Assignment 1 theory
Video installation is an art form that combines video technology with installation art that uses buildings and sculptures or the surrounding environment to project the videos onto to create video installation art. A simple example of this is using a laptop that is wired to a projector using a HDMI cable then using VTP7 or Mad Mapper to put a video onto a white blank cube. I have also had a go at trying out the software and I have learned and I understand all of the basics for VTP7.
Projection Artworks
There are a lot of different video installation artists that all do video installation differently to each other from all over the world. The first video installation artist that I will be talking about is a video projection group called Projection Artworks that are based in London. Projection Artworks are a group of video projection artists that all work together to create amazing and different video installations. They have been creating master-pieces for 10 years and that have a lot of great work to show for what they have been doing for 10 years. They say that they are "We are stunt-pullers, constraint-breakers and masterpiece-makers, creating electrifying, iridescent digital experiences that get the whole world talking." which is right they are. They have worked with a lot of different and big clients such as Disney, Coca-Cola, Sky and Nissan.
These are some examples of the projects that Projection Artworks have done
This is Projection Artworks which shows some of the projects that they have done. This also gives you a good understanding of what they have done and what they can do.
This is another example of one of their projects. This is in Harrods which was they client for this project. It is a video projection on one of Faberge's famous egg pendants that is 100 times bigger than the normal sized ones that is in the windows of Harrods in London. They did this for Faberge's month-long showcase in Harrods' famous window. This is also the first daylight visible projection mapping installation that features unprecedented brightness and interactive iPad control.
This is another example of one of their projects. This is there craft-driven experiments video that is for the celebration for Projection Artworks 10th birthday. They gave themselves 10 days to do the concept and only 10 hours to create and they did it at the Honorable Artillery Company in Moorgate, centerpiece for the NAB'S (National Advertising Benevolent Society) Stranger than Summer fund-raising ball. This video also them working on the project and how they made some of the effects and their ideas.
Projection Artworks have used a lot of different techniques in all of their projects. They usually try and do a new one for each project that they do. For example the Faberge's egg project they had to first create the giant egg canvas to put the projection onto. The projection, made daylight-visible by sixteen ultra-bright projectors stitched together, was mapped to an enormous scale model egg. Spherical projection canvases are typically the most difficult as they lack the hard edges required for accurate mapping, but a ground-breaking new production tool - D3 4x4 Pro - facilitated pixel-perfect projection. Then they had to work out all of the physics to create the video installation such as the photography they had to create perfect 3D models of the original Faberge pendants, which measure just 15mm high, each design needed to be photographed from 64 different angles and focal lengths. Another thing the had to deal with was the brightness. Achieving a level that rendered the projection daylight-visible was only possible by covering the egg in an unprecedented 14,500 lumens per sq meter, 200 times brighter than the average night-time projection.
My thoughts about how Projection Artworks approached their work is that they have used a lot of good techniques to create their projections using the software and hardware that they used to make them. From a technical point of view the software that they used to create 3D models was a good choice to use due to the outcome which looks really good on the real life giant 3D egg that they projected onto. Also each design needed to be photographed from 64 different angles and focal lengths to create the 3D model on the software. Also to create the projections they used VTP7 which is a good program to use and it is very good for video projections. Projection Artworks can be compared with Urban Projections because they both use similar techniques with their work with the software and hardware that they use to make their projections. They also use very different techniques that are both good for their own projections so they have their own style that works for both companies.
I think that their content is really good from an audience point of view and a technical point of view as well. All of the projects that I have seen that they have made are really good and a defiantly different from each project which makes keeps their content being always something new to watch and you will never be seeing the same thing twice.
The second video installation artists that I am going to talk about is Steve Davison. Steve Davison is the Vice President for Parades and Spectaculars at Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment in Glendale. He has worked for Disney for over 29 years. While he he been working with Disney he has created some great video projections for Disney. In 2003, Steve was asked to join the Imagineering Creative Entertainment team so his talents could be leveraged worldwide. Currently Steven has shows all over the world that play to an average of 150,000-200,000 guests a night.
One example of his work is World of Colour which is the largest and biggest project that he has worked on. It was 4 years in the making and it is a behemoth of a water show that is bigger than an american football field and features multi-layered projection effects, lasers and biggest coloured fountain array on Earth. This is the video of Disney's World of Colour that Steve Davison worked on.
This is another example of one of their projects. This is there craft-driven experiments video that is for the celebration for Projection Artworks 10th birthday. They gave themselves 10 days to do the concept and only 10 hours to create and they did it at the Honorable Artillery Company in Moorgate, centerpiece for the NAB'S (National Advertising Benevolent Society) Stranger than Summer fund-raising ball. This video also them working on the project and how they made some of the effects and their ideas.
Projection Artworks have used a lot of different techniques in all of their projects. They usually try and do a new one for each project that they do. For example the Faberge's egg project they had to first create the giant egg canvas to put the projection onto. The projection, made daylight-visible by sixteen ultra-bright projectors stitched together, was mapped to an enormous scale model egg. Spherical projection canvases are typically the most difficult as they lack the hard edges required for accurate mapping, but a ground-breaking new production tool - D3 4x4 Pro - facilitated pixel-perfect projection. Then they had to work out all of the physics to create the video installation such as the photography they had to create perfect 3D models of the original Faberge pendants, which measure just 15mm high, each design needed to be photographed from 64 different angles and focal lengths. Another thing the had to deal with was the brightness. Achieving a level that rendered the projection daylight-visible was only possible by covering the egg in an unprecedented 14,500 lumens per sq meter, 200 times brighter than the average night-time projection.
My thoughts about how Projection Artworks approached their work is that they have used a lot of good techniques to create their projections using the software and hardware that they used to make them. From a technical point of view the software that they used to create 3D models was a good choice to use due to the outcome which looks really good on the real life giant 3D egg that they projected onto. Also each design needed to be photographed from 64 different angles and focal lengths to create the 3D model on the software. Also to create the projections they used VTP7 which is a good program to use and it is very good for video projections. Projection Artworks can be compared with Urban Projections because they both use similar techniques with their work with the software and hardware that they use to make their projections. They also use very different techniques that are both good for their own projections so they have their own style that works for both companies.
I think that their content is really good from an audience point of view and a technical point of view as well. All of the projects that I have seen that they have made are really good and a defiantly different from each project which makes keeps their content being always something new to watch and you will never be seeing the same thing twice.
Steve Davison
The second video installation artists that I am going to talk about is Steve Davison. Steve Davison is the Vice President for Parades and Spectaculars at Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment in Glendale. He has worked for Disney for over 29 years. While he he been working with Disney he has created some great video projections for Disney. In 2003, Steve was asked to join the Imagineering Creative Entertainment team so his talents could be leveraged worldwide. Currently Steven has shows all over the world that play to an average of 150,000-200,000 guests a night.
One example of his work is World of Colour which is the largest and biggest project that he has worked on. It was 4 years in the making and it is a behemoth of a water show that is bigger than an american football field and features multi-layered projection effects, lasers and biggest coloured fountain array on Earth. This is the video of Disney's World of Colour that Steve Davison worked on.
Another example of Steve Davison's work is Disney Dreams.
This video is about Steve Davison talking about the making of Disney Dreams
The intentions for Steve Davison for making the projections for Disney to show in their theme parks is that he is a big Disney fan and it working with Disney and making shows for them is his dream job which he has always wanted. Also he has always loved making projections and they are some of his favorite things to do even when he is on holiday he is always coming up with new ideas and finding inspiration for them everywhere he goes.
The techniques that he uses in his projections are always new and different from each one and he is always looking for a new way to make and create them for his next big show. For example the Celebrate the Magic show was projected onto the Castle in Disney World using every little part of the castle to his advantage so that there would always be something happening all over the castle.
My thoughts about how Steve Davison approached his work is that Steve has used a lot of great techniques that he has shown in his work and using new techniques that some people haven't seen before which is good and works with his projections. Also I like that on Disney's a World of Colour he projected the projection onto the water fountains which makes it look a lot better especially since not many people have seen that before and it is a really good technique and a great thing to project onto which is defiantly a lot better then projecting onto a blank canvas. Steve Davison's work can be compared to Projection Artworks since they have both worked with Disney and have created their own Disney video projections which are both really good.
My thoughts on Steve Davison's content is that it is really good and creative which is fun for everyone and any Disney fan. I like that his work is full of imagination by using a lot of Disney characters and themes from different Disney movies and that he always projects them onto different things like a water fountain or a castle which makes them look even better.
