The author of the music is the composer Eduard Artemyev. The decorations were created based on the drafts by Matthew Dilley, a set designer who has been actively working together with a number of theaters across the world.

According to the idea of the film director, the events of the novel are moved from the XIX century to a space beyond time. The opera written for the libretto of Mark Rozovsky and Andrei Konchalovsky was transformed into a musical performance for the new generation, the audience that in part may not yet be familiar with the most well-known work of Dostoevsky. The performance was premiered on March 17th, 2016.
Video Mapping for the “Crime and Punishment" Rock Opera by Andrei Konchalovsky, Moscow, Russia
The author of the music is the composer Eduard Artemyev. The decorations were created based on the drafts by Matthew Dilley, a set designer who has been actively working together with a number of theaters across the world.

According to the idea of the film director, the events of the novel are moved from the XIX century to a space beyond time. The opera written for the libretto of Mark Rozovsky and Andrei Konchalovsky was transformed into a musical performance for the new generation, the audience that in part may not yet be familiar with the most well-known work of Dostoevsky. The performance was premiered on March 17th, 2016.
Unique project
For the first time in Russia, the creative concept of the show was implemented using Black Trax 3D real-time tracking, that brought this particular version of “Crime and Punishment” the fame of Madonna and Cirque du Soleil shows.
Main project goals
  • Develop an innovative audiovisual solution
  • Create a projection mapping solution
  • Accurately position and display video content on the stage decorations that move with no predefined trajectory
Project description

The production solution consists of two integrated systems: tracking and video mapping. The tracking system detects and follows the position of moving objects and spinning decorations on the stage by using special cameras and sensors. The information about the shape and configuration of the moving objects is transmitted to the video mapping system, which, in its turn, processes the content in real time so that the projection on the decorations is displayed according to their position and dynamic rotation.

The real-time 3D tracking Black Trax system by CAST Software was chosen to implement the project. This system allows to track objects in space in real time with subsequent processing of information on a video server. A video server from d3 Technologies, a well-known British company, was chosen to process tracked data.
How the system works
The BlackTrax tracking system was integrated by Polymedia specialists to track objects in space (in this case, stage decorations). Invisible to human eye IR beacons were attached to the decorations. These beacons send the location data for objects that move in space. High-speed IR BlackTrax cameras are used to read signal data from the beacons.

To locate objects on the stage accurately, Polymedia has developed an IR-camera placement map. When objects moved about the stage, the system obtained fully outlined decoration contours, which allowed to transmit the coordinates of the decorations to the d3 media server to render the entire video content in real time with a subsequent projection. The d3 system also performs edge blending of both frontal and rear projections, taking into account all of the content, balancing the brightness, and juxtaposing images.
Panasonic projection equipment is used in the project: 4 PT-EX16KE projectors with ET-ELW06 lenses and rear-projection models PT-DW11KE with ET-D75LE90 lenses. In total, the stage features 8 projectors. The decorations change their position on stage 36 times during the show, and therefore the mapping content also changes 36 times. Integration of this intelligent system and audiovisual equipment creates a dynamic 3D effect, but compared to a 3D movie, this effect is generated online, without editing.
Challenges in project implementation

  • Coordination of content projected on the decorations, and their trajectory. The decorations are moved by the stage staff (not automatically), so there always could be a margin of error: visually they are placed in locations A and B, but each time this location differs slightly. To address this, the tracking system was developed in such a way to "follow" the decorations in space and transmit the precise coordinates to the operator for content placement.

  • Integration of audiovisual equipment with lighting equipment. Modest stage size and density of lighting equipment and stage constructions created challenges for placement of BlackTrax IR cameras on the decorations. To solve the problem, Polymedia team developed an equipment placement map that helped to calculate the placement design for cameras. The map was approved by the theatre technical management and served as an instruction for further use of the system in future theatre seasons and tours.
Location of projection equipment on the stage
Customer Feedback

«We all became spectators to the unique show and the credit for this goes not only to the team of our theatre and the brilliant creative group, but also to Polymedia team, as it is their engineering thought that made “Crime and Punishment" of the Moscow Musical Theatre one of the most technologically advanced audiovisual shows in Russia", - Mikhail Shvydkoy, the Artisctic Director of the Moscow Theater of Musical, former Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation

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