Mapping Festival 2013
There’s some great videos coming out of the Mapping Festival 2013 held May 2-12 in Geneva. I’ll post some more this week- We’ve seen the work of Bordos.Artworks in the past, but here’s a reminder- I wish I had a decent pair of 3D goggles…..
BORDOS.ARTWORKS AND INVITED ARTISTS @ MAPPING FESTIVAL 2013 / MUSEUM OF ART AND HISTORY / GENEVA from Bordos.ArtWorks / Bordos L Zsolt on Vimeo.
Museo Nazionale del Cinema uses projectiondesign
As part of a wholesale technological overhaul in one of Europe’s most evocative museum spaces, projectiondesign has supplied 40 of its high-performance DLP® projectors to the Museo Nazionale del Cinema in Turin, Italy. The projectors were provided by and supported by Italian distribution partner, AGMULTIVISION and installed by Italian System Integrator OVRIT VIDEO. Image courtesy OVRIT Video
Housed inside the Mole Antonelliana, (more…)
White Kanga Strikes Again for CTL Logistics
The incredibly inventive folks over at White Kanga recently did this huge industrial for CTL Logistics. Utilizing eight 22k projectors and Touchdesigner, they transported the audience on an intergalactic themed presentation, and then fed live video of the entertainment into the animated video frames. These guys do some amazing work- make sure to check out their piece that appeared on PF previously… MPS v1.0
As a bonus, I thought I’d hip you to their Interactive Kinetic Mapping System, Building version: iKMS Building v3 from White Kanga on Vimeo.
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Digital Projection Titan Super Quad vs. Truck
Finally a review that I should’ve thought of. I don’t care about lumens, features, resolutions, lamp life, blahblahblah….I want to know if I can drive my truck over your projector! A couple of things strike me about this video. One- that DPI has a 20k that is small enough to drive over, and two- the International Sales and Marketing for DP drives the same truck as I do! Woo-hoo! When DPI sends me a unit to test, I too can drive over it with complete confidence. It’s no secret that we’re big DPI fans here at Projectionfreak. I use two of their Lightning 35hd’s all the time and they are outstanding. DPI is stepping up their rental and staging projectors with the Titan Super Quad 20k. It’s got 4 UHP lamps that can theoretically pull 8,000 hours of service, dual DVI, 3g-SDI, and HDMI 1.4 inputs, multimode warp and edge-blend, and an intelligent lens mount that can memorize positioning from .67 to 11.2:1. And it weighs just under 40kg so with the combined rigging frame it’s a cinch to fly two! Check out the RavePubs product video from ISE 2013 after you watch them try to crush it:
Castle Nightclub Gets a Rig from DCBolt Productions
Devin Wambolt over at DCBolt Productions gave me the heads-up on this crazy nightclub install they just completed. The club is Castle Nightclub in Chicago and they premiered the system for a huge NYE bash this year. Devin reports: “We are using three different types of LED’s in this system, (aside from the house lights) LED panels, LED strips, and LED modules. Our LED strips are (32x) SMD5050 LED pixels per meter, our Modules are (5x) SMD5050 LEDs per pixel, the LED panels are 6 millimeter pitch SMD2835 LED pixels. The led strips and modules are run by MADRIX Ultimate for real-time dynamic playback. The LED panel screens are being driven by a custom configured Resolume Arena setup.
Some pretty impressive work, and I’ll be sure to check it out next time I’m in Chicago!
2012 – La 2 Spain TV Mapping
I thought this was a pretty unique way of ending a news year. Most of the time we’re treated to the same old ‘one-shot’ style story or a list of some sort….but projectionmapping is far cooler! Plus- who can’t resist a decent time-lapse? Juanjo Fernandez and his cohorts used a single 20k DPI to shoot this, although they said they’d rather have had 3 (who wouldn’t?)…real-world budgets- ugh.
Juanjo Fernandez of Gnomalab used Millumin to map it, along with:
Oscar Teston (Creator of VjSpain community) in art direction.
Rafel Gallego as Producer.
La bocina with the sound.
Romera diseño e Infografia, with the visual content, 3D and 2D.
all imagery courtesy/copyright Gnomalab
2012 summary News in La 2 Spain TV with mapping | Resumen del año 2012 en La 2 from Romera Diseño e Infografía S.L on Vimeo. Making off en timelapse del Mapping "2012" La 2 Noticias de TVE. from gnomalab on Vimeo.
Time Lapse
Projection Studio Enchants Saltwell Park
London UK based projection artist Ross Ashton, returned to Gateshead’s Saltwell Park for the Enchanted Parks 2012 event, with a beautifully imaginative large format show “Glass House” celebrating the work of Victorian stained glass artist, William Wailes. The six and a half minute piece was projected on to the front face of Saltwell Towers, Wailes’ magnificent former home in the grounds of the Park, and ran every evening for the duration of the after dark experience. It was accompanied by a soundscape created by Karen Monid and the whole work was designed from the start as an integral visual and audio narrative.
A single PIGI 6Kw projector with a double rotating scroller was used to project the images, fitted with a 25cm lens and located 35 metres away producing a 20 metre wide picture.
Challenging environmental conditions included temperatures down to -5ºC and 15 cm of snow on the ground, making it a tough working environment, but also added to the magic and ephemeral nature of the installation once up and running – which looked stunning! (ED.- Doing projection of any kind in weather like this is always a challenge often requiring special boxes to house the units in. Even with the incredible heat they put off, temps have to be stabilized across the whole piece…)
“Glass House” juxtaposed the chemical reactions involved in the process of making stained glass against those of the Great Fire of Gateshead, which ripped through the heart of the city in 1854. The fire, though destructive, was followed by the rebuilding and regeneration of the city. Ashton and Monid’s collaborative works are renowned for fusing specific themes and local history relevant to individual buildings with fabulously accessible and entertaining results. Ashton commissioned locally based photographer Shaun Thubron to visit all the churches in the area which still have intact Wailes stained glass windows, including St Nicholas’ Cathedral, Newcastle and others, which he used as original materials for his PIGI artwork.
The audio script was derived from a number of mid 19th century resources including accounts of the Great Fire and printed documents from the 1851 Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace, which enthusiastically embraced Wailes’ work.
Extracts were chosen by Monid and read by a local community group, the Friends of Saltwell Park. These were additionally composed as multi-layered sound textures.
She also used multiple glass sounds and tones – both musically and as effects – including a rendition of local folk song, ‘The Waters of Tyne’. The sound system comprised two KV2 EX12 speakers with playback via an Alesis HD24 hard drive, and all the original work was created and played back in stereo.
Ashton comments, “I was very proud to be involved in Enchanted Parks again this year, and very pleased with the results. The idea of bringing local history alive and reaching out to people in live installation like this is very exciting and rewarding”.
Enchanted Parks is organised by the Newcastle & Gateshead Initiative (NGI) and Magnetic Events.
Electrosonic Acquires Global Immersion
London (December 11, 2012) – Electrosonic is pleased to announce its acquisition of Global Immersion, a leader in the design and integration of high performance digital immersive theater attractions. Global Immersion will continue to serve the planetarium, institutional theater and giant screen markets.
The acquisition, completed on December 10, 2012, positions Electrosonic as the only company to offer digital immersive solutions across the theme park, museum, giant screen cinema and planetarium markets.
“This is a significant strategic move for both companies, and I am excited by the prospects presented by the acquisition,” says Jim Bowie, President of Electrosonic Group. “As a single operation, we will service an even broader range of markets, bringing further innovation and an expanded offering to our customers. Our goal to attract and develop the best industry talent has been one of the drivers of the acquisition. Together we will lead by consolidating our strengths and delivering the best visual systems in the world.”
Founded in 2007, Global Immersion is renowned for its work with highly specialized and technically-complex digital immersive theaters. The company has won multiple project and business awards, and has established a solid base of digital immersive theater attractions worldwide. Its project portfolio includes the California Academy of Sciences, Adler Planetarium, Moscow Planetarium, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Peoria Riverfront Museum and Reuben H. Fleet Science Center.
Martin Howe, CEO of Global Immersion comments “I am delighted with this transaction with Electrosonic. It allows us to further expand our activities and develop our product and service offering, opening up new doors and bringing with it many synergies. The planetarium and giant screen markets are undergoing significant change as the digital revolution pace quickens. Electrosonic offers a range of benefits that our customers can immediately enjoy. Its international reach and broad technical expertise and capacity mean that we can more cost-effectively service a wider range of customers in more locations, while building upon our shared reputation for quality, performance and support.”
Here at Projectionfreak, we’re proud to have Electrosoniclamps.com as a sponsor! Check out their website by clicking on their advert over on the right for all your OEM and replacement lamp needs! If you think you might like to jump on the sponsorship bus, get in touch with Projectionfreak- admin(at)projectionfreak.com….
Winter in Venice
Well….The Venetian. In Las Vegas. But it looks like Venice, right? The Projection Studio is at it again with a winter wonderland being projected onto the facade of the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. Ross Ashton is no stranger to giant projection gigs, having accomplished some pretty amazing projects this past year. You can read more about them here or over at the Projection Studio’s website.
London, UK, based The Projection Studio – led by Ross Ashton – has delivered a spectacular and eye-catching new monumental video projection show to help celebrate the ‘Winter In Venice’ Festival at the world famous Venetian resort in Las Vegas.
Ashton has also created a series of works for a permanent video son et lumière extravaganza which was launched in summer and is being show nightly, year round. The colourful, vibrant giant images are projected on to a 25 x 25 metre canvass forming part of the Venetian’s frontage including a full scale replica of the famous Clock Tower from St Mark’s square in Venice. Ashton was initially asked by the Venetian to consult on the technical installation and produce all the projection artwork, after which he tendered and won the project having faced off some serious competition!
The newest ‘Winter In Venice’ video work is centered around Amadora, a character with roots deep in Italian folk lore, created by the Venetian as a key symbol for their 2012 Festival. In the projection show, she represents an anthropomorphisation of time – she is young at the start of the year and ages with the passing of time. Ashton developed this temporal idea and combined it with Vivaldi’s famous Four Seasons violin concertos as a starting point for his visual imagery, which follows the changing seasons of the year. It starts with the chilly ice of winter covering the building, which melts to reveal the flowers, positivity and energy of spring. For summer, viewers are transported to vivacious fields of blooming sunflowers, complete with a massive bee flying through, colliding with dandelions and pollinating them which then transitions into autumn. Grapes grow up the side of the building, mushrooms sprout and dance emphatically to the music and leaves swirl and jive around in a sea of movement, being buffeted by the seasonal breezes. These blast the action into winter, where the building ices up again … ready for the Festive season.
The five-minute piece is accompanied by a special re-worked version of The Four Seasons created by UK based sound artist, Karen Monid. She created one minute musical vignettes based on Vivaldi’s score, but very much in her own style.
A key reason that The Projection Studio was chosen to produce the series of visual shows is Aston’s reputation for pictorial storytelling with detailed historical references, which can really bring significance and relevance to any building or environment. The Venetian’s team wanted each show to have real depth and substance as well as being instantly accessible for the public. The resulting ‘live art’ phenomenon has been hugely successful at the Venetian with the initial three daily shows, and this has now continued with the special ‘Winter In Venice’ work. Says Ashton, “The challenge was to produce a unique and interesting narrative to engage onlookers in each case, which also required a distinctive Venetian feel, and had to be delivered to exceptionally high standards”. He has really enjoyed the experience, in the process adding The Venetian to a growing list of global landmarks to receive the Ashton projection art touch!
Ashton created all the storyboarding and worked alongside two other graphic designers – Nils Porrmann and Sang Gun Kim – on the imaging.
projectiondesign’s NVG FS35 IR- Night Vision Projection
I had no idea such a device even existed! NVG for a projector! I suppose for a video game crowd this would be excellent…but it seems like it’ll be for so much more- read military. At I/ITSEC 2013, Norway’s projectiondesign announces the FS35 IR series, the world’s most capable solid-state LED projectors for NVG stimulation requirements.
The FS35 IR series is available in two models. The 4.1 Megapixel FS35 IR wqxga features the highest resolution NVG stimulated images available for unprecedented realism and detail in day and night training, whereas the FS35 IR wuxga features dual IG input capability for simultaneous RGB + IR and seamless transitioning from day to night-time training.
The FS35 IR series incorporates projectiondesign’s 2nd Generation ReaLED™ illumination for brighter daytime simulation, and improved optics over previous generation projectors meaning that the intensity of IR is boosted by an (more…)
Massive Video Wall Scoreboard for Pacers
Right here in my hometown! In fact, I got a peek at it before opening night and it looked cartoonishly huge even without being powered up. I might get a chance to get to rig an event around the behemoth this weekend so I’ll snap some more photos….but for a write up, check out Commercial Integrator’s web article.
The new scoreboard features twin 1080p HD video screens (Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Vision™ 6mm LED), each measuring 50 feet long – extending nearly foul line to foul line – by 21 feet high, about 2,800 square feet in total space. In addition to the HD screens running the length of the court, the rectangular scoreboard is capped by a pair of 25 feet by 14 feet full 1080p HD video screens facing each baseline. Completing the interior portion of the Bankers Life Fieldhouse upgrade is a pair of LED video displays, one in each balcony end zone. The displays measure 23’ by 10’ and provide fans with stats, replays, and other game-related information.
Through ANC Sports’ VisionSOFT operating system, the new audio and video upgrades work with the arena’s existing LED ribbon and digital courtside signage systems.
ANC also updated the aging audio system, head end and broadcast control room. The new control room was built out complete with a full 3G broadcast infrastructure with 1080P signals and production equipment to provide unprecedented image quality. ANC’s unique 64-bit operating system maximizes the clarity of the scoreboard as the operating system does not scale its content, enabling the video screens to display 1:1 resolution.
projectiondesign F35 Panorama
Edge-blending just became obsolete. Well, at least SOME edge-blending that is. Projectiondesign just released the F35 Panorama, a projector with a 21:9 aspect ratio. Funny, because just today I was looking at an ad for a 21:9 monitor and it seemed strange to me that you wouldn’t just use two monitors, given that monitors are pretty cheap and most graphics cards can handle it anyway…..but this- this is just crazy when you think about it. It’s still a single chip DLP, but up to 7k! Now if they can work this into the F85 series…..or if I can just upgrade my Optoma in the basement….
A unique projector designed for advanced meeting rooms and collaborative spaces in which users are sharing a variety of graphical image content both locally and remotely, the F35 panorama boasts an exceptionally wide image aspect ratio of 21:9 or 2.37:1. In an office environment with an average ceiling height, this enables images as wide as 4m (13’) to be created without the need for edge-blending the output of two separate projectors.
Furthermore, the F35 panorama’s flexible input configuration means that it can project simultaneous side-by-side images from two separate high-resolution sources, fill an entire screen from a single source, or simply set up a video conference call next to a computer presentation.
Anders Løkke, Marketing Director, projectiondesign, comments: “We have introduced the F35 panorama to address (more…)
Angelsign Studio for Bridgestone Tiremapping
Well OK. We’ve had helicopters, trucks, all manner of cars, even lawn ornaments- now tires! Check out this projectionmapping of a Bridgestone tire done by Angelsign Studios of Milan. Angelsign had a hand in the Hugo Boss/McLaren projectionmapping for Roberto Fazio last year.
The Projection Studio’s ‘Five Windows’
London- UK based Projection artist Ross Ashton was commissioned by Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire to produce an exclusive Son et Lumière show celebrating the 50th anniversary of its high profile Hopkins Centre for the Arts. The show ‘Five Windows’ was based around stunning large format projections highlighting the history, achievements and impact of the Hopkins Centre, which also houses the Ivy League College’s drama, music, film and studio arts departments. Giant images were projected on to the magnificent front façade of the Hopkins Centre, which was designed by architect Wallace Harrison and opened in 1962.
The College approached Ashton who has completed several prestigious projected art installations in the US within the last three years.
He comments, “It was an amazing opportunity to work with one of the most prominent educational institutions in the USA. The building is architecturally exciting, and compiling the storyboard and artwork was very interesting”. Ashton took a brief from the College’s Organising Committee who discussed what they wanted, and a student committee was also invited to present ideas that could be included. From there, he originated the concept for the 13 minute work. There was a historical and a future section to the show, together with a special dance piece devised by students and videoed against a green screen, from which elements were edited and integrated into the projection sequence. “It was really important to make it an all-inclusive piece and to emphasise the hugely diverse traditional and contemporary performance programmes for which the Hopkins Centre is renowned, as well as the reputation of Dartmouth as a liberal arts university,” explains Ashton, who knew from experience that dance as a medium “Would transpose very dynamically onto the front of the building”.
Ashton completed the story and script-writing in London, while Projection Studio’s Sang Gun Kim produced the motion graphics with some input from Ashton and Steve Larkins. Ashton asked UK-based sound artist Howie Saunders – whose cinematic credits include The Matrix – on-board to compose a special sound-track. This featured recording from the first events at the Hopkins Centre including readings by poet Robert Frost.
The front of the Hopkins Centre features several enormous arched windows, each of which were covered with bespoke Spandex shades made for the occasion by Rosebrand, and attached via magnetic strips to the steel window frames. The projection equipment was two Christie HD18 projectors, overlaid and located in a special hide positioned 17.5 metres from the front of the building. They were fitted with wide-angle short-throw lenses and supplied by New York based Atomic Professional Audio, co-ordinated by Dan Ostroff. Ashton worked closely on site with Hopkins Centre Production Manager Todd Campbell, audio technician Doug Phoenix and video tech Will Cleveland and they also hired carpenter Donald Winams. The Watchout show control system was programmed by Karen Monid. The big technical challenge was lining up the projectors across the Hopkins Centre façade’s different depths, which vary by up to about 5 metres … however some great teamwork resulted in a unique and memorable event to celebrate the landmark achievement.
CSR Parties with Woz at Fusion-IO ION Launch
Corporate Staging Resources recently did the Fusion-IO ION launch with non other than the Woz himself throwing the ‘Wozinator’ switch. The event was at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco and the gear list is as follows:
6 Barco HD20
3 Coolux Pandoras Box Media Servers
Animations created in AfterEffects with a special guest appearance by Photoshop
Projection surface integrates existing architectural details with built scenic elements
Creative Director/Producer: Jeffrey Berke, Corporate Staging
Pandora Programming: Ben Ryle, DWP Live
Animation/FX: Doug Stringham, MediaGrabbers
Projection: Jerry “Yellow Fever” Popescu, Corporate Staging
projectiondesign F22 in World’s Largest Ship Sim
A while back I featured a story on the Swire Marine Training Center, which uses 24 projectiondesign F82′s, their flagship big-gun projector. This one though, uses a whopping 48 smaller projectors (projectiondesign’s F22) to simulate two 360 degree bridges. Farstad Shipping built the sims to train people on the massive rigs being deployed to support Australia’s natural gas boom. From projectionDesign’s website:
Farstad Shipping, the owner and operator of Offshore Simulator Center AS (OSC) of Ålesund, Norway, is a leading supplier of support and services to the international oil industry. The Perth project is the OSC’s most ambitious installation to date and was opened in December by the Norwegian Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg.
The offshore training simulator is the world’s largest of its kind, located in Perth, Australia. It is built to simulate two large, 360 degree bridges, using 48 of projectiondesign’s F22 wuxga DLP® projectors. The aim is to have the bridge personnel train to operate large-scale mechanical hardware, such as winches, by working together with other bridge personnel and rig cranes in a team effort, in an environment as close to a real life as possible.
The images were seamlessly blended together to produce a full 360-degree image that was some 7 meters high and 15 meters in diameter. The “half a teacup” shaped screen incorporates similar technology to that used in IMAX cinemas, and Joel A. Mills, the OSC design director, explains: “The visual simulation aspect of the system is fully integrated with the hardware on the ‘bridge’, which is all Rolls-Royce marine equipment and which behaves exactly as it would if you were really at sea. As soon as the simulation starts, you are convinced not only that you are surrounded by water but that the water is actually moving and that you are moving with it.” Mills continues; “a lot can happen when you are servicing an oil-rig in a remote, offshore location, especially if the weather is bad. So the simulator gives us the opportunity to re-create those adverse weather conditions. As the waves grow larger, the movement of the vessels within the 3D environment is mathematically and physically resolved so that their response is exactly as you would expect to find in the real world.”
The projectiondesign projectors were chosen due to OSC’s need for total consistency in terms of brightness, optics and colour matching, reflecting the mission-critical nature of their work. Joel A. Mills explains: “Rather than using a few large, powerful projectors, our requirement is for a large number of relatively small devices that can nonetheless deliver very high-performance imaging over a short throw distance. The F22 is perfect in this respect – bright, consistent, rugged and reliable.”
ISAM 2.0
I know….yet another Amon Tobin plug- but this is only because I am excited beyond measure to be traveling to Chicago this weekend to see ISAM 2.0! I’ve heard all the hype, I’ve had friends that raved about it, and now I get to witness firsthand what Gizmodo calls “The Concert of the Future, Today”. Being that it’s in Chicago, I am hoping to run into the folks from Leviathan (one of the primary drivers behind the production) as well, so expect a full report. I promise no incriminating photos…..
Christie Digital’s Mini Holodeck
At SIGGRAPH last week, Christie Digital unveiled the HoloStation, a “compact personal visualization solution” that can be tucked into the corner of an office rather than taking up an entire room (like their CAVE system). While the concept of multi-projector holodeck style rooms is nothing new, this one is the first I’ve seen that’s packaged from a company for one-user interaction. The system, which the company hopes will be used for feature film previs as well as trade-show and biomedical applications, uses four of Christie’s LED-based Mirage WU-L projectors. The projectors are mounted overhead, with proprietary lenses that throw the images downward, onto three screens that wrap around the user’s viewing angle. Because the projectors use LED illumination with an expected life of 60,000 hours, Christie says the system should run for seven years without requiring a replacement of the light source.
The system pushes up to 15 million pixels (7.5 megapixels per eye) at a 120 Hz refresh rate (60 Hz per eye), Christie reps said. It utilizes NVIDIA Quadro Plex graphics processing and a head-tracking system and other software from WorldViz.
OK. Not quite a full-blown Holodeck on the Enterprise, but it’s a good start. Gaming would certainly benefit…maybe we could incorporate some mapping to round out the experience…….
Arkam.tv at Google I/O Interactive
Arkam.tv recently were involved in making the visuals for the after-hours party at Google I/O. Their overall size was 80′x20′, rear-projected. They also came up with a really inventive playback system using Android pads with Touchdesigner as the control, of course. There’ll be a write-up over at Derivative’s site soon so check there for more details.
Adam explains: “Falcon Northwest was nice enough to provide us with their newest micro tower build, The Tiki, for this project. It was running a NVidia GeForce GXT 680 which gave us an option for up to four outputs. The show’s output resolution was 2560×640 and we split that into two 1280×640 signals. Those signals were pumped out the two DVI outputs on the video card into a proprietary video mixing station from Riverview Systems. Once it entered their system they used some customized software to re-composite the two signals back together. Beyond that it was all in their hands and we didn’t have anything else to do with the signal. They were able to split the signal into three outputs that fed into corresponding projectors. (edit- looks like they used the Barco FLM 22). It was a rear projection set up. The full resolution of the combined projections was 4320×1080. The scaling on the projectors was so high quality and sharp that we decided to build our project at 2560×640 in order to maintain a high fps since our graphics were running in real-time.”
Christie Digital Hosts High Frame Rate Expert Panel at SIGGRAPH 2012
CYPRESS, Calif. – (July 19, 2012) – As the Platinum Sponsor of SIGGRAPH 2012, Christie, the first in the world to publically demonstrate 3D High Frame Rate (HFR) projection technology using a single projector, is proud to host the SIGGRAPH HFR Panel, “High Frame Rate Cinema, Impacts on Art and Technology,” to be held Wednesday, August, 8 at 10:45 a.m., at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Hall K. The panel will feature 10 cinema industry leaders, led by Gordon E. Sawyer Academy Award winner Douglas Trumbull and Dennis Muren, Senior Visual Effects Supervisor at Industrial Light & Magic. It will be moderated by Paul Salvini, chief technology officer (CTO) of Christie. SIGGRAPH 2012 will be staged August 5 – 9.
Filmmaker and Visual Effects legend Douglas Trumbull’s photographic effects credits include groundbreaking films such as “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Blade Runner,” and “The Tree of Life.” Douglas Trumbull pioneered work on High Frame Rate cinematography and projection with his Showscan process of 70mm film photographed and projected at 60 fps, and is now exploring 3D at 120 fps. Dennis Muren is the recipient of eight Academy Awards for Best Achievement in Visual Effects, with credits that include “Star Wars” and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.”
“The SIGGRAPH HFR panel will explore the technology behind high-frame-rate cinema, and look at what it will mean to producers of content and to the audience experience,” noted Paul Salvini. “The panelists are pioneers in their fields, addressing the challenges of HFR across the entire workflow, to provide the post-production and visual effects communities with important guidance regarding the challenges and rewards of developing HFR content for the exhibition community.”
Additional panelists include:
· Jim Beshears, Head of Post-production at DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc., oversees all aspects of the studio’s self-contained editorial and post-production facilities. Jim has been instrumental in creating a solid support system capable of simultaneously managing multiple feature-length animated projects and multiple short projects.
· Matthew Cowan, co-founder of Entertainment Technology Consultants and currently Chief Scientific Officer at RealD, of California, developed RealD’s successful 3D cinema system and is respected in the post-production community for his knowledge and application of human perception to 3D systems, color, and transfer functions in digital cinema.
· Darin Grant, Chief Technology Officer, Digital Domain Media Group, is responsible for the overall technology strategy for the company and its many subsidiaries. He is the former head of production technology at DreamWorks Animation.
· John Helliker is Founder/Director of Sheridan College’s SIRT Centre, a research and training facility focused on digital workflow innovations including HFR and virtual production. Based at Pinewood Toronto Studios, SIRT’s leading edge work is based on a unique set of partnerships with major industry guilds and associations, individual companies, as well as government and academia.
· Luke Moore, Director of Special Projects at Canada’s Side Effects Software, in Toronto, is responsible for identifying and addressing the unique technical challenges faced by studios using the popular Houdini VFX and Animation software. Luke brings first-hand knowledge and anecdotes regarding challenges of managing large datasets necessary to enable higher temporal and physical resolution to meet the needs of new challenges in modern production environments.
· Phil Oatley is Head of Technology at New Zealand-based Park Road Post Production, where his visionary talents have guided the company through incredible growth, including establishing key partnerships to promote HFR research and development.
· Dr. Lincoln Wallen, Head of Research and Development at Dreamworks Animation, in California, and formerly CTO at Electronic Arts Mobile, where he was instrumental in shaping EA’s approach to the mobile business, creating a strong portfolio of mass market mobile games, as well as games delivering a next-generation consumer experience.
“As the first licensee to market digital cinema projection based on Texas Instruments’ revolutionary DLP Cinema® technology, Christie has remained an industry leader, helping the post-production and exhibition communities with the latest-generation products, service, and technical expertise,” noted Paul Salvini. “We are proud to moderate this panel, which brings together true industry visionaries to discuss HFR, the next phase of the digital cinema revolution.”
Salvini added: “Christie continues to forge alliances in Hollywood with powerful proponents of HFR such as James Cameron, as well as partnering with leading post-production facilities such as Park Road Post Production and Weta Digital Ltd., to ensure a seamless transition to HFR and a superior movie-viewing experience.”
Among the movies on the horizon to feature HFR is the sequel to James Cameron’s “Avatar,” as well as Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit,“ both of which will also be presented in stereoscopic 3D.
Salvini noted that Christie recently affirmed its HFR leadership with the world’s first and only single-manufacturer DLP Cinema projector and Integrated Media Block (IMB) combination that meets the DCI specifications in both the 2K and 4K mode of operation. It’s the best combination for producing the brightest and sharpest image and the most reliable HFR solution.
“Christie has earned a solid reputation for accelerating innovations in digital projection technology that includes the first to market a fully stereoscopic 3D DLP projector, in addition to providing leadership in the development and implementation of visualization and immersive technologies,” said Salvini.
Dolby Theatre’s Brave New Technology
The Dolby Theatre, home to Cirque’s IRIS and the Oscars, is getting a couple of major technology upgrades. First is a configuration of two Christie Digital projectors stacked vertically using the new Christie Duo, an integration kit specially designed to optimize 3D and other special effects on the largest screens, and second is the new Dolby Atmos sound rig. Get your popcorn and candy- I want to see a movie!!! (more…)
d3 at the Diamond Jubilee
We see a lot of palaces getting projected onto these days, but when you get to project onto THE palace- Buckingham, that is, it’s a big deal. d3 Technologies was out in full force with Sam Pattinson (yes- of U2 and Elton John fame…) for the Diamond Jubilee last week and did a massive mapping onto the facade of Buckingham Palace as the highlight of the festivities. The event featured such celebrity acts as Kylie, Robbie Williams, Stevie Wonder, Sir Elton John, Madness and Sir Paul McCartney. A full detail of the event and breakdown of the gear is available at their website, but here’s an excerpt: (more…)
infoComm12 presents some issues….
I picked a heck of a week to go on vacation. infoComm2012 is in full swing at the Las Vegas Convention Center and although I had all kinds of chances to go and meet up with some great folks, they had to play second to my family! BUT- all of my extended family are showing off some great stuff at the show. What are the issues? Which one to buy of course….and there’s the fact that if you attend the show, how does one keep one’s head from exploding whilst on the show floor? Let’s see…..Las Vegas (check), high end electronics (check), massive, mind-blowing projection offerings (check), ummmmm. Can’t really come up with any negatives. Read on: (more…)
Knifedge’s WNO Design of La Boheme
Nina Dunn is back in the Projectionfreak spotlight again, this time with a design for the Welsh National Opera’s production of La Boheme. Nina recently had a hand in the English National Opera’s ‘Flying Dutchman’ as well as ‘Aida’ at the Royal Albert Hall. From their press release:
Creative agency Knifedge hands WNO a “digital paintbrush” with consultancy, design & training
Welsh National Opera (WNO) raised the curtain on a new touring production of La bohème on the 1st of June, featuring projection design by Knifedge with a state of the art projection rig the creative agency has helped specify for the opera company.
Knifedge projection designer, Nina Dunn, and visual engineer, Sam Hunt, have spent the past year consulting with WNO to devise and commission the new projection system. The brief made it clear that the new system would need to be purchased on a finite investment budget, be suitable for touring shows and be, as far as possible, future-proofed. Whilst advising on the new rig, Dunn has also been working with La bohème director, Annabel Arden, and designer, Stephen Brimson-Lewis to design projections for Puccini’s spectacular opera, which will be the first production to showcase the system.
Billed as “the greatest love story ever sung” and set in Edwardian Paris, this production of La bohème demands sensitive projection designs that support the narrative and embellish the elegant simplicity of the set. Dunn worked closely with lighting designer, Tim Mitchell, during technical rehearsals to ensure that the projections work with the performance to enhance the audience experience.
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- La Boheme - Puccini - Welsh National Opera - 1 June 2012
Mimi - Anita Hartig
Rodolfo - Alex Vicens
Marcello - David Kempster
Schaunard - Gary Griffiths
Colline - David Soar
Musetta - Kate Valentine
Director - Annabel Arden
Designer - Stephen Brimson-Lewis
Lighting - Tim Mitchell
Projection Designer - Nina Dunn for Knifedge
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- La Boheme - Puccini - Welsh National Opera - 1 June 2012
Mimi - Anita Hartig
Rodolfo - Alex Vicens
Marcello - David Kempster
Schaunard - Gary Griffiths
Colline - David Soar
Musetta - Kate Valentine
Director - Annabel Arden
Designer - Stephen Brimson-Lewis
Lighting - Tim Mitchell
Projection Designer - Nina Dunn for Knifedge
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- La Boheme - Puccini - Welsh National Opera - 1 June 2012
Mimi - Anita Hartig
Rodolfo - Alex Vicens
Marcello - David Kempster
Schaunard - Gary Griffiths
Colline - David Soar
Musetta - Kate Valentine
Director - Annabel Arden
Designer - Stephen Brimson-Lewis
Lighting - Tim Mitchell
Projection Designer - Nina Dunn for Knifedge
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- La Boheme - Puccini - Welsh National Opera - 1 June 2012
Mimi - Anita Hartig
Rodolfo - Alex Vicens
Marcello - David Kempster
Schaunard - Gary Griffiths
Colline - David Soar
Musetta - Kate Valentine
Director - Annabel Arden
Designer - Stephen Brimson-Lewis
Lighting - Tim Mitchell
Projection Designer - Nina Dunn for Knifedge
-
- La Boheme - Puccini - Welsh National Opera - 1 June 2012
Mimi - Anita Hartig
Rodolfo - Alex Vicens
Marcello - David Kempster
Schaunard - Gary Griffiths
Colline - David Soar
Musetta - Kate Valentine
Director - Annabel Arden
Designer - Stephen Brimson-Lewis
Lighting - Tim Mitchell
Projection Designer - Nina Dunn for Knifedge
-
- La Boheme - Puccini - Welsh National Opera - 1 June 2012
Mimi - Anita Hartig
Rodolfo - Alex Vicens
Marcello - David Kempster
Schaunard - Gary Griffiths
Colline - David Soar
Musetta - Kate Valentine
Director - Annabel Arden
Designer - Stephen Brimson-Lewis
Lighting - Tim Mitchell
Projection Designer - Nina Dunn for Knifedge
-
- La Boheme - Puccini - Welsh National Opera - 1 June 2012
Mimi - Anita Hartig
Rodolfo - Alex Vicens
Marcello - David Kempster
Schaunard - Gary Griffiths
Colline - David Soar
Musetta - Kate Valentine
Director - Annabel Arden
Designer - Stephen Brimson-Lewis
Lighting - Tim Mitchell
Projection Designer - Nina Dunn for Knifedge
-
- La Boheme - Puccini - Welsh National Opera - 1 June 2012
Mimi - Anita Hartig
Rodolfo - Alex Vicens
Marcello - David Kempster
Schaunard - Gary Griffiths
Colline - David Soar
Musetta - Kate Valentine
Director - Annabel Arden
Designer - Stephen Brimson-Lewis
Lighting - Tim Mitchell
Projection Designer - Nina Dunn for Knifedge
From a technical perspective the new rig consists of 3 Panasonic PT-DW730 7,000 Lumen projectors with a range of lenses and a Catalyst rack with built-in backup system. Knifedge has also provided training, alongside chosen suppliers SSS and SNP, to ensure that the lighting crew will be able to use the system with confidence both at their home at Wales Millennium Centre as well as on an 8 week tour.
“This puts WNO at the forefront of a new flourishing era of digitally aided production design. As an agency, our focus is always to enhance a production, not to fragment it with projections that create a barrier between narratives, lighting and set design,” says Dunn. The new versatile projection system means that WNO can work with video projections in mind from the outset of a project without adding equipment costs to the touring production budget. This alongside the training makes it feel like we’re handing the company a digital paintbrush, which can be used to add a whole new dimension to the already well-conceived and highly acclaimed productions.”
Richard Norton, WNO Production Manager, says, “Working with Nina Dunn to source equipment and execute their design has been a smooth and hassle free process. Adding another layer of technology to our new production of La bohème could have made the Stage Rehearsals very stressful however Nina and Sam were self contained and worked around all the other Technical Departments. I think that we are all proud of what has been achieved. Collaboration has been the key. The results are outstanding.”
