Barco provided the projection technology for Fresh Air Flicks to create an astonishing illusion depicting the future of automobile travel via the “BMW i: A Window Into the Near Future” campaign. By turning a street-level window of the MetLife building across from Bryant Park in New York into a digital reflection which morphed passing traffic into BMW’s new all-electric i3 and plug-in hybrid i8 concept vehicles, event producers gave passers-by a glimpse of the future of automobile transportation.
From the outset, the biggest challenge that New York-based video display integrator Fresh Air Flicks faced was the need to project moving images on a giant window in direct sunlight. After extensive testing, producers discovered that 3M Corporation’s Vikuiti window film and Barco’s brightest large-venue projectors were the perfect combination for achieving this first-ever technical feat.
Barco’s HDQ-2K40 projectors achieved 80,000 lumens to blanket the 12ft x 9ft window film with the reflected traffic landscape, created by Experience Design Director Jake Lee-High. Using motion tracking technology, the producer created a one-to-one relationship of passing cars and window reflections to bring the illusion to life, digitally transforming 307,065 cars into the new, futuristic models as they traversed directly in front of the window. For nine days, the window also calculated how much money would be saved in gas and how many tons of CO² emissions could be reduced annually if each transformed car was all-electric—totalling more than $493 million in fuel savings and 1.3 million tons of CO2 emission reductions respectively.
“Considering the daylight issue, the key to achieving this alternate reality was to use the highest output staging projectors available,” said Glen Sanders, president of Fresh Air Flicks. “Reliability was also critical since we were running the show 24/7 for nine days, and as we expected, the Barco projectors performed flawlessly! Also, thanks to their modularity and simple installation, we could re-lamp and de-lamp the projectors ourselves without having to call in a projectionist, making load-out fast and easy.”
“We’re delighted to be a part of this exciting and innovative marketing campaign for BMW, where our projectors can really flex their technology muscle to achieve never-before-seen light levels in an outdoor venue,” said Scott Stremple, vice president sales, venues & hospitality for Barco North America. “Pushing the boundaries of creative expression is what drives us to continually innovate and hone our projection technologies to meet the demands of today’s top event producers.”
