Time. The inexorable forward march of progress. Despite our frequent yearnings for scientific devices or even magic that could turn back the clock, it only moves in one direction. Time is our enemy at Project Neverland and we are fighting the good fight against it every day.
The good news is that there are still 3 weeks left before we start performances. The bad news is that there are only 3 weeks left until we start performances. This realization has produced a considerable amount of stress, but we are harnessing it as a catalyst to sprint towards the finish line and deliver an amazing show; a kind of performance the likes of which (as we must occasionally remind ourselves) has never been seen before.
Here’s what else has been happening this week:
Set Design/Construction: We spent considerable time hauling assembled wooden flats, a dresser, a rocking chair, and a bookshelf up a dark flight of stairs to reach our wacky little performance space. All of the major pieces are up there now, in the process of being painted. The walls are all up and they’re getting painted now as well. As you can see from the picture, the window (the one Peter and Tink will enter from into the Darling nursery) has been constructed into one of the wooden walls.
Programming: We made considerable process with the HoloLens networking this week. Unity timeline and animation data can now be synced across multiple devices. This is big! As far as the other major hurdle is concerned, it’s proven to be more than a little complicated getting the livestreaming solution configured. We need this in order for those without HoloLenses on their heads (including the crew) to see where Tinker Bell is on stage at any given moment. Hopefully we’ll get this sorted out next week.
Art/Animation: We’re in full swing with the animating now that the rig is complete. Tink’s basic moveset has been created, which includes: fly forward, fly backward, fly up, fly left, and fly right. She also now has a handful of standby/idle animations for when she’s between cues. These include: angry, happy, and grumpy. We also refined her flight path a bit this week.
Misc. Production: We should have Tink’s sounds completed early next week. The speakers and sound system will be loaded into the space next week as well. We had our first rehearsals in the space with the set and actors this week, and it was a delight to see this scene on its feet. Our actors are essentially already off book (memorized) and this will only help as we begin to play around with the scene and refine their performances when we add Tink to the mix.