Super-widescreen Projection
Posted on January 8, 2010 with No Comments
Amazing what you can do with a bit of applied knowledge.
This short video shows the stage of the Lowry Arts Centre in Manchester- the screen and corporate stage set is a temporary 1-day installation, for an event I produced and coordinated for the British Council of Shopping Centres, back in 1999. The video itself shows just a small part of the event- this piece is just the opening introduction that was captured in an empty conference hall during technical rehearsal checks.
Super-widescreen Projection from Paul Hadley on Vimeo.
Using powerpoint and photoshop images as the background, the embedding and overlaying of live video, afterfx, graphics, text and moving images are produced from a system called Suite P. The system incorporated all the above, and also allowed for live camera relay and incomming satellite video links to be placed anywhere on the screen, on-demand, during the event.
Owned by Blitz Communications (the production company I was working for at the time), the system is based around 3, soft-edge masked large screen digital video projectors, with images hitting the screen to produce a 20×8m image, from a distance of approximately 100metres, front projected.
The technical knowledge behind the design of the software system and soft-edge masking controller was completed by Alan Cox, and the widescreen display programmer was Richard Turner. I’ve got to give a huge hat-tip to those guys- they were (and still are) so far ahead of the game (remember this is 1999 we’re talking about here).
The system was installed overnight after the orchestra had vacated the stage, and was up and running for 8am the following morning. If memory serves me correct, there were 8 technical staff on the crew for this event.
It just goes to show just how forward thinking the appliance of technical skills and expertise can push the boundaries. I feel privileged to be able to work with such technical experts from time to time. It’s guys like these that shape the future of technology, so standards such as this become commonplace in the hi-tech world we live in today.
If this type of presentation is something you are interested in for your events, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Tags: anamorphic, corporate, graphics, large, Lowry, photoshop, powerpoint, projection, satellite, video, widescreen
Category: Multimedia
