The capital's theater is preparing to present the first theater streaming service in Kazakhstan with the ability to view performances in 360 degrees - "AB-MEDIA". The presentation of the new platform will take place at the “Astana Ballet” Theater on December 28 at 16:00, the live broadcast will be conducted from the theater's official page on social networks.
“The pandemic and its aftermath showed us the need to find new forms of communication with viewers. All over the world, the theater sector is suffering great losses. And, even though we can receive spectators in the theater, their number is strictly limited. An exclusive streaming broadcaster can be a way out of this situation: it not only makes it possible to sell tickets for watching performances to an unlimited number of viewers, but also expands the geography of our audience. Now, under conditions of quarantine, this is especially important, because we do not have the opportunity to go on tour and popularize Kazakhstani ballet art, as it was before. The popularity of platforms such as Netflix, HBOmax and Disney+ speaks to the high demand for online content. There are a lot of theater fans all over the world, and we are preparing interesting content for them”, - says the director of the “Astana Ballet” Theater, Alexandr Sovostyanov.
A distinctive feature of the new streaming platform is the fact that the content for it will include both standard full-length concerts, performances or documentaries, and performances in 360 degrees.
360-degree video records a view in all directions at the same time, captured with a special camera. During playback on a conventional flat panel display, the viewer can control the viewing direction, like a panorama, and with the help of VR glasses, completely immerse yourself in the action. Thus, performances in 360-degree format are staged considering the work of artists on camera, which will allow the audience to feel like they are in the very center of events.
At this moment, the team is working on creating content: the filming of the first performances in the 360-degree format has been completed: the two-act ballet "Cinderella" by Sergei Prokofiev and the one-act ballet "he Legend of Zheltorangy" by Kazakhstani choreographer Anvara Sadykova, which premiered in November this year. Tickets for the performances will be available on sale soon. According to the management of the theater, the price for one viewing will be about 500 tenge.
With the help of its own streaming platform, the capital's theater plans to expand the geography of its viewers: people from anywhere in the world will be able to purchase a ticket to view a particular performance. By the way, only at the first stage, content for the site will be produced in three languages: Kazakh, Russian and English.