Jody LS Tidwell

Field of Dreams

 Field of Dreams

Concept Statement

The music from Field of Dreams is mystical, magical, and spiritual, and tugs at the heart and soul in a unique and emotional way. It strikes a chord in remembrance of my days growing up on the farm with my family. The storyline of the movie “Field of Dreams” deals with missed opportunities with the character’s dad and the nonsensical idea of building a baseball field in the middle of an Iowa cornfield (Hence, my real life connection is to growing up in Iowa on a farm with cornfields.) which eventually leads to his dad returning as a young baseball player and a chance for closure. This music intensifies the longing for the times I had with my dad wishing and wanting to have had more of them before he died. This movies’ idea of following a ridiculous gut feeling, straining to keep a hold of an idea so bizarre, and reaching out until finding that opportunity to replay time lost is enhanced with music from the talented James Horner. The music reminds me of wishing for the opportunity to say goodbye to my dad and wanting to have had the chance to introduce him to his grandchildren (similar idea within the movie). The music symbolizes the hopes and dreams and enhances the magical and supernatural idea of finding a way to have a second chance to spiritually communicate and to portray final thoughts to one that has passed on when the opportunity for final closure was missed. The atmosphere created by the lighting and props needs to reinforce a mystical aura that the music unfolds.

The lighting for the music to Field of Dreams must be meticulously chosen, focused, and colored to create a wide range from little or no color to some warm, deep, vivid, colors. It must create an atmosphere capable of subtle changes selectively illuminating bits of the acting areas and the props used in the environment. Some of the props used imitate the ideas from the movie but more specifically are related to my own dad and items reminding me of him. The shafts of light must illuminate from angles that still leave the viewer wanting to see a little more as the music unfolds yet visually satisfied enough to continue looking. The upbeat portion of the music will allow for bolder, brighter, greater general illumination of the area and cyclorama to get a sense of all of Area B including background. The atmosphere created by light needs to leave a magical, supernatural impression and a hope for the future.

The intention in lighting for the music from Field of Dreams is to use some of the general stock plot lights selectively so the variation of the angles used will show the props from different perspectives and create shadows to reinforce the theme. Additional specials will include three gobos. A single special gobo downstage in area A symbolizes myself isolated to the other areas and reinforces the inability but desire to connect. Low notes in the music encourage a special light from a low angle with a gobo and dark blue gel color for area B. The light cues will need to slowly increase and decrease while lighting areas B and C. During the quicker portion of the music the lights will circle area B in a flowing manner to create a positive magical surrounding aura. The second prominent area C will be delicately lit when specific harmonies are heard and have little or no color used on white fabric with glitter, stars and a single hat. The items, colors, and angles used in that area are symbolic of the idea that my dad has passed on. The final cues will brightly light area C from upstage left with a star gobo on the cyclorama, then fade to the gobo in area A reinforcing the hope of a possible positive spiritual connection.

Music used is from the movie Field of Dreams using the selections called “End Credits” and a section from “Deciding to Build the Field”.