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Q&A with Andy Carluccio

Meet Andy Carluccio, the video engineer for Alice in the Pandemic. Andy is the president of Liminal Entertainment Technologies, a company focused on providing industry-leading services to enable virtual theater, performances, and creative projects. Read his bio.

Q: What made you want to be a Video Engineer? Is it something you studied in college?

I was a double major in Computer Science and Drama during my undergrad years at the University of Virginia, so I have always been interested in intersectional studies of technology and art!

Q: Was there a particular project you witnessed or person you worked with that inspired you to choose this field?

Eamonn Farrell has been a pioneer in online media arts for over a decade, and his personal mentorship over the past several years has been extremely influential on my own work practice, both technically and artistically.

Q: Tell us about your start-up, Liminal.

Liminal Entertainment Technologies, LLC is founded on the principle that the distinctions between technology and art are arbitrary, and that creativity lives at their intersection. As a student of both computer science and drama during my undergraduate years, I have always been inspired by the “liminal space” between artistic and scientific disciplines where both critical and creative processes merge. I created this company to be acutely focused on creating tools and workflows for designers to construct immersive, live performances in a digital age. 

Q: How has the pandemic shaped your life and your art? 

Ironically, in this time of social distancing, I have felt more connected to the artistic community than ever before. Over the past several months, I have interacted with and been inspired by hundreds of artists I may never have met had it not been for the online performances we are currently supporting.

During the pandemic, Liminal has created systems designed to help move events and performances online. We see these technologies as not only a means of recovering some of what we have lost due to the impossibility of in-person performances during these times, but as a platform from which artists can design an entirely new artistic form that redefines what performance can be in a digital age.

Q: What drew you to participate in the production of Alice? 

I am always drawn towards live performances that seek to push the boundaries of what is perceived to be technically possible, and I feel that Alice has been designed with the goal of showing a very powerful deployment of live digital media combined with live physical talent.

Q: What do you find exciting about the tech demands (live facial mocap, CGI, and synchronous singing) of Alice?

Alice presents an incredibly exciting technical challenge. A great case study is the CGI component, where I am developing new motion capture technology workflows from scratch with Curvin (Huber) so that we can obtain real time tracking into Unreal Engine from talent located all over the country. Thankfully, the StreamWeaver ecosystem has been built from the ground up specifically to support this type of advanced technical production, so while a lot is required of us, I feel ready for the challenge!

Q: How does your work change when every member of the team is in a different location? 

The time that we have together online is all the more precious, and I have to be intentional about taking the time in our meetings to personally get to know the incredible collaborators we have on the project.

Q: How do you think Alice will change the face of live performance?

  Alice is going to set itself apart as a great example of the artistry that arises from the collaboration of creative storytelling and purpose-built technical architecture.