CHARMED VISUALS FOR DURAN DURAN’S UK TOUR

DURAN Duran and Charmed Technology have pioneered the world’s first use of ‘Augmented Reality’ (AR) technology on the band’s UK tour.
Duran Duran and Charmed worked together to create advanced 2D and 3D visual effects, which allow animated characters to appear live on stage with the band. Three JVC GY-DV500 cameras were used to capture live video of the band and the audience.
Augmented reality technology worked by superimposing computer-generated characters and effects into a person’s view of the real world. The technology caught the eye of Duran Duran keyboards player Nick Rhodes while the band were touring in the USA and he arranged for a demonstration.
A typical AR system consists of a camera connected to a computer running vision recognition software. The system mixes three-dimensional graphics with live video. The result can then be viewed on a monitor, display headset, or a large projection screen.
Jarrell Pair, Director of Augmented Reality Research and Development at Charmed, said: “We needed cameras that were lightweight, produced good quality digital images and compact, with a small footprint that didn’t require hundreds of pounds of cabling. The GY-DV500s fitted the bill perfectly. Combined with the convenience of the miniDV tapes, very low power consumption and good battery life there was never really any question of using anything else than the Professional DV camcorders.
“We’re pretty excited about the unusual visual impact that the combination of our software and the JVC cameras are providing throughout the tour. The JVC GY-DV500 with its MiniDV compatibility, professional features, and light weight has proved itself as an ideal camera solution for our system.”
This technology fired the imagination of Duran Duran and sees Simon Le Bon dancing alongside a computer-generated Elvis Presley on stage. In addition, animated logos and other ‘high-impact’ images can be made to fly over the audience.
According to Jarrell Pair, the concept of augmented reality was pioneered in a system developed by the US Air Force, whereby pilots can read information such as speed, altitude and position as it is projected onto the plexiglass canopies of their cockpits. The heads-up-display (HUD) systems used by fighter pilots is a simple example of AR. Previously, this technology has only been utilized by research labs and in the aerospace industry. (CMcL)