The event was opened by Prince Khaled Al-Faisal of the Saudi Royal family; greeting the prince for this occasion, and to run throughout the show, was a spectacular projection mapping installation which lit up the entire front of the tented pavilion with calligraphy using Christie Roadie HD+35K and Roadie HD20K projectors.
Measuring 165m wide by 11.5m tall, the installation was the work of BrightStar Events a local event engineering and management company. BrightStar was approached by ACE Creative, the organiser of the show, based on their previous work together dating back to 1998, and the realisation that they were the only company in the Kingdom with the skills to be able to undertake such a huge projection mapping project. BrightStar's previous projects include a large installation for Saudi National Day in September, 2015 in the same location.
A huge pavilion was erected as the 'canvas' for the show with a structural recreation of the Bab Makkah Gate, a site of historical importance for Saudi Arabia, also incorporated into the backdrop. The installation required 11 projectors in total, three Roadie HD+35K and eight Roadster HD20K units positioned at 15m intervals opposite the pavilion structure. Particular challenges that BrightStar had to overcome to ensure a high-impact experience included throw distance and height calculations, correct lens selection, and security and safety considerations.
The projected content had a theme inspired by the history of Arabian calligraphy. The creative process was a lengthy one, with BrightStar spending a significant amount of time on a storyboard for the show. This time was well spent however, and paid off handsomely, as on-site set up for the projection element was done in less than a day. The complete show ran for an hour which included a spellbinding 3D mapping segment that ran for almost six minutes in total. Attendee reaction was enthusiastic and the organisers were extremely happy with the results.
"From the beginning we realized that Christie was the only manufacturer that could provide projectors capable of achieving our desired result," commented Joel Limin, support engineer for BrightStar. "We've had a long term relationship with the company and knew we could rely on the equipment to perform."
(Jim Evans)
