Traditional scenic designers are trained professionals with artistic backgrounds, often with M.F.A. degrees in theatre arts or film. Their passion is creating the perfect 'stage picture' that is visually appealing for the audience while effectively communicating concept, brand, and theme using good principles of design. These masters of artistry have the skill to distill a whole show into a single scenic design that captures its essence.

But digital scenic design is disrupting this old-school model. Now, projection surfaces can be anything, anywhere, any shape, and totally integrated into any scenic concept. This means that today’s scenic designs are rich media based, highly flexible, adaptable, and customizable for every single second of the show.

This has opened the door to a new realm of digital storytelling that enables show producers to create limitless “stage pictures” within a single show using graphics and animation. The scenic surface is not restricted to just a background element, and often becomes a critical content surface that is a living, breathing part of the story.

In a recent production for the AIPAC Policy Conference 2010, the scenic design was a main character in the show. The graphics on our 500 foot seamless projection screen changed with the overall story arc to communicate conflict, resolution, motivation, pride, activism, and joy to an audience of 7,800 people. The screen was a canvas for digital storytelling that enabled the audience to understand every piece of the story in a richer way. Every image, graphic, color, or shadow that appeared on the screen was chosen with the care and consideration that a novelist would give each single word in his manuscript.

The scenic design relied on digital storytelling and was a compelling part of the overall conference experience. It enables the team to fully create a story that was inspiring, thoughtful, and worth listening to.