just saw this pic...any ideas on how?

[jongaduet]

this came from the ny times...here's the article

this looks like they almost made an actual rainbow.

although i'm only seein RGB, it's close enough for opera apparently!
I can fathom the colors, but the arc?

any thoughts out there on how?
or does the ld happen to be on this board

 

[SAWYeR]

WOW. That's pretty epic. I see the full spectrum in there, and maybe they had a good deal of moisture in the air and found a way to really recreate a rainbow. Other than that I have no idea how this was done. Definitely amazing though.

 

[jongaduet]

yeah, definitely a nice effect, only in nyny...or branson

 

[BenTev28]

this came from the ny times...here's the article

this looks like they almost made an actual rainbow.

although i'm only seein RGB, it's close enough for opera apparently!
I can fathom the colors, but the arc?

any thoughts out there on how?
or does the ld happen to be on this board

Guess #1: 99% sure it's =rear projection video. I'd bet money that's the answer.

Guess #2: Glass gobo, maybe layered with a steel gobo for the shape. I can imagine something working that way, but video is such a simpler solution, this only gets 1%

 

[kneightx]

I'd put my money on front projection. The backdrop looks 2D to me...in which case a front projection of the rainbow would work pretty well. Put a little particle in the air and you even get a bit of "float" in front of the image.

 

[BillESC]

+1 on front projection.

 

[icewolf08]

Does anyone besides me think that truly the most likely is that it is painted? I'd bet more on paint than projections. This is the Met, we are talking about, so the drop is more than likely painted as opposed to projected. It is certainly not RP, not on a drop painted that dark, the projected colors would never pass that vibrantly. Really kind of the same for front projection, to get that much pop off such a dark drop is pretty hard to believe. I would put money on paint.

 

[Van]

Front projection on a nitrogen curtain or haze.

 

[cdub260]

I'm betting on a high resolution image, generated on a computer, then printed on a backdrop. This is a trick we've used down in Pageantland a couple of times when we needed a photo quality backdrop. I don't recall off hand who printed the backdrop for us.

 

[Grog12]

Front projection on a nitrogen curtain or haze.

For the win.

Definetly front on haze.

It doesn't looke painted and if it is I want to hire their scenic painter.

 

[erosing]

I'm thinking that whomever did it certainly earned their money. Great effect, and it doesn't seem like it wwould take away from the performance.

 

[BenTev28]

Revision to earlier guess:

RP on a screen behind a black scrim. That would account for such a clear image on a dark background, I think. The only reason I _don't_ think front projection through haze is that we're not seeing color in the air over the people, or the beams of any of the stage lights illuminating them. On the other hand, that is a seriously deep stage. Good air handlers could account for that. Or a fog curtain instead of general haze.

I'm definitely willing to cede to painted drop .... I forgot that this is the Met, where it's not such a big deal to fly in a number of drops throughout the production, or to hire enough scenic painters for enough time to create drops of that size and quality. On the other hand, I'm seeing more and more large productions just using projection to change backdrops instead of flying different drops in and out. If you've got more than two or three locations, it certainly winds up being cheaper in the end.

 

[Franklights]

my vote is on painted as well.

However, that being said... if it were a glass gobo (probably several for the length) or video projected (seems too expensive to do longterm) onto either a scrim or low fog curtain I could see that being more difficult and the projection source needing to be very bright like an HMI ellipsoidal. It would also have to be front projection in either video or conventional.

 

[Van]

EhNHNHnhnhnhn! Times up you are all wrong ! < me too btw>

In the designers own words:
Our rainbow was terrific, over which at the conclusion of this evening the Gods ascend to the towering castle Valhalla... We used a special prism, which we produced in the Met's own workshops. ...(H)ow beautiful the colors looked!

here's a link to more of his comments

 

[Teber]

All I can say is.. Very Impressive... very...

 

[Franklights]

EhNHNHnhnhnhn! Times up you are all wrong ! < me too btw>

In the designers own words:
Our rainbow was terrific, over which at the conclusion of this evening the Gods ascend to the towering castle Valhalla... We used a special prism, which we produced in the Met's own workshops. ...(H)ow beautiful the colors looked!

here's a link to more of his comments

but it was front projection... right???

 

[Erwin]

EDIT: Oh. NVM... Didn't read page 2~~

 

[awhaley]

I found an additional picture of the effect, with the rest of the scene a bit better exposed in the camera. After looking at this, reading the article that was linked about the prism and the other projection effects used in the show, and looking at other photos of the show, I'm ready to guess that the rest of the background image is a front projection video effect.

Metropolitan Opera Broadcast: <I>Das Rheingold</i> > Opera News > The Met Opera Guild

Art Whaley
Art Whaley Design

 

[jongaduet]

out of curiousity...

how does one make a prism? also one that makes an arc insead of the straight "dark side of the moon" style?

did they just put a well shuttered ellipsoidal behind it?

 

[Chris Chapman]

The cynic in me says that the picture is the result of Photoshop clean up and the effect never really looked like that. Front projecting the rainbow onto a scrim would lead to a second rainbow beyond the scrim on the back wall, floor or ceiling.

I believe the prism and the related production story, just not this pristine picture of it.

Now I gotta gets me some prisms to play with. My City Theatrical Image Multi-plexers don't count. LOL