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Bringing The Stage To Life With SAM TOZER From VISION FACTORY · HEAVY Music Interviews

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 0:00
  Speaker 2: Yeah, Well I'm obviously director Vision Factory. There's a small
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: company based in Devon that's sort of in the UK
• 0:07
  Speaker 2: that creative directs, designs and builds shows for all different
• 0:13
  Speaker 2: types of genres. So on this show we sort of created, directed, lit,
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: lit and designed the stage for Partway Drives current arena toll.
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: We been going for about six years now, and yeah,
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: we're just doing an eclectic group of music really is,
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: We're not one genre. We we like the challenge of
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: going from one different type of music style to the next.
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: So and we basically just do the creative vision for
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: the band or the DJ or whoever wants to have
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: something crazy on their stage.
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: It's the simplest and easiest way to say it.
• 0:48
  Speaker 3: All right, is it all same? Thanks for your time.
• 0:50
  Speaker 3: I'st supposedly speaking with you today. Great you too, so
• 0:55
  Speaker 3: Parkway Drive. I've almost finished the twenty anniversary at the moment,
• 1:00
  Speaker 3: so you guys have played a big part in it.
• 1:03
  Speaker 4: So both. Firstly, how are the show's been going?
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's been great.
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: I think the audience has taken the I guess step
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: up in their production levels in the right sort of mindset.
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: I think people weren't expecting Partway to bring this level
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: of production into especially Australia's shows, but also what the
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: plan to do for the rest of the cycles. So yeah,
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: it's been really nicely accepted, really, which is great for us.
• 1:32
  Speaker 3: I touched on this briefly in the intro made but
• 1:34
  Speaker 3: you run Vision Factory, which is responsible for pretty much
• 1:37
  Speaker 3: everything you saw on stage at the show, So give
• 1:40
  Speaker 3: us a bit of a history on Vision Factory and
• 1:42
  Speaker 3: what it is you actually do.
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: So I started a vision Factory with a degree in
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: lighting design for theater and then started working with a
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: few electronic artists in the UK and that sort of
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: snowboard into what we have today, which is international creative
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: agency that designs. We're like the idea people we come
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: up with. The initial thought process is the technical drawings
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: of how to implement it, and then we there for
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: the delivery as well. We specialize in stage mainly. But yeah,
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: so we work really closely with Parkway, the band, their
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: production management team and all the other crew members that
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: are all involved and very important to the show to
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: just to make sure the show is what the band
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: and ourselves envisioned.
• 2:31
  Speaker 4: Really, and how did you become to be involved with
• 2:35
  Speaker 4: this particular tour.
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: With this tour, Luke the guitarist, he reached out to
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: me on an email, as simple as that, and then
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: we helped program his their summer festival tour.
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: This year.
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: It was another designer and we just did the programming
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: and then we were brought in fully to do the
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: well creative on this arena tour.
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: So yeah, so in a nutshell like you created a
• 3:02
  Speaker 3: one of a kind apocalyptic landscape as part of parkway
• 3:05
  Speaker 3: drive side set up. So how difficult was that to doing?
• 3:08
  Speaker 3: Like I wad to the Brisbane show and it's pretty impressive.
• 3:10
  Speaker 4: Man, how difficult was it?
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: I guess it's not too difficult for me.
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: I'm the ideas guy. It's probably more difficult for the
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: production team. I have to put it in and out
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: every day. The touring cycle is very difficult. But yeah,
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: the show sort of has been involved. Luke and Winston
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: had a very and the rest of the band had
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: a very strong vision of what they wanted.
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: At the start.
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: They wanted to think that was very scenic based and
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: not video screen based.
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: As we are constantly evolved.
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: With shows of just big screens at the back and
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: we wanted something different, and then from there we sort
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: of took that idea of a physical being and created
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: this monolithic bridge sort of thing with a set designer
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: that I worked with very closely, called Floor Harvey. And
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: then it's from there it just sort of spiraled into
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: this crazy opera sort of show that everybody sort of
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: is really enjoying at the moment, gooding ourselves.
• 4:06
  Speaker 3: I mentioned that the boys from the band were involved,
• 4:09
  Speaker 3: but how hands on were they during the whole procession?
• 4:12
  Speaker 4: All over their over your shoulder go, like, I know.
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: This was I think it. It came with the initial brief. Obviously.
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: What I like to do with Vision Factory is I
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: like to present my sort of aesthetic and themes that
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: I think that would work well for them, just to
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: make sure we're aligned in sort of the same thing.
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: Nothing work, Nothing worse than working with thanever creative who
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: doesn't see eye to eye. Luckily they did, so then
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: from there they sort of gave me a bigger brief,
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: some ideas that they loved, and then I came back
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: with this bridge idea, this monolithic world, and then basically
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: from there we would come back with concept renders and
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: drawings and ideas, and then they would chime in and
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: add their ideas to the show and see what's possible
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: and what isn't possible, and it's a really collaborative.
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: I couldn't say.
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: You know, Winston wanted the idea of this cool mic stand,
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: but didn't know what the mic stand was. So we
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: went and did some research, came back with like the Thorns,
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: and then that progressed into this this thing that's on stage.
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: And that's the same with pretty much every department. You know,
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: the guys know exactly what they want when it comes
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: to Pyro, but when it comes to lighting and staging
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: that you know, they just needed a little bit of
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: someone asked his ideas to go with it.
• 5:27
  Speaker 3: So from when you actually first started work on the
• 5:30
  Speaker 3: project to completion, how long is the process?
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: I think they reached out to us in March, so
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: it's been six month process probably would say, from initial
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: ideas all the way down to programming and deliverery.
• 5:45
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and then what's the actual set made of? Is
• 5:48
  Speaker 3: it made of proper steel and stuff like that?
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's it's it's it's a metal framed scenic set
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: piece is clouded and wood and then and then it's
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: scenically dressed to look like in the povertyhoods with Bridge.
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: It's very easy tour ability really.
• 6:05
  Speaker 3: And so so touch on this before too, But live
• 6:08
  Speaker 3: shows are normally highlighted by visuals and effects like especially
• 6:11
  Speaker 3: screens to the back and that, but for this one,
• 6:13
  Speaker 3: you focused on on the particular theme.
• 6:16
  Speaker 4: So is it the first time you've done something.
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: Like this, No, it's not, it's not the first time.
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: I I the more I guess, the more we go
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: and do the bigger shows, the more I've become more
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: reluctant to add a screen unless it's really needed. Especially
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: with this show, we wanted to create like a super
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: dynamic performance such as rather than just watching a band play,
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: so we wanted to like really rely heavily on lighting
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: and like the scenic world and the depth that it
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: can make. So yeah, just we just didn't feel the
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: need and that the band definitely didn't feel the need
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: to have a screen there either, So which is I
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: think is sometimes can take distraction or take your vocals
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: away from from the band and you start just watching
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: a TV at the end of the room rather than
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: watching them actually perform. So that was that was, Yeah,
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: that was one of the rationales for not having screens,
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: and that's kind of stuff.
• 7:14
  Speaker 3: And now like you've finished your part of the tour
• 7:17
  Speaker 3: you're saying before, like, now you've actually seen everything close
• 7:19
  Speaker 3: up and it's been through the process on stage, will
• 7:22
  Speaker 3: you consider it a success?
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: Yeah? I think so.
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: I think it's like I said, it's my first Parkway
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: Drive arena show or first full scale Parkway Drive show
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: over them festivals. So it's been a bit of an
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: awakening for me. But I think everybody's loving it. You know,
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: on online, is reaching back to the UK, it's reaching
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: across to America. I've got a lot of messages, so
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: I feel like it has been success and it's a
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: really I enjoy I've watched the show every night for
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: the last I don't know, two and a half weeks.
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: I'm still not bored of it, so that's got to
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: be something, right.
• 8:00
  Speaker 4: Are there you a metal fan made or is it not?
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: No?
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: I like, I like a bit of metal, yeah, but again,
• 8:06
  Speaker 2: we work with so many different genres.
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: I don't think I could be like I just this
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: isn't a metal you know.
• 8:12
  Speaker 3: Another key component is the use of natural elements such
• 8:16
  Speaker 3: as fire, water, wind, and earth to accentuate the music.
• 8:19
  Speaker 3: So that's taking a lot of planning, Like everything's got
• 8:22
  Speaker 3: to be just right for.
• 8:23
  Speaker 4: Something like that.
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: Done it, Yeah, it does.
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: It does, like for example, a very very important part
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: and fish hues. The production managers very very crucial to
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: make these parts happen. Like we can come up with
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: the crazy ideas, but like for example, collecting the water
• 8:38
  Speaker 2: when the rain on the B stage, that's also a
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: left where the drum kit comes out of and that
• 8:42
  Speaker 2: also bounds on fire, and there's guys underneath there for
• 8:45
  Speaker 2: the whole show, putting stuff together and sending dances up.
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: So we've got to make sure that all those elements
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: sit nicely within each other. And bringing that into a
• 8:55
  Speaker 2: touring environment, especially across Australia, is obviously a difficult.
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: Thing to do.
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: But I think it's as you can when that rain
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: comes up for the first time and you hear the
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: crowd go like, you know, it's worth it.
• 9:07
  Speaker 4: I think I know. I was there looking at it.
• 9:09
  Speaker 4: I was just I was trying to figure out whether
• 9:11
  Speaker 4: it was real water or not, or whether it's some
• 9:12
  Speaker 4: sort of effect.
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: But yeah, it's real water. Yeah, it really rains on
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: the stage.
• 9:18
  Speaker 3: Yet, so what was some of the highlights for you,
• 9:21
  Speaker 3: Like when you're sitting back there watching it yourself, even
• 9:23
  Speaker 3: though you knew what was coming and only knew how
• 9:25
  Speaker 3: to be put together, what was some of the highlights
• 9:28
  Speaker 3: for you?
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: Well, one of them was the dancers at the start.
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: I would say that some of us were maybe not
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: too sure about it because obviously you don't really see
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: them on a on a on an environment like this,
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: but I feel they really add to it, especially during
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: cemetery at the start. It just gives a little bit
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: more of a storylines to the show, and just I
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: think overall, just like it feels like a giant build
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: up from the start of the show too obviously brushed
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: while Winston's on his floating stage and his fire coming
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: out of it, you know, the whole show just starts
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: getting bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger, and sort
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: of ends with crushed and then has this really nice
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: moment that sort of takes you back to the start
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: to finish the show off at the end. So I
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: feel like just the whole story and the way it
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: all goes into each others is being worked in, and
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: that's that's down to the band and choosing the.
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: Right set list and stuff like that.
• 10:18
  Speaker 3: So yeah, and which which part of it was the hardest.
• 10:22
  Speaker 4: Speed to get right?
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: Uh, hardest to get right?
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: Lighting it, you can that space is beautiful and it
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: looks great, but also trying to keep the continuous energy
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: of what Partway Drive produces with their music with programming
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: sort of a theater looking show is quite complicated, and
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: there's hundreds and there's actually thousands of us in the
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: lighting desk, so it's continuously triggered to make.
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: Sure you still feel like you're a rock gig.
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: But also it looks I would guess a little bit
• 10:53
  Speaker 2: different than you would usually expect.
• 10:57
  Speaker 3: And as I suppose the band would have had to
• 10:59
  Speaker 3: have if you run on the stage to make sure
• 11:01
  Speaker 3: everything was correct, like make any last minute adjustments.
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: There's always adjustments every day. Every day we have feedback
• 11:10
  Speaker 2: from the band and we do tweaks and stuff. You know,
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: we did a week or a few eight days or
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: so in production rehearsals.
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: So we build the whole arena in a in a.
• 11:22
  Speaker 2: Warehouse away from fans and we just rehearse and tweak
• 11:26
  Speaker 2: and change and or does that work?
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: That doesn't work?
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: You know, it's quite a collaborative process and nobody's in
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: the room trying to do the best.
• 11:33
  Speaker 3: So and I guess like parts of it they had
• 11:37
  Speaker 3: to actually act in a sense in some parts of
• 11:39
  Speaker 3: it to sort of make it look good.
• 11:40
  Speaker 4: So how are Parkway Driver's actors? Are they way better
• 11:43
  Speaker 4: musicians and actors?
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: I don't know.
• 11:45
  Speaker 2: I'm not saying that. I think Winston plays the character
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: very well, and especially given the confidence with the dancers
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: as well, I think that's a that's a strong new
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: element to the show. And I think as the boy
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: you can see over our few shows, the boys have
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: really started enjoying.
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: Playing on that stage space. So that's nice for us
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: to see.
• 12:08
  Speaker 3: I suppose like they'd have to be because like with
• 12:09
  Speaker 3: the fire and stuff like, they'd have to make sure
• 12:11
  Speaker 3: they weren't standing.
• 12:14
  Speaker 4: So like it's it's it's it's an.
• 12:15
  Speaker 3: Added element for the band because they they are acting
• 12:18
  Speaker 3: in certain spots would be they've got to be mindful
• 12:20
  Speaker 3: not to stuff up. I guess, so like it's would
• 12:23
  Speaker 3: be an easy thing for them to get their head
• 12:25
  Speaker 3: around to.
• 12:25
  Speaker 4: Start off with.
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it is, but I think you know, Parkway the
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: boys have been very used to playing with heaps of
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: pyro and flames in the past, so I think having
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: that telling them where to stand and make sure they
• 12:39
  Speaker 2: don't get their faces burn off is it is quite
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: a regular thing for them. But I think the stage
• 12:44
  Speaker 2: is much grander than they're probably used to with the
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: B stage and the lifts and the and all the
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: rest of the stuff that's you know, there is probably
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: get you know, you're going to get used to the
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: space and make sure you don't trip over.
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: The soil and whatever else you have to do.
• 12:57
  Speaker 3: You know, was there anything that they wanted on this
• 13:00
  Speaker 3: set that it was physically impossible?
• 13:03
  Speaker 4: Was there anything you had to say? Now do?
• 13:06
  Speaker 2: They actually said no to me on a few things
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: and I got it, so yeah, that bridge was you know,
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: they weren't too sure about it, but I managed to
• 13:13
  Speaker 2: persuade them.
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: But no, I think I think the show is exactly
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: what we envisioned it to be.
• 13:19
  Speaker 2: And I am very much looking forward to taking this
• 13:22
  Speaker 2: to other places. If they're going to do that and
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: developing the show into a into a place where you know,
• 13:29
  Speaker 2: it keeps on. I think it's going to evolve the show.
• 13:30
  Speaker 2: I don't think it's ever going to stay in one place.
• 13:33
  Speaker 2: So that would be good to find out.
• 13:35
  Speaker 4: So the Parkway Drive tour is done for you. You're
• 13:38
  Speaker 4: off home surely. So what's what's the next Vision factory?
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: What's next for us?
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: We are flying to Los Angeles very soon to build
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: the new Don Dollar Show, which is never Australian client
• 13:49
  Speaker 2: of ours.
• 13:50
  Speaker 3: So it's just say someone from bands are in the
• 13:54
  Speaker 3: crowd watching and they're like, we want to have a
• 13:56
  Speaker 3: crack at these guys, Like how do they get in
• 13:57
  Speaker 3: contact with you?
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: Fin a website Vision that's about true dot co dot
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: UK and that's.
• 14:02
  Speaker 3: Us fantastic, Sam, all right, well thanks for you. Tom
• 14:05
  Speaker 3: hadn't been the place to speak with her. Was a
• 14:07
  Speaker 3: It was a fascinating and beautiful production made. Like I say,
• 14:09
  Speaker 3: we're in Brisbane, we're in all watching its congratulations, well
• 14:13
  Speaker 3: done and player