3D Projection, or how to make a building come alive

A couple weeks ago, I went to go sit with my dad because Mom was going to be busy after work. The folks have cable (I don't), and so Dad and I wound up watching some of the Diamond Jubilee. When the performance by Madness came on, Dad remarked on the projection against Windsor Palace. I said that was nothing new.

More...

We'd had our own version of similar here in Dallas a few years ago. I never went and saw this movie, but I did like the projection. That building, incidentally, was the first skyscraper in Dallas. Like that really matters, though.



Because those projectors are so expensive, many of these tend to be commercials of one form or another. What I do find interesting about videos like this is how they record the audience's reaction. Make note: crumbling buildings are cool but fish are boring. Eyes, however, do get some applause.



Again, gravity good; fish dull. Oh, gravity is always awesome.



Here, we get to see what happens when these installations are interactive. When the audience can add to the performance, both sides win. (This philosophy is why we encourage so much participation at our shows.)



Again, audience participation makes the installation more enjoyable. When you demand your audience do something in order to get something, they'll do more than you ever asked for.



And one thing I find very odd about these installations is they seem to be more common in Europe. I don't know if that's because Americans are such staunch individuals that we'd never gather in a town square; but, besides that one from Dallas, I haven't found any other 3D projections in the US. The only reason I know about the one from Dallas is because I live there, and I didn't even go to see it.



OK. This is one you want to watch full-screen, because it's the only way to really fit it all on the monitor correctly. And here's why I saved this one for last.

It's the stunning beauty of it. This is one that drives me to tears (and I don't know what's wrong with me that it affects me so) because it is so goddamned beautiful. It's not just that the building is 600 years old, but the sheer amount of history tied into that building. I'm from the United States and there is nothing like that here.

And it also comes across as a letter of love. You get the sense that the people who put together that projection love that building. You know the audience feels something about that building. Listen to how they cheer when the red star comes down. They're watching their own history and reveling in it.

And, of course, there's hope as well. It's a positive projection.