Edinburgh Fringe - Gather for iMelania

Gather… Melania is the next show in town. This was signposted for me by Imitating The Dog who as a theatre company Explore the boundaries between theatre and technology. A recommendation from these guys certainly got my attention.

 

I, Melania is part of @Summerhallery festival and totally brilliant from @paulavarjack & @ChuckBlueLowry https://t.co/tM3uBLnncT

— imitating the dog (@ImitatingtheDog) August 21, 2021

Age and Experience but Confidence eludes me still - Mulling IT Over 2

So eager was I to attend Chronic Insanity’s Puncture the Screen festival I skipped a day. I thought yesterday was today! I had the day to really look over the programme. Check out Chronic Insanity projects https://bit.ly/citheatre-projects

In November I’m enrolled on Chris Grady’s Creative Producing Diploma. It’s billed as an MA is 16wks. I will be dedicating my whole brain and being to that 16 wk.

I’m used to having the benefit of life being almost 50 to curate and gather knowledge around. This held me in good stream transitioning from analogue to digital in the nineties, naughtiest and teens of the 20th and 22st centuries. The new horizon is not so easy. The landscape of immersive, its pioneers and practitioners are elementally daring and I perceive to be until recently clouded in mystery.

Why I’m uncertain. I think it’s the networks and people seated in an industry I had not fully identified. The world of theatre I stared my career within had a legacy that enchanted and informed my desire to work in the industry.

Now as my age advances I want to make and produce drawing on my work experience gained throughout my first life career as a theatre Stagemanager. I’ve been hesitate and lacking confidence. I have realised in recent month a lot of that is anchors in the way I function and engage resulting from my Dyslexia. I need to understand that more.

A hinderance is my short term memory. Right now with all the new companies, people and opportunities around me I feel like a goldfish with the 2 second attention span. Or in the presences of the Dr Who silence. I turn around or change screens and my mind is blank.

Writing is annoying too. Using my iPad by the time I get my notes app open and pencil stylus at the ready my mind can’t manifest the letters required to signify the item I want to notate!

My making and producing ambitions are not a recent whim. The foundation of my first piece will create a stand-alone low-carbon footprint hi-tech immersive staging environment. The concept will R&D in October 2021 using 12 year old concept images created in 3D software.

The companies innovating immersive work blending physical live performance with digital platforms is the draw of Puncture The Screen.

 

Puncture The Screen - Chronic Insanity - Mulling IT Over 2

Chronic Insanity is a Nottingham based theatre company.

I met Chronic Insanity’s Artistic Director & Creative Producer Joe Strickland during the Pandemic on a video meet up organised by Jen Toksvig, founder of The Larder, imaginiarium artist behind the Twitter restaurant Toksvigs who delightfully defies easy classification. Jen is a director, facilitator and creative producer I greatly admire. It was a meet up of Fairy Godparents that facilitated the crossing of our paths.

It’s the ‘support in kind’, ‘beyond the call of duty’, extending consciousness, making magic even when off the clock, all these are within the FairyGodparents remit!

https://www.jenifertoksvig.com/supportingwork

Joe, on examining of his online profiles was not only a digital theatre producer (my current career pursuit trajectory) but Nottingham based too. ‘In the flesh’, ‘on the ground’ encounters are weightier in cognition than cloud, digital and online encounters I find. They can be lonely affairs. The physical encounters however I find unpredictable not to mention logistically, attentionally and geographically challenging.

But the truth is Ground or Cloud both require the commitment of time and attention. Anything having resources consumed in the form of human input comes at a cost. A cost encompassing food, life expenses to rent need return, and time given needs reward so nothing Ground or Cloud is free and consequently shouldn’t be free.

If on a rare occasion a show is fully funded with no expectation of profit the funders still require documentation in terms of an audience. Art and audience are intertwined where value for money and funders are concerned.

Puncture The Screen is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England

Joe and Chronic Insanity are ‘opening’ Puncture The Screen on July 29th between 12 noon and 8pm then on July 30th between 12 noon and 7pm
11 events with 2 at the end of each day being live.

I spoke to Joe to find out more

PCM is offering PCM Adventures 3 festival passes which will be paid for by PCM. A gift from me. Message me on Facebook.

All the Puncture The Screen info.

https://twitter.com/citheatre/status/1419687713981280265

Puncture The Screen is a data driven digital art and performance festival run by Chronic Insanity, consisting of digital art and performance, workshops, panel discussions, and educational opportunities for creatives and audiences alike.

The festival will run 29/07/21-30/07/21 and will be available on demand for at least two weeks afterwards.

They want this festival to show the full innovative strength of digital art and performance and to show off its accessibility, its sustainability, and its affordability for both creatives and audiences alike.

Tickets:
Full Festival Pass - £10 (3 FREE passes available to PCM Adventures)
Individual Event Pass - £5
Upgrade an Event Pass to a Festival Pass- £5

Available here (For a PCM Adventurers pass email me at [email protected])

The festival organisers, Chronic Insanity, are a theatre company from Nottingham that creates and facilitates live performance and experiences in traditional, found, and digital spaces. They are currently in the middle of completing their second 12 shows in 12 months challenge.

Find out more about them here!

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

Day 1 - July 29th

12:00 - The Next Best Thing by Emily Holyoake

14:00 - Introduction to Digital Theatre by Kill The Cat

14:00 - Introduction to Animating by Edalia Day

16:00 - Augmented Art by Tom Shennan

18:00 - Working with Isadora by Imitating The Dog (Live Event)

20:00 - Larkhall (Live Event)

Day 2 - July 30th

12:00 - The Ashes: World Tour by Naomi Westerman

14:00 - Introduction to Creative Captioning using Isadora by Tim Kelly

16:00 - Displacement Native by Michael-Jon Mizra

18:00 - Creative Infinity: How Digital Will The Future Be? (Live Event)

19:00 - message not sent by YESYESNONO (Live Event)

An 8.5 hr Zoom call. #WriggleSymp21

Wriggle Dance Symposium 

I love supporting projects. I love supporting produced events requiring digital support and audience access.
Latest project Wriggle Dance Theatre’s Early Year’s and Families Symposium took place today.

Lights Camera Action ... mic / mute

It’s all in the planning and prep.
The Symposium took place in one Zoom Meeting. It used Polls and Breakout Rooms, it pinned and spotlighted, its shared audio, QuickTime video, keynote and PDF preview. A Whereby video room as a helpdesk was open throughout running in parallel. Closed Caption and live transcription was available too.
Alongside this an online feedback board was created using Padlet. Attendees were invited to leave feedback and share insights in real time.

All digital presentations, performance, workshops and the attending audience but it’s time to explore the hybrid of Digital and Physical. The paperwork won’t change the delivery will be more complex.

Today marked the premiere showing of Wriggle Dance’s film version of their stage production of Squidge. In conversation panel showcased CO directors Lucy Knight and Kath Kimber McTiffen legacy and guest panels presented rich practices hi lighting the power of movement, dance and touch for early years children.

 
The pandemics indelible stamp extending work from the sector in to digital featured also. 
To conclude the day Coventry Dance facilitated a speed networking opportunity. Ending the day in conversation. Finishing the day with a blog post.

For your hybrid and blended audience and event solutions... this way please.

A lot of the kit arrived today for the next PCM TechBox. Testing & unboxing heaven! Each commissioned TechBox is bespoke to the requirement of the client following discussions about the media the company or organisation need to make. This current box is a triple threat box! vlogging, video conferencing, media making. #ExtendTheAudience

This PCM TechBox is for the @UNESCO UK site Cromford Mills. 

The TechBoxes I build contains everything a marketing team, event or theatre company need to boss their video media making and live streaming as lockdown lifts. It is an all in one solution in a literal box. It includes a consultation, content creation strategy, set up and basic video/film making training. This intermediate package costs £4,500

This kit is compiled to splits into 3 parts. It is multipurpose multi-media.

1. Mobile vlogging, social media and vox-pops.
2. YouTube and podcast studio set up.
3. Video conferencing and livestreaming.

Everything, including a laptop and the box it all goes in. Wondering how you blend or extend your audience after lockdown? Wondering how you livestream on a budget?

Whatever the output I provide a most current technology centred solution that can grow, scale and be augmented as your media making confidence is established. I'll help with workflow too so the content you capture makes it online.

So far

• Stabilising hand-held gimbal with mobile phone and GoPro brackets
• Mini shotgun mic (mobile and video camera jack cables)
• Pocket video lightGoPro with waterproof housing
• Cold shoe handheld rig for mobile and GoPro
• 4K video camera (for capture and streaming)
• Tripod
• X2 table top dimming fill lights
• Power ext with x4 13amp and x6 USB sockets
• X2 Wireless lavelier mics (mobile and video camera jack cables)
• Conferencing speaker with 360 mic pick-upCables & Accessories case

Items remaining will be determined based on the inter gratin of the tech acquired so far.

• Projector (to view remote audience in the physical venue)
• Screen Laptop (with video and audio editing software installed)
• Tablet / Monitor / SwitcherStorage / Flight case
• Portable power pack
• Power extension Mobile WiFi

For a theatre company, events agency looking to explore hybrid opportunities there is not a better place to begin than a conversation with PCM.

Digitise vs Digitalisation

This is profoundly relevant and routed in a guiding principle that has long been quoted by me imparted by one of my greatest influencers Marcus Romer. “Don’t add technology to the way you do things. Change the way you do things once you know what technology can do.”

This is distilled as 2021 opens in to summer rephrased like origami to Digitalise not Digitise.

What does this mean for lockdown innovations in screen and live performed online theatre? Blended and Remote attendance, digital live evaporating into on demand.
John Maeda’s medium article referees to business innovations.

“Digitizing is easy, but succeeding in digitalization these days requires care and attention to the design of an experience if you are intending to charge a premium.”

https://johnmaeda.medium.com/how-i-learned-what-digital-transformation-truly-means-after-waving-to-a-couple-gs-3be62c4cef7a

Digitizing: Taking what is an existing process or activity and making it electronic to create cost efficiencies.

Digitalizing: Realizing an entirely new digital business that can take on the likes of Amazon or Netflix to generate new topline revenue.

Michael Fisher tweeted below John’s medium in my timeline. The two synchronised tweets inspired today’s post.

https://twitter.com/fisher85m/status/1380812398479691780?s=21

It’s easy to get light headed by the overwhelming newness of each and every day. It’s easy to allow anxiety to wash over me. The digitalised horizons are revealed the closer you approach. I want as much time as I can embrace. But the world is moving faster than I want to move. Faster than I can competently process. 

That internal metronome will orchestrate me through. We are entering exciting times.
Transformation. I like this concept.

Analogue heart and a digitalised soul.

“Uniquely work in progress” is how I feel.

Perhaps that should go on my grave stone!

PCM Packages - tied up with a big purple crypto silk ribbon.

Since the start of last years lockdown I’ve had the opportunity to develop the deliverables at the heart of PCMcreative.

TechBox

Bespoke solution to podcast, livestream, create content even host and produce online and hybrid events all in a super secure flight case.

Events

Cloud or Ground hybrid event production with your audience at its core. 

Apps & Technology Play

Innovative research, development with digital and augmented engagement the priority. Gamification, Geolocation, Raspberry Pi, virtual and augmented reality, 3D printing and further voyages of crypto discovery.

Projects got funding and now I’m doing amazing stuff. I’ve always found it hard to market and promote what I do. I love what I do and those on my projects and the clients enjoy the results. They are beginnings. They are foundations. 
My clients and collaborators shine and thrive. 

Currently active packages I’m working on...

• 1 day conference
• 1/2 day workshop series
• Monthly lecture series
• Instagram AR mini game
• QRcode quiz trailNetwork of 6 Raspberry
• Pi smart screensAudio guide mobile app
• Ambient Geo visitor eBook

3 phase tech box

• Media making for social
• Podcasting, YouTube studio and Web video production
• Hybrid Event streaming provision 

Also I’m excited about 2 venue (on the ground) based events with blended hybrid capacity are on the drawing board. 

A 1 day workshop and a 3 day Hackathon 

Ooo and to end this post...

a stage production is in early finance planning for funding and investment. I’ve had this potential show in my mind my entire career. It’s hardwired into the name I use for my business. PCMcreative is the burning ambition to produce that show.

Watch this space! #IgniteLiv

On the 25th Feb, I am presenting a mini-presentation at Liverpool Ignite 40 Digital.

20 slides lasting 20 secs to produce a tight talk timeframe.

Mine will have a QR code that comes here.

The event is drawing close, I'll be going live this Thursday evening via YouTube and Facebook.

Watch here on YouTube

The write up will be here too.

Full set of slides. Not used Slideshare for a while.

Virtually Digital - Blending as we return 'digital2physical' from PCM creative media

 

 

Secret Stories - #SparkFestival - performing live on Zoom

Today I was able to sit in on a couple of the digital live Zoom performances taking place this is as part of The Spark Arts for Children half term #SparkFestival

“During lockdown families from the Belgrave community, the golden mile of Leicester, met online to share and uncover their personal histories.”

Chandni Mistry performed Airmail - a set of community told adapted stories live-streamed direct to the audience’s home, over Zoom. Airmail is a collection of stories told through time, across continents and generations. Jumping from Uganda to Watermead Country Park, Leicester.

AirMail (below - Chandni Mistry)

Rina Fatania performed The Video Call - a collection of stories that resonate voices from the heart of Belgrave, the golden mile of Leicester… a world of WhatsApps, Zooms, never ending summer barbecues and right up to lockdown.

VideoCall (below - Rina Fatania)

I’m currently compiling the on demand versions richly recorded and underscored to podcast listening comfort perfection by Audio Artist, Dimple Patel. Directed for Zoom by Trina Haldar from stories co-written by her Satinder Chohan and participating families of Belgrave in Leicester.

Delighted to have been able to introduce Marcus Romer into the mix which provided support and confidence Trina, Rina and Chandni. He allayed their fears of Zoom bringing a sense of play to the scripts embracing the confines of the video frame. Zoom was used magnificently with Virtual Background overplayed with filters. Chandni seamlessly flipped from back to background with a well placed dog face tracing filter. Feathers were raised to the camera with the space in frame thoughtfully augmented with a Paper plane and model boat large and close in passing across the field of view.

The stories gave a glimpse into a world and culture of being a migrant from India through the eyes of 2nd and 3rd generation Leicester families. Shock and delight, I audibly gasped in Airmail, here in my home at the story of family members leaving India under duress and instructed to remove jewellery at the airport to laughter in VideoCall at the contracted text speak and Dwali zooms.

I now have the live experience. Performed in speaker view with families watching from home line up along the top of the main spotlighted performers window. Interaction between the children and Chandni during Airmail pushed the boundary to wholeheartedly demonstrate that live theatre can be digital.

The 9 stories will be available to listen to as part of the Families On Demand part of the #SparkFestival programme. I am unreservedly glad I saw them performed live.

A hat tip must go also to the zoom operators Helen Raw and Katie Bosomworth.