AT TANGLEWOOD: Flawless, Boston Pops plays ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ live to picture

Performing an orchestral film score live to picture is complicated and difficult, even for people with decades of conducting experience.

 Lenox — For a doting legion of John Williams aficionados, it was an hour and 55 minutes of joy unrivaled even by Beethoven’s ninth symphony: Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops performed Williams’ score to “Raiders of the Lost Ark” live to picture on Friday, August 26 at Tanglewood — to over fifteen thousand worshipful admirers. This highly improbable feat of tech wizardry reprised the Pops’ “Raiders” performances given in Symphony Hall on June 3 and 4 of this year. It’s a popular show.

But what exactly is a live-to-picture performance? It’s a musical ensemble playing in synchronization with a movie that’s had its original recorded music removed.

Performing an orchestral film score live to picture is complicated and difficult, even for people with decades of conducting experience. In this video (click here) Keith Lockhart explains why conducting a score live to picture is more difficult than anything he’s ever done as a conductor.

Lockhart, however, isn’t the only one who faces technical challenges in these shows. A live-to-picture performance like the one we enjoyed last Friday evening requires a sizable team of technicians to manage a mind-boggling myriad of crucial details:

Harrison Ford in a pickle as The Boston Pops performs to the action in 'Raiders of the Lost Ark.' Photo: Hilary Scott
Harrison Ford in a pickle as The Boston Pops performs to the action in ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark.’ Photo: Hilary Scott

To begin with, the music itself will probably require modification. It was intended not for the concert hall but for the recording studio. There, it’s likely to have been augmented with overdubbed performances that were never committed to a written score (not so likely with a Williams score).

Some (or all) parts of the original score may have been created with virtual instruments or with live musicians improvising their parts. In any case, when written parts don’t exist, they must be transcribed. Alternatively, musicians can improvise their parts during the live-to-picture performance.

Someone must prepare a special conductor’s score (like the one in Lockhart’s video) that matches the conductor’s view of the film. The conductor’s view of the film includes visual cues called streamers and punches. These are the signals a conductor relies on to keep the orchestra synchronized with the movie as it unspools.

During performance, the movie’s dialog and sound effects must be balanced with the live orchestra. (This will differ slightly with each venue.) Show-control software (usually QLab) must be configured and operated correctly.

Harrison Ford in 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' with the Boston Pops performing the score live. Photo: Hilary Scott
Harrison Ford in ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark,’ with the Boston Pops performing the score live. Photo: Hilary Scott

Finally, after everyone else has gotten their ducks in a row, the opening credits roll, and the conductor’s professional reputation is on the line. If every move is precisely correct (as it was in Lockhart’s case), then the presentation is seamless, which means only a handful of people will have any idea how difficult it was to pull off.

A single error can permanently stop a live-to-picture concert. That’s why the Boston Pops partnered with the production company Film Concerts Live! (a joint venture of IMG Artists, LLC and the Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency Inc.). Here’s a partial list of the company’s personnel for Friday’s show:

Producers: Steven A. Linder and Jamie Richardson

Production Coordinator: Rob Stogsdill

Supervising Technical Director: Chris Szuberla

Music Preparation: Jo Ann Kane Music Service

Film Preparation for Concert Performance: Ramiro Belgardt

Technical Consultant: Laura Gibson

Sound Remixing for Concert Performance: Chace Audio by Deluxe

“Raiders of the Lost Ark” runs one hour and 55 minutes. That’s half an hour longer than the lengthiest symphony in the standard repertoire (Mahler’s third). Without the intermission, this show (now in the midst of a 52-date tour) would be killing off some of our best conductors.

One last little technical detail: It was the Boston Pops Orchestra following Lockhart’s direction. So, of course, their performance was flawless. That, more than any trick of technology, is what made the concert successful. If the screen had gone dark after two minutes, the concert would have gone on, and it would have been enthralling and unforgettable.

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Two segments of Tanglewood’s August 13 Film Night on August 13 were performed live-to-picture. Credit for the show’s “technical preparation” went to Ramiro Belgardt, the same fellow who handled “Film Preparation for Concert Performance” in “Raiders.” Check out Mr. Belgardt’s IMDB  page. His list of credits includes work on “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “The BFG.”