[BroadwayWorld]
MSG Entertainment has announced the 2011 Radio City Christmas Spectacular as a tradition is transformed with brand new state-of-the-art digital enhancements allowing Radio City to become the canvas of an immersive holiday experience. This year’s production will feature a new 3DLive video game adventure, new Rockette performances, new musical compositions and heartwarming songs, dazzling new costumes and state-of-the-art technology alongside cherished numbers that have been featured in the show since 1933. The Christmas Spectacular will be transformed into an immersive digital landscape through digital projections, which will envelope the proscenium arches of the theater with projective imagery, and 3DLive, which will allow audiences to capture the energy of The Rockettes as their world-famous precision dance technique comes alive in this unprecedented new scene. …
Haberman teamed up with Reel FX, an award-winning animation, visual effects, and design studio with 3D expertise, to tell the story behind the new Rockette 3DLive video game adventure scene. Through 3DLive technology, Reel FX was able to use stereoscopic imagery as a tool to blend the live action of The Rockettes with a computer generated world and make it feel as one. The term 3DLive was coined since the show incorporates 3D elements with live performance and is something that has never been done before in a live theatrical setting. This technology transforms the scene to make the audience feel as though they are part of the experience and immersed within the imagery from any seat location in the theater. To achieve the seamless 3DLive effect, Reel FX’s stereoscopic process included extensive planning, collaboration and development with Haberman, from the look of the characters and environments to the way the dancers interacted with precisely calculated and varying depths of the animated 3D imagery.
In the 3DLive video game scene, a mother and daughter search for the perfect Christmas gift where The Rockettes star as the heroines of a video game adventure. Through 3D glasses, The Rockettes will take audiences on a magical journey battling “humbugs,” gingerbread men, and an ice monster who have stolen all the Christmas toys. In the end, the mother and daughter share a heartwarming bond that embodies the spirit of Christmas.
“The idea behind 3DLive is to transform the scene and engage audiences on a whole new level scene by breaking down that fourth wall,” explained Chuck Peil, vice president and executive entertainment producer of Reel FX. “Never before have we seen people interacting live on stage with stereoscopic content in such a convincing and seamless manner. It was a technical and creative challenge, but we feel as though we are pioneering something with this year’s Christmas Spectactular. To be part of the creative process and to use this innovative technology within a space that holds such legacy as Radio City Music Hall is an honor and we are thrilled to be a part of it.” …
Read the full story here: http://broadwayworld.com/article/Tickets-Now-Available-for-RADIO-CITY-CHRISTMAS-SPECTACULAR-20111107