Immediate Press Release.
For SL20B we worked on a revisited version of Pagan Evocation Fantasy show.
There are some strong differences between this show and the others, in the past.
First of all, we showed the “Pagan” always in a sky platform, in last year. This time we will be at ground level. This require some major manipulations of the event sequence. Yes, because the “Pagan” is full of stuff rezzed under the stage and coming up at right time. However this means rezzing things below ground level, and our rezzing system fails at that, so the objects get rezzed to the wrong height.
At this point, I had two choices. The first is to move the stage upwards, to a minimum height that allows me to rez below, and then direct the viewers of the audience towards us with the scripted cameras. The second choice is to change the position of the initial rez, and instead of making the objects rise from below, make them appear in the right place or make them descend from above.
I rejected the first solution for two reasons: the first is that by raising the stage we end up outside the footprint provided to us by the Moles, and honestly I would be too sorry to break the rules on such an important occasion as the SL20B, the second is that this shift would have forced me to completely modify the ending of the show, where the actresses “land” in front of the audience… by moving the stage up, the ending would no longer make sense, and moreover the actresses would have to reproduce the last animation over 64 meters from the point of origin; a known bug ( https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/BUG-232327 ) will stop animations after a certain distance, but animation permissions are not revoked and still work.
However, I love the ending of the Pagan, and I’m not willing to give it up. For this reason I chose the second solution.
Apart from that, in any case there were some important modifications to be made, since the show was in origin designed to be completely floating on water (floating stage, audience on a floating platform), but it seems that SL20B does not have this solution available.
Other aspects of the new version concern the innovations. Meanwhile I increased the number of camera angles used, now there are 107 cameras in total. Some will have a mobile transition (panning or zooming), while others will have a fixed alternation because I don’t have available statistical measures on the lag in the region in which we will do the show, and I don’t want to implement a solution that generates too much lag on the server side or in the viewers of the audience.
Also for this reason, together with my staff, we have tried to minimize the number of scripts, especially those that use llSetKeyframedMotion().
The show remains a complex product, featuring animations, props, scripts, mostly self-produced by me, or by other members of my staff. In past editions, to make everything work we have always used a ground-level experience, I hope that the possibility of adding experience falls within the “special setup” of the “Pink Stage” to which I was assigned.
Obviously, these days we’re doing rehearsal after rehearsal, so it’s possible that between now and the day of the show I’ll decide to change some other details.
Both I, the staff and the crew are very keen on making a “good impression”, and on participating in this splendid celebration in the best possible way, bringing our creativity, our original technique, and ourselves to the stage.
Pagan Evocation Fantasy Show – SL20B Edition will take place on Saturday 1 July, starting at 12.30SLT (but I recommend arriving at 12.00), on the special Sim SLB Wonderous, on the Arboretum Performers Stage, and this is the SLURL: https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLB%20Wonderous/113/157/46
Crew: Epona Tigerfish, Kitty Amore, Lola Nippo, Lyra Winter-Breil, Musa InFabula, Naar Rexen, OdetteBK
Staff: Alex Cat (light and mesh), Clarissa Bughutress (quality assurance), Ambra Starlet (vocal insertion).
Production: Officina dei Sogni – https://www.officinadeisogni.eu
Written and directed by Virginia Stella – https://www.virgy3d.com
Audience guide and tips: https://www.officinadeisogni.eu/audience-guide-and-informations/
Officina dei Sogni press release: https://www.officinadeisogni.eu/2023/05/its-time-for-sl20b/
Teaser/info/plot: https://virgy3d.com/2022/08/01/naturecon2022-a-little-teaser/