Outdoor projection mappings: limitless possibilities
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Gan Ta Loong, Global Sales VP, and Domien De Witte, VP of Product, from Barco sit together with InAVate magazine to discuss outdoor projection mappings and how the Barco projectors enable the creation of experiences that ‘wow’.
© This post is based on the interview originally published in the October 2022 edition of the InAVate APAC magazine.
The entertainment sector is poised for growth
Gan Ta Loong starts with this thought of post-pandemic entertainment:
“After the pandemic, people definitely have the desire to enjoy themselves and be entertained. The tricky part of that equation is that the customer has many competing options to choose from. Will he spend his dollar on travelling, on restaurants, or attractions? Looking at this from the consumer’s perspective, the number of choices can cause cognitive dissonance. So, it’s not easy to make that choice. However, when looking from the perspective of an attraction, I believe there is an unprecedented opportunity to create an outstanding experience that captures the consumer’s attention and imagination.”
“Over the past few years, the main trend for attractions was to leverage indoor projection mapping to create breathtaking experiences, such as those found in immersive art museums. These immersive exhibitions fared well during the pandemic because when restrictions began to be loosened, people could visit and enjoy these experiences. But now, as we move towards a wider scale of options, we see the trend for projection is migrating from indoor to outdoor.”
FOMO and limitless canvasses
Gan Ta Loong continues about the change in how attractions are conceived and delivered:
“Experience curation is about re-imagining spaces, augmenting them and bringing them to life in a completely new way. Outdoor projection is no longer just about mapping content onto a building façade. We’re now looking at really ‘painting with light’. The definition of what can be a canvas has been broadened to the point that the canvas is limitless. Anything can be a canvas with projection mapping, from a tree to a sculpture to a mountain to an artefact.”
Domien De Witte adds that there is an amazing business case for projection mapping right now:
“I believe is the best tool to enhance attractions and experiences. Outdoor projection mapping has demonstrated that it has the ability to draw patrons and consumers. This has a direct impact on revenue. On top of this, we are seeing artists embrace the medium, which means that we are going to see projection mapping move to the next level.”
And Gan Ta Loong firmly believes that the changing consumer behavior is an opportunity:
“Because we can’t change this new consumer behavior, I prefer to look at how it can help make the experiences we create and curate more engaging and more attractive. Fear of missing out (FOMO) has become a part of consumer behavior and to me this means that we should be creating experiences that everyone wants to be a part of. Consumers want to post and share their experiences on Instagram and Tik-Tok and in turn will draw even more visitors to that experience. In my humble opinion, the new consumer behavior and the demand for content is good for outdoor projection experiences.”
Enabling wow experiences
Creatives and technicians need to approach their work with these ‘wow’ moments in mind. Barco is ready to help create these wow-experiences with its wide portfolio of laser projectors. Domien De Witte details:
“Barco projectors are made with outdoor projection mapping in mind and the perfect example of this is our UDX-4K40 which has three features that put it a cut above the rest.
- The first one is all about brightness, which is extremely important for outdoor projection. The UDX-4K40 delivers 37,500 lumens brightness and our UDX series can go all the way up to 45,000 lumens, based on specific aspect ratios.
- Second, the brightness does not come at the cost of image quality. Barco projectors will always reproduce the image with fidelity ensuring content as intended, with lifelike, natural colors.
- And lastly, we know that a projector does not work all by itself. So, we made sure that the peripherals and the accessories – such as lenses, cases and remote management solutions - are also making outdoor projection easier for technical professionals.”
“Part of the Barco ecosystem for outdoor projection mapping is its latest generation of the Event Master E2 processor. Raising the bar for screen management, the E2 presentation systems provide superior image quality, exceptional input and output density, great expandability, and durability. The E2 also provides support for 4K projector blends with refresh rates up to 60Hz with full 4:4:4 color sampling and 12 bit processing. This means that the E2 can help make any artistic, outdoor vision a reality.”
Feast your eyes
Gan Ta Loong states that this specific focus on outdoor projection mapping is what gives Barco the edge. He says:
“We’ve talked about the fact that the consumer expectations and demand for experiences are changing. Barco’s projectors offer you the flexibility to follow the consumer wherever they go. Add to that the fact that the applications for projection mapping are endless and that it brings a unique flavor tailored specifically for the space. The result is an option that is undeniable. Creatives and curators are no longer constrained by the tools and the technology that are available to them. The possibilities are limitless.”
Domien De Witte concludes:
“The technology and the tools are already available from Barco. Now it is just a matter of seeing what our partners and customers will create. I really look forward to people experiencing Barco’s outdoor projection mapping and getting goosebumps!”