GDCOMM 2009 ShowBlog

Post show post

2009-06-29T17:42:00.005+01:00

Show went up, 4300 people came to the Chelsea private view overall and more over the next five days. Images can be seen here.. (more to come). Student website is here..

Here's a few.. click to enlarge..

images from thursday friday..

2009-06-13T11:13:00.005+01:00

click to expand..

layout changed

2009-06-12T09:14:00.002+01:00

after spending a long time moving objects with gina and oliver last night we found a layout that is better for the space and noise levels.

layout as of today click to expand

2009-06-11T10:29:00.001+01:00

images from today

2009-06-10T19:04:00.006+01:00

layout update without drapes and with topiary

2009-06-09T01:59:00.005+01:00

click to enlarge..

changes..

2009-06-08T18:24:00.004+01:00

changes since the original model above..

floor lighter, plinth for bear won't be round, plinths white or a colour from the show palette (above but dont trust colours via web), drapes gone, 3m plinth coverings too fussy and dropped, 1 main vitrine, 2 upright cases and 3 single cases. 1 showreel and 1 image reel, 6 computers, 5 extra screens etc 7 ft bear and 250 balloons still on.

balloon and drape test - balloons win drapes lose

2009-06-08T18:15:00.001+01:00

folio sample here

2009-06-08T18:12:00.001+01:00

started painting now..

2009-06-05T22:54:00.002+01:00

Spangleys update

2009-05-29T16:17:00.000+01:00

Mock up using smaller spangleys, so the small door doesn't cut off half the sign. Same price pretty much.

Clocking in at £300 as estimated...

upside-down & spoons

2009-05-27T11:31:00.003+01:00

Arran Gregory had these on his fmp blog of Japanese stores and GST noticed some similarities to the show design so we turned them upside-down to simulate the balloons on the ceiling. Also here some spoons GTS likes may be brighter irl.

3m wrapping and other..

2009-05-24T10:10:00.007+01:00

Just been in touch with William Smith (3m distributor) who told me about DI-NOC which is used for wrapping any shape - see vid below..however its expensive and gets imported from Japan (takes 2 weeks) its also 4 times more expensive than what we had budgeted for! They are checking to see if another cheaper option might work for us. I have been looking at taking some of the surfaces out of the show as we may have too much construction. Looking at altering the way we see the computers in the show for example.

On another front we have been looking at vinyl coverings - Chris sent these earlier..

He's been testing and reports the usual issues we have been thinking about such as air bubbles and the surface attracting dust quickly - time for l2 with anti static cloths? After talking with Tim Leaversuch from the workshop he advised us that its possible to wet the surface of the wood with water (think he said soapy) then apply the vinyl -you can then slide it around, getting rid of bubbles and letting it settle. When it drys the vinyl hugs the surface and becomes sticky again - wow!

so 2 options vinyl on a roll or the 3m materials - another thing did ask tim about spraying but it much harder to get the finish we would need, taking longer and there are no facilities for this anyway at college.

plasma/lcd

2009-05-22T03:46:00.003+01:00

plasmas. have 2 large ones in the show this year and just starting to think about how they can be dressed in show - here's two ideas from previous shows.. Not thinking about taking off their mountings but there will be other ways of integrating them with the show...

folio covers

2009-05-20T15:32:00.005+01:00

black inner cover and black perspex bar down middle but cover will be coated buckram heres the colours (we had the orangy yellow hot colour last year).. click to see texture

even white..

example of inner

applying vinyl artwork - not sure how long it would last in a show with students name and number - could use silver though. Although no work sample on cover!

spangleys arrive - samples in gold and silver

2009-05-20T15:14:00.003+01:00

unifying cards

2009-05-17T09:52:00.003+01:00

just looking at business cards to see if they can be unified by a colour strip as there could be so many different designs that won't seem like a set when on display. Ignore the names they are obviously wrong.

alterntves for vitrine design

2009-05-17T09:48:00.003+01:00

left one is like cuboid with one acrylic face right one has a small kicker on the floor which lifts it slightly and is better for feet hitting the sides - its white here just so it stands out in the picture. I will be talking to the workshop this week so if you have any ideas please comment.

Wristbands. Colour schemes?

2009-05-16T12:18:00.002+01:00

Since we've got a limited palette this year after 2008's yellow-fest I started playing with black/white/metallic themes for VIP wristbands. Branded with the show logo as large as possible. Here's a mockup of a few using a font very similar to Ollie's custom typeface.

This is the company previous years have been using. If everyone's alright with continuing to use vinyl then that's definitely the best option, more secure than snap bands, easier to operate than the fabric tags (festivals etc) and just generally better than silicone which are a bit too Amnesty International.

Ideas?

Possible Balloon Layouts

2009-05-16T00:14:00.004+01:00

Option 1 - random spread:

Option 2 - black in centre:

Option 3 - black balloons over the corner where lights can be turned off:

Option 4 - black balloons over both corners and along back:

sign on wall to scale - early tests

2009-05-14T16:59:00.003+01:00

starting to look as signage..

2009-05-14T15:20:00.002+01:00

PARTY PARTY PARTY

2009-05-14T11:06:00.003+01:00

Does anyone have a venue in mind to retreat to after the show? What about the Grosvenor? Its free and the events LP held there were both pretty good. Plus any guests, staff and general hangers-on would be more likely to come as its just round the corner. Even if just for an hour of two. The place holds about 200-250 at capacity so thats not a problem. A provisional booking has been arranged with Paul (barman/owner).

COMMENTS PLEASE

spectrum shoot - may not be used

2009-05-11T16:05:00.003+01:00

quick balloon comp - click to enlarge

2009-05-11T14:40:00.002+01:00

quick photo comps based on tests to see if effect is too big - seems to be the right size for what we are thinking.

balloon testing

2009-05-09T11:34:00.007+01:00

sizes are good - glad we didn't go for the giant weather balloons. These samples of white and black would be joined by yellow and aqua (samples to test coming). We are looking for a balance of some backlighting from the overhead lights which will all be on and natural ambient light through the door. We need to judge if we will need to support the lighting of the showcases like we did last year or if there will be enough without that. We have also been devising ways to put up groups of balloons rather than attaching them all individually, also we need a method to replace any that burst during showtime - hopefully wont be needed. Had a chat with the estates manager re. blocking the 2 smoke detectors on the ceiling - he is taking advice and getting back.

3m car wrap materials from supplier

2009-05-05T19:45:00.002+01:00

http://www.williamsmith.co.uk/

graphic films for all surfaces..
car wrap materials seem to be in this range..
gloss 7 year cast
1371mm x 25M £263.00 per roll
1371mm x 50M £495.00 per roll
(+vat)

Coloured Films
30 Series 3-5 year Monomeric Coloured Opaque

50 Series 5-7 year Polymeric Coloured Opaque

70 Series 8 year Cast Coloured Opaque

100 Series 10 year Cast Coloured Opaque

85 Series 8 year Coloured Car Wrapping Film

Translucent Vinyl

2330 Series 5-7 year Polymeric Translucent

3630 Series 10 year Cast Translucent
Digital Print Media

IJ25 Series 1-2 year Monomeric White and Translucent Digital Film

IJ40 Series 3-5 year Polymeric Gloss, Matt White and Translucent Digital Film

IJ160 Series 5-10 year Premium Calendered Matt White Digital Film

IJ70 Series 8 year Cast Gloss White and Transparent

IJ180 Series 5-10 year Cast Gloss White Digital Film

IJ380 Series 5-10 year Cast Vehicle Wrapping Film

Speciality
Floor Graphic Films 30 Day, Internal Floor and External Pavement Graphic Films

Window Films Glazing Protection, Decorative and Perforated Window Graphic Films

Mirror Mirror Finish Effect Films

Fluorescent Fluorescent Coloured Films

Reflective
680 Series 5-8 year Commercial Reflective Film

Diamond Grade 12 year Reflective Prismatic Film

High Intensity Prismatic 12 year Reflective Prismatic Film

High Intensity 10 year Reflective Class Ref 2 Film

Engineering Grade 7 year Reflective Class Ref 1 Film

High Visibility Vehicle Marking Tapes

Hazard Warning Tape

Road Marking and Overlay Films

more photo ideas

2009-05-05T00:47:00.008+01:00

after effect similar technique

heres how in after effects..

source.. (done in processing)

No, no... this is face-painting!

2009-05-04T20:18:00.004+01:00

bump top desktop interface

2009-05-04T15:34:00.002+01:00

no mac version yet but in pipeline

facepainting

2009-05-03T10:47:00.004+01:00

nice but his much detail times over 40 fces is probably too much?
did lou do something similar?

photoshoot - food fight idea

2009-05-02T15:31:00.003+01:00

In about 3.50

-maisie

problem of duplication?

2009-05-02T01:20:00.003+01:00

Scattered Crowd - The Forsythe Company - Photo Julian Gabriel Richter

William Forsyth - Scattered Crowd
Midland Goods Shed - 1 - 3 May
Free - Forsythe's gorgeous Scattered Crowd is composed of thousands of white balloons, delicately suspended to create a breathtaking volume in which the viewer's slightest stir causes a ripple of movement.

>> too many balloons for one summer? at least ours are bigger, more architectural, coloured and are a lighting feature. Comments please.

wrist band

2009-05-02T00:58:00.002+01:00

Flouro colours, basic colours, holographic effects on the band, plenty of options for logo/text.
Not designed yet, for VIP's to get drinks etc.

folio mockups test

2009-05-02T00:46:00.002+01:00

folio features - same a4 wide size, thinner vinyl inserts, colourplan endpapers (any colour we like), black buckram finish cover, interscrews attached through the back of the folio this time to cut costs, a glossy black acrylic laser cut bar to flatten the gutter and make it more attractive and reflect the show colours, half the weight of the usual board for the cover to lighten the folio, also a corner graphic slip-on identifier with students name and work sample (layout and size to come).

Waiting for a quote from folders galore.

robot lab

2009-05-01T19:00:00.002+01:00

robot lab

movie..

http://www.robotlab.de/bios/video_engl.htm

lasercut mirrored vinyl? We think

2009-05-01T18:26:00.003+01:00

Let us know if you how this was done..

I think its from MADS NORGAARD

looking for some signage ideas for inside the light trap at the entrance to the show which is against black but in full view of the sun from this position.

spangleys!?

2009-05-01T18:17:00.002+01:00

http://www.spangleys.co.uk/?p=installation

These are the cheaper versions of the reflective disc signs that make a matrix of any image.
This version comes on a plastic rod you can staple and snip to length.

blurb..
Spangleystrips are available for £1.25 per lineal foot. (£96.25 per square meter in the large 1-1/2 inch disc size and £160.00 per square meter in the small 7/8 inch disc size.)

Call us for SPECIAL ORDER PRICING for orders over 25m².

HOLOGRAPHIC Colours are available for £1.50 per lineal foot.

SILVER GOLD BLACK PINK WHITE ORANGE CHERRY RED EMERALD GREEN ROYAL BLUE SKY BLUE

HOLOGRAPHIC RED, SILVER AND BLUE ARE AVAILABLE AS SPECIAL ORDERS

We can also MATCH PANTONE COLOURS FOR ORDERS OVER 50m² (Recommended for short-term use up to 6 weeks only)

.. as in the image above you dont have to pack thousands of these together you can use them as an accent or to create your own signage styles.

We Are 3!

2009-05-01T17:29:00.001+01:00

Photos from the fundraising party. Enjoy!

Photos 1
Photos 2
Photos 3

Danielle

Balloons in space with 3m high drapes - scale test

2009-04-29T02:51:00.003+01:00

light trap 2

2009-04-29T02:29:00.003+01:00

Re: light trap post, made a v. quick model to check it will actually work, and it does. Attached pic (please excuse quality, hard to take a picture through a tiny hole into a dark box!) shows before the trap is clad in black - the only light is in the exit to the corridor. Once I covered the light trap in black felt, there was absolutely no light let through at all. Success! Getting samples of blackout twill asap. - Kate

light trap

2009-04-29T01:48:00.003+01:00

light trap 3m high (same as drapes) entrances and trap 120cm wide

above shows inside view where trap will go.

right and left turn

or double back

outside cargo door becomes main entrance

DVD Duplication

2009-04-27T17:48:00.002+01:00

1000 DVD's duplicated, printed, packaged in card wallets and delivered.
Turn around is a week.

£580!

kenny (updated)

2009-04-27T17:33:00.004+01:00

Kenny (textiles tech) and I were playing around with projection on fabric. He has a mimaki printer that can print onto various linens, cottons and silks at A0 width. Just checking to see how well it would respond holding a projected image or for show printing.

(prices are £12.50 a metre for georgette and cotton at £7.50 a metre - hes booked up now until showtime). Also looking at costs with him for show drapes but its not econominally viable to use these better quality materials.

mssge. from Danilelle

2009-04-27T16:59:00.003+01:00

(USB sticks vs. DVD )

I've been looking into DVD duplication which is looking far more cost effective than usbs. I've been looking at runs of 500-1000, silk screen printed DVD's with printed card wallets. Is that too many?

It costs the same to do 1000 as it does to do 500 in most cases. Cheapest so far at 1000 units @ £700 inc. VAT, delivery, etc. however 2 week turnaround. Quicker is available but more expensive.

Still waiting for companies to get back to me. Watch this space.

Danielle

balloons start

2009-04-27T15:54:00.008+01:00

started on ballooons (I know its not my job just now but just wanted to see if the concept would work). Heres a weather balloon which more the size we are after..

Heres a 36" paddle balloon which is the largest most hight street shop do - its not tuff so may burst - just testing in my room for translucency with light and to see if it goes down this week. Couldnt blow it up to 36" as it felt very stretched at 26" below..

these are 4.99 each but with a bulk discount would be much less. This is a highstreet price which includes helium so its way off.

Does let light through - but enough light for the vitrines? or do they need localised pendant lighting as well?

//

update from julia..

I've found a company called Kent Balloons, www.kentballoon.co.uk, they offer 36" balloons at £1.54 each+ VAT. I called and they said they could offer us 200 at a 10% discount, which is definitely the best offer I've found so far. The black ones they offer are 12p more expensive. For 200 white ones it looks to be roughly £320 (inc VAT inc & discount). No companies seem willing to send out a sample of more than 1 balloon, I'm going to contact a few different companies and see if we can get 10 balloons or so together from different companies for the test on the 5th,

Jules

Drapes - Ikea and more

2009-04-27T15:33:00.008+01:00

Been looking at options for the drapes - the main issue seems to be that we need them to be very long (4m/3.5m/2.7m depending on how low the balloons are). Spaces to be covered are 21m, 24m (with some leeway for the door) and 11m (the 'wall' being created in the corner). I've given the full details below and estimated prices to the largest measurements, looks like by far the cheapest would be the first Ikea option.

IKEA:

Best option seems to still be Lill curtains - they're basically very fine polyester netting but the light bounces off them pretty well, the opacity improves if you let them bunch up or layer them so could allow extra.

£2.93 for 2-pack, 280x300cm = approx £30 if we were using just one layer, so probably £50 if we're layering them.

Vivan - bright white, cotton, quite rough-looking but more opaque. £6.84 for 2-pack, 145x300cm = approx £130 total.

Wilma - more transparent than Vivan, smoother, cotton. £11.73 for 2-pack, 145x300cm = approx £220.

Sarita - organza-like, doesn't hang nearly as well but has a great sheen, might work if stretched out. Oddly they don't do the curtains in white but it comes on a roll at £2.53/m for 150cm width. Works out v. expensive - using a height of about 3m it'd be £280.

Panels: they say these need a specific top/bottom rail but could probably be fixed over wires and weighted down, otherwise fixings are £3.91 per panel. Dimensions: 60x300cm - very narrow so might not be suitable for the whole thing but maybe for the 11m wall? The only plain ones were Anno Tupplur £7.82 which acts as blackout, or Flyn Lill £1.36, there weren't any examples hanging up but assuming it's similar to the Lill curtains.

Couple of other things... Tupplur blackout comes in lots of sizes up to 200x195cm for £19.56, roller blind were all far too short, cable+clip sets for curtains come in packs of 5m for £7.82.

OTHER:

Called lots of scenic/theatre stockists... scenic gauze is far too expensive, most just have regular muslin on the roll, which will work out v. expensive since at 150cm width you'd need 3m just to get the size of one of the Ikea curtains. Same goes for organza/taffeta/voile in fabric stores.

Brodie and Middleton stock back projection fabric @ £.20.35/m for 520cm width, also bolton twill blackout @ £5.22/m for 122cm width.

Also in case we wanted to do the frosted door idea, Flints stock frost film 2mx1m £15, frost varnish 300ml £7.24, frost spray £4.98.

wrap

2009-04-25T20:57:00.005+01:00

car wrap - what we are doing with our plinths this year in black and/or mirror.. research happening now..

3m official site..

wrap a building..

starting to look at layout

2009-04-22T03:32:00.007+01:00

Early look at possible layouts, this one featuring a showreel area at the back
(click to enlarge images)

show features

1. bespoke folios will need to be lighter to hold with a sample image dust jacket (inside vinyl cover)
2. USB memory sticks with showreel, web links & work again
3. sub a4 glossy look book fmp project by oliver meikle will contain images from shoots, student work samples & student dissertation extracts.
4. re-using some of the cases from last year: applying different finishes
5. full black out and light trap
6. interactive image viwer (wall-based touch screen) was on floor blocks last year
7. bus. cards - image content tbc
8. photo wall from live projects or studio shoots
9. websites and work in progress reels on 6-8 computers plus
10. installations, objects & printed material (and books)
11. large showreel plus extended showings in lecture theatre
12. possible central lighting feature/signage tbc
13. oversize balloon lighting diffusion tbc after test. (still have last years lighting otherwise)
colours as image below with the addition of black for the darker areas.
14. student photoshoot - art direction under discussion
15. use of either drapes to unify space and give light and shade for projection or a grid system made from square cross-section steel or similar (under review).

point of view graphics

2009-04-20T12:16:00.004+01:00

simple idea - been around a while but here with some modifications..
using a data projector - project a message/graphic over a 3d space. Now paint or apply vinyl to the areas where the projection hits. When the viewer/visitor stands where the projector stood the image makes sense, otherwise it looks like odd shapes or urban camouflage. Multiple views could be used all at once with different colour codes for each pint of view/image.

Examples and tests.. (ignore the subject material foregrounds or backgrounds - just proof of concept).

Business cards etc

2009-04-17T17:49:00.006+01:00

Just something I brought up in the last show meeting, the pantone swatch style business cards. This has now been influencing my designs for the 'Look Book' and the spectrum idea is influencing the headline type in the book. These are quick roughs of the cards though;

And in detail to further distinguish them the colour code from the colour itself:

another test for splitting space up

2009-04-17T00:30:00.003+01:00

2 tests here, fairly off-the-wall idea. building theatrical viewing areas for show content. Each booth could have projection, set, pure fantasy, images of the class, 3d objects. 2 places either along the long angle side or in front of the side wall which has just breeze blocks anyway so not loosing mounting space.

posts round-up

2009-04-16T22:11:00.005+01:00

Gerwald Rockenschaub 2

2009-04-16T13:16:00.003+01:00

Gerwald Rockenschaub artwork displayed against a grey wall - effective when most graphic layouts seem to be based out of white.

Gerwald Rockenschaub

2009-04-16T12:30:00.004+01:00

Gerwald Rockenschaub: graphic colour, curtains, division
source: Artnet Magazin

rice identity & luminodot

2009-04-16T12:08:00.010+01:00

Arroz de festa. Visual Identity

The greatest challenge of this job was to turn something as mundane as rice into a symbol of sophistication and industriousness. We designed highly intricate, delicate patterns, with a handmade look for caterering company Arroz de Festa (the company’s name literally means Party Rice, a Brazilian idiom that refers to someone who is always around). Rice as an element references the brand name and pays a tribute to the values of simplicity and casualness. Just as the caterers’ chef believes rice can be used in several recipies, from entrées to dessert, our proposal is that the patterns be present in every instance of the brand’s contact with consumers: from staff uniforms and packaging to the automobile in which food is delivered.

Luminodot from Bandai (a toy but its a simple idea: coloured pegs build an image)

interactive arts links

2009-04-16T09:27:00.005+01:00

chunky move..

Popular interactive arts software:
Processing
Quartz Composer
VDMX
Max / MSP / Jitter
E-motion
VVVV

Website:
create digital motion

london transport museum

2009-04-15T13:14:00.004+01:00

multiple floor projections at the london transport museum
data projection into 45 degree mirrors
edge blended image to produce 1 long strip

stock take

2009-04-15T12:42:00.005+01:00

looking at whats left from last year and from the colleges various stores..

1. 8 computers (g5 imacs).
2. Acrylic book displays, business card holders both landscape and portrait.
3. Acrylic 10mm thick 3 full sheets (thats big).
4. Backlit display pods (11) +diffused coated strip lights from inside.
(may be used by college this year).
5. ikea pendant lighting with shades (a mission to put up).
6. All acrylic tops for plinths.
7. 3 large yellow plinths, 3 smaller individual yellow ones, 1 pink bar plinth.
8. walling system with lighting.

possibly available to use from the college..?

1. 2 lcd/plasma screens >50"
2. projection screens and projectors

more banners in the air

2009-04-15T09:37:00.003+01:00

starlab domes

2009-04-15T01:20:00.005+01:00

Starlab are a US company who started out by making a combination of air filled projection domes (no underside to them - they sit on the floor) paired with light projectors which project star fields inside the domes using a light source and cylinders with holes and patterns cut-out. These were used in education. Starlab in the uk is now no longer around but the product is still in use and sold elsewhere. Starlab have gone on to develop larger domes and digital projection displays via a standard projector pointing up and fitted with an extreme fisheye lense to project in the round. I have a friend who is in contact with the uk company as was and may be able to find a dome, I am following up on this..

ikea this year

2009-04-15T01:02:00.006+01:00

Started looking at Ikea items that may make some of our grander schemes achievable as they were so good for our lighting last year. As far as sectioning off the show ikea offer cheap cable fixing systems from which can hang clips for curtains (also cheap) or perhaps for posters? The clips are available in white black or silver. As you can see from the last image panels can also be hung at angles to form boxed edges.

above ground modular viewing area - can be hired

2009-04-14T17:39:00.002+01:00

following on from an earlier post about viewing areas above ground..

imperial war museum: duxford 2 - projection booths

2009-04-14T17:29:00.003+01:00

These projection viewing areas are in a slightly subdued lit area, each circular zone contains padded seats and an overhead data projection with speakers built into the seats. Each is part of a cluster of 3 joined in the centre with extra graphic displays and exhibits built around non functional areas.

imperial war museum: duxford 1 - in the air

2009-04-14T17:15:00.003+01:00

Duxford - being an air museum has a large ribbon banner showing planes in flight, this unifies the large gallery by linking exhibits together overhead. The whole structure is lightweight and hung with steel cables. At one stage the ribbon becomes a projection screen.

gts likes the t4 transparent illlustration set..

2009-04-14T17:07:00.003+01:00

vinyl artwork

2009-04-14T15:27:00.005+01:00

Its a bugger to apply especially small letters but the result is always worth it.
In the past we have been using noahs art. The example above from the Tate Modern's Rodchenko/Popova exhibition shows how text and images (printed and stuck to the wall) can combine. (Less Ordinary logo by us, others by Made Thought)

triangle front graphic overlay test 1

2009-04-02T22:19:00.007+01:00

here's the template - try your own..

click to enlarge..

silver reflective discs

Tiltviewer 1 year on..

2009-04-02T13:13:00.008+01:00

At last years show we used tiltviwer to great effect for showing a mouse driven full screen interface to iconic images of the students work. These were projected into a 45 degree mirror and on to some large floor-based blocks...

(click to enlarge..)

The chelsea 08 tilt site (link)

Recently we did a test with our interactive whiteboard system using the full screen interface as a touch-driven wall-based projection surface rather than a mouse driven one. It worked well and we are thinking about how to adapt this for the coming show?

Daan Brinkman

2009-04-02T13:03:00.005+01:00

More work from Daan .. (link)

Theodore Watson

2009-04-02T12:55:00.002+01:00

projection mapping (for techheads)

2009-04-02T12:34:00.000+01:00

Projection mapping / quad warping with Quartz Composer & VDMX from Memo Akten on Vimeo.

curtains and a graphic entrance test

2009-04-01T14:44:00.003+01:00

Test here using a graphic entrance and curtains to divide space - also shoved the glitterball bear in as its in the air still? The benefit of this zoning is light and shade and colour control in each area, producing spaces to hold work based on the contents rather than in the open, controlling audience flow, also in this model a long gallery space. Negatives: hassle of erecting and cost of materials, is the space big enough to support this? also curtains ate not hanging spaces - can they be?

3d displays & virtual cinematography USC ITC

2009-04-01T12:39:00.005+01:00

Various research at the The University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies

3d displays: heres the science bit.. (link)

At the Graphics lab..
Our award-winning innovations in rendering skin, creating photorealistic faces and lighting digital scenes enable virtual worlds and characters to look more real and convincing. Our technology helped create realistic lighting for computer graphics characters in films including Superman Returns and Spiderman 2 and 3. Relighting Human Locomotion presents the first results of a virtual cinematography system to film an actor's performance and then change their lighting and camera viewpoint in postproduction for photoreal compositing. The central device is Light Stage 6, a 26-foot sphere with over six thousand time-multiplexed LED lights.

click to enlarge..

HBO Voyeur Campaign

2009-03-31T16:09:00.004+01:00

D&AD award (with project explanation) link
HBO Voyeur online interactice content link
Movie below explains the context and results..

(click to enlarge)

70's graphics at scale

2009-03-31T09:39:00.004+01:00

Comes from the 70's sci-fi film Saturn 3 (link to film start)
(in case you are looking the rest of the film is very dodgy)

AKQA

2009-03-27T16:04:00.002Z

fun christmas card/viral but was waiting for some fizzing metal as sparklers or something from the oven - still nice idea though. Need something large scale and timed throughout the day for the show any ideas?

sketchup doodling 2

2009-03-27T10:27:00.003Z

Using the surround projection system (link), looking at how to use in an exhibition. Here screen is suspended from ceiling (lightweight structure) and the projector is either suspended or floor based. put me in mind of this earlier post.

sketchup doodling

2009-03-27T09:45:00.004Z

Just wondering.. if you made a viewing platform what could it view, how would it feel to be up in the air, what benefits would it afford? Just musing but did find out that any platform could contain an enclosed projection zone on the backside. Shame it would be so big!

interactive projection

2009-03-27T09:32:00.002Z

looking at zoning (link) and saw this novel use of projection

augmented reality testing

2009-03-27T01:13:00.004Z

this has got to be possible for a show scenario like ours..

just testing this software (link) for mac..

well that was easy..

just printed out an a4 sheet with the logo on and it tracked and added the 3d object in quite dark conditions. Its non commercial creative commons - wow!

..have mailed them

augmented reality business cards please

2009-03-26T15:06:00.002Z

Lets assume a visitor to our show has a laptop and built in webcam at home, they could follow a url on a business card and download the augmented reality app for the whole yeargroup. Each student would have their own card or a sheet with all the cards on. Folios of work fan out or holographic-like avatars pinned to the card could introduce the students work and skills. Maybe not this year? but its only round the corner and not that different from what Moving Brands have done for LCF to date.

Remember Scriptographer?

2009-03-25T17:08:00.007Z

In an earlier post we saw a scripting application called scrptographer (internal link) for using inside adobe illustrator to create vector illustrations, here's some work from lehni. Could be a good tool for our mono print large scale images (last year we had the dots) - its such a cheap print process which can be tiled and sharp at large scale due to the vectors.. oh and the plugin doesnt do this effect below out of the box - it was created using it but the programmer who made Faust.js is restricted by his client while everyone else is trying to coax it out of him on the forums.

click to enlarge..

notes from meeting 24th march

2009-03-24T22:08:00.024Z

1. julia has beer sponsorship secured 3-400 bottles michelob

2. need to contact paul re. ramos pintos again or another spirit/mixer
3. sponsorship investigation needed (sniff out new sponsors for what?) in kind not cash. Palm pre launch - can we get some mobile phone/data screen hardware for the wall?
4. post a collection of images to link to in future if needed.
5. sponsorship julia and chris to follow up and perhaps oliver.
6. photoshoot needs to be done early in first few weeks of term miranda/bryony/alex/oliver will be looking at this.
7. folios need to be cheaper this year, trip to folders galore being planned to investigate further but a4 wide is good.
8. usb sticks - were they a useful last year? david to go on facebook and check to see if last years students used them much. 2 types: ones with websites on and showreels plus ones given to students who can add their own data on top. poss. key ring tie-in. L2 did copying in a couple of hours last week. group is pro usb sticks so far.
9. sponsors we like.. lego pantone uniqulo
10. same business cards. good price, local supplier, good quality dont change but we need something for the back - oliver suggests a pntone colour?
11. balloons: normal and weather ballons suggestion.. if you pumped up many weather white balloons could they diffuse the lights in the triangle? - other colours too - black?

12. discussion on how to use l3, usual needs plus we possibly need a promotion strategy for the website and follow up on getting online/usb student folios in front of those with the ability to employ.
13. olivers dad is looking at prices for a small format full colour look book of student work and images - much looser than before - group discussed through options with this and is happy to support an investigation into oliver's fmp being to create this and funded by the students as long as representation of student work is fair. ongoing...based on price of quotes to come.
14. feedback from blog flick thru.. scopitone is interesting, portable cinema (gts suggested a container based cinema in parade ground but group dont see benefit over a room in the college athough they thought it was a fun idea). david suggested a panoramic show with a central viewing area (post to follow explaining). Zoning with curtains or blinds - good but will we be having projection in show? this is why we would need it. Zoning through geometric shapes ie. very light structures which can suggest boundaries - gts found, we need to test these in a model to see. Blinds (vertical) can also take colour and graphics.
15. newspaper grippers (link) - could they be adapted as folios for the show - perhaps mounted into holes in the wall? something to look into.

16. group started to pool together themes that were worth keeping.. mood board or similar post coming.. quick list light theme, use of light key, the work is the colour everything else is neutral, un-imposing, reflective, but not bold and colourful. immersive, monochrome, interactive, shiny black, also liked scifi clean white spaces well lit, moloko milk bar (kubrick) xelor (these last are recent additions so don't take it that these are major influences).
17. bar to go at end of show not the start.
18. logo boards - perhaps not
19. tried tiltviewer again - still good possible to put on a touchscreen?

past shows

2009-03-24T20:44:00.012Z

click to enlarge>

Class Photos/Portraits

2009-03-24T19:20:00.007Z

Hello all.
Having put myself forward for organizing the class photo, I have collected some research material for an idea about how these photos might be directed. Let me know your thoughts.

CLASSIC PORTRAITS
The type of stylish studio portraiture available in all good shopping centres across the UK. This blog says it all really...
SEXY PEOPLE
The idea would be to photograph our class against a variety of backgrounds, styled and positioned to give that nostalgic, classic portrait look. Sponsorship could be sought from vintage retailers like Beyond Retro or Rokkit to provide the perfect 80s clothes. It also reminds me of the photographer Martin Parr's 'Autoportrait' collection - Parr traveled the world in the pursuit of being photographed by just such shopping centre talents.

My feeling here, is that these could be lovingly cliched portraits of the class of 09. However, as they are not at all slick or serious looking perhaps this is the wrong aesthetic to be presenting to our potential future employers. What do you think?
Thanks chaps,
Bryony

experiential.. disney/universal studios

2009-03-24T09:27:00.010Z

looking at experiential/theatrical elements from the basic (lighting and timed crowd control) to technical effects.

1. disney's great movie ride - a walking tour through a cinema then into a car 'on rails' through various film scenarious (animatronic) while you sit. Very simple ride through scenes of hollywood movies but great fun for the audience as the pace and memories never drop. Not just for kids either - the Alien (yes, the ridley scott version) section is quite scary. Had the benefit of being trapped on this one, the ride broke so had to walk back the way the car had come with all the lights turned on - fascinating.

2. spiderman at universal studios - great ride this one and the video below shows of the range of effects they used from amazing 3d cinema to movement/heat/lights/moving sets/water all in one ride. Complete overkill but fully immersive.

3. twister at universal studios - the audience is brought into a viewing area where infront of them is a large set from a small town slowly the wind builds, lightning fire and a tornado follow largely in the dark. Houses and cars start to move, cows fly and finally the roof that the audience thought was part of the 'safe' enclosure they are in begins to rip off!

4. wild arctic at seaworld florida - clever this one beacuse it uses little in the way of hollywood effects apart from a simulator ride to get to the arctic base. The audience is processed into the ride then on arrival at the base there is a cold (with a section of wet ice) scenario with polar skies and a mix of real sealife and polar bears within a set including water and fake scenic elements. But the overall effect is believable.

video link

5. going completely over the top..
This is Sensapolis in germany link1 link2 this is a full size solar spaceship/activity museum.
click images to enlarge..

6. Also there are of course many famous themed rides such as back to the future (now simpsons) which is a motion car ride through animation projected on an imax screen, terminator 2 (3d cimema/animatronics/live pyrotechnics). The ET ride has great scenographic elements: the audience walk through spooky giant woods to john williams music, ride bmx bikes which take off accross the moon and off to the stars to meet ET's family - rather oddly!

Heres some tech blurb from the Simpsons ride..
The six minute ride uses 80-foot IMAX screens and Sony Projectors.There are 24 ride cars, each seating eight people, and approximately 2000 people can ride it per hour. The projection system features new digital technology which makes the resolution two times better than most digital movie theatres. The video is projected onto two dome screens which are made of 416 panels (each 4 feet by two feet) and is approximately 80 feet tall and 85 feet wide. The projector itself uses a custom-made semi-circular fisheye lens to project undistorted images and plays at a rate of 60 frames per second. In comparison, most feature films project at 24 frames per second.^[13] The animation in the ride uses computer generated 3D animation rendered by Blur Studio and Reel FX, rather than the traditional 2-D animation seen on The Simpsons and the queue and pre-show of the ride. The animation reference was provided by Film Roman, the animation studio that animates the series.Each car contains 12 speakers and a Dolby 6.1 surround sound, while the domes contain an additional 90 speakers.

Also here a diagram showing the back to the future ride which the above was based on..

7. Disney Epcot Soarin' ride

tech story link

geoff seen

2009-03-24T04:35:00.006Z

Geoff seen these and wondering about an abstract sectioning mechanism for the show
- not these shapes exactly..

We do need to find a way of splitting up the show even with voil curtains or similar to zone but also to control light in the space..

further to this Fred Sandback was mentioned..

huge multi screen projection: playing with scale

2009-03-24T04:18:00.002Z

immersive cinema case study: swissorama

2009-03-24T03:46:00.007Z

Saw this in switzerland in 2000 but not working...
great idea and ripe for digital conversion so hands off! (for show?)
subject filmed via a polished reflective cone and projected back into the middle of a circular projection space, 1 projection fires in a 360 band of light, in digital use any source material could be bent to fit or mapped? see circular film cell shape below.

Swissorama Camera. Image by Damian Amstutz. Copyright Swiss Museum of Transport.

Further info and text/photos below link to www.in70mm.com

On July 2nd 1984 Swissorama, a new 360° projection system opened at the Swiss Museum of Transport and Communication in Lucerne. After over a decade of research and experimentation Ernst A. Heiniger finally presented the world’s first large format seamless 360° film within a special theatre to the public.

An audience of 400 people could experience feature "Impressions of Switzerland" free of distortion as a moving panorama on the seamless circular screen, 5m high and 60m in length. The theatre had no seats and was about 20m in diameter. Shows were held every hour and no extra admission was charged. Up to 1991 Swissorama was very popular among museum visitors, then attendance figures started to decrease constantly. By the end of March 2000 the theater was temporarily closed due to high maintenance costs and technical problems. Growing competition within the museum after the opening of an IMAX theatre with its changing program reduced public interest furthermore. After the last „farewell“ shows, held on the 9th and 10th of March 2002, the Swissorama was removed and replaced by another exhibit.

Swissorama Theatre. Image by Damian Amstutz. Copyright Swiss Museum of Transport.

Another similar system called the Cinetarium..
(pics from here)
..in this system a reflective ball is used.

possible to have projections standing upright?

or perhaps project into some sort of white tent structure like buckminster fuller dymaxion home structures..

eagle comic cross section: scopitone

2009-03-24T03:27:00.003Z

These were the forerunner to modern pop promos..
nice idea to select student work or movies?

examples..

scopitone blog site link more.. link

Cinebox/Colorama/Cinejukebox Films

The Cinebox was an Italian film jukebox that debuted in 1959 and entered the market in Europe almost simultaneously with the Scopitone. It entered the U.S. market in the spring of 1963, well before Scopitone, but was never as popular there as Scopitone. In 1965, the Cinebox was renamed Colorama in the United States. In 1966, it was completely redesigned as the ultra-stylish Cinejukebox.

above text and below image of frankie avalon from www.scopitonearchive.com

Panoramic paintings / panorama's

2009-03-24T03:10:00.005Z

(text and images from www.acmi.net.au) check the full article here

Robert Barker's 'Panorama' : A Room with a View

In 1787, the painter Robert Barker opened an exhibition in Edinburgh which was to have a major impact on the nineteenth- and twentieth-century entertainment industries. It featured a panoramic view of the city of Edinburgh painted around the inner wall of a rotunda which, viewed from the center of the room, gave the spectator the illusion of reality. During the nineteenth century, panoramas and related forms of visual illusionism--dioramas, moving panoramas, peep-shows--became an early form of mass entertainment in European and American cities. pic showing actual panorama.

Other panoramas..

immersive projection in london: circlorama

2009-03-24T02:50:00.004Z

images and info from www.in70mm.com

Leonard Urry had set up Circlorama together with Leon Heppner, a Russian entrepreneur who had lived in London for several years. They acquired a bomb site in Denman Street just behind Piccadilly Circus and constructed a building to house the new 360 degree cinema which they had imported from Russia. (click on the several pages of info from the link above)

on the bottom left of the above image was cirdlorama...

in russia..

immersive projection: circle vision 360

2009-03-24T01:52:00.007Z

First in a few case studies for surround projection.

'Circle Vision 360' was a Disney invention - or a re-invention of similar ideas elsewhere. 9 cameras in a circle pointing outwards film events around the world which are then projected into a 9 screen surround cinema. As I understand it all have now been closed.

wikki link
japanese links
disney fan site covering old park deletions 1
disney fan site covering old park deletions 2

patents below from Hans Perks site click to enlarge them..

CircleVision is still developed in a seamless digital format by The Circle Vision Group here a some images from their site..

circlevision nightclub previs

Bill Viola: a reminder

2009-03-18T02:53:00.006Z

A reminder of the master of installation media bill viola's work.

looking for digital folio alternatives

2009-03-18T02:12:00.002Z

diy digital picture frames link1 link2 link3 link4 link5 link6

The MP4 watch

2009-03-18T01:58:00.003Z

Folios on your wrist? link

electronic paper

2009-03-16T20:22:00.007Z

epaper: how it works link
epaper: how it works video

more virtual work ideas: low tech projection

2009-03-16T19:52:00.000Z

Contxts

2009-03-12T13:09:00.004Z

Following on from the talk about bluetoothing work to phones - sms business cards. Unfortunately only available in the US at the moment but there seems to be some buzz about it so might be worth thinking about.