InPark Magazine

Interlink Takes Flume Riders on a Quest on the River Kwai

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August 5, 2013

Interlink Takes Flume Riders on a Quest on the River Kwai

Stroud, UK (August 5, 2013) — Water ride specialist Interlink has completed the installation of a new Super Flume log flume ride at PowerPark in Finland for the 2013 season.

The new attraction opened at the park, situated in Härmä, in July and was designed and manufactured by Interlink to fit into a specific area of the venue. Named Kwai River, it takes its theming from the iconic World War Two film Bridge Over the River Kwai, starring Alec Guinness, with each of the boats/logs used on the ride being named after a character from the film.

The Super Flume features two lifts and two drops, one of 7m and another of 14m, and has an overall circuit length of 400m. It features a themed station building with a 12m long section for loading/unloading and utilizes a total of nine, six-seater boats, providing an hourly capacity of 600 passengers.

The ride is situated in a new area of the park and has been integrated into an existing bridge structure, hence the theming, something that provided an additional challenge to the Interlink design team. The soundtrack from the Bridge Over the River Kwai movie is used throughout the ride and not only is the bridge a major theming backdrop but it is also used to access a new Thai restaurant at the park. Views from the bridge give visitors a bird’s eye view of the new attraction and other areas of the park.

The Kwai River flume is proving a very popular addition to the rides on offer at PowerPark for which technical manager Petri Sariola commented: “We wanted to add a big new water ride to the park and having looked around at what was on offer from different suppliers we chose the Super Flume from Interlink. It has been very popular with our guests since opening and will no doubt help to increase our visitor numbers overall. Interlink have been very good with all aspects of the installation and overcame any initial teething problems that occurred. It is a really good addition to the park.”

And Interlink Managing Director John Hudd commented: “This has been an enjoyable project to work on. It threw up some interesting design challenges which we successfully overcame and we are very happy with the end result. Clearly visitors to PowerPark are also very happy as it’s been popular with riders from the first day of opening and I’m sure it will continue to be so for many years to come.”

As well as various models and sizes of log flume, Interlink’s range of water rides includes the Rapid River, Water Battle, Shoot the Chute, Spin Boat and kiddy and junior flumes, all of which allow the company to cater to different customer requirements and a wide range of age groups. A recently introduced range of panoramic towers is also available from the company.

www.interlink-lg.com

International 3D Society Expands Name and Focus to Include Other Premium Visual Experiences

Joe Kleiman

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August 5, 2013

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International 3D Society Expands Name and Focus to Include Other Premium Visual Experiences

Los Angeles, CA, USA /BUSINESS WIRE/ — In an effort to better prepare content creators for the fast-moving technological advances in producing premium visual experiences for film, television and digital production, the International 3D Society has expanded its name and focus. The organization — now called the International 3D and Advanced Imaging Society — will address Ultra High-Definition television, autostereo, laser projection, high frame rate (HFR) and holography among other advanced imaging content and delivery technologies, through new educational seminars, publications and awards designed to share “best-practices” within the industry on a global basis.

The move, backed by founding member companies Sony, DreamWorks Animation (DWA), Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Panasonic and Samsung, among others, is a natural evolution for the organization, which serves more than 800 professional members from 60 companies in more than 25 countries worldwide. With active chapters in the U.S., China, Japan, Korea, the E.U., the U.K. and Canada, the Society is the entertainment industry’s worldwide professional organization for 3D content creators and technology companies.

“Across the globe, content creators are moving to future proof their content for theatrical exhibition and the coming wave of Ultra High-Definition television,” said Society Co-Chairman, Tom Cosgrove, President & CEO of 3net Studios. “In response to this natural evolution of media, the Society will expand its mission beyond 3D to help push these new technologies and fill the content pipeline with exciting entertainment.”

In 2013, nine of the top ten box office revenue leaders have been 3D movies, including: Iron Man 3 (Disney/Marvel), Man of Steel (Warner Bros.), Oz: the Great and Powerful (Disney), Star Trek: Into Darkness (Paramount), The Croods (DreamWorks Animation (DWA)), Monsters University (Disney/Pixar), The Great Gatsby (Warner Bros.), Despicable Me 2 (Universal/Illumination) and World War Z (Paramount). 3D movies generated $1.3 billion dollars in revenues during the 2^nd quarter. According to the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), exhibitors also enjoyed record ticket prices during this time in large part due to 3D and IMAX 3D premium pricing. Tickets reached a record average of $8.38, according to NATO.

The Society will continue its core mission to advance 3D production and distribution, 3D-4K, 3D technology and 3D’s continued growth in Blu-ray. More than 50 3D Blu-ray titles have been announced for release this year, including the 1939 Judy Garland classic The Wizard of Oz, which will also be released in IMAX 3D theatres this Fall.

“There is much to learn and share about Ultra High-Definition television, from producing exciting content for consumers to watching these incredible new flat-screens in the home,” added Society Co-Chairman Dan Schinasi, Senior Marketing Manager, Samsung Electronics America. “The Society has a superb Board and a global membership. It has led the way in 3D education, and it’s well-suited to grow our community to meet the challenges and opportunities ahead.” This effort includes the Society’s addition of three new “Advanced Imaging” working groups for production, transmission/distribution and exhibition/display – each created to share new developments and standards through the organization’s pipeline of publications and educational seminars. The Society will also add new categories to its annual awards program for “Advanced Imaging” technologies and content.

“Content creators have a responsibility to leverage emerging digital technologies to engage, delight and even surprise our audiences,” said Jim Mainard, Society Past-Chairman, and Head of Digital Strategy at DreamWorks Animation (DWA). “This goal can only be effectively achieved through education of, and experimentation by, our industry professionals,” he added.

“The Society has become a respected source for professional education about creating great 3D content,” said Society Vice-Chairman and Chair-Elect, Michael DeValue, Director of Advanced Technology at The Walt Disney Studios. “New advances in display technologies to enable features such as autostereoscopic 3D and High Dynamic Range will require information and education to prepare our creative community. The Society can play a valuable global role in making that happen.”

Society President, Jim Chabin, concluded: “3D’s continued success as a premium visual experience is our top priority. Adding to our name and mission allows us to broaden our focus, include emerging technologies and better drive our industry forward. The Society is the place where content creators and technology professionals alike can partner during this rapid evolution of the digital age.”

The Society will honor more than 10 companies with its new “3D Product of the Year” awards September 18^th at Paramount Studios in Hollywood. The 5^th Annual 3D Creative Arts Awards will be held at the Beverly Hills Hotel in February, 2014.

www.international3dsoceity.com

True 4K 3D From Qube Cinema Installed by D3D at Air Force Museum

Joe Kleiman

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August 3, 2013

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True 4K 3D From Qube Cinema Installed by D3D at Air Force Museum

Dayton, OH, USA (Aug. 1, 2013) — Qube Cinema has once again partnered with D3D Cinema to install its single-server True 4K 3D system, this time at the newly renovated Air Force Museum Theater (AFMT) in Dayton, Ohio. The museum has upgraded from 15/70 film projection to the Qube XP-I server and dual Xi 4K Integrated Media Blocks (IMBs) and is the fifth giant screen installation in North America to use this Qube system. Visitors to the world’s largest and oldest military aviation museum can now enjoy “stunning” True 4K 3D digital imagery on the giant screen from a system that is much easier to operate than the 70 mm film setup the museum used previously.

The digital cinema playback system at the AFMT features a single Qube XP-I server paired with two Qube Xi 4K IMBs embedded in a pair of Barco 4K projectors. Using a single DCP, the server is capable of streaming data at speeds of up to 1 Gbps, sufficient throughput to support the Xi IMBs and dual 4K projectors at up to 30 fps or 2K 3D at up to 120 fps per eye.

Opened in 1991, the AFMT operated as a 15/70 2D film theater until its upgrade to digital cinema was completed in March of this year. The new 400-seat giant screen theater, with its 80-foot tall atrium offers a focal point for the entire museum.

“The museum theater was 22 years old and in need of an upgrade,” said Mary Bruggeman, chief of theater operations. “We undertook a complete renovation of the infrastructure, including new seating and carpet, as well as adding a stage for presentations.”

The new giant screen is so large – it measures 80 feet by 60 feet – that it had to be brought in by crane. It is the only giant screen in the greater Dayton area and the largest digital screen in southwestern Ohio. With this need for change came the realization that the format also needed to be updated to reflect changes in the entertainment industry.

“People are looking at entertainment and education differently than they did twenty years ago,” explained Bruggeman. “They’re getting digital entertainment from their laptops and tablets and we intend to progress with the technology. This meant we needed to modernize from 70 mm film to digital 3D.”

The foundation that runs the theater undertook research long before they started the renovation and were looking for a solution that supported the museum’s mission.

“When we saw what Qube technology could do, we decided they would be part of the theater’s future,” said Bruggeman. “The Qube XP-I server and Xi 4K IMBs will take us into that future, giving us access to higher frame rate digital material and true 4K 3D playback that exceeds industry standards. We wanted something we could grow with and we found it in Qube.”

The system integrator, D3D Cinema, installed a Qube Cinema XP-I server and two Qube Xi 4K IMBs embedded in two Barco 4K projectors, Masterimage 3D and a premium 7.1+ surround sound system that provided the museum with extra speakers. The sound system, along with devices for the visually impaired and personalised closed captioning for the hearing impaired, were custom provided by D3D Cinema.

“This system offered the best flexibility and a better economic model, allowing us to use revenue generated from the theater for our other programs,” explained Bruggeman. “Converting to digital gives us access to an expanded list of documentaries that are not available in the film format and that provide the museum better ways to explain aviation history and support the mission of the museum.”
< With the new system, the Air Force Museum Theater opened with Air Racers 3D and has added many other aviation-themed movies to their schedule, including Space Junk 3D, Rescue 3D and Fly Me To The Moon.

“Our regular visitors, as well as staff and volunteers, tell us they like the sharpness and steadiness of the 3D images,” said Bruggeman. “School children like the 3D experience and we find it’s better for keeping their attention.”

Showing movies at the theater has always generated revenue that benefits the museum’s other activities. They were looking to renovate the theater so that it could be used for different meetings and educational presentations, as well as expanding the movie schedule.

“One of the logistical challenges with film was that we couldn’t bring in more than two films at a time,” explained Bruggeman. “There’s a much wider range of movies to choose from in the digital format. In April we held our first Reel Stuff Film Festival of Aviation with nine different digital movies. This would have been impossible with film.”

“This system is much simpler for our staff to operate, leading to streamlined operations and decreased staff costs,” she said. “15/70 film prints are expensive and heavy to transport and handle. I can now hold in one hand a movie’s DCP that costs less than one-tenth what film used to cost us. By reducing our costs while improving the quality of the movie-going experience, we are able to better support our mission.”

The Air Force Museum Theater is part of the National Museum of the US Air Force. At 90 years old and with over 1.2 million visitors each year, this National Museum is home to a permanent collection of planes, spaceships and missiles. The museum houses 360 aerospace vehicles and missiles on display on 17 acres of space. It has a permanent display of a B-2 stealth bomber and spacecraft such as the Apollo 15 command module.

“Visitors are drawn to our museum out of their love of aviation history,” said Sarah Swan, a public affairs specialist at the museum. “Whether it’s one-of-a-kind aircraft or the Wright Flyer, many of our visitors come from all over the US specifically to see this – we are their destination. We are within a day’s drive of 60 per cent of the country and also have visitors from other countries.”

Along with the historical artifacts, the museum’s Memorial park, with nearly 600 memorials placed throughout, attracts veterans, who make up almost one-third of the museum’s visitors.

“Giant screen theaters are quickly moving to 4K and 3D, high frame rate projection,” said Eric Bergez, director of sales and marketing for Qube Cinema. “Audiences are looking for the immersive experience of 3D movies and this allows museums to offer documentaries that complement exhibitions. The simplicity and quality of the Qube True 4K 3D system makes this a win-win for the public and the Air Force Museum Theater.

www.qubecinema.com/products.

Alcorn McBride Products Take Control of Newport Aquarium’s Underwater Theater

Joe Kleiman

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August 3, 2013

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Alcorn McBride Products Take Control of Newport Aquarium’s Underwater Theater

Orlando, FL, USA — Full Spectrum, LCC of Stone Mountain, GA has selected Alcorn McBride’s video and control products for the newly refurbished Shark Ray Bay Theater at Newport Aquarium. The aquarium is located outside Cincinnati in Newport, Kentucky.

The Shark Ray Bay Theater is a visitor favorite serving as the venue for a variety of underwater dive-based shows. Its central focal point is one of the aquarium’s largest water tanks with a visible viewing area of approximately 17×9 feet. It formerly had a pirate-themed décor. The retooling by Full Spectrum transformed the theater into a clean, streamlined space that’s adaptable and versatile, adding value to the aquarium’s private special event capabilities.

A lightweight fabric mesh was hung, in a stylized crashing wave design, as a new visual backdrop (“splash curtain”) for the tank and installed color-changing LED fixtures and moving lights. Two 60-inch LG LED displays now flank the tank. A 47-inch LG LED display serves as a marquee at the front of the theater.

Full Spectrum overhauled the theater’s audio system, installing smaller speaker cabinets and new speakers above the splash curtain. All the audio processing is now done through a central touchscreen control system, which permits the creation of separate zones within the space and controls the volume for the program audio and individual microphones.

“Alcorn McBride’s V4 Pro controller essentially runs the whole theater. It’s in charge of lighting, audio, video – it’s the heart of the whole system,” says Chad Kuney, VP of Operations at Full Spectrum. “We chose the V4 Pro simply because the aquarium is open seven days a week, nine hours a day. We needed a controller that was robust and would operate without a glitch. The V4 Pro has proven to be that type of gear.”

He notes that the presenter of the dive shows is able to control the V4 Pro with an iPad using Alcorn McBride’s ShowTouch for iOS. “The presenter can walk around with an iPad and control videos, lighting cues, adjust the volume of audio – all on the fly,” Kuney explains. “If they see an animal float by in the tank they can run a video on the fly about that animal. And the divers can speak from within the tank with some mic equipment. It’s very cool!”

Alcorn McBride’s DVM8400 runs all the video elements. “It works perfectly,” Kuney says. “It’s solid state, which is great. And it’s easy to change out videos, too.”

The flexibility of the Alcorn McBride equipment is key to the new theater’s usage. “The aquarium wanted a space that was very versatile so that in addition to the dive shows they could host parties, corporate events, dinners, proms. It’s really a multi-purpose facility now. What’s great about the Alcorn gear is that we can program it to adapt to so many situations – it enables us to completely transform the space. It also allows us to put muscle into the creativity and make sure our creative touch is on top of the situation.”

www.alcorn.com

WhiteWater Supplies Slide Complex with Unique Features to Atlantis The Palm in Dubai

Joe Kleiman

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August 3, 2013

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WhiteWater Supplies Slide Complex with Unique Features to Atlantis The Palm in Dubai

Richmond, BC, Canada (August 1, 2013) — When Atlantis The Palm sought to revolutionize the waterpark landscape with the expansion of Aquaventure Waterpark, officials turned to WhiteWater for its innovations. WhiteWater responded with a six waterslide complex overflowing with features not seen anywhere else in the world.

Anchored by a magnificent 40 metre (131ft) tower, the complex will be unveiled in August 2013 and will include a number of world’s firsts including two AquaTubes which fly through the Anaconda, the world’s largest diameter waterslide at 9m (30ft). This flume-thru-flume technology offers a revolutionary waterslide within a waterslide experience, allowing Anaconda riders a spectacular view of the AquaTubes right above their heads. Additionally, the world’s first zipline integrated into a waterslide tower will deliver a new level of exhilaration as riders fly through on two-lane, two-way zip lines spanning three towers. Additional originals to the Middle East, a Family Boomerango and two Dueling AquaLoops will offer adventure seekers challenges and thrills as they test their courage.

“We are thrilled with the opportunity to work with Atlantis, The Palm, and proud to have created innovative attractions which offer thrilling and unique experiences to their guests,” commented Geoff Chutter, WhiteWater president & CEO. “We can’t wait to see the smiles all around, once the expansion opens”, he said.

This major expansion joins other WhiteWater attractions at Aquaventure Waterpark including four Master Blaster® water coasters, a custom themed AquaPlay interactive play structure, and the highly-popular Leap of Faith waterslide offering an unforgettable drop through a live shark marine exhibit.

Perot Opens First Traveling Exhibit and Looks at Animals BODY WORLDS Style

Museums
News

Joe Kleiman

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August 2, 2013

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Perot Opens First Traveling Exhibit and Looks at Animals BODY WORLDS Style

© ANIMAL INSIDE OUT, a Body Worlds Production, www.animalinsideout.com. All rights reserved.

Dallas, TX, USA (July 29, 2013) — ANIMAL INSIDE OUT, a BODY WORLDS Production, will open to the public Sept. 22, 2013, for a limited engagement at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. The museum’s first-ever traveling exhibition will be installed in the Jan and Trevor Rees-Jones Exhibition Hall, a 7,500 square foot, leading-edge exhibition space located on the Museum’s lower level.

“The Perot Museum is thrilled that our very first traveling exhibition is ANIMAL INSIDE OUT, developed by Dr. Gunther von Hagens, the inventor of Plastination and creator of the trailblazing BODY WORLDS exhibitions, and curator Dr. Angelina Whalley, creative and conceptual designer for BODY WORLDS,” said Nicole G. Small, CEO of the Perot Museum. “We think visitors are going to be wowed by what they see.”

ANIMAL INSIDE OUT will give visitors a unique opportunity to “travel on an anatomical safari” and view animals from a rarely seen perspective, exploring the skeletons, muscles, organs, circulatory systems and more. Stripping away nature’s flesh to the bare bones, ANIMAL INSIDE OUT brings together approximately 100 plastinate and capillary animal specimens, displaying the intricate biology and physiology of some of the world’s most spectacular creatures. After a tour of venerable museums in Vienna, London and other historic venues in Europe, ANIMAL INSIDE OUT made its U.S. debut at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. The Perot Museum will be the second stop on the limited U.S. tour.

This is the second time a major BODY WORLDS exhibition has come to Dallas. In 2006-2007, the Museum of Nature & Science in Fair Park hosted “BODY WORLDS, The Original Exhibition of Real Human Bodies,” which attracted more than 450,000 visitors.

Small adds that since the December 1 opening of the Perot Museum the Jan and Trevor Rees-Jones Exhibition Hall has already hosted two temporary exhibitions curated by the Perot Museum. First, the Museum debuted with the Building the Building exhibition, which was on display through April, and, currently on display for the summer, is Recycle Reef, which closesAug. 25.

“We built this big black box space — equipped with the latest technology to control light, temperature and humidity — to expand and build upon the science we offer daily in our 11 exhibit halls and through our educational programming,” said Small. “The Jan and Trevor Rees-Jones Exhibition Hallextends that learning even further – and allows us to bring major exhibitions to our own backyard. Now thousands of visitors — who might not be able to travel to London, Chicago and other cities – can experience these outstanding exhibitions right here in Dallas.”

At ANIMAL INSIDE OUT, from goats to giraffes and octopuses to ostriches, visitors will go more than skin deep to see the body make up of some of the world’s most impressive animals. Highlights of the exhibition include standing up close to the world’s tallest mammal, a giraffe, that towers over guests; a bull, with its heart five times the size of a human’s; a reindeer, with its hooves that adapt to the changing seasons; and the rarely seen giant squid, with its huge eyes, designed for picking up light in the ocean depths.

“Instead of specimens as skeletons or taxidermies, Museum visitors are going to experience animals in a whole new way,” said Steve Hinkley, the Perot Museum’s vice president of programs.

Hinkley adds that the process of Plastination, which removes the fluids from the body and replaces them with plastics that harden, allows guests to see the most incredible details of the body.

The exhibition reveals the different ways animals have evolved and adapted their anatomy and physiology according to where they live. Dr. von Hagens says the exhibition is intended to recognize the wonder and traits of animals: “It is critical that we increase our understanding of animals in the wild, not only for their preservation, but also for our own.”

Dr. Whalley adds that ANIMAL INSIDE OUT shows animal anatomy with far more detail than any textbook.

“It’s fascinating to see the anatomical similarities between different animal groups, including humans,” said Dr. Whalley. “Animals are skin, flesh and bone, just like humans.”

ANIMAL INSIDE OUT explores skeletal foundations; muscles, tendons and ligaments; the internal circuit of the nervous system; the reproductive process; breathing and eating; and wildlife conservation and preservation.

www.perotmuseum.org

RELATED ARTICLES FROM INPARK MAGAZINE:

Perot Museum opens in Dallas

MiT supplies systems to Perot Museum’s digital 3D theater

Alcorn McBride powers Perot Museum’s Shale Voyager

Perot Museum reaches one million guests

Sound & Communications article on Perot’s exhibit design by InPark’s Joe Kleiman

Qube Cinema and MiT Provide Multiscreen Digital Projection at Comic-Con’s Iconic Hall H

Joe Kleiman

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July 31, 2013

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Qube Cinema and MiT Provide Multiscreen Digital Projection at Comic-Con’s Iconic Hall H

San Diego, CA, USA — Qube Cinema partnered with Moving Image Technologies (MiT) to provide multiscreen projection of synchronized digital cinema content in Hall H at Comic-Con International in San Diego recently. Visitors to this marquee event saw digital presentations on four screens, simultaneously projected from five synchronized DLP projectors, all powered by the Qube XP-I server and Xi Integrated Media Blocks (IMBs). Organizers of large events now have a way of synchronizing multiple DCI compliant Series 2 projectors, while maintaining the stringent DCI security requirements that content owners demand.

Meeting Services Inc. (MSI) contracted venue-display experts at MiT to provide the D-cinema projection technology for Hall H at Comic-Con. Although MSI had used Series 1 DLP systems for the previous four years, they needed to upgrade to allow for higher quality display and a fully secure environment to all their screens simultaneously. MiT found what they needed in Qube Cinema and their equipment, which can sync multiple Series 2 DLP projectors, a feat that is essential to create the multiscreen display system that the organizers of Comic-Con were looking for.

“We needed to sync as many as five Series 2 projectors displaying on four screens simultaneously and Qube Cinema had demonstrated they could do this,” said Riche Stanley, technical sales for MiT. “Their server and IMB setup complies with DCI specs and means that we can show 4K, 3D and high frame rate content in the immediate future.”

The ability of the Qube XP-I server and Xi IMBs to synchronize multiple projectors had previously been demonstrated at the world premieres of The Hobbit, where they performed flawlessly to deliver the latest high frame rate 3D version of the movie. The XP-I server has the throughput to play back digital content to multiple DLP projectors at 1 Gbps, sufficient to show 2K 3D content at up to 120 fps per eye.

“We synced four projectors at CinemaCon last year and three projectors again this year,” said Rajesh Ramachandran, CTO of Qube Cinema. “This spring we showed MiT a demo, syncing six projectors, and were pleased to see how well the XP-I could handle the data throughput to all six of the Qube Xi IMBs embedded in the projectors.”

Over two dozen different presentations were staged in Hall H at Comic-Con, including a 3D show for a standing-room-only crowd of over 6,500 guests. One large screen, and three “delay” screens suspended from the ceiling for audience members more than 150 feet from the stage, showed 2D and RealD 3D content from NEC NC2000 and NC3200 Series 2 DLP projectors synchronized by the Qube XP-I server and Xi IMBs. The five projectors and images on all four screens were kept in perfect sync with Qube’s native ability to sync multiple IMBs. The XP-I server was connected to the projectors via Gigabit Ethernet, instead of the traditional HD-SDI cables that had been used at previous Comic-Cons. All the systems were controlled from a single laptop.

“The beauty of this multiscreen projection system is its ease of operation,” said Eric Bergez, director of sales and marketing for Qube Cinema. “It eliminates the unnecessary redundancies and complicated hardware configurations offered by other vendors and provides full DCI compliance – previously unheard of in digital cinema.”

In addition to synchronizing five DLP projectors, the Qube XP-I and Xi IMBs meet DCI specs for security of digital cinema content. Qube’s unique technology ensured that the content was as secure as it is for conventional DCP distribution. All files were encrypted and the forensic watermarking remained intact on all four screens.

“We chose Qube Cinema so we could upgrade to Series 2 DLP projectors and access their enhanced security capabilities,” said Matthew LeVeque, national sales manager at MSI Productions, who has been involved with the technical setup at Comic-Con for the past 16 years. “We’re also looking ahead to 4K projection and now, thanks to Qube, we have a system ready for the time when studios come looking for it.”

The Qube Cinema system is ideal for large-scale gatherings such as Comic-Con, as well as concerts and corporate and fundraising events, where multiple screens are displaying digital cinema content simultaneously.

“We now have a system that meets the needs of the special event business without compromising the security of the content,” explained Ken Freeman, who is the technical director for Hall H. “We don’t have to bypass any security features to get images displayed on four screens or into redundant projectors. The teams from MiT and Qube have delivered a terrific multiscreen system that is robust and secure, ensuring that our filmmakers can bring their best with full confidence.”

“The multi-IMB sync capabilities of the XP-I server and Xi 4K IMBs mean that the promise of multiple-projector digital cinema has been realized,” said Bergez. “Comic-Con 2013 marked a real milestone for digital cinema projection and displays at large-scale events. We were pleased to work with MiT, MSI and RealD 3D to provide secured, synchronized, digital cinema content to Comic-Con.”

www.qubecinema.com.

VOA Providing Conceptual Design Services to Orlando Music Institute

Joe Kleiman

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July 31, 2013

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VOA Providing Conceptual Design Services to Orlando Music Institute

Orlando, FL, USA — The Orlando, FL office of international architecture, planning and interior design firm, VOA Associates Incorporated, has been selected to provide conceptual design services for the newly proposed Orlando Music Institute. Dedicated to giving children an inspiring environment to learn music, be creative, and grow personally, the design will be used to promote the organization through the development and fund-raising stage, with a targeted construction commencement date of summer 2015.

“The Orlando Music Institute Foundation would like to express its deepest gratitude to VOA for helping us cast vision and design for a one-of-a-kind music school for children in Central Florida”, said James Zimbardi, Founder of the Orlando Music Institute Foundation.“ This project brings our strong portfolio of classical performance spaces to Central Florida with a design that will lift our region’s educational facilities”, said Jonathan Douglas, AIA – Managing Principal for the firm’s Orlando office.

The new 43,000 square-foot building’s design reflects a timeless, elegant yet practical atmosphere for visiting artists and students. It will include a recital hall, practice and lesson rooms, a recording studio, several courtyards, temporary living quarters, and a rooftop patio. This ideal setting will make

classically-based music exciting and interesting for the next generation to learn. This new facility is instrumental for Orlando Music Institute to provide the highest level of music education in Central Florida. To learn more about the Orlando Music Institute Foundation’s mission and proposed design, please visit www.orlandomusicinstitute.com/foundation.

www.voa.com

Alcorn McBride’s CARBON 4K Presents 60fps Video Experience

Joe Kleiman

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July 31, 2013

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Alcorn McBride’s CARBON 4K Presents 60fps Video Experience

Orlando, FL, USA — Alcorn McBride demonstrated that it’s on the leading edge of 4K technology with the introduction of CARBON 4K at InfoComm13.

The new High Frame Rate (60 fps) UltraHD 4K player delivers a viewer experience to large video and LED walls; museum exhibits; theme park attractions; corporate centers; 4D theater; and digital signage. It joins the single channel model, CARBON 1080p 60 player, in Alcorn McBride’s CARBON product line.

CARBON 4K taps growing interest in emerging 4K technology by offering true image playback at resolutions up to 3840 x 2160 in a rock-solid package synonymous with the Alcorn McBride brand. Designed for applications where smooth high-resolution playback is a must, CARBON’s ability to natively play 60 fps content means jitter-free video playback in a rugged, maintenance-free package.

True to Alcorn McBride engineering, CARBON is a solid-state player with no hard drives. Simple, removable CompactFlash media stores hours of HD content. Content can be uploaded remotely via Ethernet.

CARBON supports many of the easy-to-use, flexible control features that come standard with Alcorn McBride products, such as Playlisting, Ethernet, Serial and GPIO. Features include frame-accurate video synchronization, quad 3G HD-SDI and Quad HDMI output, and genlock input.

The new player occupies 3RUs and weighs 25 lbs (11 kg).

www.alcorn.com

Disney Imagineering Legend Marty Sklar on The Five Spot

Joe Kleiman

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July 30, 2013

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Disney Imagineering Legend Marty Sklar on The Five Spot

The life and career of Marty Sklar are so rich and far reaching in scope that a proper introduction to the former Imagineer would require a book. And such a book, Dream It! Do It!: My Half Century Creating Disney’s Magic Kingdoms, will hit shelves August 13 (presales now available at Amazon). Sklar started at Disneyland in 1955, where he created The Disneyland News, an in-park newspaper, and wrote most of the park’s marketing materials. In 2006, he transitioned from being Vice Chairman and Principal Creative Executive of Walt Disney Imagineering to become its International Ambassador, a position he retired from in 2009, after 54 years with the company.

Between the starting point at Disneyland’s opening year and his retirement were many adventures and life experiences. But we leave it to the book to continue on that journey – a journey has made Sklar one of only two people to have been awarded the esteemed Lifetime Achievement Award from the Themed Entertainment Association, an IAAPA Hall of Fame inductee, and a Disney Legend.

Retirement card designed by former Imagineer Hani El-Masri

Retirement has not kept Sklar down. He remains busy in themed entertainment design as the head of Marty Sklar Creative, a TEA member. At a presentation last year at the Walt Disney Family Museum, another Disney Legend, Bob Gurr, spoke about witnessing Sklar working on a recent project. He called it a “wild night of charrette and martinis at Marty’s house.”

InPark News Editor Joe Kleiman asked Marty Sklar five questions. Here’s what he had to say:

Four Disney Legend recipients of the TEA Lifetime Achievement Award (L to R): Harrison "Buzz" Price, John Hench, Marty Sklar, Don Iwerks. Courtesy Marty Sklar. — Four Disney Legend recipients of the TEA Lifetime Achievement Award (L to R): Harrison “Buzz” Price, John Hench, Marty Sklar, Don Iwerks. Courtesy Marty Sklar.

1. How have changes in technology affected the creative design process?

Technology in general, and new technologies in particular, are great enablers and change-makers in the theme entertainment business. However, at Disney, we are a story-driven creative organization, and Imagineers always start by striving to create a great story-experience. It’s rare that a new technology comes along that drives the creation of an attraction. One exception that comes to mind is the flight simulator development that enabled us to work with George Lucas in creating the first Star Tours adventure at Disneyland. Now that I’m retired, I confess to some envy at the availability of new technical developments in sight, sound and even smell that talented storytellers and production teams have at their disposal.

Childrens Hospital Los Angeles lobby. Courtesy Lexington Design.

2. Over the years, Imagineering has worked on a number of non-theme park projects around the world, ranging from Circlevision films at Canada’s Expo 67 and EXPO 86, to an airport transit system in Houston and a bowling alley in Denver. Do you have a favorite non-Disney project that Imagineering developed?

This may surprise you, but my personal favorite was the creation of the new lobby area a few years ago for Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. Imagineering was so busy that I was only able to do this with volunteers, as a “Lunchtime Project” – Disney bought the munchies and we worked on our own time for weeks coming up with the ideas and generating the designs – mostly by John Horny and Zofia Kostyrko. We created a family/kid friendly environment where parents and brothers and sisters could feel welcome when they visited their children/brothers/sisters in the hospital. Lexington did a great job executing our concepts.

(L to R) Marty Sklar, Collin Campbell, John Hench during construction of Epcot Center. Courtesy Walt Disney Imagineering.

3. Would you please share some of your memories of working with 2013 Disney Legends Collin Campbell and Tony Baxter?

It’s wonderful that Collin Campbell and Tony Baxter are being honored this year as Disney Legends! I have a vivid memory of watching Collin take an iron chain and bash it against the structure to get the look we wanted for a building in the U.K. pavilion at Epcot – the contractor was frantic that he would be blamed and forced to do it over, but we got “the look” we wanted! Collin’s field work was extraordinary. He also painted a key piece which helped Bob Weis communicate our concept for the Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios).

(L to R) Mickey Steinberg, Marty Sklar, L.F. ''Fred'' Benckenstein, Tony Baxter at Disneyland Paris. Courtesy Walt Disney Imagineering. — (L to R) Mickey Steinberg, Marty Sklar, L.F. ”Fred” Benckenstein, Tony Baxter at Disneyland Paris. Courtesy Walt Disney Imagineering.

Tony, of course, is one of the great achievers in our industry – think Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, Indiana Jones, Journey Into Imagination, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, etc. etc. The park Tony quarterbacked from day one, Disneyland Paris, is a design gem. One thing I always appreciated about Tony was his mentorship of young talent; he never forgot how Disney Legends like Claude Coats took him under their wing when he was just getting started.

(L to R): Minnie Mouse, Disney CEO Bob Iger, Marty Sklar, Mickey Mouse, and Jay Rassulo (now Disney CFO) celebrate Marty's 50th anniversary with company. Courtesy Marty Sklar. — (L to R): Minnie Mouse, Disney CEO Bob Iger, Marty Sklar, Mickey Mouse, and Jay Rassulo (now Disney CFO) celebrate Marty’s 50th anniversary with company. Courtesy Marty Sklar.

4.What lessons did you learn from working with Michael Eisner and Frank Wells?

In my book (Dream It! Do It! My Half-Century Creating Disney’s Magic Kingdoms – published by Disney Editions) I tell a lot of stories about working with Michael Eisner and Frank Wells. Perhaps the biggest lesson I learned from them was about partnership – that two great executives with very different skills added up to much more than double your pleasure when it came to running a company. Of course, those of us who worked with Walt and Roy O. Disney had that lesson at Disney long before Michael and Frank. My partnership with Mickey Steinberg in running Imagineering for about five years was the best I experienced – and I see that kind of partnership now between Craig Russell and Bruce Vaughn at Imagineering. I used one of my favorites Michael Eisner quotes in my book: “This is so large and impractical – that’s what appeals to me!”

Filming of landmark 1967 film "EPCOT" (available on Walt Disney Treasures DVD "Tomorrowland"), written by Marty Sklar. © Disney — Filming of landmark 1967 film “EPCOT” (available on Walt Disney Treasures DVD “Tomorrowland”), written by Marty Sklar. © Disney

5. Are there any memoirs that influenced your approach to writing Dream It! Do It! My Half Century Creating Disney’s Magic Kingdoms?

I’m always amused at the contrast in my home between my wife, Leah, and me when it comes to reading materials – she reads nothing but fiction, and I read mostly biographies. I’m currently reading Walter Isaacson’s biography of Albert Einstein, and I just finished one about the baseball DiMaggio clan, and the great tennis champion, Jimmy Connors. I can’t say any one style has influenced my writing, but I’m a great admirer of Isaacson’s work – the Steve Jobs biography, and especially his compilation called American Sketches. I think I have developed my own style through the years, especially early on when I wrote practically everything that came out about the Disney parks, and many things for Walt Disney’s signature until he passed away. After all those years running a creative organization (which I loved!) I’m truly enjoying the opportunity to use my writing skills again. You haven’t seen the last of my efforts with “book number one!”