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Medialon was the control system of
choice for a major European event, when theatrical and
event designer Bernard Szajner chose the system for the
Alstom display at a special exhibition on the Champs
Elysees in Paris, France. French national train company
(SNCF) organizied a month-long exhibition that featured
numerous thematic exhibits on the history of the train,
from ancient to the most modern.
The exhibition was located on the Champs Elysees and
included a temporary train line that went along it. The
SNCF asked its three train providers: Alstom (France),
Siemens (Germany) and Bombardier (Canada), to participate by each providing a tent within which they
could exhibit whatever they wished, as long as the theme
was designed for the general public.
Alstom asked French events company, Auditoire, to
propose a high-end concept, as they wanted to draw
maximum attention to their space and be seen as leaders
in their industry. Auditoire turned to Szajner, as they
do when they need something far beyond the ordinary. The
two (Auditoire and Szajner) have successfully
collaborated on many major exhibitions.
“Time was scarce, from the day I met with Auditoire to
the opening day of the exhibition,” commented Szajner.
“We decided to cut the tent in two, one half for a
straightforward exhibition showing the various trades of
Alstom (designed directly by Auditoire), the other one
for a ‘sensation theater’ showing a 3D film. The
dimensions of the tent enabled a screen size of 7m wide
by 3.25m high and a maximum capacity of 30 seats. I
designed a special format using 3 pairs of DLP
projectors projecting a seamless high definition 3D
image on a curved screen. The sound system was a 5+1
(quad + central speaker + sub bass)”.
Szajner’s concept, “Around the World in 80 Seconds,”
takes viewers on a series of three-dimensional voyages
(or jumps) around the world (Rio de Janeiro, Paris via
the center of the earth, Asia, and a futuristic city
rising out of the Egyptian desert). All sequences are
linked by an Alstom guide, a "real" girl (filmed in 3D),
navigating in this semi-realistic computer graphics
world.
“Eight graphics people and 14
computers worked overtime during the entire month to get
the program done. The client never saw the film until
opening day,” continued Szajner. “We made the final
soundmix inside the theater for perfect acoustic balance
the night before. The client came in to see the film
completed, loved it and expressed congratulations. One
hour later, we opened to the public. The show was a hit.
Some days, they had more than 4000 people”.
Backstage, a Medialon Manager V3 synchronizes 3 Medialon
HD Video Players for the video, 8 x 2 audio channels,
DMX512 for lighting control and infrared remote for
start and stop of the system. “All this was made
possible with the extremely expert response of the
Medialon team who worked along side of me the entire
time,” continued Szajner. “Of course, the Medialon
Manager, besides synchronizing all digital audio and
film players, took care of all the ‘secondary tasks’:
dimming lights on and off, remote control of the show by
infra-red, switching some special effects lighting on
and off and even projecting a ‘last minute’ text slide
supplied by the client. Medialon has developed a
specific video MP2 player because the image format we
are using would not fit with standard video players.
They have also developed a sync system where 3 video
players are in perfect sync (to the frame)”. |
