DVD-9 "Heinz Spoerli's Zuercher Ballett"
In summer 2001 Peter Marschel, manager of the Zurich Ballet, and Cees Mulderij met for a brainstorm about an efficient and attractive way for a complete and current presentation to promote the Zurich Ballet.

One of the main topics was, of course, the work the inclusion of video material. The Zurich Ballet has a huge repertoire, over 70 productions and Heinz Spoerli is a very productive director and choreographer, up to four new production each season!

So far, fotos and infos - with references to the website - and copies of some videos, as happened to be available, were used to follow up on inquiries or in the acquisition of guest appearances and tours. The video material available was in different formats, quality and sometimes unedited.

As fast internet connections (broadband) have not yet reached general and worldwide penetration, the idea of offering videostreaming on the website was not pursued for the time being.

The succes of DVD, especially the fast rising number of PCs equipped with DVD-players quickly led to the conclusion that the DVD would be the ideal medium for the planned image-and promotionpresentation of the Zurich Ballet.

Syrinx was thus commisioned to develop a concept for content and structure of a DVD. In march 2002 a concept and offer meeting the demands of Heinz Spoerli and the Zurich Ballet were presented and Syrinx was given the order for production.
The first challenge was, despite the required diversity in content, to create a navigation as simply and easily as possible.
The video material, however, posed an even more greater challenge. First came the 'creative' and successful worldwide search for material by Peter Marschel at many different sources: short news-clips came from local TV-stations, like TeleBasel, but also recordings of e.g. ZDF or SABC in Southafrica and recordings from guest appearances made by both professionals aa well as amateurs.

Cases with many hours of on videotape gradually made their way to Syrinx, mostly uncut, in various formats, mixed between PAL and NTSC and with different picture and sound quality. Deadlines had to be extended as another 'last' tape had been found. MeanwhileIn the meantime designs of menus, titles etc. were created. Also the sighting, sorting and choosing of the material and the formatting to one digital format and loading this to harddiscs had to be completed, before Hjoerdis Steiner could start with the first rough editing for approval in Zurich. Thereafter came the the usual steps of production: writing, translating and recording narrative texts, creating subtitles, picture and colour corrections for continuous high quality, mixing and matching the, sometimes restaurated, sound etc.

All in all this Syrinx could bring in almost all of their knowhow and range of services it provides as full-service "DVD agency":
consultation, concepts, production, editorial services (texts, translation, graphics), audio recording, audio-postproduction, audio-restauration, video production and postproduction, DVD authoring and mastering.

The first review already appeared:

"... It (the DVD) represents a very good recommendation for Spoerli and his dancers - so it will be commended as pioneering work. I wish, there would be more of those - e.g. ..."

(Koeglerjournal 08/07/2003 in www.tanznet.de)

Link: Zuercher Ballett