GENERAL PRODUCTION NOTES
1. The film includes opportunities to include live actors:
a. A crowd
b. An Elvis army
c. Godzilla
d. The Sphinx
2. Audience participation is encouraged with on-screen prompts.
3. We suggest including some modest props and costumes:
a. A Godzilla suit (the blow-up kind works very well)
b. A Sphinx costume
c. Multiple Elvis costumes
d. Foam balls or ball pit balls for the audience to throw.
STAGING IDEAS
BEGINNING: Add chasing follow spots around the hall.
REHEARSAL A: Place a few of the brass, saxes, and drum set out in front of the band, seated in a traditional jazz band formation (with big band jazz stands?). Add downlighting to highlight the band during this section.
REHEARSAL B: Repeat downlighting to highlight the downstage dance band.
REHEARSAL C: Downstage dance band members get up and mill around as if on break, then move to their seats within the regular band.
BAR 63: “Crowd” filters on stage, look up at video screen and react. The screams at BAR 66 and BAR 72 could be entire “Crowd.”
REHEARSAL D: “Crowd” suddenly breaks into dance.
REHEARSAL E: “Crowd” screams before REHEARSAL E, then runs off stage in fear of monster.
REHEARSAL L: Elvis Army marches onstage.
BAR 190: Elvis Army performs a kick-line at the lip of the stage.
REHEARSAL M: Elvis Army screams, then runs off stage in fear of monster.
REHEARSAL N: Sphinx character enters and performs a dance.
BAR 221: Godzilla character joins the Sphinx onstage (carrying a rose to giver her?).
REHEARSAL O: Godzilla and Sphinx dance a tango on stage.
BAR 238: Elvis Army re-enters the hall and distributes ball pit balls to the audience. Godzilla and Sphinx remain onstage.
REHEARSAL P: Audience and Elvis Army throw balls at Godzilla character.
LIGHTING PLAN IDEAS
1. Use stand lights. Keep the hall and stage lighting to a minimum to maximize the video effect.
2. Use colored uplights directed at architectural features in the hall.
3. Add gobos (palm trees, moon & stars, martini glass, etc).
4. Add a disco ball effect throughout the hall.
Opening: Dark. Chasing follow spots.
REHEARSAL A: Subdued blue lighting. Blue uplights on architectural hall features. Palm tree, moon, star, martini glass, or other gobos projected around hall. Downspot on downstage dance band.
BAR 28: Switch to subdued red lighting. Gobos off. Red flashing ‘alarm’ lighting.
REHEARSAL B: Switch back to blue lighting, gobos, and band downspot. BAR 39: Switch to red lighting, no gobos, downpot off.
REHEARSAL C: Keep red lighting. Add onstage streetlight prop to suggest the back alley outside the hall.
BAR 59: Still red lighting. Add white light flash to mimic explosion.
BAR 65: Red lighting quick out. Go to minimal hall lighting, downspot on “Crowd”.
REHEARSAL D: Strobe lights, disco lights, downspot or follow spot on “Crowd.”
REHEARSAL E: End stobe, disco lighting.
REHEARSAL G: Minimal stage and hall lighting to emphasize film.
BAR 156: Slow fade to black.
BAR 166: Red lighting from BAR 28 returns.
REHEARSAL L: Hall lights up a bit, follow spots on Elvi Army as it enters from the back of the hall. Military gobos projected around hall.
BAR 190: Disco ball, red lighting. Bright flashing spots around hall. REHEARSAL M: Minimal lighting with downspot on Elvi Army downstage. Focus goes to film.
REHEARSAL N: Bathe hall in red lights.
REHEARSAL P: Hall lights up a bit, white lighting. Follow spot on Godzilla. Bright flashes during “battle”
BAR 274: Slow fade to black.
REHEARSAL Q: Blue lighting and gobos from REHEARSAL A.
BAR 287: Chasing follow spots
REHEARSAL R: Red lighting