Eleventh International Conference on The Image

Abstract

In the hubbub prior to the appearance of the artist at a concert, the live pre-show video teaser (LPSVT) competes with many other areas as we immerse ourselves into the experience. Discussion flows freely as members of the public try to analyze the visual before them and anticipate what is coming. The paper tracks the rise of the LPSVT in pop/rock concerts over seven years. It looks at film trailers, adverts, and different types of pre-show entertainment to better clarify the position of the live pre-show video teaser. Phenomenology, qualitative research and lived experience are used to examine the rise of video as a live pre-show teaser, tracking how this has been utilized in pop and rock concerts visiting Auckland, New Zealand. This paper seeks to generate further discourse of this expanding area, so as to highlight the importance of this immersive theatrical device, and it’s contribution to the area of building anticipation, excitement, memorable moments, and deeper connections between the audience and performer. In particular, the paper looks at two specific live pre-show video teasers. “Adele’s closed eyes” designed by Es Devlin for the “Adele Live”concert, March 2017. And “Woman at the Beach (continued), Us+Them (Sofia)” designed by Roger Waters for the “Us and Them” concert, Jan 2018