The BBC commissioned a film version of Atomos, which I co-directed. Translating the pioneering techniques developed for the stage version to film required the development of specialised new techniques for filming dance.
Employing a combination of overhead and static shots allowed me to present different perspectives of capturing choreographic movement. Multiple camera angles and positions afforded me much more scope for combining changes of perspective in a way that is not possible in a live context.
The combination of infrared camera and light created new visualisations of dancers’ bodies, with various combinations of handheld and static cameras tested to maximise the feeling of movement. This technology combined with my physical presence among the dancers allowed me to create a visual immediacy that would not have been seen in a dance film before.
This section originally appeared in 3D in the theatre with live video screens behind dancers. Experiments were done with the pixel sequence to create an immersive depth feeling as if images were coming toward the viewer by blending live and video graphic relationships.
I developed new applications of camera technologies not normally used in dance or film. Night vision cameras are able to record images outside of the light spectrum visible to the human eye and are most commonly used in low light situations within engineering, wildlife, security, and for military applications. These cameras are normally left for hours in fixed positions. Here the cameras were handheld and, using a separate night vision light, were used to film among dancers who moved in the dark. Numerous tests were done to ascertain optimum distance from dancers for good exposure and positions in which the handheld light was most effective. This process meant I had to locate myself as part of the choreography as both me and a second person holding the light had to move among the dancers. Because doing this required me to physically locate myself within the dance space, and move among the dancers, I literally became another element within the choreography. My 20-plus year experience of working with dancers and choreographers was a vital element in this process. It is necessary to have a heightened proprioception in order to become part of the choreography, to add to it, and to interact with the dancers in a way that neither impedes nor negatively alters their movements.
This adds different texture and combines three visual layers to give depth and move towards expressing the 3D experience in 2D. The new techniques shown here enable the moving image elements to operate as scenic and narrative devices simultaneously and provide a more diverse sensory experience than more conventional representations of dance on screen normally permit.
Tests were done to find ways of seamlessly moving between different dance sequences on stage using film techniques. Using graphic animation to change scenes and begin another without it being a simple lighting change. Dancers were originally filmed in 3D. To recreate the feeling of this, previously captured footage is shown on video screens behind the live dancers, together with overlays that are used when the image moves to cover the whole scene.