- this document covers the following topics

1. The Movie

2. The Party

The Movie –

Tron is a 1982 science fiction film made by Disney. I am by no means an expert on the movie and so this brief commentary should ideally serve as a supplement to the large amount of information freely available about the movie. The best resource for a plot summary and detailed background of the movie can be found at the Tron Wikipedia page, where various authors have contributed towards a common body of knowledge about the subject.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tron_(film)

For me, personally, Tron is one of the most amazing movies. For many, it was as pivotal as Star Wars if not more in how it captivated our imaginations and showed us a world we had never seen before. The anthropomorphic dual realities and the high technology embodied in the production took us inside the computer as we imagined it. In 1982 Disney took somewhat of a risk in green-lighting the expensive movie because the film & animation techniques they used at the time were brand new and the utilization of computer-generated graphics was in its infancy. In an era when video games were just coming onto the scene and increasing in popularity, it was a newfound formula in it’s combination of the two mediums and it was the first movie the put us inside the video game as well. The popularity of the Light Cycle video game(s) and the exposure to the computer graphics was addictive to many a person and it opened up a whole world of possibilities that could be achieved using computers. In the end, the triumph of mankind over the computer, both as a game and in reality, instilled some regard in the masses as to what the computer was and what it was capable of doing, both in the storyline and in the production of the movie.

Video Clips –

The Trailer – this pretty much summarizes the whole movie in 2 minutes and should give you a feel of the plot and the action that the movie wanted to convey.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3efV2wqEjEY

The Lightcycles – this scene shows part of the infamous light cycle races

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3ODe9mqoDE

The Flying Discs – this clip shows the programs dueling in an arena with flying discs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiw2FbHBd14

The Party –

Come celebrate the movie and enter a world inside the computer at my Tron party. The Tron party has typically occurred on or near my birthday in February and I have hosted 2 such parties in the past. It has also been a mode of operation for my Burning Man adventures and I have been known to replicate Tron on the BRC playa. It is by this nature a birthday party for Tron and myself, united as one, but it is asked to please not bring gifts, instead please wear a costume – it is the best gift Tron could ask for. Since this is the 3^rd Tron party installment, we will be entering 3 dimensions and it is best advised to prepare for these 3 dimensions.

Costumes –

Please wear a costume; the Tron party is a costume party! Since many people have not seen Tron the movie or have been to any of my Tron parties, I will provide some guidance in preparing your Tron costume.

The basic idea of the costume is to look like a “program”. By program, you are to appear as though you are the personification of a computer program. The movie personified the program characters in a very unique way and capturing these thematic elements is key to any Tron costume. Much credit and inspiration is due to the artist Jean Giraud, as one of the 3 primary designers for the movie Tron, for his amazing costume and set design contribution to the movie.

It is also useful knowing that every program also had a “user” which was the human/reality equivalent of that program. For example, the character “Flynn” (played by Jeff Bridges) was referred to as “Clu” once he was digitized and trapped inside the computer (henceforth, Clu’s user technically was Flynn).

Below are some discussion categories on Tron theme costumes. These are merely guidelines to get your costume ideas flowing so that you can create your own unique interpretation.

#1 – Colors: The main colors of a Tron costume are black & white. In the movie, the good programs glow blue and the bad programs (servants of Sark and The Master Control Unit) glow red. The color palette holds true for most of the movie except for the light cycle scenes where they seem to have a more primary color layout – red, blue, and yellow, with no apparent alignment between color and programs. For the most part, any neon or phosphorescent color will illuminate brightly under the UV black lights, in addition to the color white. A more advanced technique is the use of phosphorescent paint. Phosphorescent paint glows (emits photons) in the dark after being exposed to a light source. It also glows brightly under UV black light and retains its glow after the UV source is removed. This paint can be purchased at your local art store (like Blicks in Berkeley) and best applied heavily using a brush or syringe onto your clothing or accessory. It dries overnight so plan ahead. An easier method is to use a bright yellow highlighter to color parts of your costume – the yellow ink is also phosphorescent and will be able to take advantage of the black lights. I have found some types of light fabrics may have lower levels of illumination when exposed to black light. Testing is helpful if you have a UV light source otherwise trust your instincts.

#2 – Patterns: Almost every costume in the movie has some graphic element of electronics or circuitry embedded in the costume. The average Tron costume consists of a white leotard with electronics/circuitry printed onto the arms, legs, chest, and back. The Tron party features a large array of UV black lights which will excite any white in your clothing as well as any phosphorescent colors. By masking off the white or accenting it, you can create circuitry elements on your costume which will stand out in the dark. Alternately, you could wear all black clothing and add white circuitry elements to achieve a similar effect. One of my favorite techniques is to use white gaffers tape on clothing because it can be easily removed if you want a temporary costume. There are also neon green and pink colors of tape that light up nicely in the UV light. This stuff can also be found at your local art store. I might also recommend printing some electronics or circuitry images on paper and taping them to your costume – a quick and easy way to achieve the desired effect.

#3 – Accessories: There are a number of accessories which will add to the authenticity of your Tron costume. The designers in the movie used a variety of sports pads and equipment to give the characters a futuristic and active appearance. The Tron helmets, shoulder, and elbow pads were all modified hockey equipment and featured electronic/circuitry details. Gloves, arm bands, belts, hats, visors, eyewear, and boots can accent a costume nicely. Another very good accessory is the Frisbee (Glowing Disc), which is glowingly featured in the movie and in the video game. There is also the ubiquitous glowstick bracelet/necklace which, being very popular with the rave crowd, can really take your costume to another level. I have also seen one previous Tron partygoer tape an iPod to their arm which played the Tron movie throughout the party …and he had managed to visually sync it with our projection of the movie as well! Another person used elements of the Atari video game in their costume, including a joystick, which added credibility to their costume. These are all very nice accessories that really embodied the spirit of Tron. Feel free to explore the use of accessories on all levels.

#4 – Advanced Techniques: Some of the more advanced Tron outfits use a variety of active lighting systems which I won’t go into too much detail on since it can get quite complicated to put together. The use of electroluminescent wire (EL Wire) is very popular. EL Wire is like a small, flexible neon tube that can be powered by a battery (and controller) and will glow and/or flash very brightly in a variety of colors. There are also other types of EL products that glow including tape, fur, and fabric. EL wire is great stuff to work with, it just takes patience putting it together. It also should be mentioned that LED lighting systems are very popular and the use of LED lights can add life and depth to your costume, even if it’s just one blinking red LED! The most advanced Tron costumes I have seen these days are using fiberoptics – where a central light source is “piped” through fiberoptic tubing throughout your costume. Fiberoptics are supposedly more durable and less expensive than EL wire when choosing to create a large, distributed, lighting system for your Tron costume. Other enthusiasts have succeeded in embedding flexible video displays into their costumes, reproducing full motion video and nearly limitless possibilities of effects and colors. Most of these advanced techniques refer to costume lighting systems but there are many ways in which the design of your costume can utilize advanced assembly techniques and materials. The best approach, if you have time, is to try to make your Tron costume as durable as possible. I have learned much in this field and have tried to make my costumes not only strong and flexible for dancing /partying, but also breathable and heat/moisture-tolerant so that they can handle a variety of conditions and provide a long useful life.

#5- Other characters: Sark is the bad guy (shown below). Yori is the only woman in the movie and her costume is also quite attractive. There is the Recognizer, which was the flying Pi-shaped block that chased the programs throughout the mainframe and the Tanks, which also pursued Clu, Tron, and Ram. These characters are also definitely worth mentioning since they are essential pieces of the storyline and have equally unique costumes.

Conclusions:

I hope this document has helped provide some background information on the movie and the party. I hope you enjoy making your costume and grow to appreciate this great movie. Come join the experience of a lifetime!

END OF PROGRAM