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Island Park
Showcases Laser,
Multimedia Show
By
John Eustance, President,
Laservision Macro-Media
| Singapore’s Sentosa Island resort park has unveiled a major new upgrade by Laservision Macro-Media to what is already one of Asia’s most ambitious attractions. With more than AU$5 million (about US$3.1 million) invested in the upgrade alone, visitors will see 14 Laservision projectors integrated with a multimedia production. The company’s new Sinodial-Series show technology was installed to control vitrually all aspects of the attraction.Sentosa Island, linked to the city-state of Singapore by a causeway, is the nation’s most popular attraction and features parks, aquariums, water slides, discos and a monorail for getting around the 3.25 km-long island. One of the highlights of the resort is Spirits of Sentosa, a 20-minute attraction that features three shimmering Laservision Aqua-Screen water screens |
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| The Merlion, symbol of Singapore, is accented with YAG laser beams. |
The screens host a series of dazzling film and laser effects that are creatively interlaced with architectural and underwater lighting. The shows runs three times nightly and seats as many as 3,000 people for each performance.
The multimedia show, which was written, scripted and produced by Laservision Macro-Media, depicts a cultural myth that focuses on the three natural Spirits of Sentosa. All except one of the major characters in the story are depicted in laser as well as live action video. There are some wonderful transformations from live actors to laser graphics as the spirits move from their human form to their natural fish, flower and butterfly personas. Dragons are seen as both computer-video animations and as laser animations. Computer graphics and laser animation merging is a key visual feature of the composition.
| In one scene, a fearsome laser dragon rises from the pond and extends a giant claw from the depths on the left-hand Aqua-Screen. A second claw emerges from the right-hand screen and the dragon’s head appears in the center. The dragon scanns the audience with a piercing glare. |
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| Water screens play host to laser and video projections at Sentosa Island Park in Singapore. |
He then breathes smoke (fog) and shoots animated laser flames and real water at the audience. The video segment of the show was shot on an aquatic set specially constructed at Laservision’s Sydney studio and stars award-winning Australian and Singaporean actors. Additional computer graphic animation was also produced in Australia and merged with live action and animated laser characters. Film, lighting and laser animation is overlaid on the center Aqua-Screen, with laser animation and theatrical lighting only on the two side screens.
The latest upgrade to the already popular show involved adding two new Aqua-Screens to the site, which in combination with the original screen, provide a shimmering canvas that is 110-meters wide. The water screens are positioned over three large pools, with six laser scanners providing rear-projection animation and effects onto the screens.
White-Light, YAGs Added
In addition to the site’s original Coherent Sabre full-color dual-head laser projector (first installed by Laservision in 1995), Laservision added two new 3.5-watt Coherent mixed-gas lasers equipped with four scan heads to provide additional rear-projected imagery. A 40-watt Laservision Stella-Ray YAG was also added behind the water screens. The YAG is linked with fiberoptic cables to two remote scanner heads that create brilliant aerial beam and atmospheric effects.
Behind the water screens, the skyline is dominated by the 12-story tall Merlion tower, a sculpted building in the form of the half-lion/half-fish mythical creature that is the symbol of Singapore. In Laservision’s 1995 installation at the park, the company placed a dual scan head YAG projector in the tower that remains an important part of the current show. Scanners in both of Merlion’s pupils create a staggering effect as the creature sweeps the night sky with a dazzling emerald green laser stare. Red neon gives the eyes a menacing glow and the beast comes to life with a thunderous roar from internal speakers.
When all eight laser projection heads at the water fountain site are joined by Merlion’s Stella-Ray YAG eyes (and a dual-head front-projection argon laser placed in the rear of the audience area) the effect is awe-inspiring. The final inclusion is a third 40-watt Stella-Ray YAG with dual heads housed in the roof of Sentosa Island’s ferry terminal. This laser contributes to the overall energy of the performance and completes the 14-head experience, focusing all the lasers in an area that measures approximately 1,000 meters from the ferry terminal to the Merlion Tower.
Then add to the above a state-of-the-art digital rear projection video on the center Aqua-Screen and a dazzling 100 meter wide liquid water ballet illuminated by over 600 underwater lights. All effects are choreographed to a thundering eight-channel (30,000 watt) audio system.
Sinodial Control System
The new Sentosa installation is the world’s first major permanent themed laser attraction to use Laservision’s new Sinodial-Series digital show control technology. Essentially, it is a performance integration and synchronization system capable of coordinating lighting, fountains, pyrotechnics, Aqua-Screens, multi-track audio, video and special effects in addition to laser animation.
Sinodial-Series technology
has been developed and manufactured in Australia by Laservision
specifically to overcome the many challenges posed by projects
like Sentosa. In essence, it achieves a simplified operation
with instant recall and replay via touch screen controls.
The 1995 Laservision installation required hundreds of meters
of underground conduits to carry time code, DMX, data signals,
power and water to every corner of the musical fountain, then
all the way to the top of the Merlion tower.
The upgrade to the
Sinodial-Series control architecture has allowed for almost all
the old copper to be replaced with 3.5 km of fiberoptic cable.
An additional 20 km of submersible power cable connects lights
and pumps and 1 km of DMX cable drives architectural lighting,
foggers and other devices. A major benefit of the fiber optic
cable is that it is impervious to heat, moisture and the regular
electrical storms that frequent Singapore.
Singapore’s high humidity and stifling temperatures, while
hard on equipment, also made outdoor work less than comfortable
for the Laservision installation crew. The production and installation
team not only had to cope with the harsh weather but also had
to overcome the major technical challenge of maintaining Sentosa’s
daily shows throughout the upgrade period. This necessitated
a carefully planed series of critical migrations from the old
Spectravision control system to the new Sinodial platform.
The entire project was completed under a highly accelerated schedule. Installation and commissioning of the upgrades was completed only 110 days after contract confirmation and only 100 days after Laservision’s installation teams commenced work on site.
Laservision Macro-Media,
(+62) 29-658-1000;
www.laservision.com.au