The demonstration of architectural projection mapping for the 4,000-seat Super Theatre at The Gadget Show has become a cult hit on YouTube for Bluman Associates and content co-producers The Darkroom. Shown to 12,000 people daily during the sold-out exhibition, the three-minute 'virtual 3D' sequence was specially designed to show off the tricks and techniques of projection mapping.
"The client wanted a playful theme which would appeal to eight- year-olds and up, although we were pressing them for a darker plot," explains Pod Bluman. "The stage set turned into the bridge of a spaceship, finally revealing the arrival of an alien being. We used two Christie S20K+ projectors set out wide to the left and right of the auditorium to project the software-generated animation onto the whole set, measuring some 30m across, comprising the screen and three flats a side."
With the projections specially designed to fill the whole stage, the multi-dimensional effect was accentuated by feeding bespoke content from the Pixel Addicts Media Server to the 4m-wide LED screens built into the front flats as well as to the projectors.
"The projection mapping process is beginning to make inroads into mainstream entertainment," continues Bluman. "Its success depends on very accurate architectural drawings of the set, and using the software to pinpoint the location and output of the projectors. The key to this technique is proper planning and preparation, which allows us fully to harness the available computing power to predict people's perspectives and points-of-view."
(Jim Evans)
