Scott McKinney
Digital Experiences Manager
FCMoD
What does the Digital Experiences Manager do here at FCMoD?Primarily I take care of our Otterbox Digital Dome Theater and that includes everything from picking out what shows to run, doing maintenance on our computer systems, to making sure everything runs perfectly, assuring quality control on our projectors and video files. I also work on our interactive exhibits and our website.
What do you look for when booking new shows for the dome?I try to cover a wide variety of bases, and we have everything from easy access points like the Big Bird show, which is called “One World, One Sky, Big Bird’s Adventure” which is all about finding the north star and sharing a communal experience of stargazing around the world.
We also focus on shows that are more science-heavy like “Forward to the Moon” which talks all about the Artemis missions. We have “Mars: The Ultimate Voyage” which talks all about the scientific challenges it would take to get to Mars.
And we’ve got some cool new shows on our radar, one of which is “Super Volcanoes” Narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch (Smaug from the Hobbit Films) talking all about super volcanoes. Another fun one is “Orbital” which is half scientific, half philosophical and it’s all about the Overview Effect which is what astronauts describe as the experience of first seeing the earth from space. It’s about getting that holistic view of the planet and how it changes your mindset on earth’s ecosystems, but also where we fall within the grand scheme of the universe.
How many shows are we running?On our weekday schedule we have five shows a day, three in the morning and two in the afternoon. On the weekends we have at least six shows, three in the morning and three in the afternoon. We get a little more variety in the weekend – our afternoon includes music shows so you can come see some of your favorite artists
What shows do we offer bilingually?
We have two shows available in Spanish right now, we offer “One World One Sky” in Spanish, “Un Cielo, Un Mundo”, and we also offer “Accidental Astronauts” in Spanish. We’re working on adding more titles in Spanish on the horizon as well.
Let’s talk about the after-hours music shows in the dome.
So, one of our goals with after-hours programming was to find different ways for people to bring their passion into the building and share it with their loved ones – that includes musical experiences. So, the first couple shows we’ve done have been Taylor Swift. It’s a cool celebration for the fans.
On top of what’s happening in the dome, we also have things like trivia and costume contests and craft activities. Inside the dome we have an hour of music from our fans’ favorite artists all remixed into surround sound with really cool overhead visuals that interact with the music. It’s a fun way to experience your favorite artist in a new way and introduce your friends and family to music you love.
How do you build these shows where you’re composing visuals set to music?
First step is building out a play list, so we interview the staff and ask members of the community what their favorite songs are from the artist. From there, we build a playlist that I cross reference with their concert set lists, so you get some of their tour favorites in there. There’s always a classic closing song that you want to hear at the end of a set.
Once we have our playlist set, I remix the files from stereo to surround sound for the dome. After that I start working on the visuals. I try to give each song a set of visual themes and break that down into verse/chorus/verse so that the patterns of the visuals match the patterns of the music – which is really fun because when you’re building up to the moment, you know the words and you’re singing along and it just kind of hits you differently.
What’s the vibe like at these evening shows?
Our Taylor Swift show was a big party – there were people dancing on the floor, a lot of parents in the seats singing along and there’s a couple moments in the show where you realize the effect this music has had… you start to realize this really is a classic. Seeing how much other people love music really reminds you how much you love music yourself, and it creates a sense of community and a bond with everyone around you. It lets you peel off that shy layer of being a true fan of something and allows you to just be yourself and enjoy music.
What’s your favorite part of the job?
My favorite part of the job is the problem-solving. Even though it stresses me out the most, it has the most reward. So, when we deal with moments when something is not working quite right, there’s a real joy in solving the puzzle and getting it to come together. It’s fun to solve a problem and have somebody react with “Yes! This is something I’ve been needing!”
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