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Paradigm Help Engineer Pioneering 3D Projection Concept
Media communication took a giant step forward in the entertainment world this month when leisure giants, Luminar Leisure plc, looking to amaze customers in their Branded Destination Dancing venues, piloted a revolutionary 3D rear projection concept. Their aim is to bring ‘virtual’ live performance into their large UK dance venue estate.
Luminar Leisure’s CEO, Steve Thomas had been investigating the idea with Eminence Leisure CEO Martin King, sole suppliers of acts to the company, for the past 18 months.
Into the equation came the Connecta Group, whose subsidiary Tactectic Ltd had acquired a five-year exclusive license for Wonderworks Media Ltd’s radical Eyeliner Foil System technology for live entertainment venues in the UK, Channel Islands and Eire.
The Eyeliner Foil System provides the virtual 3D imaging which can be choreographed to incorporate, and integrate with, live performance. Using a combination of traditional techniques with modern projection equipment and patented technologies a stunning virtual 3D moving image can be created.
Connecta introduced digital media agency TouchVision to the project, and they became responsible for media delivery of the end-to-end high definition content, drafting in Bedford-based Paradigm Audio Visual to devise the complex screen engineering and calculation of the critical geometry. This would ensure that their rear-projection mirror rig, designed to harness a Panasonic PTDW5000 projector, would optimise the holographic image on large screens up to a 6-metre-wide screen, which is angled back at 45°.
Paradigm were also given the task of stretching the special System — a development of a Victorian projection technique known as ‘Peppers Ghost’ — to enable this true ‘virtual’ performance to be relayed with maximum authenticity. The System itself uses a method of reflecting a projected digital image onto a seemingly invisible screen made of 0.125mm thick transparent foil — overcoming the drop-shadow or refraction ghosting experienced with other surfaces, and resulting in a crisper, sharper and totally realistic representation of an object or person.
Until recently the scope for projecting an image via a reflective surface onto a diagonal screen had been limited by the lack of projectors with sufficient luminosity and resolution and the absence of a simple lightweight and cost effective screen material. Using advanced technology, Paradigm and Panasonic have jointly overcome these obstacles.
Connecta operations director, Paul Streeter says that before arriving at Luminar, the concept had already been successfully trialed at international events by a number of major corporations such as BMW, Mercedes, Gillette, Volvo, McDonalds and Lego and the technology was most recently showcased at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards 2006 in which Madonna headlined, performing with the virtual band The Gorillaz.
It was this success which triggered its migration into the Luminar Leisure estate where the licensed technology will be made available to media buyers and potential advertisers.
“Nightclubs are constantly looking for something new,” reasons Streeter. “If we go into around 50 Luminar venues, we can be talking to upward of 100,000 people per night, and be able to promote brands in an interesting way simultaneously across the estate.” This will not be conventional advertising but more of a product endorsement by ‘Abe’, Luminar’s animated virtual ‘host’ DJ.
The character was commissioned by Connecta’s Derrick Tuke-Hastings, and the system was launched for a two week trial period at Liquid in Stevenage prior to Christmas, with a view to an eventual roll-out.
Supported by both live and and specially-shot performances from Kym Mazelle, Booty Luv, Big Brovas and Soulshaker (featuring Naomi Marsh), the show was designed to demonstrate how a VJ could seamlessly integrated the Wonderworks technology into a show, via the specially created “enAbelink” Bluetooth/infrared download terminals, and incorporate advertising content (including offers from Vodka Kick, Motorola, Lucky Brand Jeans and Nintendo Wii). It also demonstrated the ease with which this could be delivered by TouchVision’s Platinum Extreme media server once ‘Abe’ took over the hosting role.
The server itself comprises a dual 3.2GHz processor, 1 Terabyte RAID 0 media storage, custom built and accelerated for MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, WMV9, VC-1, and H.264 decoding and transcoding.
With Clive Walton running the technical side and Jim Ofield the engineering, the task facing TouchVision had been to turn the concept into technical reality. The image size in a nightclub will be a minimum of 3.5m x 1.97m, based on a standard High Definition aspect ratio of 16:9 (and native resolution of 1280 x 720), which will allow the screening of a large band on the stage. The whole system will be designed to retract at the push of a button so that any space taken up by the system can be given back to the club when required. This retraction will be integral to the presentation and reveal of the “show”.
Looking at the Stevenage model, TouchVision MD Sean Reel admits, “Initially I was a bit shocked at the prospect of working with a 6-metre screen in a nightclub, since we had never done anything on this scale before.
“We were very impressed with Paradigm as a partner. They not only supplied the rear projection mirrors, Easy-Erect rig and all the metalwork for the foil to sit in, but were excellent, getting the adjustable screen into exactly the right shape and position, at a 45° angle and with sightline-optimisation.”
During the course of the installation, the contractors faced a number of technical challenges, notably getting the refresh rate sufficiently high (720p/1080i) to support HD, integrating the DMX lighting command, linking it to the video booth and making sure the entire system ran as an integral part of the club’s solution.
The system has been designed to enable easy assembly by semi-skilled operators in nightclubs, and will allow easy access for maintenance and new media uploads.
Luminar Leisure’s Steve Thomas is delighted with this new form of media capture and the ease with which his company will be able to present club friendly acts on the way up as well as established international artistes.
“If it works we will certainly roll it out across the estate. It’s highly advantageous to record companies, reliable and easy to execute — and can be streamed to multi-sites. Furthermore, by creating different media streams we are providing a carefully-targeted and highly focused medium for potential advertisers.”
According to Wonderworks general manager, Jason Robinson, his company will now seek to ensure that licensees use the technology in line with equirements in applications such as museums, shopping malls, airports and cinema foyers in territories where they hold both the exclusive and non-exclusive rights.
Wonderworks will shortly be going to India with the Paradigm rig to undertake an awards ceremony for a bank of the future (ICICI), delivering the content via an Electrosonic MS9500 media player. They are also handling a project at London’s Trocadero — again in conjunction with Paradigm — featuring their proprietary Adpod system, a network of installed virtual 3D projection units.
In picture: Luminar Leisure CEO Steve Thomas with Booty Luv — real and virtual and the girls “onstage” with animated presenter ‘Abe’.
11th January 2007
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