Digital Projection and Modulo Pi bring technical power to Puy du Fou’s latest award-winning production, Le Mime et l’Étoile
by James Careless
Le Mime et l’Étoile (The Mime and the Star) is the latest innovative live action/multimedia stage show to be staged at Puy du Fou, the renowned theme park near Nantes, France. Set in 1914, the show transports the audience to a silent movie set to observe a new black-and-white silent film being produced. The show’s main characters – Mimoza (the Mime) and Garance (the Star) – are encouraged by the film’s director to develop a real romance during production, which has the effect of bringing full color and sound to his cinematic creation.
The production is the latest in a series of award-winning shows for the park, known for their integration of technology and theming into historically-inspired storytelling. Le Mime et l’Étoile has already received multiple awards, including a Golden Ticket, IAAPA Brass Ring Award and TEA Thea Award.
According to Puy du Fou, the show is designed to mimic the effect of a tracking shot, one of cinema’s most iconic camera movements; the camera’s view (which is really the audience’s view) follows or “tracks” the characters while they move through the world. They remain the center and focus, while the world moves around them. In this theater, as the plot advances, so does the scenery – literally!
The main set piece is a collection of Belle Epoque façades – houses and storefronts – that comprise a traditional Parisian avenue. The nearly two kilometers of façades parade across the stage throughout the 30-minute show to provide the continuous movement and “tracking shot.” In front of the track a giant treadmill hidden in the stage allows the cast of 120 to move in concert with the set.
Both the cast and impressively large set are further enhanced by content projected onto them throughout the show. Technology providers Digital Projection (video projectors) and Modulo Pi (media servers) help transform the greyscale silent film into a technicolor dream.
The combination of Digital Projection’s Satellite MLS INSIGHT 4K laser projectors and Modulo Pi’s Kinetic media server made it possible for Puy du Fou to bring silent movie magic to life in Le Mime et l’Étoile, transporting guests into a dreamlike reality that embraces them from start to finish.
Supporting the story through technology
In development for years and opened in 2023, Le Mime et l’Étoile plays to a brand new 2,000- seat custom-built theater. The venue integrates technology in novel ways, utilizing projection mapping, lighting, and spatialized sound, synced in real time with the movements of the sets and characters on stage.
Four Digital Projection Satellite MLS (Modular Laser System) INSIGHT 4K laser projectors are housed at the back of the theater to anchor the show’s visuals. “The INSIGHT MLS 4K projectors have a contrast ratio of 2,000:1, a light output of up to 40,000 ISO lumens, native 4K (4096 × 2160) resolution, and offer Rec. 2020 color space,” explains Mark Wadsworth, Digital Projection Vice President of Global Marketing. “They take advantage of the Satellite MLS format, which means the detachable projector ‘heads’ are installed at the back of the auditorium, separate from the light source, which is located 100-meters from the audience area.” This means the heat and noise generated from the light sources are not a distraction for the audience and minimizes the amount of rigging space required in the theater.
“The benefits of the MLS system are made possible by not only the separation of components but also the fiber optic cabling that is unique to Digital Projection and these models,” says Wadsworth.
Control of the show’s video content is managed by Modulo Pi’s Modulo Kinetic media server. “Puy du Fou contacted us ahead of the project to discuss the technical feasibility,” says Yannick Kohn, Modulo Pi Founder and CEO. “Achieving dynamic mapping on the massive moving set was a big challenge, but Modulo Kinetic was ideally equipped to handle it. With its 3D calibration tools and ability to communicate with the machinery moving the sets in OSC (Open Sound Control), our media server helps deliver a mapping perfectly synced with the movements of the façades on stage.”
To achieve this, Modulo Pi relies on a huge digital 3D model of the two-kilometer-long set in order to generate the media that accurately matches the moving scenery. “Importing such a 3D model into Modulo Kinetic really tested the machine’s limits, but it has proven to be successful,” says Kohn.
Since the media projection is a central element in the scenography, there is no room for failure. A second Kinetic Designer workstation and VNode server were installed to provide an automatic backup. “If there is any problem with the main servers, the secondary units will automatically connect and become the masters so the show can go on,” says Kohn.
In addition to the challenging prospect of projection mapping onto moving sets, at various points in the production the media is treated with an old film effect, similar to thematic filters available on digital cameras. “This was achieved using Modulo Kinetic’s node-based compositing tools,” adds Kohn. “The media server provided the power and versatility required for such a demanding project.”
While tracking the moving mechanical set pieces came with its own challenges, tracking the imprecise movements of performers required another solution. Naostage’s K SYSTEM automated show control solution uses cameras and tags to track the exact location of the show’s 16 main characters in real time. It then uses this tracking data to automatically execute lighting, audio and video effects that synchronize with the performers and set projections.
A success story
Kohn is pleased with the project, as well as the legacy of Modulo’s partnership with the park. “Puy du Fou was the first to adopt Modulo Kinetic in 2016,” he says. “The system had just been launched, and teams from Puy du Fou trusted our media server for their show Le Dernier Panache.” That production features a rotating 2,400-seat grandstand, and Modulo Kinetic allows real-time tracking and projection on a 100-meter screen and curtains. In many ways, Le Mime et l’Étoile was the natural progression for the technology and the advanced storytelling it facilitates.
Despite the technical challenges associated with staging Le Mime et l’Étoile, the show has been playing at Puy du Fou without any major issues. “This show is very different because of the integration between the actors and technologies all working together,” said Martin de Gaillard, Puy du Fou’s Show Automation and IT Manager. “It is a fully automated system, and it’s been playing eight times a day for eight months without any technical issues.”
The technological integrations and innovations, while impressive, also serve a higher artistic purpose, according to de Gaillard. “We want people to come away with an emotional feeling and we also want it to be working like clockwork,” he says. “Without a doubt, the technology enables all of that.” •
