Lucid

August 2018 ––

Munkowitz met the ultra-fab duo Dave Green and Mark Calvert in London during their stint creating the production for the Eric Prydz Epic 4.0 tour in 2016 – and immediately their matched enthusiasm for all things radical all but guaranteed a future collaboration was in store. Fast forward to 2018, where Dave and Mark’s company Flying Screens Ltd completed development on a prototype of an extremely intriguing Flying Screen concept, and needed a concept film showing off their product.

For Munky, inspired by the opportunity to combine his favorite kinetic lighting aesthetics and modern dance into a dynamic short film, this opportunity was a no-brainer. So he and his bandmate Call Me The Clark flew to London to collaborate with the uber-talented dancer Zakiya and DoP James Medcraft, and embarked on a very memorable adventure in a dark, dusty ‘music hall’ in Islington –– ultimately creating a very compelling short film entitled Lucid.

The Concept

–– When I’m Alone

Plunging into dreams of gesture and voyage, often the last thing seen before induction is an illumination – a synesthesia of rich tone and movement. Lucid explores the concept and causal affect of these apparational simulacrums echoing in the dream state as a kinetic canvas. As they meander as a presence of their own, its questionable whether the somnambulist or her illuminated companions are the commanding force of the reverie, which amplifies and produces an array of dynamic interactions – concluding in a ritualistic cessation that elevates the hallucination.

The Process

–– Flying Screens

Lucid was filmed 5 stories below the streets of Islington Green, London in Collins Music Hall. Four screen-wielding drones, the first of its kind produced by the fine chaps at Flying Screens Ltd were the heroes of the show. To light the surrounding coves of the subterranean space, dozens of LED strips and several strobe lights provided the illumination to compliment the drones. A speaker system was installed to play the track entitled ‘Glue’ – produced by the UK duo Bicep, which was tightly choreographed by the great Aaron Sillis and performed by the most fabulous dancer Zakiya.

Four drone pilots controlled the drones and matched their flight paths to a 3D previs animation produced by Call Me Clark. Once everything was in place, Zakiya would take the stage and vegan soul-mate DoP James Medcraft operated the camera – which was an Alexa Mini withCooke Anamorphics. The piece was filmed with a multitude of camera rigs, ranging everywhere from a steadicam operated by Matt Allsop, to a variety of dollies and a 23 foot crane peering down from the top floor.

Each take began with the entire playback system being cued from a DAW, so the screens would always match the right portion of the music. The venue lights were cued by the same system, so the entire structure would react as one whole unit and was tightly synchronized to the other elements in the stack.

The Press Release

–– Flying Screens Ltd.

LUCID - The world’s first Drone Screen performance

Flying Screens Ltd. a London technology startup, has collaborated with San Francisco based GMUNK to produce ‘LUCID’. A world’s first in video art. Featuring ‘Drone Screens’ flying in formation with UK dancer ZAKIYA.

LUCID is at the forefront of a new medium in digital performance art, utilising emerging unmanned aerial vehicle technology to create unique performances and commercial applications. The ‘Drone Screen’ is the first in a new line of products developed by Flying Screens Ltd. The film was shot in London in the summer of 2018.

For more information please contact Dave Green, Director @ Flying Screens Ltd. at
info@flying-screens.co.uk

Flying Screens Ltd. is a joint venture between Realtime Environment Systems Ltd. (www.resgb.com) and Light Initiative Ltd. (www.lightinitiative.co.uk) two UK companies who are innovators in the field of Entertainment Technology.