The Making of Pinocchio was due to premiere as a live show at Take Me Somewhere Festival in May 2021. However, due to the Covid 19 pandemic the festival had to take place online, and they invited us to create a screen based version of the project.

We were initially hesitant to premiere this work in this format, but through discussions with our team we began to get excited by the creative possibilities it presented us with. We had already been using a camera and live feed in the making process, experimenting with film techniques such as forced perspective, and drawing aesthetic inspiration from green screen and cgi processes. The conceptual framing of the work is loosely based on a ‘Making of’ style documentary, and this lends itself to the screen based medium. 

We worked with a camera team headed up by cinematographer Kirstin McMahon, and filmed it all in one take using multiple cameras and live editing technology on 19th May 2021. It was then streamed to an international audience at the opening of the Take Me Somewhere festival on 21st May 2021, where it received excellent audience feedback and critical acclaim.

The creation of this digital work allows us to broaden the reach of the project moving forward. We are creating a hybrid touring model where we present the digital work online at the same time as the live version for people who are unable to access the theatres. We are also working with smaller venues to present screenings of the digital version for live audience groups, sometimes with discussions afterwards, who don’t have the capacity to present the large scale live show.