Secret Cinema: William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet

60,000 young hearts and lovefools, divided into the houses of Montague and Capulet, entered the vibrant world of Baz Luhrmann’s modern masterpiece to celebrate the Truce of Two Houses. This is the world of Romeo & Juliet, brought to new life.

Free to roam, some ran riot at the Montague Mechanics whilst others snuck into the dazzling ball at the Capulet Mansion where star-crossed lovers and ancient foes met to the tunes of Mercutio’s ‘Young Hearts Run Free’.

“Secret Cinema’s enormous, ambitious production is utterly persuasive, bringing the same air of infinite possibility and edge of menace as the original film.” – Londonist

But, as ancient family feuds hold relentless grudges, peace under the California sun was short lived. Montagues and Capulets broke out in striking dance battles and riveting car chases not even the LAPD or Father Lawrence himself could stop. As the sun set beneath Sycamore Grove, the evening culminated in a theatrical screening of the greatest love story of all time.

“Romeo & Juliet is a slick, multi-layered experience that offers rich rewards to those who throw themselves into it.” – Attitude

Mesmer provided all video system design, technical design and content creation for this huge immersive experience. We created rolling 90s TV throughout the night, from new reports (in partnership with Sky News) to fashion channels and local Verona TV advertising.

We filmed live on-site and integrated this into the newsreel to make sure the events in one part of the site were relayed across the whole world. We developed a holographic fishtank for the Capulet Mansion set, and worked with charity partners Mac UK to produce a fundraising promo film.

Client:
Secret Cinema

Location:
Secret London Location, 2018

Services:
Video & Projection Design
Technical Consultancy
Content Creation

Team:
Systems Designer: Salvador Bettencourt Ávila
Video Designer: Ian William Galloway
Crew Chief: John O’Connell

Production Credits:
Creative Director: Matt Bennett
Production Designer: Stripeland
Lighting Designer: Guy Jones
Lighting Designer: Simon Spencer
Sound Designer: Emmet O'Donnell

Photos:
© Secret Cinema/Luke Dyson
© Secret Cinema/Jake Davis
© Mesmer