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THE BRIEF: The ghost of an old technology kills at Coachella
Wednesday May 16th 2012In 2012, deceased rapper, Tupac Shakur, gifted child of the Black Panthers, folk poet of West Coast’s Death Row Records, virtually killed at the Coachella Music Festival.
2Pac, wearing only his 6-pac and low riding baggy jeans, thrilled a new audience and stunned his fans when he appeared in a hauntingly reincarnated ‘hologram’ shouting, “What the fu-k is up Coachella?”
So lifelike was his performance that The Brief had to conjure an urban legend: what if Tupac is still alive? What if he is actually hiding out in Cuba as some of his fans insist? After all, nobody saw his corpse. And what about Tupac’s prolific posthumous output? But bizarre theories aside, audiences at Coachella had only Dr. Dre to thank for making Tupac’s virtual appearance as badass as real life.
Don’t take my word for it; watch and come back:
Did you think you saw a ghost? Me too. And, frankly, we did. We saw a variation of a ghost illusion. Pepper’s Ghost to be exact. A visual effect discovered back in the 19th century that relies on an angled piece of glass to create a ghostly image. And as back to the future as it may sound, virtually the same thing that was happening back in 1862 happened in 2012 at Coachella. With one technical difference: “In the Victorian era, Pepper’s Ghost was used to reflect actual, physical objects or actors, making them appear “dimensional” in ways that projected or computer-generated imagery, typically used today, do not.”*
Dr. Dre had a spectacular vision. To bring the illusion of Tupac “back to life” to perform at Coachella. First stop Digital Domain – the Hollywood visual effects company that won an Academy Award for the work they did on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Four months later, Digital Domain handed over computer generated graphics of Tupac’s physical characteristics and movements which were captured from recorded performances.*
About the difficulty in creating those graphics, Ed Ulbrich, C.E.O. of Digital Domain, said “To create a completely synthetic human being is the most complicated thing that can be done… performances of the rapper’s hits ‘Hail Mary’ and ‘2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted,’ weren’t simply old ones captured on film and repurposed: This is not found footage. This is not archival footage. This is an illusion.”*
But still a giant step from Coachella. To bring the computer graphics and projection to the stage, Dr. Dre enlisted AV Concepts in San Diego. They utilized the Musion Systems Ltd. patented Mylar screen - which steps up all the above to a gangsta spectacle that transcends.
Visionaries are inspiring. The rest of us can steal. Now that you know how and where it can be done, you only need the right brand, a budget over $100,000 and you can envision an out-of-home experience that may blow peoples’ minds. Just imagine:
1. A flash mob over mobile going out to 6 cities across North America.
2. They congregate to witness a staged event of (say) Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel. (Easy for me to say!)
3. Whilst ambassadors for Chanel hand out samples of their heavenly new fragrance. And you can download the Sistine Chapel as a free screensaver.
Or,
4. More mundane and done by AV Concepts with other CEO’s dead and alive - Steve Jobs makes one of his otherworldly new product presentations for 2013.
Of course, with a healthy budget you can always go the traditional route. But judging from here, you might challenge yourself to thrill people.
MORE VIRTUAL TO DIE FOR
Madonna live with Gorillaz hologram using the same Musion Systems Ltd. patented Mylar screen in this illusion used for the 2006 Grammy Awards. Click and enjoy:
Séance Sources
* Rapper’s De-Light: Tupac ‘Hologram’ May Go On Tour’ Wall Street Journal, TECHNOLOGY Monday, April 16, 2012
* Report: Tupac Hologram at Coachella Cost at Least $100K Rolling Stone Music, April 16, 2012
* “Hologram” in Marketing: An Uncanny Ally? By Andrew Pryor Mashed Marketing, April 23, 2012
—–
Comment to Linda at this address: thebrief@to411.com.
LinkedIn // Facebook // Twitter
Front Page, Industry News, Technology News
THE BRIEF: The ghost of an old technology kills at Coachella
Wednesday May 16th 2012In 2012, deceased rapper, Tupac Shakur, gifted child of the Black Panthers, folk poet of West Coast’s Death Row Records, virtually killed at the Coachella Music Festival.
2Pac, wearing only his 6-pac and low riding baggy jeans, thrilled a new audience and stunned his fans when he appeared in a hauntingly reincarnated ‘hologram’ shouting, “What the fu-k is up Coachella?”
So lifelike was his performance that The Brief had to conjure an urban legend: what if Tupac is still alive? What if he is actually hiding out in Cuba as some of his fans insist? After all, nobody saw his corpse. And what about Tupac’s prolific posthumous output? But bizarre theories aside, audiences at Coachella had only Dr. Dre to thank for making Tupac’s virtual appearance as badass as real life.
Don’t take my word for it; watch and come back:
Did you think you saw a ghost? Me too. And, frankly, we did. We saw a variation of a ghost illusion. Pepper’s Ghost to be exact. A visual effect discovered back in the 19th century that relies on an angled piece of glass to create a ghostly image. And as back to the future as it may sound, virtually the same thing that was happening back in 1862 happened in 2012 at Coachella. With one technical difference: “In the Victorian era, Pepper’s Ghost was used to reflect actual, physical objects or actors, making them appear “dimensional” in ways that projected or computer-generated imagery, typically used today, do not.”*
Dr. Dre had a spectacular vision. To bring the illusion of Tupac “back to life” to perform at Coachella. First stop Digital Domain – the Hollywood visual effects company that won an Academy Award for the work they did on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Four months later, Digital Domain handed over computer generated graphics of Tupac’s physical characteristics and movements which were captured from recorded performances.*
About the difficulty in creating those graphics, Ed Ulbrich, C.E.O. of Digital Domain, said “To create a completely synthetic human being is the most complicated thing that can be done… performances of the rapper’s hits ‘Hail Mary’ and ‘2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted,’ weren’t simply old ones captured on film and repurposed: This is not found footage. This is not archival footage. This is an illusion.”*
But still a giant step from Coachella. To bring the computer graphics and projection to the stage, Dr. Dre enlisted AV Concepts in San Diego. They utilized the Musion Systems Ltd. patented Mylar screen - which steps up all the above to a gangsta spectacle that transcends.
Visionaries are inspiring. The rest of us can steal. Now that you know how and where it can be done, you only need the right brand, a budget over $100,000 and you can envision an out-of-home experience that may blow peoples’ minds. Just imagine:
1. A flash mob over mobile going out to 6 cities across North America.
2. They congregate to witness a staged event of (say) Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel. (Easy for me to say!)
3. Whilst ambassadors for Chanel hand out samples of their heavenly new fragrance. And you can download the Sistine Chapel as a free screensaver.
Or,
4. More mundane and done by AV Concepts with other CEO’s dead and alive - Steve Jobs makes one of his otherworldly new product presentations for 2013.
Of course, with a healthy budget you can always go the traditional route. But judging from here, you might challenge yourself to thrill people.
MORE VIRTUAL TO DIE FOR
Madonna live with Gorillaz hologram using the same Musion Systems Ltd. patented Mylar screen in this illusion used for the 2006 Grammy Awards. Click and enjoy:
Séance Sources
* Rapper’s De-Light: Tupac ‘Hologram’ May Go On Tour’ Wall Street Journal, TECHNOLOGY Monday, April 16, 2012
* Report: Tupac Hologram at Coachella Cost at Least $100K Rolling Stone Music, April 16, 2012
* “Hologram” in Marketing: An Uncanny Ally? By Andrew Pryor Mashed Marketing, April 23, 2012
—–
Comment to Linda at this address: thebrief@to411.com.
LinkedIn // Facebook // Twitter
Leave a Reply
Front Page, Industry News, Technology News
THE BRIEF: The ghost of an old technology kills at Coachella
Wednesday May 16th 2012In 2012, deceased rapper, Tupac Shakur, gifted child of the Black Panthers, folk poet of West Coast’s Death Row Records, virtually killed at the Coachella Music Festival.
2Pac, wearing only his 6-pac and low riding baggy jeans, thrilled a new audience and stunned his fans when he appeared in a hauntingly reincarnated ‘hologram’ shouting, “What the fu-k is up Coachella?”
So lifelike was his performance that The Brief had to conjure an urban legend: what if Tupac is still alive? What if he is actually hiding out in Cuba as some of his fans insist? After all, nobody saw his corpse. And what about Tupac’s prolific posthumous output? But bizarre theories aside, audiences at Coachella had only Dr. Dre to thank for making Tupac’s virtual appearance as badass as real life.
Don’t take my word for it; watch and come back:
Did you think you saw a ghost? Me too. And, frankly, we did. We saw a variation of a ghost illusion. Pepper’s Ghost to be exact. A visual effect discovered back in the 19th century that relies on an angled piece of glass to create a ghostly image. And as back to the future as it may sound, virtually the same thing that was happening back in 1862 happened in 2012 at Coachella. With one technical difference: “In the Victorian era, Pepper’s Ghost was used to reflect actual, physical objects or actors, making them appear “dimensional” in ways that projected or computer-generated imagery, typically used today, do not.”*
Dr. Dre had a spectacular vision. To bring the illusion of Tupac “back to life” to perform at Coachella. First stop Digital Domain – the Hollywood visual effects company that won an Academy Award for the work they did on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Four months later, Digital Domain handed over computer generated graphics of Tupac’s physical characteristics and movements which were captured from recorded performances.*
About the difficulty in creating those graphics, Ed Ulbrich, C.E.O. of Digital Domain, said “To create a completely synthetic human being is the most complicated thing that can be done… performances of the rapper’s hits ‘Hail Mary’ and ‘2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted,’ weren’t simply old ones captured on film and repurposed: This is not found footage. This is not archival footage. This is an illusion.”*
But still a giant step from Coachella. To bring the computer graphics and projection to the stage, Dr. Dre enlisted AV Concepts in San Diego. They utilized the Musion Systems Ltd. patented Mylar screen - which steps up all the above to a gangsta spectacle that transcends.
Visionaries are inspiring. The rest of us can steal. Now that you know how and where it can be done, you only need the right brand, a budget over $100,000 and you can envision an out-of-home experience that may blow peoples’ minds. Just imagine:
1. A flash mob over mobile going out to 6 cities across North America.
2. They congregate to witness a staged event of (say) Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel. (Easy for me to say!)
3. Whilst ambassadors for Chanel hand out samples of their heavenly new fragrance. And you can download the Sistine Chapel as a free screensaver.
Or,
4. More mundane and done by AV Concepts with other CEO’s dead and alive - Steve Jobs makes one of his otherworldly new product presentations for 2013.
Of course, with a healthy budget you can always go the traditional route. But judging from here, you might challenge yourself to thrill people.
MORE VIRTUAL TO DIE FOR
Madonna live with Gorillaz hologram using the same Musion Systems Ltd. patented Mylar screen in this illusion used for the 2006 Grammy Awards. Click and enjoy:
Séance Sources
* Rapper’s De-Light: Tupac ‘Hologram’ May Go On Tour’ Wall Street Journal, TECHNOLOGY Monday, April 16, 2012
* Report: Tupac Hologram at Coachella Cost at Least $100K Rolling Stone Music, April 16, 2012
* “Hologram” in Marketing: An Uncanny Ally? By Andrew Pryor Mashed Marketing, April 23, 2012
—–
Comment to Linda at this address: thebrief@to411.com.
LinkedIn // Facebook // Twitter
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