Tuesday 11th September 2001, Theme and Leisure Day of the Masterclass Programme is a ‘must’ for visitors interested in learning how, through imaginative design and intelligent production techniques, special effects can be utilised in live entertainment to have maximum effect on the audience. There will be three presentations during the course of the day dealing with different aspects of this vibrant sector.
PLASA welcomes American WOW!Works chief effects artist, Tylor Wymer, an industry leader in pyrotechnics and special effects engineering and the former special effects design director for Walt Disney Entertainment, who will host an exciting session called, ‘Special Effects Ignite The Senses - Putting the Wow! Into Your Productions’. Highlights will include a fun and interactive overview by Mr Wymer in the areas of pyrotechnics, confetti, fog/haze, snow/wind/rain and the new trends in scent technology.
Mr Wymer’s impressive portfolio, spanning over 20 years, includes over 6,000 productions including stage shows, spectaculars, groundbreaking ceremonies, dedications, television specials and commercials. His design highlights include five Super Bowl Half-time extravaganzas for Walt Disney Entertainment, numerous projects for Tokyo Disneyland, Fantasmic! – a night-time spectacular at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, the grand opening dedications at Epcot and Disney-MGM Studios and effects for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast on Broadway. He has also produced the effects for the opening festivities in New York City of Disney’s animated films, The Lion King, Hunchback of Notre Dame and Hercules.
‘Using Entertainment Technology To Provide Unique Atmospheres and Zones’ is another session planned during the day, when the team behind the stunning Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham, Yorkshire, will disclose how they created the ‘Wow! Factor’ through effective lighting, sound and special effects at this visitor attraction, tipped to become known as one of the most exciting and innovative in Europe.
The third session, ‘Creating Successful Leisure and Entertainment Environments using Light and Sound’ is being led by Ron Harwood of Illuminating Concepts, who will use examples of excellence in both creativity and technical expertise to show how operators and designers can work together to create groundbreaking projects. We all demand so much more from our leisure time these days and this session will show how light, sound and special effects can really enhance the visitor experience.
Watch this space for further details about this and other events planned at PLASA, including a series of technical workshops, facilitated by the Institute of Sound and Communications Engineers (ISCE). The workshops will be covering areas such as measuring sound, system equalisation and digital networks.
Technical seminars have been prepared by Loughborough College in co-operation with the Arts and Entertainment Technical Training Initiative (AETTI) working towards a General Theatre Technician BTEC Award. This seminar runs over three days (Monday 10th to Wednesday 12th) and focuses on the language, geography, and organisation of technical theatre and how different technical disciplines go about their work, including settings, props, costume, lighting and sound.
There will be plenty of time to
