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If cinematography didn’t change with new technology it wouldn’t be as inspiring as it is today. Filmmakers know that innovation is the only way to stay relevant, but it’s always a surprise when something new bursts onto the scene.

Nowadays, the use of immersive technology in films is increasingly popular and has ushered in a new way of watching movies. It is a gateway for moviegoers into the world inhabited by the characters of movies.

One of the most representative technologies used in cinema is virtual reality (VR). Film executives and progressive thinkers are learning to how make VR a part of the film experience.  With VR cinema, watching movies is as much a social experience as it is an individual one. At the Tribeca Film Festival this year, a VR movie called Cave allowed up to 16 people to explore a movie in a social virtual space.

Another thing that VR has brought to the arena is the concept of gamification. Here VR is closely associated with another trend – e-sports. This refers to theatres hosting events where guests can play popular video games in a multi-player format. Very popular in the Asian markets, it is now beginning to penetrate the U.S. and Europe as well.

VR technology also has the ability to make movie plots and characters more relatable. In VR film you are not just passively watching the protagonists and judging their thoughts and actions from in front of a screen, you are also standing beside them, participating and seeing their fictional world in a new way.

Are VR films the future of cinema?

The VR experience provides the same sort of benefit as seating or an expanded food and beverage menu. It is giving moviegoers a reason to unplug their home-entertainment device and go to the cinema.

Big-name directors have recognised the potential of the VR movies. Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow created a VR documentary called The Protectors in 2017, Alejandro G. Inarritu won an Oscar for his VR installation Carne y Arena, and Ridley Scott and Robert Rodriguez are also heading up VR projects. Even Steven Spielberg was one of many investors who backed Dreamscape Immersive, a free-roam, shared-experience VR theatre. According to them, it seems that VR will represent an important part of filmography in the future.

Hemispherical screen cinemas: a full-dome movie experience

Dome theatres have evoked a powerful sense of wonder in viewers for decades. These immersive hemispheres transform the whole theatre into a virtual environment in a way no other media ever could. Contemporary immersive theatres began with planetarium models, which then led to huge dome theatres.  

Digital dome theatre is visually compelling and has unique interactive, multi-format, and multi-use capabilities. Advances in digital image, computer graphics, and video technologies are enabling immersive theatres of a new level, based on video projection.

Full-dome theatres offer an immersive experience that can breathe new life into existing facilities or provide an additional dimension to new ones. They are revealing new possibilities and touching the deeper realms of human imagination.

Standard movie theatres cover about 5% of our visual field, while a 360 dome theatre covers 25%. Larger field-of-view images increase the subjective feelings of expanse, natural responses, depth, and powerfulness. Domes present images that are rendered to a view sphere. The result is that domes reproduce a more natural-looking image with an unlimited number of vanishing points in all directions.

Dome theatres offer a strongly immersive experience as either a stand-alone theatre or a simulation ride. These virtual hemispheres stimulate all five senses and change the viewer’s perspective, transforming them from a passive observer to one who is fully drawn into the action.

What can we expect in the future?

Immersive technologies are being embraced not only in the filmmaking industry, but also in engineering, education, medicine, car manufacturing, retail and many other fields.

Innovative new experiments are revealing future possibilities. They are predicting the interaction of the audience with real-time simulations of artificial life forms or ecosystems, immersive video simulcasting of live events or remote locations and networked video games between theatres. We will soon be completely virtually immersed in the exploration of the deepest parts of the ocean and the farthest corners of the universe. One thing is for sure: immersive technologies are going to play a significant role in all human activities from now on.

This is an important question to consider for all businesses. Why take part in exhibitions and trade fairs? Are they of any benefit to sales or is it all just about an image? 

Studies show that consumers value exhibitions highly for a number of reasons:

• The opportunity for personal contact 
• Live demonstrations of products in action 
• Psychological comfort (the so-called “neutral territory” effect)
• The opportunity to study the market in a short time and compare the products on offer

The conclusion is clear: when planning participation in a trade fair, we should opt for a personal approach and dialogue with the client. All available means and resources need to focused on achieving this. The visual component is important, as well as having welcoming and competent staff at your stand, and using promotional materials to complete the picture, but most important of all is to determine what your company’s aim at a particular expo will be. 

Perhaps your aim is to increase your company’s brand recognition? Or to present a new product? Or to attract new clients? When you make a clear choice about the aim of your participation, then you will be able to gain maximum benefit from the upcoming event.

If you are still having doubts about the usefulness of participating in trade fairs, let’s take a look at some statistics:

• The costs of closing a deal at a meeting during an exhibition are on average 40% lower than without participating 
• A total of 90% of company decision-makers see expos as the best source of information when making purchases
• A product demonstration at an exhibition has 6 times more influence on sales than other means of promotion
• Around 95% of all executives meet with their clients at trade fairs

What this data tells us is that it is foolish to miss the opportunity to present yourself at an exhibition. You need to identify the aim of your stand, develop a strategy to promote your product, prepare some impressive visual content, choose a friendly team to work on the stand, present your product and… be ready for new questions about the product and new clients! 

Be prepared: you need to wow your potential clients and make an impression on them, even if they still haven’t managed to visit your stand. One way of doing this is by installing a projection dome with branded advertising.

But all these efforts will be repaid a hundredfold and will see your client base multiply. Use interaction with clients at exhibitions to create customer interest groups, the members of which may be separated by distance, but are united by their lifestyle and values.

Projection domes are used for planetariums, attractions and theme parks, and many more. These audio-visual hemispheres offer all kinds of opportunities, providing new creative solutions not only for education and amusement but also for businesses, festivals, performances, and other events. 

Fulldome.pro event domes are our best-selling product and are used for all kinds of events. 

And why are event domes so popular? 

Fulldome.pro event domes use pretty much the same dome projection and technology as we use for science centers, theme parks, and entertainment zones. The difference is in the unique features that our event dome offers. We have created several types of event dome based on customers’ requirements and occasions. 

Event domes are highly mobile; they can be set up fast and quickly (within several hours or days, depending on the size and purpose). They can be branded, they have customized covers for increased visibility, and the most important, the content that plays inside the dome is fully customized to the client`s requirements. 

Using an event dome allows you to make an effective presentation that your visitors won’t forget, fully customized to your individual needs. 

Grow your business with the Fulldome.pro event dome, customized to your needs

Our customers typically require event domes for trade shows, exhibitions, and corporate presentations. We make various types of event domes, designed for specific purposes. 

Using event domes for corporate occasions is a new and highly efficient way to present your idea, product, or service. These domes create an immersive experience for your potential partners, and the combination of advanced technology and quality content will ensure that your brand sticks in the memory even if they have seen thousands more.

Event domes made for individual business presentations engage the audience and keep them focused on the message more efficiently than ever before. Rather than viewing images and text on a screen, the futuristic technology that we use provides a strongly immersive experience, further involving the audience. 

Transforming a 2D picture or video into a stereoscopic image instantly changes the amount of information absorbed. Our domes fully engage the visual and aural senses, which means that the content is far more likely to be retained by the viewer for a more extended period. 

The combination of our advanced technologies and relevant content will make your business presentation unforgettable. 

What can you expect from our event domes for business use: 

· We convert existing corporate videos to represent your idea, brand or product

· We can make your customized presentation, or you can choose any of our existing titles in the Fulldome format 

· Our event domes are interactive and will evoke a strong reaction from your visitors

· Event domes are affordable and accessible 

The best domes for corporate events are medium and small size, from 3-8 meters in diameter. Giants like Coca Cola, Facebook, Canon, Ricoh and many more have used our event domes for their business purposes. They were all delighted with the experience and were able to exploit the full potential of our domes to develop exciting presentations. 

Immerse yourself in a concert experience like no other 

VR technology has taken exciting leaps in live events over the last couple of years. The VR experience has moved on from simply enjoying a good audio vibe to being able to completely immerse yourself in a live concert through a VR headset. 

The latest technology has the power to make people feel as if they are present at a live performance, gig, or a play. Imagine if you could experience all that in a giant audio-visual sphere around you!

When we talk about festivals, performances, and concerts, we are talking about substantial projection domes that can accommodate up to 1,000 people. Fulldome.pro’s big projection domes can be installed within several days, while it takes up to a week to set up the giant domes. We have been providing clients with big festival domes for years, renting them out for the world’s most popular festivals. 

In the summer of 2019, we attended one of the essential multicultural events in Europe. The Fulldome.pro team installed a 16-meter semi-transparent inflatable dome at Sziget, one of Europe’s biggest multicultural music festivals. We took care of the installation of the dome structure and helped to create this stunning audio-visual experience. 

We use immersive technologies with a unique capacity to forge a deeper connection with the audience, creating powerful and memorable experiences. Top festivals and live events have started to use projection domes, and this trend is increasingly popular today. Event domes are used for concerts, performances, discos and even private parties. Our event domes have also been used at the Lightning in a Bottle Festival (2015, 2017), the Panorama Music Festival (2018),the Coachella Valley Music and Art Festival (2018),the Adult Swim Festival (2018, 2019), ComiCon, VooDoo Fest (2015), and many more. 

Imagine that you’re sitting on a comfortable chair, surrounded by beautiful visuals that move in synchronization with the performance on the stage and 360 sound. Before the advent of the dome and VR technology, visitors were passive observers and recipients, while now they are drawn into the whole experience like never before.

One of the recent examples of compelling audio-visual experiences of that kind we provided is the show Beyond the Wall – Immersive Exploration of Pink Floyd Music. Wisdome LA and the Fulldome.pro team achieved a technological breakthrough, with advanced projections, 360-camera technology, ambisonic audio design, mixed reality, and live streams – all combined with groundbreaking music from throughout Pink Floyd’s discography. 

“With the amount of noise in today’s media-driven world, you need to create something extraordinary to affect and move people,” says Scott Page, a performer who has played saxophone and rhythm guitar for Pink Floyd. “With Beyond the Wall and Think: EXP, we’re excited to bring audiences the most visceral and technically advanced live performances that are much more than your typical concert.”

And what to expect in the future from our dome projection technology?

As corporations strive to build higher levels of engagement with the audience, dome projection technologies are becoming an increasingly important component, spelling an end to the days of traditional events. Event domes are bringing powerful audio-visual experience that adds an extra level of value. 

Whatever kind of event you’re putting one: a business presentation, a brand awareness event, or an immersive performance, Fulldome.pro has a solution. 

Audiences are no longer satisfied with passively observing; they now expect to participate in events through an immersive social experience. That is precisely what we provide at Fulldome.pro by combining advanced technologies and relevant content. 

Technology has broadened the possibilities for doing business. Virtual reality, augmented reality and associated technology have been flooding our world for the last decade. It was only a matter of time until it reached the real-estate business. Read on and find out how to use a VR showroom to make your presentations and events better than ever.

Virtual Reality Tours

A decade ago, the ability to show a property to potential buyers without them physically visiting the premises seemed like something out of a science-fiction movie. With virtual reality technology, you can offer an immersive experience by projecting the house or property in VR for them to roam around freely. The multiple benefits of virtual reality for real-estate include:

·       Increasing the ROI of your sales force – you can create a single tool to be used by various members, thereby minimizing investment and maximizing your earnings.

·       Send a property to a buyer – here we’re talking virtually rather than literally. You can send the house as a virtual reality file that a buyer can even open and experience with their smartphone (depending on the brand and specifications).

·       Show unbuilt properties before the first brick has even been laid – With a virtual reality tour of a property that has not yet been built, you can attract buyers more easily and even begin selling before you start building.

·       Show your properties anywhere – with the correct virtual reality file, the right smartphone and a VR accessory, you can show a property anywhere.

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How to create a VR showroom

The secret to a good VR showroom is that the place and the app are designed for each other. This is crucial because any kind of external noise or disturbance might disrupt the entire experience, disconnecting the client from the immersion.

The network connection in your VR room needs to be strong and steady to ensure all the visitors get the best experience possible. Ideally, you should wire the room with the same connections gamers use for playing online.

You can create a VR showroom for one person, or you can use a VR projection dome with a low screen line instead. The projection dome has all the advantages of the VR showroom and also provides shared-group VR experiences.

Get a VR showroom or a VR projection dome and take your business’s leverage to the next level.

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Event organizers are finding that in the digital age, visitors are becoming increasingly demanding. If you want to be on top of the game, you have to make sure your event includes some kind of virtual reality or augmented reality technology.

Virtual Reality

In the extreme side of the digital reality, we find virtual reality, which is replacing reality with another one created digitally. Within this spectrum, you can offer different activities.

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Screenings

Events such as the Tribeca Film Festival have shown how virtual reality can be used in combination with movie screenings. This offers the same experience as being at a film festival, surrounded by leading producers and directors, while sitting comfortably in another venue. Immersive screenings could be revolutionary for the film industry.

Live Shows

The world’s biggest festivals, such as Coachella, offer you the immersive experience of being in front of a huge stage with a screaming crowd and your favorite band onstage. Making a live show part of your event could boost attendance by thousands.

Projection Dome

The use of projection domes is great for those who want to provide their guests with a 360° concert experience. You can use a dome for streaming from a stage or even reproduce a random show, concert or performance.

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Augmenting Events

Augmented reality is the other side of the spectrum, the closest thing to an opposite to what we call physical reality. Augmented reality has taken over the app world in the last five years, with Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat now offering augmented reality features to their millions of users.

Themed Games

One of the many possible uses of augmented reality at an event is themed games. Designing the content of a themed game to match your event shouldn´t be so expensive, and it can be a great way of attracting attention. The Pokemon Go revolution is a good example of augmented reality games.

Exclusive Add-Ons

Offering exclusive augmented reality add-ons to use in sync with the logo and colors of your event and festival could be a tool to make it even more massive.

Mixed Reality

Mixed reality is an environment created using elements of augmented, physical and virtual reality.

Holograms

Unlike augmented reality, holograms do not require a phone interface to be seen. While they are not part of physical reality, they are not digital reality either. Using holograms at your event could make it an extremely memorable occasion for your guests.

There are several hundred, if not thousands, of exhibitions happening around the world every year. Each of them hopes to beat the others by introducing new elements, technology or design. Naturally, some of these concepts impressed us more than others. After giving careful consideration to the thought process and the time, effort, and technology that went into the planning of these exhibitions, as well as how they turned out in the end, here are our top picks from all around the world.

Samskara | Location: Los Angeles

The Samskara exhibition might have come and gone (for now), but it will always remain fresh in the hearts of those who were immersed in the day’s activities. Unlike many others, this exhibition was designed to be an engaging experience with the use of dome technology. This was followed by a 360-degree screening of the Samskara show, and at the end of the day, guests were treated to an interactive VR gaming session. If that’s not one of the best exhibitions ever, we don’t know what is.

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Starry Night | Location: Paris

If you were mesmerised by what Samskara had to offer, you’d be blown away by the sheer brilliance of Starry Night. This exhibition was built around the significant works of a minor artist – at least, that was what Van Gogh was before his death. The 360-degree visual experience is such that guests are made to not only experience the paintings but live inside them. Even if you’re not an art aficionado, this experience is sure to bring out your hidden love for this Dutch master.

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QR Scan Art | Location: Venice

A lot of thought went into the planning of the 2012 Architecture Biennale. You probably see QR codes as a way of getting onto websites and apps from your smartphone, so you might be surprised to hear that they can also be used as a way of finding out about architecture. The entire Russian Pavilion was covered with these codes, allowing guests to pull up any information they wanted about the high-tech city being built outside Moscow at the time (Skolkovo)

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Story of the Forest | Location: Singapore

For those who were lucky enough to be at this exhibition, it was not only immersive but interactive. The walls of the museum were covered with large screens that spiralled into one another almost seamlessly to the naked eye. As you walked through the forest, you could use the dedicated “Story of the Forest” app on your mobile phone to learn more about the various animals that live there. Did we mention just how immersive this experience was?

A Gift for Athena | Location: The British Museum

This might not be available to the general public yet, but it’s worth mentioning. “A Gift for Athena” combines AR with a dedicated tablet and smartphone app, meaning you can now walk through the British Museum and get the best experience even without a tour guide. All you have to do is point your device’s camera at an artefact of your choice while running the dedicated app. The app recognises the object and provides you with instant facts and data about it. If this tech is developed to a bigger scale, there’s no telling how well it can be adapted to other purposes.

AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality) are two of the trending buzzwords in the technology industry. Since these technologies are brand-new, they are capable of creating a stir across multiple sectors. This is the reason a vast number of industries out there are adopting these revolutionary technologies for enhancing overall user experiences.

If you are involved in the event marketing business, it is high time that you should consider adopting AR/VR technology for events and festivals for enhancing the user experience. Whether these technologies are used alone or in tandem, AR/VR technology is sure to engage as well as excite attendees.

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Coachella Music Festival

We’ve all heard of the world-famous Coachella festival in the United States. The renowned music and arts festival made use of the growing popularity of VR this year and last year by launching its new app. The festival also delivered Google Cardboard handsets to festivalgoers in addition to the tickets. Coachella has also become a recognized music festival through the use of its exclusive “Antarctic Dome” – the largest VR-based geodesic projection dome in the world. The dome created “Chrysalis,” an advanced eight-minute audiovisual program that was projected in full-end 360 degrees to create the most impactful immersive experience for the audience.

In addition to the Coachella Music Festival, there are other festivals and events around the world as well that are aiming to adopt this revolutionary AR/VR technology. Here are some more reasons why, as an event marketing professional, you can boost visitor numbers with AR/VR technology at festivals or events.

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•    Providing Peace of Mind:

While VR is great, there are specific security concerns that the given technology might have for festivalgoers. Because of the overall immersive experience offered by the VR technology, guests are required to enter a submissive state of mind to leave behind their world altogether. This puts them at risk of forgetting to collect their wallets, smartphones, and other essential belongings after leaving the VR event. To make them feel more comfortable, the marketing professionals can aim at creating a secure VR experience.

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•    Creating a One-of-a-Kind Experience:

When it comes to ensuring the overall success of your event or festival, it’s all about creating a one-of-a-kind experience for your guests. If you are thinking of installing a separate photo booth or something similar at your event, advanced AR/VR technology can come to your rescue. When you provide visitors with VR-like experiences, it helps them enjoy the event even more.

•    Virtual Attendance:

Given the rapid advancements in high-end telepresence tools, event organizers can look forward to making it easier for guests to attend a festival or event virtually or remotely. There are AR/VR robots that can be made available to VIP guests who might be unable to participate in the event if it clashes with their busy schedules.

AR/VR technology has a bright future and has the potential to be both useful and lucrative for event organizers. Could you make the most of it?

Having a stand at an expo is only the first step in getting any new or existing product out there: the most important part is actually getting people to come to your stand to see what you are offering. Looking around at all the other stands competing for the same audience, it is easy to see that this might be an uphill task. Here are some tips to get visitors flocking to your stand.

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1. Offer Free WiFi

Free Wi-Fi is an excellent way to bring people to your stand. Some prospective customers will naturally feel guilty about using your network, so then they will look at your products while at your booth. Others will approach your stand for a stronger WiFi connection and then become interested in what you are offering. Of course, there will always be those who just come for the connection, but it gives you the chance to present your product when they are nearby.

2. Create a Challenge

When you create a challenge, you are bringing in people who are intrigued by the idea of competition. This gives you an opportunity to create crowd engagement at your stand. Creating a challenge is different from hosting a giveaway. Often times, people come to giveaways just to collect a prize and leave. With a challenge, it isn’t necessary to give away anything of high value, maybe a small voucher for your products, but you will have gained many potential customers by attracting them to your booth with a challenge.

3. Eye-Catching Technology

No matter what you have on display, technology will always make it look better. VR, AR, and 360° representations are just some of the concepts you can employ. Any technology will add colour to your booth, setting it apart from the other generic stand designs out there. People like to check out something different, which in return means more people at your booth if you stand out with technology.

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4. Superior Stand Design

Design can make your stand look spectacular. In other words, make sure your stand stands out from all others at the expo (pun intended). An outstanding design can take many forms, but make sure the design doesn’t take away from the core element of your product.

5. Engaging Members of Staff

There are many ways to make your stand attractive, but the people behind your product can make or break your contact with a future customer. Ensure that the stand attendants are presentable, knowledgeable, and ready to receive anyone and everyone. They should exude a fun, positive, and welcoming attitude. Body language speaks volumes, and everyone understands this. Having staff with the right body language and human interaction skills will make your stand the place to be.

Incorporate all the above tips, and you could well be on your way to having the hottest stand at the expo.

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Filmmakers work very hard to create high-quality content with an interesting subject matter. But it’s not just about great stories: it’s also about beautiful cinematography, fantastic graphics and animation, rich colors, subtle shades, bright whites, and rich blacks. As viewers, we like to have the best screens, in order to do justice to their work. From the early days of television, we have progressed to FullHD, 4K, and now 8K. Over the decades, cinema has had many formats – and vast screens – for the best films, and now it too has gone digital with 4K and 8K laser projection. Dome cinema is no different. Where once film formats like IMAX were the only way to get high-resolution dome projection, digital systems now dominate the dome market, with 4K becoming the standard and 8K being used in larger domes.

As with all other formats, when it comes to digital dome projection, the quality of the projected image is of the utmost importance. There are many factors that influence the final image, but we can point to three components of the dome projection system: the screen, the projectors, and the media server. We asked our experts to reveal exactly how Fulldome.pro combines these elements to produce an outstanding image.

The screen

The screen is the thing the whole audience is looking at, but ideally, they should not really see the screen, just the image it is holding. Unlike cinema screens which are flat or perhaps curved on one plane, a dome screen curves in every direction. Fulldome.pro manufactures fabric screens, and our team of expert sewing machinists is very good at turning two-dimensional bolts of cloth into vast, flawless, three-dimensional screens. Our patented negative-pressure technology, suspends the screen evenly inside the dome, stretching it outwards to create a wrinkle free surface. Even our portable domes which are frequently folded, transported, and unfolded again for each installation quickly stretch back into shape eliminating creases. Our outdoor domes can be used in full daylight because the screen has a full blackout backing layer. Screen gain, the amount of light reflected off the surface, is critical. In a dome, the reflected light falls on other parts of the screen, lowering the contrast of the image, whereas in a regular cinema the reflection would hit the walls, ceiling, and floor. Therefore, a dome screen is not white, as might be expected, but grey. Exactly what shade of grey depends on the size of the dome and the projectors. Because projectors are placed around the perimeter of the dome in proximity to the screen, all the fabrics used by Fulldome.pro are tested and certified as a flame retardant.

The projectors

There are many makes and models of projectors available, with various specifications, features, and prices. The IT team at Fulldome.pro keep up with the latest developments in projection technology and are constantly evaluating projectors to determine which are most suited to different dome sizes and applications. There’s a lot more to it than just numbers, and over the years our team has learned how to select the best projectors for each situation – which are often not the most expensive or those with the highest specs.

The media server

The heart of the projection system is the media server, and because Fulldome.pro uses a single-server solution, it’s the brains too. We have four models of media server, ranging from the Nano for smaller portable domes up to the Ultimate for large, fixed installations with 16 or more projectors. Unlike some systems where there is one media server for each projector, with content pre-split for each, another server to synchronize everything, and perhaps another for calibration and blending, our single-server solution supports up to 64 projectors. This includes our fully automatic camera-based calibration, which eliminates the need for manual masking, blending and pre-splitting content. No wonder it has revolutionized the industry. Fulldome.pro Media Servers (except the Nano) support Fulldome Live – real-time content input from external sources – so the dome can stream live events, host a dance party with a live VJ, or use astronomical simulators and other presentation tools. Find out more about our Media Servers here.

As the sun set over New Orleans City Park on the opening night of the Voodoo Music + Arts Experience, attendees were drawn to the Pepsi Art Dome with its outer shell bathed in digital art projected from towers surrounding it. Inside the 12 meter (40-foot) closed dome audiences were treated to a show, using works from eight digital artists, projected at 4K resolution by the Fulldome.pro DX8 projection system.

The original art was animated by FulldomeLab and Likuid Art – a growing online subscription-based repository of original digital and animated art. As the weather turned wet on Halloween Saturday, the inside of the dome provided temporary refuge for soaked patrons, while bands played on the four stages outside. With rain continuing to fall, the organizers of Voodoo Fest were forced to cancel the final day.

The portable rigid-frame dome withstood both wind and rain to protect the projection system and other equipment from damage throughout the weekend.