CPL Creates Walk-In Effect Video For Party

Video and production specialist Central Presentations Ltd (CPL) designed and built a unique, high-impact interactive walk-in video effect for a large company party in Bristol at Motion nightclub and also supplied video, media servers, content and projection equipment.
CPL was working for the event producers Bright Productions who commissioned the walk-in effect which was designed and engineered by CPL’s project Manager Nick Diacre.
It utilised 60 x VersaTUBE LED battens, a Pandora’s Box media server with customised html 5 code and an iPad.
The brief was based on the idea that the event became more energised as it filled up with guests, each one contributing to the 'full power' needed to get the party started!
People walked into a raw, stripped-back industrial style area, where each guest placed their hand on one of four iPad stations. A red scanner beam cased the hand and a number flashed up on the VersaTUBE wall and their 'power' was added to the total as they entered the party space.
CPL supplied the four iPads and the scenic pods were supplied by Bright. Diacre utilised a custom web page both to create the scanning effect when hands were placed on the pad as well as to prevent users exiting the application.
This was linked to the media server which incremented each time a scan was logged … with the total displayed on the 3 metre wide x 2 metre high VersaTUBE wall. The video feed was pixel mapped in Pandora’s Box and the interactive elements were coded using Coolux’s Widget Designer.
A Bladerunner style audio-scape was running in the background with vocoded instructions cutting in throughout.
When ‘full power’ was achieved, it triggered a dramatic meltdown, in which audio, lighting and video were all sequenced together to produce the effect of total Armageddon. This culminated with an earth shattering breakdown, and then complete blackout, giving way to an elaborate laser show, complete with futuristic lighting and soundtrack.
With everyone’s adrenaline and anticipation at full … the revelling kicked off!
Inside the main party space itself was a band stage, DJ booth, dancefloor and bars, etc.
Bristol based Flat Earth constructed a 40 ft wide projection screen along one wall – fed by three of their Panasonic 10K projectors, with images warped and blended together using the Pandora’s Box inbuilt 3D mapping engine. This displayed background visuals and the percentage of ‘power’ reached was faded in and out over the top as more people streamed through the doors and had their hands scanned.
Another 16 x 9ft video screen was behind the DJ booth, fed by an additional Panasonic 10K projector.
The background visuals – supplied by the client - and music built up to a crescendo as the 'full power' target approached, activating the meltdown audio and video experience.
CPL’s Jimmy Smith jointly Project Managed the event with Nick Diacre and Mike Court co-ordinated all the projections. The screens, the VersaTUBE wall superstructure and other scenic elements were designed and built by Flat Earth based on CPL’s spec.
Sound and lighting came from Motion’s regular in-house suppliers Fineline (lighting) and Audio X (sound).
Diacre said: "It was an absolutely awesome project to be involved with – exciting, different, innovative - and evolved from a fantastic collaboration between us, the Bright Productions team and the venue’s technical staff. It looked and sounded amazing and everyone had a brilliant time!"
www.cplav.com