The 'Duality' projection system - installed and maintained by Inition - recreates the high speed skate races that made the original London show one of the capital's most successful musicals of all time. The new tour builds on the achievements of the 2003/4 US Troika Tour - but, says Inition, "adds even more edge of the seat 3D sequences and jaw-dropping special effects".
Now the same projection system is heading to the UK for a new tour opening in Manchester on November 1st and stretching from Bristol to Edinburgh. Inition is again providing technical support and expert know-how to integrate the system into the UK production.
It marks the debut of 3D graphics on the British stage. Although 3D projection has featured in themed entertainment installations, this is the first time it has gone on the road in the UK. "The key elements," says Inition technical director James Gant, "are our 3DVidBox movie playback system and our Duality stereoscopic projection system, consisting of four 7700 lumen UXGA projectors."
The specifications of the playback system were demanding - two frame-synchronised UXGA 1600 x 1200 video channels at 30fps, along with 8 channels of audio. Inition worked with German firm Iridas to customise their Digital Cinema Playback System DCPS for Stereoscopic replay. The stereoscopic effect is created by polarising filters on the lenses and providing the audience with polarising 3D glasses. The video footage is projected through these filters onto a special, 30 ft wide non-depolarising screen.
"I don't think the audience realized that they were about to witness the real world debut of this technology, but once the show began they responded. Their gasps and 'oohs' made all the hard work worthwhile," says Inition creative director Andy Millns.
(Mike Lethby)
