An article in
the April 2007 LiveDesign magazine gives a good
overview of recent advances making lasers become easier to
use. Click
here for the article online, or
here
for a PDF of the article in the magazine.
Simulated
laser show by Peter Jakubek, LaserAnimation Sollinger. To
see a larger version of this animation, click
here.
For
a demonstration of a real laser show, find an ILDA member
near you in the Company
FInder
section.
There's no light like it.
The most vivid, saturated color palette available. A contrast ratio
unsurpassed by the best film and video technologies. The ability to
reach out in three dimensions and shower an audience with cascades of
beams or embrace them in waves of moving light.
It's about enchanting
an audience with dreamlike visions.
It's about exciting
crowds with visual effects that move
faster than any other light-form.
It's about engaging
clients and customers with captivating images that move with a liquid-smooth
animation style.
Today's laser displays are creating visions that others only dream of.
Laser history and
applications
One of the very first display
applications was the well-known “Laserium®” show presented in
planetariums. In 1973, filmmaker
Ivan Dryer had tried to
capture the ethereal beauty of laser light in a movie. But the film
stock could not adequately record the glittering coherent light and its
saturated colors. He decided to bring lasers into a darkened environment
– the planetarium – and to set the
colors swirling to music and a star background.
Laserium, as he dubbed the
result, was an instant hit. In fact, it became the longest-running
theatrical attraction in Los Angeles, marking almost three decades from
1973 until the Griffith Observatory was closed in 2002 for a three-year
renovation.
Dryer and others soon developed other
entertainment uses for lasers. These include:
Lasers as attractions at
amusement parks, casinos and cruise ships
Lasers as a special effect in
concerts
Laser entertainment and advertising at
sporting events, especially world-class events such as
major championships and the Olympics
Laser displays at
conventions and other corporate theater
Laser lighting in
discos and nightclubs
The advantage of laser light
The primary advantage of laser light is
that it truly is a unique high-tech lighting source, not normally seen
by the average person. This makes lasers perfect for special
applications and events.
There are two main types of laser
displays: beams and graphics.
For
beam shows, the laser light is
seen in mid-air, either as glowing beams or scanned to create simple
shapes such as cones and planes of light.
What makes beam shows especially effective is the tiny
beam. When used with theatrical fog, a plane of laser light literally
cuts through a 1 cm cross-section of the fog, creating a sharp, eerie
pattern of light and dark swirls. From just one laser projector, beams
can be targeted to dozens of mirrors, producing a “Star Wars” effect
of laser beams shooting throughout the room in different directions.
(Photo credit:
LaserNet)
In
contrast, laser graphics are
projected onto a wall or other surface. The tiny dot made by the laser
beam is moved quickly by computer-controlled mirrors, to draw out
images, text and logos. (Photo credit:
Lightspeed Design Group)
Because the laser is so powerful, the graphics can be
projected onto even the largest of surfaces such as a dam or mountain. There are a number of different ways to
make the laser graphics:
4
Outline drawings entered using a
digitizer, and animated by hand or with computer assistance.
Recent advances in software allow standard computer 3D drawing
programs (3ds max, Flash) to be converted into laser-projected
graphics.
TV-like raster drawings, using lines
of laser light with changing colors to do patterns and photos.
Unlike conventional TV, the underlying raster pattern can be varying shapes
-- not just horizontal lines but diagonal (as shown at right) vertical, spiral and other
shapes.
Flowing, psychedlic abstracts. The
very first planetarium shows, in the pre-computer era, mixed
electronic waveforms of varying shapes, frequencies and amplitudes
to create mesmerizing oscilloscope-like abstract patterns. The
unique look of these images is still popular today
Laser lumia
(distorted/refracted light) created by projecting through various
substances. Textured glass produces gauzy laser clouds with an
unearthly overlay of dark parallel lines. A laser through a cut
crystal ball sends "stars" around the room. Holographic
diffraction grating produces regular patterns of dots.
Of course, both beams and graphics can be
used simultaneously. A popular configuration for corporate shows is to
have a central screen where graphics are front- or rear-projected.
Flanking the screen on either side is a beam projector, used to send
beam patterns out, over – and even into – the audience.
The most thrilling use of
lasers
The most spectacular laser effect is
direct audience scanning. This is a
beam show where the laser patterns are scanned into the audience area.
The fact that the beams are scanned, and the power is monitored, helps
make these shows safe to view. (In the 30-year history of worldwide
laser shows viewed by millions, there have been less than a dozen
reported incidents of claimed eye damage. This is a far better safety
record than amusement park rides or even slipping on the bathroom rug!)
What
does direct audience scanning look like? All around you are moving beams
and shapes of light. At times it can be like having a Star Wars battle
break out, with beams shooting in too many directions to count.
(Photo credit:
HB Laserkomponenten)
At other
times, shapes of light surround you. For example, a single plane of
light spanning the width of the audience may have 10 to 100 different
colored sections, thanks to precise computer control of the color
modulation. Of course, these beams and shapes all move in time to the
music, whether slow and subtle or fast and furious. The result has been
compared to being inside a fireworks show as it goes off.
This unique effect, which can’t be
duplicated by conventional lighting, is probably the most popular use of
lasers worldwide. Unlike most other media, which occur far from the
audience and are passively enjoyed, audience scanning beams actually
reach out and touch the audience. This provides a much stronger
emotional link between artist and audience.
What
does direct audience scanning look like? All around you are moving beams
and shapes of light. At times it can be like having a Star Wars battle
break out, with beams shooting in too many directions to count.
(Photo credit: 