Unlimited Visibility Lighting Design (UVLD) supported o2 Creative Solutions with lighting and video projection for a pair of dramatic Scion product reveals during an event promoting the young, hip brand at the Toyota National Dealer Meeting held in Las Vegas. The event was produced by o2 Creative Solutions. o2 Principal Brian Hords provided the creative vision and direction for the production team. Joe Bartusis of Go Staging provided technical direction and production management.
"Two new products were unveiled in two distinctly different ways," notes Visual Design Engineer Cameron Yeary of UVLD. "One was a virtual reveal using the Musion Eyeliner hologram effect and the other featured a prototype vehicle flown in from the ceiling. We were tasked with lighting the space and facilitating the video projections for the reveals."
The client wanted to create an industrial, club-like atmosphere for the event. "They left a portion of the Shoreline Ballroom raw with black drape for boundaries and asymmetric gray walls as projection surfaces," explains David Rees who acted as UVLD's co-lighting designer with John Ingram. "The atypical stage design created some unique challenges for the design team. There were two primary playing areas. The first mimicked a traditional proscenium design but was occupied by the elaborate hologram effect; the lighting there had to be very precise to support the it. Afterwards, the audience focus shifted elsewhere toward the second of the two reveals. The production utilized lighting and projection to direct the audience's attention to the more vibrant, live reveal. UVLD sought to create a mood that echoed the brand's young, hip vibe while supporting the live car reveal as the vehicle was flown in.
Instead of trying to hide the ballroom's architecture, UVLD lit its columns and structural beams to lend an edgy, club feel to the space. "We used a truss structure that paralleled the scenic projection walls to complement the unique angular nature of the space," says Rees. "Then we set up lighting positions around 13 hanging projectors."
"We used lighter value colors to create a relaxed, clubby atmosphere instead of the feel of a formal show," Rees points out. "There was no guest seating: People hung out at the bar then came to the main stage to watch the presentation."
The club theme continued for a second night when hiphop artist De La Soul performed on stage and additional vehicles were showcased.
A secondary space, dubbed The Lounge, was treated by UVLD with Scion-branded logos and moving-light textures, which complemented existing Scion graphics.
"The event marked the first time we used the new MBox version 3 dual-output media server," notes Yeary. "We had seven MBoxes with six providing dual output for seamless blends across the breadth of the scenic walls. The seventh MBox output a 1080p signal for the 60x15-foot center projection screen."
Content leading up to the product reveal was largely client driven and produced by o2 Creative Solutions, which crafted more than 100 gigs of imagery with multilayered text animations. "They came to us to work with them on the visual effects," says Yeary. "The reason we love to use media servers is the ability to easily change visuals on site. Creative ideas often morph as we implement the design. With the MBoxes, we have the power to re-render, re-cut and deploy the altered media quickly and efficiently. More traditional methods of media playback don't offer the same real time flexibility."
Yeary determined the pixel space available to o2 Creative Solutions which delivered very large image files, sometimes 1 or 2 gigs in size. UVLD brings a full video-editing suite to each media job -- with a compliment of software programs and years of experience working with them, the company can manipulate the client's media as needed.
Imagery for widescreen projection screen was projected by two Barco projectors and blended via Encore. The perimeter grey walls required 11 Sanyo xf35 projectors.
"o2 produces more large format, non-traditional media scapes then most companies in the world. We've used many different systems for media control and playback in the past but I can honestly say that the Mbox is by far the best in terms of adaptability, ease of use and creative expression. The possibilities are endless and the process is refreshing," stated Brian Hords of o2.
About UVLD
Unlimited Visibility Lighting Design (UVLD) creates lighting designs for corporate theater, live entertainment, themed environments, trade shows and special events. UVLD is a partnership of 10 designers working in all aspects of lighting design; their work has been seen on stages and screens nationwide and around the world. Clients include IBM, Mitsubishi, Honda, Kia, Mercedes, Volvo, Volkswagen, John Deere, Microsoft, Cartier, Victoria's Secret, FedEx, Avon and Audi.