People of the Salmon
THE STORY BEHIND THE SOUND AND LIGHTS
of the Canadian Experience
It's a sound-and-light show unlike any other: a marriage of ancient
rhythms and futuristic technology. People who come to see The People
of the Salmon in the Museum's Grand Hall will be treated to a
spectacle that's more often associated with rock shows than with museums.
Technical Producer Jean-Marc Robillard searched out the most up-to-date
sound and lighting equipment to tell the stories of The People of
the Salmon. His research, however, began with the stories and dances
themselves -- in Alert Bay, an isolated community in the Queen Charlotte
Strait, off the Northwest coast of Vancouver Island.
"We filmed Kwakwaka'wakw dancers against a black background, so that we
could project their images against the backdrop of the Grand Hall during
the performance. Gloria Cranmer Webster, one of the scriptwriters for
The People of the Salmon, lives in Alert Bay. She helped us get
permission to shoot in the longhouse, and organized the dancers and
drummers. It was a pretty intense experience -- for the dancers, as well
as for us. In dancing, they relived something their forefathers have done
for generations. By doing this, by allowing themselves to be filmed, they
also help to preserve these dances for their children."
Robillard knew the atmosphere required for the show, but found the space
a challenge. How could he create an intimate feeling in the Grand Hall, a
performance space the size of a football field?
"In Alert Bay," he says, "I thought: 'This is what we want people to
hear and feel.' When you're sitting on the beach, you can hear the wind,
the sea, the birds singing in the trees behind you. When night falls,
you've got a fire and everything comes alive. The light from the fire is
so theatrical and Native peoples have been creating their own theatre --
telling stories by the fire -- for ages. We're trying to re-create that
same feeling, to re-create that magic."
The lights Robillard needed weren't available in Canada, so he contacted
Lightwave Research, a company in Austin, Texas. They provided the required
"cyberlights", and studio colour lights, or "wash luminaires". The
cyberlights come equipped with computer-assisted colour-wheels that allow
for the projection of a wider range of colours than ever before.
Previously, lighting designers were limited to the colours available in
plastic "gel" filters, which would be suspended in front of the light
source. These lights also have a unique glass gobo system that allows for
the projection, rotation and movement of different designs on the scrim
behind the houses in the Grand Hall, on the ceiling, even on the totem
poles. The studio colour lights create a colour backdrop. They can also
flood large areas of the performance space, and set specific moods.
The lights can also be moved during a performance. In the past, a lighting
crew would hang and focus lights which would remain fixed throughout the
performance. Having lights that can change position and be re-focussed
during the show is like having a crew of technicians actively working on
the lighting grid while the show is in progress.
The sound system Robillard installed for the show is made up of digital
equipment that allows him to record 16 tracks of sound. He can direct the
sound anywhere in the Grand Hall, creating a "surround-sound" effect.
Digital technology which has replaced the former analog system, produces
crystal-clear sound that is ideal for projection in a large space like the
Grand Hall.
The Grand Hall is the only performance space in the National Capital
Region with such a lighting system. In fact, the Canadian Museum of
Civilization is the first museum anywhere to install a sound and lighting
system as sophisticated as this one.
"With 20 lights, we are doing what would have required 500 lights just
two years ago," says Robillard. "We couldn't have done a show like this
with a manual, or analog, lighting board. There are 250 lighting cues in
a 55-minute show. It would have been humanly impossible. The only way you
can do it is with a computerized lighting console like the one we have
here."
Robillard's expertise hasn't been limited to The People of the
Salmon. He also designed special effects for The Ghost Walk
in the Canada Hall. He installed infrared remote controllers which allow
the actors themselves to cue lighting, sound effects or video. These are
activated by remotes the size of key-chains that the actors carry with
them as they perform. With one push of the button a ghost might appear,
along with the sound of someone walking along the deck of a ship, and
even the sound of waves breaking against its hull.
Robillard has worked closely with a
team of designers and technical
staff to create the effects for The Canadian Experience.
