A Digital Tempest

After talking with Rosie after Tuesdays presentation I realised that all I was doing with my original idea was being rather literal. The reason for this is because the version of the show that I'm referencing is the Shakespeare's Globe 2013 production  and as you can see, there is nothing there. So to me I guess I was building on the performance by adding the rather obvious effects because there was nothing there to begin with.

However, after speaking with Rosie, I started trying to come up with my own take on The Tempest something many people have tried and most give up on because it is such a classic Shakespearian comedy. I started thinking of how I could modernise it without taking away it's true value and the context of the show. I began by dissecting the scene I'm intending to use into character, character intention, context and reaction.

Character: Ariel
Characters intention: To do as his master asks of him without hurting the crew or mariners.

Context: He has just created the Tempest (using magic) that caused the King of Napels ship to 'ship wreck' upon Prospero's island, a ship containing Prospero's brother Antonio. This is so Prospero can finally get revenge on his brother for usurping him 12 years prior to the play.

Reaction: The audience shouldn't be alarmed by Ariels actions as he never intends to harm the ship mates, simply scare them. Ariel is also known for his human like emotions in which he doesn't want to harm anyone, as people find out later in the play.

What caught my attention was the that the main focus of the monologue is Ariels magic and that he never intends to hurt anyone, so I began thinking of what could replace the magic then it came to me - the internet.

To an actual Elizabethan audience digital technology and the internet would have been like magic so why don't I take Ariels magical powers and turn them into Ariels computer skills. (Now stay with me here) I plan on turning Ariel into a 'mad computer scientist' because 1) he can still intercept the ship and control it meaning he can still make the crew scared enough to jump overboard 2) you get to see information points 3) the projection can be used as a giant computer screen and 4) Ariel stays true to character because no matter how carried away he gets, he's behind a computer screen and can't really cause any harm.  

Storyboard: I told you I couldn't draw.

Still using rear projection I would stand the actor in front of the screen, back facing the audience, furiously typing on an old keyboard (You know the type that actually makes a noise). I've also added points that the actor can use 'tablet gestures' like point and zoom, swipe ect so the screen looks interactive from the audiences point of view.

Since this is a performance piece I'd also like to add sound to it, kind of a hybrid of water and submarine sounds with 8-bit orchestrations, so you get a very immersive experience. After the performance is complete I will add a silhouette of the actor (possibly from a green screen or still images) along with subtitles for the hard of hearing, meaning if it does indeed go to a gallery all the elements would still be present for the piece to make sense.

Also to get a head start on organising everything (because if I don't I'll freak out) I put all my projects into 1 timetable as seen here, very colourful and very full in general - but it makes sense to me!