VFX Voice Magazine: VFX Voice asked industry experts about the technical demands and continuing evolution of VFX and video used in theme park rides and other fixed-location entertainment. Here they discuss the use of 3D, domed and big screens, and what’s coming in the future. They also talk about dark rides and LBEs (Location-Based Entertainments), such as Justice League: Battle for Metropolis, Avatar: Flight of Passage, King Kong 360 3-D, Panem Aerial Tour (The World of The Hunger Games), Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout!, Dream of Anhui and Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire (a VR LBE).
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The tram tour is one of my favorite things to do at Universal Studios Hollywood. While my dad worked on Universal/s backlot for a few years, my family had access to the park for free. While we didn’t go as often as one may expect, we went enough. On the tram, the King Kong: 360 3-D attraction is one of the best. I remember getting to see it right before its opening debut. I was absolutely stunned. I had never seen screens so big let alone two of them in the configuration they are in and also in 3D. As you pull up to what looks like just another one of their giant sound stages, you have no clue what you are about to get yourself into. A the tram makes its way around the corner, a huge door opens on the short end of the building. While you pull in and put your glasses on, it is absolutely pitch black, but it smells and sound like a jungle. As the tram stops, it gets unusually quiet, then, all of a sudden the two 175 foot screens pop on and you are immediately immersed in a new world. By the time it is over, you feel like you were just in a different world where you are much smaller. Universal and WETA Digital did an absolutely wonderful job creating this feeling for every park goer to ride the tram.
Chris mcGowan in his article “New adventures at the intersection of theme parks and VFX”, he talked about new movements in entertainment, about the improving of amusement park rides. Further adding CGI into their attractions instead of practical effects such as animatronics. I enjoyed hearing about the variety of projects seeing how they are using the strides they've made in creating an experience, in different ways, with the goal of helping the riders immerse into the story. I love all the different intricate details they must accomplish in order to get a good product. One that can make sure everyone on the ride, no matter where they are sitting can have an amazing experience. That made me think of theatre, for when designing, directing, and ect. we often have to consider the multiple different seats and points of view in the house. These rides seem like a mixture of the way we make movies, theatre, and recent developments in VR and interactive gaming. The project I enjoyed reading and learning about the most was the Cream of Anhui ride. From the picture, to the experience of the studio, the ride looked high quality. Also found it cool because it won't based off of a pre existing movie, something purely designed for this amusement ride media, hopefully the industry explores into original story content when it comes to this unique way of telling a story.
I bashed VFX pretty bad in the other article, but in this article seeing the specific artists point of view does not change by opinion on VFX in rides, but it helps me understand their point of view more. However, they did prove my point though with the man from Sally Corp saying that there has to be a balance between the physical and the digital. I have actually rode this ride at the Six Flags by my house a few times and I did not have high expectations for the ride because Six Flags and well themed attractions are not something that EVER go hand and hand, but this one very much is. But unfortunately for this designer, he was quite right there is something very satisfying about a physical effect and my favorite part of the ride is when the Joker sitting atop a cannon fires blasts of green smoke at your ride vehicle. Another part that I enjoy is when something that occurs on the screen bleeds out into reality, such as blasts that then explodes near you with actual smoke next to your vehicle. As for the King Kong experience I have not done it and I am sure it looks cool, but no matter how much work goes into the digital effects using that and nothing physical I will always consider it lazy and a cop out. Disney does it well, Sally Corp uses it as a surprise, and Universal uses it as a banal easy way out, good riddance.
As theme parks become more and more technically advanced the encouperation of 3D and VR elements are just going to increase. It was interesting reading about the industry of theme park design and relating it to what we do here at CMU. For instance when Rodgers explains how “alignment becomes critical” in reference to projectors, it made me think of what a difficult task that might be. I was able to relate it to my experience in a media workshop learning how to do just that last week. Making the projectors look like one was no easy task. You could get the blend the seems almost perfectly but the color would still look a little off or one seam would be just a tiny bit brighter than the other. Doing this on a large scale would take similar skills to what we learned in the workshop relating the lesson to the real world. It reminds me of the age old question “are we ever gonna use this?” In this case yes. Overall the article was eye opening but it was also very skillfully organized. I liked how this article gave each person interviewed their moment to shine. They did not hastily throw together a couple industry experts into one pot giving the article a deeper meaning to relate these designers to their projects rather than one another.
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