NFL

Client EMF

 

UF Orb

 

Back on visuals with the Orb for a handful of shows

Up on the Roof

A structural survey of the Breathing Memorial at the BBC had me all dressed up like the Village People for some high rise rope access...

Client EMF

Fiddling about on set

 

A two day shoot for some chap called FaceSoul over in the darkest east of Silvertown

Horse Boat

 Fancied a change so I am now Helmsman/Tillerman and occasional Horse Wrangler on the Kennet and Avon

Projection Redux - directors cut.

 

I'm occasionally back out doing the odd projection job

Back on set - Park Royal Studios - photoshoot

 Park Royal Studios for a 3 day stills shoot.

Now with added projections

 Given up working on the river for a while to concentrate on honing my projection skills, which have sat idle for far too long..

Turbulence

 

Projection onto a wind turbine in Wales for EMF.

I'm now on first name terms with the local sheep

Accurate Projection Mapping

Accurate Projection Mapping..

There are 3 main ways to do accurate projection mapping.

The very expensive way - a LIDAR laser scan  of the building and a 3D based media server such as Disguise

The difficult way - drawing onto the building through the projector with an app like photoshop - usually means being outside all night

and then there is the way I do it..

Work from a photograph taken from the projector position.

I invented this approach myself back in the days when I used to do building projections with slides and needed to get it right first time every time. Sometime in the early 1990s if I remember rightly.

So here’s a brief walk though of the latest mapping project that I did for EMF onto a town hall in the UK

First, photograph the projection surface from the projector position

To get this photo, I had to put the camera on a light stand and wind it up to 20ft - the final position of the projector on a scaff tower in the square..

I then pop the photo into photoshop and make a template that acts as a map for all the content and I also use to generate a line up for the individual projectors. In this case using a 1920 x 1080 pixel template that matches the native resolution of the projector.

Then you just do all the content - I drop the .psd template into after effects and do everything there..

finally I generate a lineup - using the original photo + find edges, invert & levels. which is projected back onto the building to bring the projected image into a perfect fit for the actual building.. 

Of course there is bound to be a small amount of final adjustment but it’s usually just an inch or so off - all down to manufacturing tolerances in projector lenses, accuracy of projector placement and so on. I use Resolume Arena for playback. On this particular job the lower centre was off by around 4" so it just needed a tiny nudge in advanced output. If you can't afford Resolume, take a look at Qlab, which is free so long as you don't save, or you can rent it by the day.

here’s the end result..

projection 3 x 18k lumens Christie HD projectors
Playback Resolume Arena

Here's my original how to vid from 2007, ignore the bit about comparable lenses.. seems I was mistaken about that bit of the process..

Have fun

Aylesbury Court House - Xmas 2021

 

Finally regained my video content mojo finishing a 5 minute bespoke vid for EMF that runs dec-early jan

Bye Bye Boaters

 All things shall pass, and my delightful sojourn as a Lock Keeper on the Upper Thames has come to an end for now.
I have to say it was a thoroughly enjoyable time and a simply delightful way to spend the summer.
Even though the job is gone, I still have the occasional money spider hanging from the brim of my hat and I can always find a swan to talk with should I have the need...

Saatchi Gallery - Holotronica

 Yet another gig - soon be into double figures...
It was odd in a lovely sort of way to be away from calling in boats and wrestling with geese and be back doing something that is second nature to me. 
I pulled at least 6 rabbits out of hats on this one..

Beautiful Daze - The Orb

Finally did one of those gig things...

Almost did some work

 Had a projection job whose success hinged on the English ball kicking team winning which they didn't. So that was that. Probably just as well as it was raining..

EA

 

Taking a 6 month break from not doing anything for a whole year.
I'll get to wear a uniform and I won't have to say 'would you like fries with that'..

Vaxed

 The best part of two days in bed with a high fever after a dose of the AZ vax.
Not an ideal way to spend a weekend.. Oh hum

2020 - Greatest Hits..

Sadly, like most people in showbiz there wasn't much in the way of great achievements for deepvisual in 2020.
Beyond having Covid in Jan and not even knowing what it was.
If anything special happens, I'll let you know.

The Orb - live

Back with my boys for a live stream event.
Oh how I've missed my job...

Special guest appearance by Stuart Warren-Hill on live holograms

Back on set

Back on dry land for a promo video shoot.
Even got to use my IPAF.

Diwali 2020

 

No audience, but Diwali goes ahead in Central London

client EMF

Wind Turbine

Finally got a gig - Projecting a poppy onto a wind turbine in the middle of a cow field in Leicestershire. 

client EMF

 

Lockdown

 What you might call a bit of a show-stopper.
England is now closed until further notice.

23 weeks later...

My 35 year career, like a bubble floating on water, was there and then it was gone..

I've currently got two projects confirmed. One has the lead performer unable to attend indefinitely due to a serious health issue, the other is on the brink of being shut down by Covid regulations..

Oh my..

Boat Life - Serengi

No more Adelante as we swap being narrow-minded for something a little wider in scope..

Boat life

Back on Adelante for the summer.
I even found some Liverworts.

VDMX based video synthesiser

Dug out an old unfinished project and finished it..
I'll be using this a lot as it has waveclock built in.

Godzilla - MIA

Sadly, my ToysRUs Godzilla that I bought in Fukuoka on my first visit to Japan over 20 years ago has now been missing for 6 months.
Godzilla came to every gig with me for 2 decades or more. As well as protecting my equipment while I was at lunch, Godzilla also doubled as a sound level indicator - if it was too loud, Godzilla would fall over..
Last seen prior to my moving out of the last house. Hopefully now living on Monster Island..

Almost work - WNBC.london

Live streaming - well until it was blocked by FB. Isn't technology wonderful

Pandemia-one month in

Dear Diary.
Today I put the cat out. Except I don't have a cat.
My offer to return to the NHS has so far not been taken up, which isn't such a bad thing tbh, given the risks involved. All the same I was a little disappointed, having drummed up the courage in the first place. I still have regular nightmares about that job. I can't even bring myself to say it's name. It's always the same dream, just in a different place. I've gone back to resume work, though I didn't really want to. It's disgusting and grim, just like it always was. I rarely feel any relief when I finally wake up, as even waking life is just a special kind of dream, just a way of delaying the inevitability of it all.
The upside of being a fully qualified medical technician is that I have little to no worry about catching anything. I learned the hard way how not to touch my face with my hands. That and the fact that you can only catch a contagion if it's there. Figures are still very low in this part of the country, not that you can trust them at all.
As for what's left of my career, there is almost nothing. Even when we come out the other side, while there will still be plenty of freelancers, it's highly likely that all the major events companies will have gone under. I guess we just have to wait and see. but that's what we do best. Waiting and seeing.

Pandemia...

it looks like everyone who works in Showbiz is going to have some down time this spring..

I might even go back to work for the NHS, but let's see...

Gigs

Bands

Birmingham - Digifest

The oddest thing just happened. The client was talking to some guys who were doing some interactive holographic video and they were telling him about this legendary bloke in the industry who is like a mentor to people who everyone looks up to. The client said to them, “come over here and I’ll introduce you to him” and he brought them over to me. 

I’m quite overwhelmed tbh.

Video video

Desk Op on a promo in Clapton.
We lost an hour over the in-ears.

I still don't understand why

It's National Gorilla Suit Day

It's National Gorilla Suit Day

There is also something else going off today, not sure I can remember what it is..

8 days in the dark

Desk Op for a very long shoot.
I've spent literally days watching strangers eat popcorn

Hawk Kings

Promo for The Orb.

I had this dream a few years back about the renowned Astro-Physicist Stephen Hawkwind

Back on Set - Black Island Studios

Another early morning/late night doing projection and playback with yet another NDA.

After what happened this week, I think I actually earned a cold beer .

Flood

Hard to believe but this is a colour photo. It actually is that grey here.

Stuck in the middle

Back on Adelante for some solo down time.
Only way in or out is by Kayak as the Thames has burst its banks.
The river is barrelling past and shows no sign of going down.
It's going to be a quiet Saturnalia -

3 years

Beats - AJ

Out in the Londons for a change

Grey Cup - Calgary

It was cold, boy was it cold

Kuwait Airlines - Kuwait

More high jinks in the desert.

Cargo - Watershed

What you might call a 'snug fit' installation for an art piece in Brizzle.
As always, rabbits out of hats for Holotronica

Vodafone - Women In Work

a bit of camera on a day out in Newbury

Cowtown - Canada

Much confusion after I am asked to go to Calgary - but with no clue why or how. Just get on a plane and we'll figure it out...

Blimey

Dubai - Holotronica

Yet more show saving, this time in the fierce summer heat of the UAE.

Beautiful Daze Festival

Using the new rainbow projector system..

Can't win 'em all - Toogether Festival

Jeez, there is simply almost nothing good to say about this gig other than I am glad it's over.