TUI Cruises

The repertoire

The list includes Filmsong Gala, Rockshop, Romance and Dance and several Schaubühne productions, plus signature pieces written for a single ship, like Lied der Gezeiten for Mein Schiff 4, stage set included, and Die Zeitreisenden for Mein Schiff 5. Every new ship in the fleet gets an inauguration show of its own. Over the years, it has turned into less of a campaign and more of a catalog.

The production

Most of the work is less glamorous than the result. Actors, singers, comedians and artists are filmed, and the footage is woven into the motion design until screen and performers read as one piece, rather than a band standing in front of a slideshow. The staging plays by different rules than anything on land: modular, easy to store between runs, and able to handle salt, humidity and a floor that's never quite level.

The holograms

Then came the holograms. After a year of research and testing, we produced full-length 3D hologram shows with performers like Ute Lemper, cellist Jan Vogler and the Flying Steps, filmed in the studio and rebuilt in 3D sceneries. A custom theater had to be fitted into the ships to house the equipment. Plenty of guests left convinced the artists had been on board.

The pool deck

For the christening of the new Mein Schiff 1 in Hamburg on 11. May 2018, working with lead agency Insglück, we designed and produced the digital content for a 20-minute show on an LED floor laid over the 25-meter pool. It turned the deck into an underwater world, then into a night sky. One evening, one audience, no second take, and a swimming pool right underneath.