on the rough seas of Norway. It is played in a landscape of stormy seas, lots of ice and the northern lights. We wanted to go even more to the extremes.
So, our obvious choice for the shooting destination fell on Iceland. The landscape is so diverse and all around stunning, as well as surreal. Not from this earth.
This was perfect for our needs, as the interpretation Paul Carr has put on this production of the Opera plays around with the protagonist’s imagination. Not knowing what is real and what isn’t.
SHOOTING IN ICELAND.
Shooting in winter in Iceland was challenging. Naturally the conditions were extreme. It was cold, wet and stormy.
We had to keep our gear protected from rain and waves.
We shot on several locations all over Iceland. Locations which covered everything from black beaches to ice caves and fire. Shooting included climbing on several glaciers, too.
POSTPRODUCTION.
Back in the Netherlands the editing work started. Working closely together with the Opera’s director, stage designer and art department, piece by piece we put together the Opera’s story to bring it to life on the 10-meter screen that was embedded in the stage design.
The stage design used pieces of broken mirror covering the sides, floor and ceiling of the stage. We worked with the same subject matter of broken and distorted images to combine stage and video. The mirror pieces also reflected the video content very beautifully across the stage and completed the experience.
THE PREMIERE.
With more than 80 people on stage and a sold-out house at the premiere, we were excited to see how it would all come together. How our captured images would help the audience to experience Wagner’s piece like never before.
The Flying Dutchman is on Tour with the Nederlandse Reisopera from 20.4.-9.6.2018. Directed by Paul Carr, Stage Design by Gary McCann.
