IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES
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In act three, a live band emulates the feeling of watching Elvis perform on stage Themed food and beverage areas – like the one pictured – keep visitors fully immersed Reveley waxes lyrical about the beauty of blending media formats for unique experiences
bar and finally the stage seen in the iconic 1968 Comeback Special. When it comes to a completely immersive 360° experience of this scale, set designers find themselves leaning heavily on smaller detailing to complement the larger-scale technology present. From Presley’s dressing table with its family photos and a trinket tray stacked high with chunky gold rings, to sixties television sets displaying CCTV of NBC producers desperately trying to coax Elvis out of his room, these finer details were certainly in abundance. “Stage One delivered all of the set work for us,” describes Reveley. “And they also worked on the bars and F&B areas, which are just as important for completing the experience. As an immersive company, we want people to step through the door and immediately enter the world we’ve created for them.” Reveley emphasises the years of previous collaboration between Stage
advances in the technology opening up new doors when it comes to seamless storytelling. In an immersive setting, the creative opportunities offered by the tech are increased tenfold. “ Elvis Evolution is driven by live actors, and the technology weaves into that,” Reveley says. “When you think about the way tools like LED or projection are deployed in theatre, it’s usually done within the proscenium arch. With an immersive environment such as Elvis Evolution , we try to make use of that 360° space as much as possible. It’s about choosing the right technology for the job, then also layering in different effects – physical, visceral and sensory. It’s the blending of all those different components that really makes it a Layered Reality experience.” ATTENTION TO DETAIL The show features four key rooms: NBC Studios, a train carriage, the Blue Hawaii
happen right in front of you or being transported somewhere else through the projections.” One of the most central visual moments is the finale: an explosive, multilayered dream sequence which shows Elvis in different stages of his life, infinitely mirrored in LED tunnels and echoed in light. The overall effect was like memory folding in on itself, which is highly reflective of what was a tragically chaotic final chapter of Elvis’ life. “We had a brilliant video team, headed up by Harrison Cook at Pixel Lux Design,” adds Reveley. “Pixel Lux was integral in specifying all the hardware required, and worked closely with us in the testing phase to make sure we had the right blend of technology. That included multiple large format LED screens from Absen, which were then augmented by additional screens around the room.” The use of LEDs in theatrical scenarios has become an increasingly popular choice among production teams, with
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