Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1997 - 32

With practice and experimentation, many problems were foreseen and corrected in the early composing stages using the
tools in Hijack Touch Up.

GENERATING 35 MM SLIDES
The final step was to export the files via TIP to the work station
in the Visualization Lab \vitll tile film recorder for a test roU.
The file transfer rate of TIP over the university system averages
1ME per second, so moving tile large files was not a time consunling process. Since tile edges of the images were black, the
first roll canle back from the processor cut incorrectly. To
provide tile processor with a distinct first frame we inserted a
2000 x 1333 pixels white inlage at tile beginning of the roU.
Subsequent roUs were all cut and mounted correctly. We could
compose, record, and process new slides in a single day.

RESULTS

FIGURE 4
The slide was composed by copying each individual segment into the new blank slide working from left to right. First,
the END.JPG spacer was maximized and copied to the clipboard using the COpy command. After clicking inside the new
file, the inlage was pasted from the clipboard into the blank
file. The black end spacer·was pasted at the far left hand side
of the image. Next the left hand image, I_LETI.JPG, was
opened and copied to the clipboard. Returning to the new
slide, I_LETI.]pG was pasted from the clipboard. It too
aligned to the left hand corner of the new slide. The image was
then easily moved into position by click and drag until the left
edge of I_LEYf.]PG was aligned with the right edge E ID.JPG.
Releasing the mouse button positioned the image. The three
other spacers and two remaining images were copied, pasted,
and positioned in exactly the same manner. The completed
composite slide was given a new name, such as DEATH_I and
saved as aJPG (Fig. 3). All subsequent slides were composed
using this process.
In some cases, there was disparity between tile image as
it appeared on the computer screen and final slide. What you
see is not necessarily what you get. This was ~specially the
case with images that were generated from dark originals.
30

ALL

TD&T

When tile slides were projected for the show, the tllree images
on each slide aligned to the openings (Fig. 4). Next time a bit
more tolerance will be factored into the sizing by making the
actual images a bit larger so fitting tile opening was not cut so
close. Since each set of three screens was serviced by a single
projector, the images on tile sides were dimmer than the center. As with all rear projections, the images "fall off' significantly for audience members seated at the sides of the house.
However, since a set of screens was located both on the stage
right and stage left sides of the set, every audience member
had a clear \~ew of at least one set. Images composed of tltin
lines, such as some black and white photographs of stained
glass windows, were a bit "soft." The more opaque images
scanned from paintings produced the sharpest projections.

CONCLUSION
Digitally generated slides prO\~ded a practical solution to the
problems presented by the set design for our production of
EveIJ'/Ilall. Traditional photographic methods could not have
produced similar results within the constraints of our production calendar. Moreover, the ease of digital scanning and manipulating images, as weU as the high quality of slides
generated by digital film recorders at a velY reasonable cost,
offer designers and technologists new methods more facile
and efficient for generating single image slides. Our copy
stand and photo floods have joined resistance dimmers and
clout nails as good solutions for the time, but are now replaced by better tools, methods, and materials. *:.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1997