ANOTHER BRICK
IN THE WALL / The Opera
An opera happening to mark the 375th anniversary of Montreal: Roger Water’s legendary work, The Wall, on the opera stage! Another Brick in the Wall is not a rock opera, but rather a standard opera, scored for eight soloists, 48 chorus members, and a 70-piece orchestra.
For this large-scale production, Johnny Ranger conceived and directed all video projections, playing a central role in shaping the show’s immersive visual language. Working closely with director Dominic Champagne, he translated the psychological and thematic depth of The Wall into a dynamic sequence of projected environments — from oppressive institutions to hallucinatory dreamscapes. Leading a team of animators and supervising the integration on stage, he crafted visuals that moved fluidly with the performers, enhancing the opera’s emotional arc through light, rhythm, and powerful imagery that responded in real time to the score and narrative. It was a rare and bold move to give video such a meaningful presence on the opera stage—a creative gamble that paid off.
–Named Musical Event of the Year - The Opera received two Opus Awards at the 21st Opus Awards Gala, recognizing the excellence, vitality, and diversity of the Quebec music scene.
Opening show In Montreal
Touring in Cincinati, Toronto, Vancouver.
Video projections: A Mindroots studio project
Johnny Ranger’s role:
-Conception of projections
-Directing character shoots & fx
-Directing motion designer team
-Video Editing & compositing
-Directing video integration on site
See Full Credit listing & reviews excerpts below
Selected excerpts of press related to the video projections:
''Johnny Ranger’s highly attractive visual and video projections throughout both acts riveted my attention and is one of the reasons why you should see the production. These projections heightened much of the tension and excitement and immersed me right in the moment.’'
-Joe Szekeres, Chief Toronto Critic, OnStage, Toronto
''"Another Brick in the Wall – The Opera is, first and foremost, a production of a scale and polish that opera lovers here are unaccustomed to. The primary triumph belongs to the stage team—led by Dominic Champagne and video designer Johnny Ranger." — Christophe Huss, Le Devoir
''When the story dives into incoherence, the set plays a prominent role in keeping the production exciting. Johnny Ranger’s video design, shown on a central LED screen and projected onto flanking walls that move around the stage, is exquisite and hypnotic.''
-Steve Kemple, Citybeat
'The walls are also used as a projection screen for impressive videos that create visually engaging backdrops for each scene by video designer Johnny Ranger. I love this because it makes the opera feel like a high-budget rock concert which, initially, this is.''
-Rachel Schwartz Fagan, Mooney on theatre.
''The production itself almost rivaled a bona fide Pink Floyd show in terms of visual spectacle; sprawling LED screens served as a canvas for video imagery designed by Johnny Ranger, and the stage bustled with elaborate costumes and sets packed with supernumeraries.''
-Sam Jacobson, BachTrack.
''Similarly, in the Montreal premiere, the use of computer-generated backdrops projected onto immense movable panels was described as a frenzied psychedelic display. This approach challenged conventional opera set designs, offering a fresh and avant-garde visual experience.''
-Jennifer Liu, Ludwig Van Toronto.
''Another Brick in the Wall – L’opéra a beau être une œuvre complexe et parfois difficile d’approche, elle demeure hautement impressionnante. Une production montréalaise, mais de calibre international. Il y a de quoi être fier.''
-Christophe Rodriguez, Le journal de Montréal
CREDITS
Composer: Julien Bilodeau
Based on the original music from Librettist: Roger Waters,
Director: Dominic Champagne
Conductor: Alain Trudel
Set Designer: Stéphane Roy
Video Designer: Johnny Ranger
Costume Designer: Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt
Lighting Designer: Étienne Boucher
Produced by Opera Concept MP
VIDEO PRODUCTION TEAM - CREDITS
Conceptor / Video Director / Editor – Johnny Ranger
Video Producer – Isabella Salas
Cinematographer – Mark O Fearghail
Lead Motion Designer – Pierre Guillem Roudet
Motion Designer – Yannick Doucet
Technical Director / Data Wrangler – Carl Lavoie
Artistic Director & Set Props – Michel Marsolais
Special FX – Michel Raymond
Video Programmer – Olivier Ouellet
Key grip — Stephane Klopp
Gaffer — Francois Legris
