Fall of Erebus
Summary
A celestial drama unfolds as two tribes clash in the night sky. Part of the BIG SCREENS exhibition, this work brings together a combination of culture, drama and excitement to the 120 foot Video Wall located in the Frank Gehry-designed headquarters for IAC in Manhattan.
My responsibilities
I focused both on the experiential and video production aspect of this project.
For the experiential portion, I helped our team focus on how light and video can work within a large physical space filed by a large audience.
For the video production portion, I recognized that I needed to teach and trust my collaborators how to use Adobe Premier and Adobe After Effects so that we could all edit together. I also created the render farm that exponentially spend up our production process.
Skills
Art Direction, Production, Film, Editing, Rendering, Spatial Media, choreography, Visual Effects, Sound Design, Rapid Prototyping
Tools
120 Foot Video Wall, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple Mac Pros, Dropbox, Green Screens, High Speed Cameras, Motion Capture Suit.
Project Details
Problem
The challenge was creating a captivating experience for one of the largest and most technologically advanced screens in the world. Sabrina Osmany, a human computer interaction researcher, and I collaborated and produced this experience from ideation to completion. Combining architecture, dance, high-speed photography, new media, culture, light, and sound we ephemerally suspended the belief of an audience of hundreds of guests through a provocative narrative.
Solution
The human form is expressive, emotive, and universal. Its cultural precedents and relatability provide us with a deep rooted foundation that pairs perfectly with a short narrative. Sabrina and I asked creative technologist, dancer, and choreographer, Caitlin Sikora, to bring her performance expertise to the big screen. We crafted an ominous and multifaceted narrative by masking the human form. We challenged each viewer to complete the narrative through their personal lens by only revealing human movements and silhouettes. Using green screen technology, and high speed cameras, Sabrina and I intimately filmed and edited Caitlin's stunning dance performance to manipulate the audience's gaze within the space. The piece was built to be both intellectual and visceral, therefore we asked Justin Peake, a talented musician and technologist, to mix two musical pieces that would set a piercing and eerie tone for the performance. Fall of Erebus folded sound and light across walls, pillars, and faces transforming a sea of onlookers into individual storytellers.
Collaborators
Supervisors: Mimi Yin.
Collaborators: Sabrina Osmany, Caitlin Sikora, and Justin Peake.