Dragon's Treasure - Lighting & Sound America

THEMED ENTERTAINMENTCopyright Lighting&Sound America April 2010http://www.lightingandsoundamerica.com/LSA.htmlMacau’s City of Dreams gets a majornew multimedia attractionBy: Julie HarperBackground shot: Jellyfish and Coral chandeliers, interior of Bubble Theatre duringDragon's Treasure. Inset: The elliptical dome of the Bubble Theatre with color-changingLED exterior skin.he City of Dreams—Macau’s latest landmark project—is a major entertainment and casino resort designed tochallenge the dominance of Las Vegas as the world’spremier gaming destination. Located opposite—and inhot competition with—the Venetian Macao Resort Hotel,this major complex incorporates a mega-casino, morethan 200 retail outlets, 20 restaurants and bars, threeluxury hotels (Crown Towers, Hard Rock, and GrandHyatt), a 47-story apartment block, and the iconic BubbleTheatre, host to a high-definition media presentationentitled Dragons Treasure.The Bubble Theatre is an extraordinary achievement,but the attractions begin when you walk inside the doorof the complex.Photos: Jason Goldenberg60 • April 2010 • Lighting&Sound Americawww.lightingandsoundamerica.com • April 2010 • 61

THEMED ENTERTAINMENTThe Vquarium, complete with mermaid, at the City of Dreams entrance.Inside the VquariumLocated at the main entrance to theCity of Dreams is a “virtualaquarium”–the Vquarium. Originallyintended to be a live aquariummeasuring 30' high by 150' wide, itwas reconceived to become a single,seamless piece of curved acrylic, withthe “aquarium” rear-projected on to ascreen provided by StewartFilmscreen. A system of water jets(from Backstage Technologies, ofWinter Park Florida and Wiltshire,England) sends water cascadingdown the front of the installation.Kraftwerk Living Technologies, ofAustria, provided the audio/videotechnology and playback/showcontrol, including 16 DLP projectors,a 16-channel server structure, and aMeyer Sound audio system.Water textures are rear-projectedonto this surface, alongside underwaterscenes from a series of RoscoX24 X-Effects projectors. Thehighlight of the aquarium scenes is agroup of mermaids (the result ofgreen-screen animation by theOrlando-based firm Falcon’sTreehouse), who appear much to theaudience’s delight.Media and lighting are synchronizedwith the lobby’s lighting systemto create a series of pre-programmedchanging environments, ranging fromvolcanic to arctic, and incorporatingthe entire area into one experientialtheatrical environment. The aquariumfeature presages the Bubble show’swater theme and the magical virtualworld the audience is about toencounter inside.The Bubble Theatre, with its elliptical,color-changing dome, hasbecome the icon of the City ofDreams. At night, the dome is illuminatedby more than 160 ArtisticLicence Fire-Brand FB-312 colorchangingLEDs; the company’s Color-Tramp control system runs animationand patterns across the Alucobondskin of the roof. (Alucobond is analuminum composite material.) Thetheatre’s entrance is a triangularwedge that cuts through the Bubbleitself, edged with Element Labs’ VersaTUBEs and backed by water-texturedand frosted glass. Across this plays amedia display of water ripples,custom-made by Bryan Barancik, ofthe lighting-design firm Lightswitch,which are color-coordinated to reflectthe state of play of the show inside.The theatre was designed to houseDragon’s Treasure, a free, 360° 3-Dcinematic experience conceived byFalcon’s Treehouse. Combining highdefinitiondigital video animation, amusical score composed byAcademy Award-nominated KlausBadelt, lighting, and special effects,the show is a 10-minute multimediaextravaganza described as “a totallyimmersive experience.” The 500-strong audience appears to be transportedbelow the City of Dreams,through the magic portal of theBubble, to the ruins of the JadeEmperor’s Palace where, in asubmarine environment populated bydolphins, whales, jellyfish, andmermaids, the 300'-long Dragons ofthe Four Winds battle for possessionof the mystical Pearl of Wisdom. It’sno surprise that the show, the first ofits kind in the world, won an Awardfor Outstanding Achievement (AOA) inthe attractions category from theThemed Entertainment Association(TEA) at the end of 2009.The principal lighting designer forDragon’s Treasure—as well as theBubble’s exterior and the Vquarium—is Norm Schwab, of Lightswitch: Hewas brought in by Geoff Benham,executive producer at Melco CrownEntertainment (owner and operator ofCity of Dreams), with whom Schwabhad worked on the Crown Casino inMelbourne. “The brief was to createan atrium spectacular, which wouldbe the focus of the casino and serveto draw people in,” explains Schwab.“The intention was to create a storyline that had relevance not only to theresort, but to Macau and China also,and was compelling to Asian andoverseas audiences of all ages, andwith no language barrier.”Photo: Jason GoldenbergPhoto credits: Top: Jason Goldenberg; Bottom left and right: Courtesy of Fisher Technical ServicesA view of the auditorium through the Bubble's inner dome showing structural framework by Kraftwerk Living Technologies.Left: The center jellyfish winch, including service gantry for maintenance and repair. Right: One of the smaller “perimeter” winches forthe four Coral and Jellyfish chandeliers.Originally envisaged as a videopresentation, Melco CrownEntertainment allowed a great deal offreedom in the show’s creation. Theoutcome is a mix of video, LEDs,lighting, and surround sound, makingfor a new experiential venue thatredefines the boundaries betweenshow and audience.“For a project as ambitious as this,we needed something above andbeyond the usual suspects,” explainsSchwab. “We were pushing the boundaries,and we needed more technicaland programming abilities than usual,so we opened up to a diverse, andtalented, group of people.”These included Falcon’sTreehouse, the creative producer;Kraftwerk Living Technologies, forthe Bubble screen and structuralframework, audio, and videosystems; Las Vegas-based FisherTechnical Services, for rigging andshow control design; JonathanDeans, of Without A Paddle, foraudio system design; CelticEngineering Inc., of Orlando, andCinnabar, of Los Angeles, for thescenery; Duluth, Georgia-basedXnth Degree, for MEP; andPtarmigan Consulting Ltd andArtistic Licence Asia, both of HongKong, for the complex business ofoverall systems integration.An ellipsoid dome 65.6' in height,118' long, and 88.5' wide was achallenging shape to deal with, and,with very little room in which tosqueeze the amount of technologyinvolved, it presented a unique set ofchallenges. “The space was parabolicin one direction and elliptical inanother,” says Schwab. “This gave ita sexy, beautiful shape, which fitted62 • April 2010 • Lighting&Sound Americawww.lightingandsoundamerica.com • April 2010 • 63

THEMED ENTERTAINMENTthe casino’s underwater ‘bubble’theme—we just had to figure out howto utilize it!”Kraftwerk Living Technologies wasresponsible for the fabrication designand installation of the dome’s innerand outer trussing structure, theprojection surface, and the video andaudio technology. The 18,290 sq. ft.projection surface consists ofspecially coated and perforated sheetmetal panels, each designed in itsown unique shape to give the dome atotally seamless finish. These areintegrated into a complex steelstructure over an aluminumsubstructure, behind which isconcealed the sound and automationinto 15 separate feeds, edge-blendedto ensure seamless projection acrossthe huge domed surface.“We used 15 Christie RoadieHD+30K projectors in full resolutionof 2,048 x 1,080 pixels and 60fps,aligned to project one uniform pictureof 36 megapixels on the dome,” saysThomas Gellermann, head of R&D forKraftwerk. “The projectors can eachbe realigned automatically using anewly designed calibration systemwith high-definition cameras.”Schwab designed the lighting toblend into, and expand upon, this richvideo content: 18 Barco High EndSHOWGUNs dazzle throughapertures and chandelier traps in theproportions. “We were able to trackand trail the magical effects within thevideo content, such as the dragontrails, bubbles, stardust, and explosions,and boost the effects with theLEDs, which are 100 times brighterthan the media itself—making theelements of the film pop out at theviewer with heightened intensity,”says Schwab.Five hundred strobes from BirketSpeciality Lighting—along with 57Martin Atomics—are distributedbehind the perforated dome, while133 GAM star strobes, with customCool Dotz strings and more Seladorstrips, this time supplied by LightingScience Group, are located in theof animation creation andprogramming time.“Lightswitch, LSGC, andKraftwerk labored long and hard onhow to distribute and install the Dotzacross the perforated skin and evenacross the moving traps hiding thechandeliers. Kraftwerk was then ableto laser-cut the holes in theprojection screen into which theprewired LEDs could be snapped forquick installation.”A similar technique was used forthe jellyfish and coral chandeliers,where the LED points were pixelmappedusing the Hippotizer. “Thetime saved was enormous and in nosmall part due to the mathematicalfloor; a grandMA2 replay unitcontrols the moving heads andstrobes in the main body of thetheatre and strobes in the chandeliers,while sharing control of theSelador fixtures in the floor.An Artistic Licence integrationsystem merges the data streams fromthe two media servers via Art-Net,while all control signals for the DMXfixtures within the flown chandeliersare necessarily transmitted over awireless data system. The integrationsystem was orchestrated by the teamat Ptarmigan Consulting.“The design team required a lot ofcreative freedom in order to controlfixtures with both media content andlifting the scenic elements, such asthe six chandeliers manufactured byCinnabar. The large central jellyfish isdropped in on a winch with a26,000lb. capacity, which also carriesa digital water curtain designed byAquatique Show International, ofStrasbourg. The water curtain formsa 13' diameter circle composed ofinnumerable jets of water, which canbe programmed to turn off and on insequence, effectively creating aseries of animations within the wateras it falls. The water tank iscontained within the chandelier;Aquatique worked closely with Fisheron the docking system. This allowsthe chandelier to retract and refillLeft: The central jellyfish chandelier with digital water curtain by Aquatique Show International. Right: A 3-D representation of the Cityof Dreams skyline prior to diving below the surface.Left: Jellyfish during the show. Right: The Pearl of Wisdom descends, surrounded by lasers from Excitement Technologies Group.equipment. The payload for thescreen, audio, lighting, and specialeffects totals some 60 tons.Onto this, Lightswitch layered10,000 Cool Dotz LED pixel points—provided by Lighting Science Group–at 18" intervals, along with strobes,moving lights, and larger LED fixtureswithin and behind the perforateddome. In addition, several movingelements are able to penetrate intothe audience area through portals.These include chandeliers shaped inthe form of jellyfish and coral. Theshow’s media—developed byPeregrine Pixels with productionsupported by Amalgamated Pixels—was then manipulated by Kraftwerkperforated ceiling, while 46 PhilipsVari*Lite VL3000 and VL3000Q Spotsprotrude though the perforated meshto drip water and fire effects on theaudience below, emulating the videocontent. Programming for both themoving heads (supplied by Solotech)and LEDs was carried out byLightswitch’s Seth Rapaport. Watereffects generated from 44 Rosco X24X-Effects projectors augment thePtarmigan-supplied ETC Selador X7LED strips, set in the floor at the baseof the dome to provide washes ofcolor up the curved sides.But it is the strobe and LEDfixtures that are used to emphasizethe on-screen action to spectacularchandeliers. “This gave us anunbelievable variety of intensity withwhich to highlight points of theaction,” explains Schwab. “We couldemphasize a movement with asparkle of the LEDs, amplify the effectwith the star strobes, and ramp it upto supernova with the Atomics.Amalgamated Pixel created positiveand negative mattes of the dragon,which, combined with particle fieldsand explosions in the Hippotizer[media server from Green Hippo],were used to create auras, trails, andmagical sparkles. This was outputinto pixel-mapping software calledFirefly, from Lighting Science Group.The use of the mattes saved us daysPhotos: Jason Goldenberggenius of the programmers—KevinPelletier and John Burne from,LSGC; Lightswitch’s CoryFitzgerald; and Ptarmigan’s ChrisChew—who programmed the Hippoand MA Replay on-site, and AdamRechner, Lightswitch’s CADmanager,” says Schwab.Two extensive control networksunderpin the show, one handling the60 universes of LEDs in the domeand the second 55-universe networkrunning the moving lights and nonscreenLEDs. The main control is viatwo sources: A Hippotizer handlesthe LED pixels in the projectionsurface within the chandeliers andthe Selador fixtures in the auditoriumvia a conventional console,”comments Simon Fraser, ofPtarmigan. “To achieve this, we hadto push the boundaries of both theMA and Hippo. Working closely withMA, we were able to output 24universes of Art-Net from theconsoles, which were subsequentlymerged with the Hippo output. It wasquickly apparent that Art-Net was theonly protocol that was supported bymultiple manufacturers, and wouldallow us to support the creative teamin the way that they anticipated.”Fisher Technical Services wasresponsible for all rigging andmechanical automation for the show,including the complex business ofwith water between each sequence,and to move at speed whilemaintaining its balance to ensure itdoes not overflow.With space at such a premiumbehind the perforated skin at theapex of the dome, the synchronizedmovement of the chandelier, trap, andthe VL3000s above—which must turnto move out of the chandelier’s way—results in a carefully choreographedsequence. Through the center of thisflying piece, a secondary winch with500lb.-capacity drops the Pearl ofWisdom though a segmented centraltrap door, illuminated by lasers fromExcitement Technologies Group, ofAddison, Texas, in one of the largest64 • April 2010 • Lighting&Sound Americawww.lightingandsoundamerica.com • April 2010 • 65

THEMED ENTERTAINMENTOne of two operator control stations—part of the overall Navigator-based showcontrol system.operating, full-color laser entertainmentsystems in the world.The four smaller chandeliers—twomore jellyfish and two corals—arebrought in on 7,000lb. winches,beneath each of which are situated“eyelid” trap doors in the projectionscreen, which allow the scenery topass through before closing to forma seamless, unbroken surface. Theelliptical shape of the Bubble andthe precise positioning required tomake sure that each “eyelid” isimperceptible when in place—a vitalcriteria for the show’s visuals—resulted in what Scott Fisher, ofFisher Technical Services, refers toas a “custom mechanical adventure.Each solid piece measures 10'across and is curved in both planes,resembling a big potato chip. It islifted from above by an asymmetricalscissor-lift mounted on a track andthen pulled back laterally to giveclearance for the chandelier in thelimited space between the skin andthe roof.”In addition, more than 20 smallerautomated hatches were laser-cut inthe screen—15 of them measuring18" to cover the lenses of the Christieprojectors and nine smaller 14" onesfor the LN2 liquid nitrogen nozzles—the latter provided, along with all thespecial effects, by BackstageTechnologies—which appear on cueto deliver dramatic bursts of breathfrom the mouth of the digitallyanimated dragon.Each hatch is operated bypneumatic actuators, which pull thetrap back and rotate it out of the wayto allow nozzle access, and all ofwhich must fit back into the screen asinvisibly as the chandelier traps. Allsuch sequences are precisely coordinatedby Fisher’s own Navigatorautomation system, with its SCU-1show control unit. The latter providesthe show control system for the entireDragon’s Treasure spectacular,coordinating all the action from thevideo, sound, lighting, andautomation in a user-friendly formatthat enables the operators to interactfully with the show.Fisher also provided the safetysystems, including the emergencystops and anti-collision devices for thechandeliers, resulting in a fully selfsufficientsystem that can be handledconfidently by a staff with littleexperience of this level of technology.Dragon musicThe musical score for Dragon’sTreasure was composed andrecorded as a huge production piecein keeping with the show’s productionvalues. It was recorded by theLondon Symphony Orchestra atAbbey Road Studios in London, withthe orchestra arranged in the shapeof the Bubble’s ellipse to helpreplicate the way in which the soundsystem surrounds the audience in thevenue. “The Bubble show was aninteresting project,” says soundsystems project manager, JasonPritchard. “We have done shows inthe round before, but this one isdifferent because the ‘stage’surrounds the audience rather thanthe audience surrounding the stage.”“We split the string sections vertically,with the cellos closest to theaudience, the violins just above theirheads, and so on, to the top of theBubble,” continues soundprogrammer, Jason Rauhoff. “Theresult is a music experience unlikeany I’ve ever heard.”The sound system is designed asa series of concentric rings ofloudspeakers, beginning with a ring of14 Meyer CQ-1s at the audience’seye level, then alternating betweenrings of single Meyer M’elodies andarrays of four M’elodies in turn asthey range higher towards the apex ofthe domed screen. All of the units aremounted behind the screen andplaced and focused to deliver theseamless soundscapes required toaugment the projected andautomated content. In addition, 14Meyer 700-HP subs and 14 M2D-Subs are flown from the dome underthe audience platform to providetactile reinforcement of the visualimage as well as sub bass sound.The system is controlled by MeyerSound’s LCS series LX-300s, withWildTracks playback; it was installedby Kraftwerk. “The flexibility ofconfiguration in the system allows usto have 48 channels of hard driveplayback capability, as well as 24physical inputs and 96 outputs,”continues Pritchard. “Each speaker,or array of speakers, is individuallyconnected to one of the outputs ofthe LCS system. LCS has the abilityto route sound to any speaker individuallyand, through the use ofSpaceMaps, dynamically movePhoto: Jason GoldenbergBottom photo courtesy of Falcon's Treehouse; Middle photo courtesy of Falcon's Treehousediscrete sounds throughout thedome. This became of primary importance,as the sound of each dragonswimming or flying around theperformance space can be treated asa distinct sound with a distinct paththrough the sound system. Thosepaths are matched to their visualposition and automated to perform insync with the video.”“We programmed each SpaceMaptrajectory or movement to match themovement on screen precisely,” addsRauhoff. “This applied to music aswell as the sound effects. Forexample, within the score there is asolo flute that portrays a little carp,which spends most of the filmavoiding the dragons. I spent hoursmaking his ‘sound’ travel with himaround the bubble.”The complex video contentdictated that the sound system beconfigured with 92 busses using 32different SpaceMaps running 122unique trajectories. Like everydepartment connected with Dragon’sTreasure, the experience is intense,with over 360 individual cues duringthe 10-minute show.“The creative team has, in effect,succeeded in creating a new entertainmentmedium with this show,”concludes Schwab. “The effects lendit theatricality beyond the capabilitiesof IMAX, a planetarium or a themepark and even beyond 3-D film. It isalmost 4-D!”“The scale of this show is soimpressive,” says Cecil D. Magpuri,president of Falcon’s Treehouse andcreative director for Dragon’sTreasure. “The entire experience is soemotional and powerful; the only wayto describe Dragon’s Treasure wouldbe ‘epic’!”Dragon’s Treasure opened inOctober and will be followed by apermanent Franco Dragone waterthemedshow, designed specificallyfor the City of Dreams, which opensin its own purpose-built theatre withinthe complex later in 2010.Some of the Bubble Theatre creative team.Thomas Gellermann, project manager for Kraftwerk Living Technologies, and a representativefrom Christie Digital.Glen Koch, special effects design and production for Back Stage Technologies, andScott Miller, director of project management, Asia for Falcon's Treehouse.66 • April 2010 • Lighting&Sound Americawww.lightingandsoundamerica.com • April 2010 • 67