It’s fascinating hearing stories of times gone by when inspiration led to frantic scribbles on the back of a napkin or a discarded cigarette packet as designers penned a stage design. Although many in the industry still enjoy putting pen to paper, over the past three decades, much of this creative work has been digitised as pre-vis solutions that have now become a major part of any show’s journey.
From WYSIWYG to Depence, Capture to L8, Vectorworks, and now, Carbon – these software names have been ubiquitous as designers explain how they transform an artist’s creative hopes into a touring show. While pre-vis technology was once just another tool in an LD’s arsenal, rental houses eventually began offering pre-vis studios where teams could come together and collaborate. In recent years, there’s been a proliferation of independent pre-vis suites: spaces that offer a comfortable and creative atmosphere to assemble the nuts and bolts of a show before rehearsals. With demand for these spaces high, TPi was keen to explore this trend and see what the owner-operators of these studios believe they are providing to the market, and what software providers think of the landscape.
Read the full story below…
Words: Stew Hume
Photos: Drawn to the Light, Mångata Collective, Clear All Visuals, CAST Group, Syncronorm, L8, Vectorworks and Imaginary Labs
