Digital Projection brings VR versatility to the Alps
- Details
Having recently moved into larger offices, CarpeDiem Evènement seized the opportunity to transform an unused 321 sqm space into a virtual studio, offering state-of-the-art AV equipment and the best facilities for brands and companies in the region and beyond.
The studio features a main virtual production studio space for recording and an adjoining 40-sqm production office. In the main virtual production area is a 24m x 4m white cyclorama wall with a 90° rounded floor angle, as well as a white floor covering - allowing for the recording of small and large productions, from photo shoots and company presentations to cinematic video productions, using the latest technologies. Studio 321 turned the L-shaped cyclorama into a large canvas video projection screen, offering multiple camera angles for an immersive and impactful visual background.
Studio 321’s goal was to be versatile, which is why the company opted for video projection technology from Digital Projection instead of LED. Andréas Vion-Endresen, CarpeDiem project manager and director of Studio 321, elaborates: “Among other things we host photo shoots, which is why we needed a uniformly white surface everywhere to minimise shadows. This simply isn’t possible with an LED screen in the background.”
Another deciding factor was the cost of the screen: “The studio needed to be operational every day to cater to last-minute requests. Keeping a fixed 96 sqm LED screen in the studio would have been a very costly investment in terms of the power requirements, not to mention the price of a high-quality screen to match filming requirements,” he adds.
The studio calculated that, in order to achieve the right visual impact, a total of four video projectors would be required, CarpeDiem Evènement relied on two 1-Chip DLP Digital Projection M-Vision Laser 21000 projectors, whose 21,000lm of brightness and WUXGA resolution would ensure an immersive and captivating experience for both live and recorded events. The addition of ColorBoost+Red laser technology to these projectors also produce a much-expanded colour gamut ensuring the most realistic reproduction of images.
Vion-Endresen explains: “We already had two Digital Projection M-Vision laser projectors with soft edge blending for our event requirements. After conducting successful tests with them, we realised that we only needed two more projectors to complete this set-up. The last step was to try and find a way to easily take them down from the ceiling for our event jobs and reinstall them quickly to make this even more cost-effective.”
Rigged on the ceiling, the four M-Vision Lasers projector edge blend content on the impressive 24m long screen, using HDBaseT network connexion. To save time during reinstallation, the company opted for VIOSO 6 automatic re-calibration technology, making the studio operational within an hour. In the background is a VIOSO 6 media server in a custom rack-mounted PC couple with a Datapath 2xHDMI 4K 4:4:4 capture card.
A TouchDesigner platform manages sources and provides access to a touch-based graphical remote control for studio to use, outputting signals to the M-Vision laser projectors using VIOSO calibration technology. 12 Martin MAC Aura fixed lighting fixtures, four Yamaha VXC8 ceiling speakers, one Yamaha MTX3 audio matric and eight-channel Yamaha XMV amplifier complete the set-up.
Jérôme Cadilhac, business development manager of Digital Projection comments: “I have been working with CarpeDiem Evènement for about ten years and seen the company grow spectacularly over the years. The creation of Studio 321 is a new step forward and I am convinced that our M-Vision 21000 will fulfil their new mission perfectly. Not only are projectors robust and of exceptional quality, their versatility makes them ideal for both indoor and outdoor use. Coupled with VIOSO, to ensure rapid and efficient auto-calibration of the system, the studio will cause real excitement.”
