Howard Werner

Since 1982, Mr. Werner has created lighting and media designs for theater, architectural installations, trade shows, special events and corporate shows throughout the world. On Broadway, he served as projection and multimedia designer for Bye, Bye Birdie, The Pirate Queen, Lestat, and Say Goodnight Gracie, and for the highly anticipated Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. Mr. Werner is a Principal in Lightswitch, a design consortium founded in 1993 with five offices across the country.

How did you get involved in this revival of DREAMGIRLS?

"What Love Can Do" photo by Joan Marcus

My involvement with Dreamgirls began with a meeting with Bobby Longbottom to discuss their concept and how he and Robin Wagner saw the use of the technology to help further the show.

In general, at what point are you brought into a project when designing the multimedia effects? What are the steps in your creative process?

We are generally brought in very early in the process. On a project like Dreamgirls the media is a key element to the
storytelling. We had a very lengthy process on Dreamgirls. The set is brilliant in its simplicity—it moves and flows to many different locations as we tell the story of The Dreams. This simplicity is what makes the job of media designer so critical. Along with the costumes, lighting and the other elements of the design, our part of the visual picture was key in helping to set time and place of the many scenes.

The process went something like this... First, we talked a lot about the types of images we wanted to see (and not see) and how these images on the panels would help to tell our story. We talked a lot about what we wanted to show and what we didn't want to show. Then we collaborated with Bobby and Robin on the physical locations and configurations of the five panels. This process included the building of a 3D digital model of the entire set that we could move the panels in. This model was key to working out the panel moves as we could put the music into the model and therefore see in real time the speed that the panels were moving. Once we roughly worked out the panel moves we began to storyboard the visual elements that would be displayed on the LED panels. This was a process that went back and forth to the 3D model. As we refined the images, we would lay them into the model and see how they worked in the timing of the panel moves with the music. After we were confident that the rough storyboard images were working in the model, we began the process of creating animations and actual footage for the show all the while returning to check timings etc. in the 3-D model.

What were some of the challenges in executing the effects for DREAMGIRLS?

"Steppin' to the Bad Side" photo by Joan Marcus

The challenge really was to distill the imagery down to the essence of the moment. Being too literal we knew would be a bad thing so we very much wanted to set the time and place with as suggestive an image as possible. The recording studio scenes are a perfect example of this. Simple, but instantly we know where we are.

Tell us about your initial vision for the song, "Stepping to the Bad Side," and what technologies you used to achieve it?

I give the credit to Bobby Longbottom here. The idea of using shadows of dancers coming out of the LED panels was 100% his. We talked long and hard about how to realize this vision. We knew that "Steppin'" was a key moment in the show, that it was the real launching off point for the "machine" taking over the careers of Jimmy and The Dreams. So we knew that we had some freedom here to think outside the box. We used a lot of the technologies available to us, cameras shooting live action, changing of point of view, darkness and shadow. Many of our techniques were very simple. For example, the opening of the number is four guys onstage alone singing and dancing in a very dark environment. When they make the onstage costume change and become the first of the many dancers in William's wonderful "Steppin'" costumes, it's pure theater magic. The video supports that and as the shadows of the dancers multiply the excitement builds. This piece continues to build, each moment is another surprise that leads us to the entrance of the girls. 

How does working on a Broadway show compare to creating for an architectural installation, trade show and other special event that you've worked on?

Werner's Design for Holiday time at MACY's

Each of Lightswitch's projects is unique so it's a bit tough to compare Broadway to the others. I will say that each of the disciplines that we work in informs the others. Broadway is unique in that so many different elements must come together at exactly the right time to be successful. The magazine shoot in Dreamgirls is a perfect example of that. The media works IF the staging works, IF the costume(s) work, IF the actors hit their marks and IF the camera is focused on them properly. Remove any one of those things and the number falls apart. Oh and this work happens every performance. I guess that's the difference: on a Broadway show you have to make it happen 8 times a week not to mention that it's live.

How did you get into projection & multimedia design? What was your first gig?

My first gig was a Broadway show called The Big Love staring Tracey Ullman. David Mitchell designed a set that included a lot of projection. At the time I was working as an Associate Lighting Designer with Ken Billington. I have always been interested in photography so Ken and I thought this was a role that I could fill on the show. That was in 1991. I've been splitting my time between lighting design and media design ever since.

What is the most fulfilling aspect of your work?

When our contribution to the overall project is seamless. When you can't tell where the lighting or the scenery ends and the media begins. It all needs to work as one.

Any advice you'd give to an aspiring media designer?

See things, learn about the technology but don't let that get in your way. There are always people that will know more about that stuff than you will ever know. I know far less about the technology than many others but I know who to call. Figure out how to meet those people.

As a techie, what's your guilty pleasure?

These days my guilty pleasure is learning to dock my boat... somehow the boat has no brakes and the dock doesn't move when you're approaching it. That's a bit like opening a show or an architectural project. The deadlines are there but there are many ways to the end...

For more on Dreamgirls. Listen to the Dreamgirls podcast. More on Howard Werner and Lightswitch.


Top banner photo by Joan Marcus. Head shot courtesy of Howard Werner.

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