QED projectionmaps BBC Comic Relief- RED Nose Day
Check out this massive work from QED. They were contracted to projectionmap the stage for the BBC broadcast of “Funny for Money”, a huge fundraiser put on by Red Nose Day to help people in need.
From their press release:
“QED Productions successfully delivered ground-breaking video mapping and stage lighting integration for Comic Relief’s seven-hour television broadcast on BBC One, by using nineteen high-brightness Christie 3-chip DLP projectors.
According to QED Director Paul Wigfield “not only was this was the most challenging indoor projection mapping ever attempted but also the entire rig had to be installed in just one day”. (more…)
SOTA Creative 360-deg. Mapping for Subaru Australia
SOTA Creative drives game changing experience for Subaru Australia.
Following product supply challenges that resulted from the tragic Japanese earthquake and tsunami, Subaru Australia needed a game changing communication experience to re-motivate their Dealer Network and Launch two new models. As long term experiential agency for Subaru Australia, the team at SOTA conceived and produced a one-off experience incorporating a “Virtual Drive”, where all 240 people in the audience became passengers in a unique 360 degree cinematic creation. On over 125 metres of continuous screen, a Full High Definition projection system took our audience on a drive through some of Australia’s iconic landscape and environments.
SOTA Creative conceived and produced two major 360 degree cinematic experiences, one each for the reveals of the Impreza and the XV, plus continually changing 360 degree visual effects for environment design and speaker support for the duration of the evening. The images were created and edited to be delivered at Full High Definition (22,000 pixels wide and 1080 pixels high). The virtual drive experience was shot using a purpose built 9 camera rig which was mounted on a custom-fitted Film vehicle. Post production was done both in Los Angeles and Sydney and converted by SOTA to be projected through 12 Christie Projectors (HD-10k) and a Dataton Watchout Control system. Haycom provided the Christies and the staging/rigging.
all imagery courtesy/copyright SOTA Creative
After a worldwide search, SOTA Creative sourced a Los Angeles based camera system and rig capable of delivering 22,000 pixel width 360 degree images, developed a post production process to deliver the finished programs to a Watchout controlled system and then to 12 matched Christie projectors. Social Animal used the incredible SA360 rig to deliver the goods. (Make sure to check out their site for some cool interactive loops and extra footage- and some pretty amazing case studies).The continuous audience surround screen surface was a challenge in itself, needing to be floor to ceiling, while allowing “openings” for audience arrival, F&B service and the revealing of Vehicles and Entertainment. The LA team from Social Animal came to Australia for literally a 3 day shoot. 
We also used a still shoot of the interior of the car to produce the interior of the car and then this was added as the foreground of the video. We then had the challenge of doing rescaling up to 22,00 pixel width and had to crop it to our Aspect Ratio requirements and cut it up to suit the 12 Christie projectors (12 movies playing together using the ‘Watch out System”. And before all of this could happen we had to produce the foreground plate with the ‘interior of the car’. We produced this as a 22,000 pixels wide by 1080 high all played in full high definition. The end result was projection 106 metres around all the audience. Notice, also that the ‘rear view mirror’ had the same image as the ‘rear window’.
ETC Audiovisuel for Orange
A technician sent me a link to this beautiful corporate gig for Orange done by ETC Audiovisuel. Utilizing ETC’s proprietary “Onlyview” software, they were able to do it with with a whopping 26 Christie 20k’s!
ORANGE / les innovations d’Orange racontées par Stéphane Richard from SUPERBIEN on Vimeo.
Client : Orange
Agency : Havas Event
Art Direction : Superbien
Sceneography : Vincent Coutelin
Production : Fighting Fish
Projection : ETC Audiovisuel
Music : StartRec
An Inquiring Age
I thought I’d post a piece that was sent to me by John Ensor Parker, co curator of the incredible Codex Dynamic recently staged at the DUMBO Arts festival. Some technical details of “An Inquiring Age” will follow (this was a massive install made possible in part by Worldstage and Nationwide Video featuring the d3 media servers), but for now, just dig the video!
Thanks John!
An Inquiring Age-SHORT from John Ensor Parker on Vimeo.
Christie Solaria One- DCI Compliance in a Convenient Package
Christie officially launched its high-value premium digital cinema offering, the Christie Solaria One, aimed at emerging markets and community theaters whose screen sizes are less than 10.6 meters (35 feet) wide. The solution is DCI-compliant, having recently been fully certified for Digital Cinema Initiatives, LLC (DCI) compliance testing by AEGISOLVE, INC. Christie Solaria One is the first solution to begin shipping in quantity, based on Texas Instruments’ recently developed S2K DLP Cinema chipset.
The Solaria One will deliver fully DCI-compliant images at 8000 lumens within the DCI color space and, as the Christie Solaria One+, 10,000 lumens when presenting alternative content.
“The DCI-compliant Solaria One projector won kudos from customers across the globe in our product previews for its all-in-one design, as it ships with a zoom lens, a high-performance Xenon lamp, an Integrated Media Block (IMB) for playing high frame rate movies and Screen Management System (SMS) for controlling the system,” said Don Shaw, senior director, product management, Christie Entertainment Solutions.
“Exhibitors will also appreciate Christie Solaria One’s built-in dual DVI (HDMI) and network ports, rendering it capable of displaying virtually any form of alternative content. And customers should also note that they are not locked into a projector-based, proprietary storage system; we strongly believe that mechanical hard drive platters should not coexist within the projector chassis and that such systems featured in competing solutions are a failure waiting to happen. DCI-compliant, robust, external storage systems based on the very latest commercial RAID5 technology are available through Christie sales representatives for use with Solaria One.”
Christie Ups the Ante at 72,000 lumens
Brighter…must…get….brighter…..
And the jokes about the solar system wanting the Sun back will start rolling in any minute now….
I still want to see a photo, but 72k is pretty damn bright. At some point, there’s got to be a rule about one source being that bright…what if it failed? I know that two 35k Roadies doesn’t technically equal 70k brightness, but I think I’d want an online backup just for peace-of-mind. Still, you have to hand it to Christie Digital for advancing our little corner of technology. What’s the next threshold?
Christie®, a global leader in cinema projection, fascinated leading exhibitors from Asia Pacific with a demonstration of its prototype laser projector in Beijing today. Short movie clips of 3D content projected on a 20-meter wide by 12-meter high screen were screened at typical 3D brightness levels of 3-4 ft-L and then using the laser projector at 14 ft-L at the theater of Wanda Shi Jin Shan Cinema, leaving the audiences in awe.
“Today’s laser projection demo was fabulous! I’m impressed with the ultra brightness and life-like colors delivered onto the screen,” said Ning Ye, General Manager of Wanda Group.
“Christie is committed to creating new technology and maintaining our products at a high quality. We are continuously developing solutions to help exhibitors to project compelling, immersive images to their screens. Today we are pleased to demonstrate our first prototype laser projector to the exhibitors,” said Lin Yu, vice president, Christie Asia Pacific.
Presenting at the laser demo event, Dr. Don Shaw, senior director, Product Management, Christie Entertainment Solutions, noted, “Audiences deserve to see the brightest 3D with 14 ft-L on cinema screens. Our demonstration today showed just how truly spectacular a movie maker’s vision can be realized when shown at the highest light levels, making the shared experience more immersive, and, ultimately, driving more cinema ticket sales.”
Dr. Shaw continued, “Some attendees leave 3D movies complaining of headaches, fatigue, and sore eyes. Just like reading a book in low light levels, low brightness on the movie screen is one of the reasons for these complaints. Delivering more lumens to the screen will help address these effects, as will the advent of ‘eye-easy’ high frame rate (HFR) movies.”
Commenting on the laser projector, Dr. Shaw said, “There’s half-a-dozen different ‘forks in the road’ decisions that have to be made when designing a laser-projection system and most manufacturers will take different paths.” He noted that Christie customers have come to expect the best in technology and service from the world’s largest supplier of DLP Cinema® projectors, operating for more than 80 years.
Dr. Shaw also shared with the exhibitors information on Christie IMB, an integrated media block solution that seamlessly converts and delivers feature-film and alternative content within a secure environment to all of Christie’s 2K and 4K, DCI-compliant Solaria® Series 2 projectors. Following his presentation, the audiences were treated to a demo of Christie IMB showcasing MPEG2 contents.
Christie hosted its first laser projector demo for cinema industry luminaries such as Douglas Trumbull, recent Gordon E. Sawyer Academy Award winner, at its High Frame Rate Summit in April 2012.
At IBC 2012 in Amsterdam in September, Christie gained recognition for the world’s first laser projection of Hugo 3D, a feature-length 3D movie projected at 2D brightness levels. Hugo 3D is the first CPG (Cameron Pace Group) certified movie.
Christie’s Commitment to HFR
The two main goals of Christie’s HFR activities are to help the industry develop the best HFR content and the best delivery system for HFR content. The first goal involves assisting leading-edge filmmakers and post-production companies in perfecting HFR movie creation, so the industry has the most engaging, entertaining content possible. The second goal is to assist exhibitors in showing these 3D HFR movies in all their glory. To these ends, Christie is helping create the standards for 3D HFR movies through formal and informal technology-development alliances with major producers and directors, post-production facilities, studios and technology partners. On the exhibitor’s front, Christie provides one-stop shopping for all the hardware, software and services that enable exhibitors to deliver a filmmaker’s vision in stunning 3D HFR quality
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.
Codex Dynamic at DUMBO Arts 2012
DUMBO Arts Fest 2012 kicked into high gear with the side and underside of the Manhattan Bridge projectionmapped with “Codex Dynamic”, a work curated by Leo Kuelbs and John Ensor Parker. Two site-specific, large-scale, mapped projections rotated with a selection of single-channel video artworks by internationally renowned video artists. The exhibition seeks to conjure artistic inquiry relating to the subjectivity of space, time and the effect they have on our perceived reality. The DUMBO Arts Festival is a three day celebration of arts, music, and performance that takes place “Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpasses” every year with world-renowned artists displaying everything from painting to video to dance and music.
Of course, we’re particular to the video aspect (more…)
BARTKRESA Designs Event for FOX Mundo
BARTKRESA designs for some of the premier events these days- including Christie’s much-talked-about booth at InfoCOMM 2012. Bart’s a huge Christie fan and you can see some of his featured work with Christie HERE. This one was for FOX Mundo’s event at Club Nokia.
Gear included two 35K Christie projectors with wide angle lenses
1 Barco DCS 200 switcher
4 watchout playback servers with 2 watchout control servers (A and B system)
power book 17″ with Modul8 software
The big Christies patiently awaiting the call...
The Dataton video servers had installed Intensity Pro HDMI capture cards that were used to capture 1080p HDMI signal coming from a laptop with Modul8.
A proper shout out goes to Billy Butchkavitz, event designer, for his work on the gig. “an amazing event designer- (he is) very creative and we love collaborating with him”. Check out this great article by Liese Gardner on BB’s previous work.
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…….
More Olympic Sized Projectionmapping
This time from the good folks at Klip Collective featuring Dr. Mojo of MojoVideoTech and Ryan Uzilevsky of Light Harvest. They got to hang in Boston and projection map, shoot, and generally wreck havoc on Beantown for the run up to the Olympic Opening Ceremonies. Looks like they got to use the killer water-jet technique made popular recently in a vid from KC and the Good Doctor for Nike’s Melo M8. Check out the custom projector mounts….especially the tripod-mounted 10k! I love the work these guys do and you can’t help but admire the craftsmanship.
From MVT’s website:
“To celebrate the 2012 Olympic Games, Procter & Gamble and Gillette staged a series of projected video displays on buildings throughout Boston. The series concluded with an event at Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art which coincided with the Opening Ceremonies in London.
The ambitious video concepts and technical production were spearheaded by Philadelphia-based Klip Collective. The projector package at the museum event included two Christie HD+35Ks, six double stacked converged Barco FLM HD20Ks and featured two massive water vapor screens provided by Mirage Water Works, as well as projections on the museum’s facade. A Christie M-Series HD10K plus an additional Barco HD20K were used for the mobile locations. The challenge of video mapping with poor weather conditions and a tight production schedule was met by the highly skilled projection team which included KLIP’s Ric & Steve Rivera, Ryan Uzilevsky of Light Harvest Studios and MVT’s Doctor Mojo.”
Christie at the Toronto Film Festival
KITCHENER, Ont. – (July 25, 2012) – Christie®, a world leader in advanced cinema technologies, today announced its continued sponsorship of the Toronto International Film Festival® by providing multiple Christie Solaria™ Series digital cinema projectors.
Recognized around the world for presenting the best of international and Canadian cinema to film lovers, the Festival screens more than 300 films from 60+ countries during its 11-day program September 6-16, in addition to offering year-long programming. This year represents Christie’s 12th year as the official projection sponsor, supporting The Festival’s mission of transforming the way people see the world through film. In 2011, The Festival selected Christie’s industry-leading Christie Solaria 4K DLP Cinema® projector for screening filmmakers’ Ron Fricke’s and Mark Magidson’s 70mm movie Samsara – marking the first 4K screening at The Festival, while Francis Ford Coppola’s movie Twixt was shown in 3D on a Christie CP2230 4K-ready DLP Cinema® projector.
“The explosion of digital cinema technology has provided the industry with accessibility while meeting the rising demand of filmmakers around the world who want their films screened in the highest digital quality available,” said Diane Cappelletto, The Festival’s Director of Technical Production. Cappelleto adds: “Transforming many of our screens to digital format was made possible with the support of Christie, whose digital projectors are recognized worldwide for performance and reliability. We value Christie’s exceptional image quality and expert service to help make the Festival successful every year.”
“Throughout Christie’s long-standing partnership with The Festival, we have seen a growing use of digital projection technology for screenings. Last year, the sold-out documentary “Samsara” was screened in 4K,”said Kathryn Cress, vice president, Global and Corporate Marketing, Christie. “With its international flavor, The Festival truly transforms the way people see the world, and Christie is proud to support it as it transitions from what was once a film-only industry to one predominantly digital,” adds Cress.
Christie digital projectors are used by leading Festivals around the globe. This year, Christie renewed its official technical sponsorship of the Festival de Cannes for the next three years, a position it has held since 2006. In addition, Christie was the exclusive projection sponsor of the “Water for Elephants” screening at the opening gala of the 14th Shanghai International Film Festival last year. Today, Christie equipment is found in more than half of all digital projection rooms – about 33, 000 projectors in use.
Christie’s Commitment to HFR
The two main goals of Christie’s HFR activities are to help the industry develop the best HFR content and the best delivery system for HFR content. The first goal involves assisting leading-edge filmmakers and post-production companies in perfecting HFR movie creation, so the industry has the most engaging, entertaining content possible. The second goal is to assist exhibitors in showing these 3D HFR movies in all their glory. To these ends, Christie is helping create the standards for 3D HFR movies through formal and informal technology-development alliances with major producers and directors, post production facilities, studios and technology partners. On the exhibitor’s front, Christie provides one stop shopping for all the hardware, software and services that enable exhibitors to deliver a filmmaker’s vision in stunning 3D HFR quality. For more information visit http://www.higherframerates.com.
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.
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…)
Bordos.Artworks Amazing 3D Projectionmapping at Mapping Festival 2012
The moniker “3D” is nothing new to projectionmapping, and in fact, the term has been over applied and misused so much that it’s sometimes hard to find ‘real’ 3D stuff. Not the case with Bordos.Artwork. Their recent display at Mapping Festival Geneva 2012 is jaw-dropping. 3D for real in all it’s 3D-ness. You can hear the crowd reaction at a couple of really killer moments in the video. Granted, it’s hard to tell the depth in the video, but the sheer scale must’ve been awesome! Bordos did a great job with this one, but it wasn’t without it’s challenges. 3D, while stunning, poses a lot of issues with brightness as well as viewing angle even under the best circumstances, let alone on the side of a building with a very short throw! Bordos explains: (more…)
Christie and RealD Debut Brightest 3D Dual PJ System- CinemaCon
CinemaCON is in full-swing right now in Vegas (oh man I wish I were there….) and some big headlines are starting to come out. Here’s one from our friends up North:
CINEMACON/LAS VEGAS – (April 24, 2012) – Christie Duo™ combined with the new RealD XL-DP Cinema System today to project Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Sneak Peek” of The Hobbit in 3D, presented at High Frame Rates (HFR) of 48 frames per second, achieving an unprecedented combination of uniformity and brightness. Christie, a global visual technology company, and RealD, a leading global licensor of 3D technologies, powered today’s major studio presentation in the Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
In the setup for this presentation, projection engineers calibrated the system using brightness measurements taken towards the edges of the screen, rather than at the center. The abundance of light available allowed the center brightness to be reduced considerably and still provided luminance measurements in excess of six foot lamberts (ft-L) across the better part of this massive 70-foot-wide screen. By combining the Christie Duo and the RealD XL-DP 3D Cinema System, exhibitors can actually achieve double the light output over the previous leading large format solutions, and at a significant overall value during regular, commercial movie showings.
“With the new RealD XL-DP Cinema System, there is a technical solution for achieving 3D brightness at 2D light levels on some of the largest movie theater screens in the world,” says Rod Archer, vice-president of Cinema Products, RealD. “RealD technology delivers twice the light of other 3D providers, allowing premium large format screens to demonstrate the true potential of digital 3D cinema with a lifelike and immersive 3D presentation without compromising brightness.”
Says Don Shaw, senior director, Christie’s Entertainment Solutions product management group: “Although it may seem too good to be true, the incredible experience delivered today by RealD and Christie was achieved on a silver screen, using Christie’s Pureformity Color™ Technology to ‘control’ the center brightness, allowing us to obtain the most uniform image possible across this large screen. Standard Christie Solaria® projectors, the Christie Duo integration kit and the RealD XL-DP Cinema System combined to achieve this industry first, which will present a compelling alternative to the more costly, but half as bright, offering from the current large-format market leader.”
The RealD XL-DP Cinema System is a pair of matched left and right eye polarizing filters featuring the patented XL light recovery technology. This Cinema System is designed for use on dual DLP projector installations on large screens, usually over 65 feet in width (20 meters). Early users of this combination of the XL-DP Cinema System and dual DLP projectors report 3D presentation brightness at 2D light levels on screens as large as 92 feet (28 meters).
Christie Duo and Christie Pureformity Color™ Technology Immerse Audiences in the Movies
Introduced in February, the Christie Duo is a new dual–projector integration kit intended to give exhibitors the ability to create and deliver their own, branded premium theater experience. The Christie Duo™ integration kit can be used with either 2K or 4K Christie Solaria® Series digital cinema projectors, purchased with new projectors or purchased as a standalone integration kit for Christie customers who already have Christie projectors. Christie Solaria® Series digital cinema projectors are the world’s best-selling, DCI-compliant digital cinema projectors, with close to 30,000 shipped and installed to date.
The integration kit features the choice of two configurations: a compact and convenient stacking system for 3D installations, or a new, innovative physical configuration that perfectly aligns every pixel on the screen for optimal 2D and 3D presentations. Coupled with automated features that easily calibrate, align and optimize the images from both Christie Solaria® Series 2K or 4K digital cinema projectors, Christie Duo delivers a completely seamless, premium movie experience for the world’s largest screens.
Pureformity Color™ Technology – a contraction of the words Pure and Uniformity – aptly describes Christie’s innovative ability to achieve optimal image color and brightness uniformity. While every Christie projector is built to exact DCI standards, every projection system has inherent color and brightness uniformity variations across the screen, especially towards the left and right hand edges. These effects can sometimes be exacerbated by certain screen materials and auditorium lighting conditions. Christie’s Pureformity Color™ Technology provides an unprecedented level of field optimization for these issues so that image quality perfection can easily be achieved across the whole screen.
Madmapper wins LiveDesign Projection Product of the Year
Holy cow! This is a HUGE honor for the GarageCUBE team…..Madmapper, besides being the coolest mapping software on the planet, has been awarded LiveDesign’s Projection Product of the Year Award- right up there with Christie’s YK200 Nitro, the Barco ImagePRO 3G, and Advantage LED Solutions 5mm LED panel. Man, that is some serious company to be in. Congratulations to the whole GarageCUBE team for an outstanding product and a well-deserved award!
Christie HFR Laser Demo
KITCHENER, Ontario – (April 13, 2012) – Christie® hosted a high frame rate (HFR) Summit yesterday at Christie’s worldwide center for engineering, research and development in Kitchener, Ontario, touring cinema-industry luminaries through its manufacturing facility and providing the first-ever laser projection of high frame rate cinema and alternative content on to a 30-foot white screen.
Recent Gordon E. Sawyer Academy Award winner Douglas Trumbull, Ian Bidgood, Technical Director, Park Road Post Production; Matt Cowan, Chief Scientific Officer, RealD; John Helliker and Bert Dunk, Directors at the Screen Industries Research and Training Centre and Demetri Portelli, Stereographer met with Christie engineering and product development staff for a vibrant information sharing session and discussion on high frame rates, laser projection, and the future of 3D and 4K projection.
“Our guests were very impressed with our demonstration of high-frame rate content using one of our prototype laser projectors,” said Don Shaw, senior director, Product Management, Christie Entertainment Solutions, “as well as the laser projector development roadmap we shared in these frank discussions.”
Big, Bright and Crystal Clear Will Spark Cinema Industry Renaissance
The consensus of the assembled industry experts was that the industry needs to differentiate itself from the plethora of varied viewing options, from tablets to home theaters and all manner of exhibitor setups, to raise itself out of its current malaise.
Doug Trumbull said, “Spectacular movies delivered at high-frame rates, on to big and vividly bright screens, will enable the production and exhibition of amazingly immersive cinema experiences that will be far more powerful than any other medium.”
Echoing Mr. Trumbull’s sentiments, Ian Bidgood suggested that “…3D images must be awe-inspiring to bring back the crowds to theaters worldwide, and the higher brightness levels that are required to do justice to these images, along with higher frame rate material, will be delivered by Christie’s technology in the laser field, with new projector and cinema solutions for today and the future.” Christie plans on incorporating laser projection technology into its cinema product line, business products line and visualization and simulation solutions where it benefits its customer base.
The new Christie Laser Engine projector, with cinema industry leaders including (left to right) Matt Cowan (RealD Inc), Doug Trumbull (Trumbull Ventures LLC), Ian Bidgood (Park Road), Bert Dunk (Screen Industries Research & Training Centre), Demetri Portelli (3D Stereography) and John Helliker (Screen Industries Research & Training Centre)
Christie Projects 3D in Titanic Proportions
So what exactly do you do after diving into the center of the earth in a futuristic/techno/burrito submarine by yourself? I mean, what on earth could compare? Well, you’d go to the premiere of your (already) fantastically successful film in 3D. That’s what James Cameron does. Huge things. Huge crazy things. And when you want to see your (already) incredibly expensive, successful film that’s been re-mastered in 3D at it’s best, you use a Christie. The biggest, baddest, Christie you could find. Actually you’d use 2, or 4, or whatever at that point. That’s what Jim did. The premiere of Titanic 3D at the Royal Albert Hall last week was a prime opportunity for Christie Digital to use the new Duo, a system that stacks, aligns, and calibrates their high-end CP-series projectors for perfect alignment (more…)
Utah’s Megaplex outfits with Christie
More and more theater complexes are switching to digital as the new standard, and Christie Digital isn’t wasting any time getting their products in the door. And for good reasons- brightness, image quality, and ROI. Here’s a quip from their press release announcing Megaplex’s upgrades:
Christie, a global leader in visual display technology, is providing the 4K DLP Cinema projection solution at a new screen at the Megaplex Theatres at Jordan Commons, which debuts March 15 with VIP seating, table service and full reclining chairs as part of Megaplex’s transition to complete digital projection throughout its chain. Megaplex, a leading independent cinema chain in Utah, is converting all of its screens to digital projection, drawing from the Christie Solaria™ Series. The new projectors, (more…)
Indy Opera Goes to the Movies
While not quite the same scale as Aida at the RAH, the Indianapolis Opera is in full swing this week and the program is entitled “Opera Goes to the Movies”. The idea is to have a massive movie screen and play clips of various movies that have music from operas….combine that with live singers, a live orchestra, and IMAG and you get the idea. For my part I get to set up, align, and generally babysit two Christie HD 12k’s. All the clips and editing by Derek Tow of South 40 Productions.
The general size of the screen when combined with the physical depth of our stage dictated .73:1.0 lenses which, if you’ve ever had to use them on a big gun Christie, are not the most cooperative of glass. The PJ’s had to be center of screen, which in this case was 18′ so scaffolding had to be done as you can see in the following pics (No, there’s no Pandora’s box on this gig, I just use their totally useful grids). These HD12k’s don’t have Twist or warp, or even enhanced keystone correction, so all the convergence is manual. Big tip for anyone using a rental like these- shoot some lithium grease into the rigging feet and screws before stacking them and sending them in the air! You’ll save a ton of hassle and have less blisters. Trust me. All playback is coming from 2 iMacs (primary and backup) using Playback Pro + running into a Panasonic AV-HS400 and sent down the line HD-SDI. We’re using a 24′ jib, a 33x Canon on sticks, and my Vaddio HD19 cameras for IMAG. Surprisingly- the little PTZ cams look pretty good!
Indianapolis Opera’s executive director John Pickett says that during the planning of this year’s season they wanted to present four entries yet include something that was on a lesser scale financially, while attracting newer audiences at the same time. That’s how Opera Goes to the Movies came about.
“It will be a great situation for people who like film and understand the role that music and opera have played in it. However, they may have never tried or have had limited experience with live opera singing with an orchestra. I think people who are new to opera will love it because it is a lot of the greatest hits of opera that they know or have heard. It will give them some context about it,” says Pickett, who also thinks that the singing “will be of high enough caliber that the ‘foamers’ (those who foam at the mouth or get excited about opera) and aficionados of opera will enjoy it too.”
New stuff this week….
I’ve been a bit slammed as of late. I haven’t really had time to even surf for content…but I do have a couple of great projects coming up that I’ll be sure to document thoroughly. One is for the Indianapolis Opera called ‘Opera Goes to the Movies’. We’re projecting a 32′ wide image with movie content as well as IMAG. I’ll be using two Christie HD 12k’s with .73:1 lenses. Ought to be a blast lining them up……
The other is Pirates of the Caribbean: Live in Concert. The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra plays the soundtrack and we screen the movie with sound effects and dialogue intact. I’ll be using two DPI Digital Lightning 35hd’s with 3-4.3:1 lenses from about 120′ front projection. I’ve been stressing over this one a bit…but I’m pretty sure it’ll end up being a walk in the park.
In the meantime: Bart Kresa from BartKresa Design posted a great link to an article over on our Facebook page. He’s doing a workshop and speaking at Event Solutions Idea Factory in Las Vegas, Caesars Palace, February 26 – 29. If you’re anywhere near Vegas around then, this is one to see. Bart was responsible for the Christie booth at InfoCOMM last season and it was unbelievable! See for yourself….
Here’s a vid that features a little bit about the upcoming workshop in Vegas- and be sure to read the great article over at DesignDawgs by Liese Gardner. Thanks Liese!
How Do You Make a Great Carmapping? Superglue!
I came across this project recently and I can’t believe I didn’t see it sooner! Superglue, an award winning production house based in London, did this campaign for the Toyota Auris and it’s pretty great. The team comprises a dynamic mix of production, post and digital brains working across live action, visual effects, 3D and motion graphics. Superglue operates across the modern media spectrum, creating moving image for everything from banners to broadcast.
Superglue’s projection mapping project for Toyota’s “Get Your Energy Back” campaign was a highly creative and technical challenge, utilising numerous different production techniques. The animation featured 2D, 3D, keyframed animation, dynamics, particle systems and more. Compositing, VFX and general pipeline management was performed in After Effects, whilst 3D work was created using Autodesk Maya and Maxon Cinema 4D. The team made extensive use of both Trapcode Form and Trapcode Particular in bringing to life the ‘hybrid energy’ that was the key part of the campaign’s message.
Hardware included 7 x custom media servers running a prosperity geometry mapping system developed in vvvv. 4 x Christie 18K roadster projectors and 3 x Panasonic 12K projectors. All fitted with short throw lenses.
Be sure to check out their portfolio with other cool projects!
And of course, the ‘making of’ video-
Creative agency : glue Isobar
Production & Post Production Company : Superglue
Projection setup & mapping : Igloo
Animation Director : Simon Cam
Live Action Director : Mark Jenkinson
Producer : Jax Evans
CG Lead : Gavin Rothery
CG Artist : Marcus Chaloner
Production Managers : Vicki Banwell / Marilyn Napaul
DOP : Ed Rutherford
Editor : Jose Gomez
Assistant Editor : Jamie Jenkinson
Music and Sound design : Liam Paton @ Resonate
With thanks to Tower Hamlets, Network Rail & EDF
Software & Plugins used: Maya, After Effects, Cinema 4D, Red Giant Particula & Form
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