www.bizbash.com: The use of projection mapping—i.e., using projected video to turn buildings and other flat surfaces into dynamic art—has exploded in recent years. Using motion graphics, video, 3-D animation, and other new technology, event hosts now have increasingly innovative ways to convey brand messaging, provide unique stage backdrops, decorate walls and ceilings, and evoke emotions.
14 comments:
I think projections design and projection mapping are just so cool. Work like this is mind boggling and truly inventive and cutting edge. I can not wait for the day when buildings begin to be designed with projection mapping in mind. I think there could be really cool stuff going on by making it integral into the design and aesthetic of buildings. The Sydney Opera House is a great example of a building that looks like it was designed with this in mind. The surfaces on it are great for media to be put on. This would basically give people to completely change the look of their building, house, office, etc. with just a new programming of the projection. This is the cutting edge of theatre and entertainment and it only makes sense that it bleeds over into the other disciplines of fine arts, because it really could be applied universally (in the right place).
I am extremely interested in becoming a media designer and this type of work is so interesting to me. I love the way that projection mapping can change and shape the space it is used in. This type of installation is mind boggling and beautiful. It fully harnesses the use of technology for the betterment of art. I was incredibly impressed by the tent used for the wedding of the royal family of Qatar. Even in a photo the building looks like it is slowly but surely caving in. The work at the Temple House also mimics the wonderful gold ornamentation of important buildings. I'm so excited to be around while art redefines itself in this tumultuous time. When this new form of art meets with theatre I think it can say many beautiful and true things about human emotion. The expansion of this art form into the public eye is an amazing thing to watch.
The use of projection mapping and projection design in these images is absolutely incredible. Part of the reason I am so interested in video and media design is because of the use of projections in these ways and the ways they can add to a piece or a theme. The use of technology and the way the projections enhance the natural architecture is so unique and evocative. While all of them were incredible, I think the two that stood out the most to me were the projections under Cambie Street Bridge due to the unique placement and longer life span of the piece and the integration of projections on the basketball courts. I think the integration of sports with projection design is so unique and creates a visual effect that is unparalleled to any other way team introductions have been done before. Video and media design is so new and unique, not only for theatre but for the rest of the world as well.
Part of what makes media and projection so exciting is that it is such a new and largely unexplored medium, especially in the context of theatre. I really enjoyed playing with projection mapping onto 3D surfaces in media class, and especially mapping onto people. As evidenced in some of the examples of projections in the article’s slideshow, there are some amazing innovative avenues by linking projection with other things like sound or movement to create audiovisual experiences. My favorite photo in the slideshow was the mapped installation for the Jimmy Choo collection launch, which transformed huge pieces of 3D scenery into what looked like giant pulsating crystals-- it reminded me of an enormous chandelier looming over the party. Another one of my favorite images were the ones that projected repeated images onto the ceiling, which creates an entirely different atmosphere. The projection of the pink forest of cherry blossoms looked incredible especially in conjunction with the use of motion graphics to mimic petals falling from the sky.
When they said mind-blowing, they were not kidding. I think that projection mapping, and media in general, actually, is one of the most mind-blowing elements of entertainment. I guess I think that mostly because it is so new, and designers are still exploring, experimenting, and figuring out new ways to use the technology. I just had my first media workshop for stagecraft, and the projection mapping piece of it was very exciting! We mapped our projections to a box, and the projector basically turned the box into a screen! Though it is a simple enough concept, it still astonished me that it worked like that. These photos show how the same technique we used to map the box in the media studio can be expanded to all different things and situations and shows. One of my favorite artists, Sasha Velour, did a lip sync in her touring show, Nightgowns, using projection mapping to project spotlights on her face, hand, and to create a dress out of red veins that grew and swelled, projected onto the white sheet she wore over her body. When she throws off the sheet, she reveals her red dress underneath. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGYv6ev3-4U
My local is currently involved in the sound, rigging, and media rotation of stagecraft. Last week, we had the opportunity to do a workshop on millumin 2, projector blending, and projector mapping. After getting everything set up, the pieces we created felt magical! Some of the surfaces we projected on felt more like special screen rather than just simple wood or plastic. It reminds me of when I was fortunate enough to travel to Israel. While I was there, my friends and I were taken by our guide to a 'light show' in Jerusalem. During the show, the walls of the Old City were projected on to tell the story. At the time, with no understanding of what projector mapping even meant, I was absolutely blown away by the production. It completely engaged me in the stories that I, as a Jew, already knew by heart since I was but a young lad. Projection mapping is truly an incredible tool in the tool belt of media designers.
I am so excited to begin to learn a little bit about media next mini! Seeing the development and experimentation going on with projection technology is a really cool thing to me. It has such an interesting power to completely transform a space. I found the piece done for the wedding in Qatar’s royal family to be really intriguing. I like seeing the ways in which a modern technology can emulate the patterns of modern architecture. Another piece I found really exciting what the one done for the fifth anniversary of Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay park. I am fascinated by the incredibly vivid colors. Another thing that I found really unbelievable is the intricacy of the super trees that remained consistent all the way up the 165 feet. I am very curious about the use of flame projectors in all of it, and how they played a role in complimenting the 20-minute display.
Projection mapping in the entertainment is in my opinion still at a turning point in how we use it and how it can be used. I am really excited and nervous at the same time about how its being used in entertainment, more specifically theatre. As a lighting designer I’m worried about working with the needs of projection and how it will interfere or rather interact with stage light. But I am really interested in seeing what special effect can be created with projection. I think one day it will be possible that fireworks as a whole could to some extent be replaced as a social event by projection on building and monuments. I also fear that we will start seeing set designer being out sourced to a projected set. I know this argument has been going around for a while but when we talk about how amazing, we have to stand back and remember these concerns and make sure we don’t go overboard with this new technology.
I’ve always found it amazing how media can completely transform whatever it’s being projected on. It has the ability to bring a soul and life to otherwise boring buildings and walls. After taking the media mini, I have a newfound appreciation for accurate mapping. It’s hard! To be able to translate your cursor to the corner of a structure takes precision and practice because, if you mess up, anyone can see it. I’ve always been put off by little corners of light and media that bleed from the surfaces so seeing so many examples of amazing and perfect projection mapping is incredible to me. It’s also interesting to see how media can add dimension to something even though the surface is flat and the projection itself is flat. Through skillful mapping, media is able to creation whole new worlds that could not exist before. The images in this slideshow are beautiful and show that media is not just a spectacle of technology but an integral component and medium of art.
The beautiful thing about projection mapping is that it can make any surface a display, transforming the ability to tell a story. In theatre, more and more shows are turning to projection to solve many problems. It is easier to not commit to the decision now and project the image that can be easily changed later, saving time and cost. The danger here is that at times it feels like we are getting into the projection screen industry, not the scenic construction one. Summer stock is loving replacing traditional drops with projected backgrounds. This is due to cost, time constraints and the shifting design aesthetic. I have talked with several scenic artists who fear that this is the beginning of the end for traditional painted backdrops and scenery. When you can just project the texture you want and can change it from moment to moment, the pull this way become hard to resist.
“The use of projection mapping—i.e., using projected video to turn buildings and other flat surfaces into dynamic art—has exploded in recent years. Using motion graphics, video, 3-D animation, and other new technology, event hosts now have increasingly innovative ways to convey brand messaging, provide unique stage backdrops, decorate walls and ceilings, and evoke emotions.” This technology I feel has the coolest possibilities in how it can effect how we do theatre. The one idea I continuously think about is how useful this could be in 3D mapping a venue and than being able to lay down a lined projection of the layout of set for loading it in. That may seem like a odd way to use projection mapping but I really think that it could be of real use in speeding up the load in process and to make sure that the set goes in exactly how the designers want it to look.
The first image, the 'Super trees' being illuminated with actual flowering plants, was so vividly realistic that for a moment I couldn't tell where the projection on the image was... thought it was covered in flowers for real! And the third, the patchwork projection on two buildings in LA, were so incredibly aligned with the windows and floors of the building that I could almost believe it was an artistic geometric paint job. It looked so flawlessly quilt-like to me, I wish I could have seen it in real life! The temple house projection is genius, because it shows the sheer possibility of this technology - an event center that can make your wedding in a rose-filled forest or your corporate event look like it's on the beach. That genius use of projection mapping is what I think the future looks like for some media design - more event mapping may be in the future.
Ok yeah, these examples of projection mapping are all very cool, but are they really the answer to the future of media design? Should projection mapping be its own art form? I envision a future plethora of theatre pieces where the central idea that drives their creation is "media projection mapping" as I think many of these are, and I'm not sure I like it. Recently I saw a video that detailed all the uses of VFX in movies that you really wouldn't expect to have them. Mad Max: Fury Road was one of the examples, a movie lauded by audiences everywhere for its use of practical effects and underreliance on VFX. In fact, while all of the actual sequences were filmed for real, myriad elements were moved around and manipulated, cars added in from other shots, some removed, backgrounds added in, etc. When you compare a movie like that to Star Wars The Phantom Menace, yo see the difference using VFX as a means to its own end, versus using it as a tool to drive storytelling. I think that that is the future of projection mapping, and what we must keep in mind at this school.
Post a Comment