When the Council wanted to showcase what’s possible in adding dynamic digital content to the city, and to finally welcome the Royal New Zealand Ballet back home to the refurbished St James, Click Suite came to the rescue.
We’ve worked with the Ballet for many years now, and this was a chance to bring that partnership to a new level; together creating a taste of the ballet on the street for all to see.
We had the shortest possible lead up to preparing for the shoot, as there was only one day in the rehearsal schedule where we could get everyone together – so, a shot list was created, a cast assembled, wardrobe, make-up (even a fight director) and the team at Empire Films rose to the challenge of getting ready in a day. We shot with a green screen, so we could “cut out” the characters later and integrate them into the building. Choreographer Loughlan Prior guided the ballet performance via zoom, with Emily doing on the ground direction.
Everyone contributed fabulous ideas on the day, as we all rose to the challenge of creating something we couldn’t yet see. The animation team of Rex, Meike and Chris Callus worked tirelessly over the next few weeks, to create a series of sequences that we made into a show that surprises and delights.
The projections created the biggest volume in ticket sales across the entire season nationally, with a distinct spike when the projections went up. The theatre itself was filled with new audiences loudly enjoying this fun (hilarious!) and inclusive ballet.
The work has been honoured in two different award competitions: The Best Design Awards in Aotearoa and; the The Good Design Awards in Australia. We're especially thrilled that the results and impact achieved have been acknowledged through these awards. We're even more stoked that the people of Pōneke got to enjoy the ballet from the street.
Highlights for the crowds have been the step sisters who get up to all kinds of trouble; the magic of the Fairy Godmother sprinkling her fairy dust; the very evil wicked stepmother; and our princes owning the rainbow! Of course, there’s no show without the beloved St James - here shown in all its glory (plus a bit of palace bling being added here and there).
