Work Samples

ODIN ALIVE

By: Michael Commendatore

ODIN ALIVE is my ultimate expression of my artistic form. I spent my final year in graduate school researching and devising this piece playing the roles of writer, director, producer, and scenographer. I would not have been able to pull this off without a stellar team of classmates, friends, and teachers willing to join me for the journey.

I posed the following challenge: is it possible to produce a compelling immersive theatrical experience, using as much media technology I have available? The key is to focus on the story.

I used 8 projectors in 3 locations showing imagery on screens, ceilings, buildings, walls, and mirrors. There was 20 LED panels with two way mirrors and LED tape used to surround the audience and create an ethereal space. I learned that putting rear projection material on the two way mirror can create an incredible illusion of shadows on the mirror I never knew were possible. I adapted Pepper's Ghost technique to make a floating talking gorilla head display in front of a 3D brain prop that was in a case. However, the most important fact is I was able to unite the audience in a communal effort to push a proverbial button and create change.

An american in paris

Music and Lyrics by: George and Ira Gershwin

Book by: Craig Lucas

I feel “American in Paris” is one of the most beautiful musicals I’ve had the pleasure to design projections for. This production was directed and choreographed by Jeffry Denman. We worked closely together to carve out the artistic journey the protagonist is going through while bringing his perspective of Paris for the audience to see. The content of the show is a mix between brilliantly hand drawn images by the master Choul Lee and deceptively creative digitally manipulated images by myself to create a seamless synthesis. Even though I was titled projection designer, this production proved my scenographic nature.

The video above highlights the main moments media is effecting the space. It also effectively documents the progression of the protagonists artistic style. Everything culminates to the last moment. Even I did not realize that a recording of a ballet dancer on an iPhone that is filtered through a stop motion watercolor filter could make me tear up every time I see it.

Below is a slideshow of my storyboards used to create the show. This is a technique students will be learning to better represent their ideas to a creative team. Below that is more photographs from the show.

Awaken

This video is an installation commissioned by Moro Media and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts called Awaken: A Tibetan Buddhist Journey Toward Enlightenment. Joey Moro was the producer and Ian Williams designed the audio. I was hired to research content and create a montage of the three poisons of Buddhism; ignorance, attachment and aversion. This room was the first step into the journey with the poisons surrounding the viewer in a never ending loop.

This is the prompt I received to influence my choices in content: are we really awake and fully aware? Or do the clamor and fragmentation of ordinary experience lull us into a kind of waking sleep and doom us to running in endless, unfulfilling circles? The exhibition then progresses through a series of stages along a journey toward waking from that slumber.

The video above was the final iteration. There were many different edits made before with collaborative contribution by the producing team. Below is an example of one of the earlier versions and in the format I submitted the video.