Water Screen Projection – How We Created the World’s Largest Water Screen

Water Screen Projection

Used for live entertainment, larger than life storytelling, immersive advertising and unique special events, Water Screen Projection is an innovative entertainment medium that LASERVISION has been perfecting for more than 30 years. While our proprietary water screens are some of the largest in the industry, we definitely outdid ourselves in 2017 when we created and set the Guinness World Record for “Largest Water Screen Projection” for the ‘IMAGINE’ attraction at Dubai Festival City Mall. After 3 years of continuous operation, let’s take a look at what it takes to create a record-setting tourism attraction and how our creative and technical teams created one of the world’s best water, light and sound shows!

‘IMAGINE’

Launched in December of 2016, the ‘IMAGINE’ – Water, Fire and Light Show has become one of Dubai’s shining beacons and highly trafficked tourism destinations. Commissioned by Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate(AFGRE) to design, create, install and maintain the 360-degree spectacular, LASERVISION set two Guinness World Records in the process of creating the tourism solution that has made Dubai Festival City Mall what it is today. The technology-filled and reprogrammable venue is primarily set in the beautiful waterfront of Festival Bay where the record Water Screen projection, dancing fountains, flame effects and water technologies are the main focus. The record-setting projection mapping solution is projected onto the iconic Intercontinental Hotel and a multitude of lighting, LASER and audio technologies are throughout the Festival Bay grounds. These technologies all culminate to form a 360-degree entertainment experience that allows for IMAGINE’s nightly signature shows, beautiful dancing fountain shows, LASER shows, calendar events and national celebrations, as well as many promotional and advertising opportunities.

Behind the Scenes of the World’s Largest Water Screen

At a screen size of almost 900 square-metres, the main audience water screen projection at Dubai Festival City’s ‘IMAGINE’ towers over the audience at a staggering 20 metres tall and is the perfect medium to create larger-than-life effects and ethereal storytelling elements. Used as the main projection and visual storytelling surface, the main water screen is accompanied by three additional water screens on the north and south side audience viewing areas. These incredible water screens allow for over 10,000 people to gather and feel completely immersed in the shows at ‘IMAGINE.’

The water screens, a patented design by LASERVISION, are some of the most optically stable screens in the world, allowing for bright and crisp imagery to be rear-projected onto the surface. But all that screen real estate would be for nought if it wasn’t for the incredible amounts of water that needed to be precisely pumped through the massive system. Enter the “brains” of the operation and where our water technologies begin their journey through the 60,000 square metre waterbody of Festival Bay—the centrepiece.

The centrepiece is a bespoke, 34-metre floating media control platform positioned in the centre of the Festival Bay, weighs over 800 tonnes and is the main focal point of the attraction. This iconic element;

houses several control systems for water, fire and lighting technologies
is the main location for our water technology’s pumps, filtration, sanitisation, and control systems
contains many of the LASERs and Panasonic Projectors used on the Water Screens
is a base of operations for our maintenance team and show operators
Dynamically adjusts to tide variations ensuring show consistency
Supports the 2 kilometres of custom-built, marine-grade fountain structures
features a hydraulic lifting system that lowers and raises the structure vertically by 2 metres for activation in shows.

LASERVISION IMAGINE Water Screen Install Team Photo

The LASERVISION Engineering, Technical and Install Team on the IMAGINE Site.

Creating a world-record-setting water screen is not just challenging from an engineering aspect, but developing creative content that is grand enough for the largest water screen in the world was a big achievement for the LASERVISION creative team. Our award-winning creative team created two fanciful and image-rich narratives for ‘IMAGINE’, Stardancer and A Child’s Dream, launched in 2016 and 2017 respectively. The record water screen was perfect to tell the larger than life stories that were created by the team. It created the perfect screen to tell the stories with a classic narrative style, while also seamlessly blending and expanding around the venue with all of the other entertainment technologies. The programming of all the elements in the bay, as well as the Intercontinental Hotel’s Projection mapping and hundreds of LED lighting and special effects, are a sight to behold. To read more about the incredible journey of the creative team and see the inner workings of what kind of fun we get up to in the studio, check out our page dedicated to the creative team at LASERVISION and their amazing creation of IMAGINE.

It took over 4 years of design and technical engineering to develop the record-setting attraction that is now ‘IMAGINE’, as well as a full year of installation and programming to get the shows zeroed in such a spectacular and record-setting performance not seen anywhere else in the world. You can still see the magnificent ‘IMAGINE’ attraction and all of the amazing show offerings our creative and engineering teams are so proud of and we consider one of our favourite projects. For more information about visiting ‘IMAGINE,’ you can visit Dubai’s Festival City Mall’s website for current schedules.

The Versatility of Water Screens

Although ‘IMAGINE’ may be the crowning jewel of our water screen technology, we continue to innovate and use water screen projection in so many of our shows and events around the world. From the Sydney Olympics through to shows at Six Flags, Marina Bay Sands, bespoke special events, and international film festivals, the versatility of water screens to create magical and holographic-like imagery can be utilised in many settings to create incredible special effects, gigantic presentations, advertising spaces and cinematic experiences.

A Brilliant Effect of LASER Combined with Projection on a LASERVISION Water Screen

LASERVISION water screens are designed to work in both saltwater or freshwater environments, come in several sizes, and can be used for permanent installations as well as special events, celebrations, and calendar and corporate events. Water screens are the perfect projection surface for high definition video as well as LASER graphics and beam shows and can be used stand-alone, in a water screen array or with other media and entertainment technologies.

NEWS_LASERVISION Attractions Named in USA Today’s 10 Spectacular Laser and Light Shows

LASERVISION Water Screens are perfect for advertising and product launches. The unique medium is a real show stopper and attention grabber.

Our water screen technology can be incorporated into smaller water bodies or even artistic sculptures, such as our innovative and bespoke sculptured water screen at Reem Central Park’s multimedia sculpture fountain.

Reem Central Park - A Day at the Seaside Water Screen

LASERVISION’s Iconic ‘Wave’ sculpture fountain with integrated water screen at Reem Central Park, Abu Dhabi, UAE

LASERVISION Attractions Named in USA Today’s “10 Spectacular Laser and Light Shows”

USA Today has named two of LASERVISION’s largest spectaculars, ‘IMAGINE’ at Dubai Festival City and Hong Kong’s ‘A Symphony of Lights’, in their recent article featuring 10 of the world’s best “Laser and Light Shows Around the World.”

“We are thrilled for our spectacular creations to continue capturing a world-wide audience! To be the creators of the world’s largest spectaculars is an honour and having ‘IMAGINE’ and ‘A Symphony of Lights’ recognised as world-class attractions, year after year, is a strong testament to the significance of our installations and the longevity of their performances,” says LASERVISION’s Director of Marketing – Mr Matthew Tuey

Grand Opening of World Record-setting IMAGINE – Stardancer by Laservision

LASERVISION’s latest attraction, ‘IMAGINE’, is a two-time Guinness World Record-setting attraction for “World’s Largest Permanent Projection Mapping” and “World’s Largest Water Screen Projection.” Launched in December of 2016, this amazing attraction continues to propel Dubai into the tourism spotlight with its spectacular immersive entertainment offerings.

Patrick Murphy, President of the International Laser Display Association (ILDA) contributes to the USA Today article saying of IMAGINE that, “Like most everything in Dubai, it’s over the top. It’s very new and draws throngs every night.”

‘A Symphony of Lights’, one of LASERVISION’s most successful creations, is “bigger and better than anything else,” Murphy says. Created in 2004 by LASERVISION and continuing to expand over the last 14 years, set a Guinness World Record for “World’s Largest Permanent Light and Sound Show” in 2006. The kaleidoscope of effects incorporated into ‘A Symphony of Lights’ include over 18,000 dynamic lighting fixtures and Stella-Ray Lasers producing thousands of high powered laser beams across Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour with popular viewing locations including ferries travelling to and from the city.

LASERVISION Exhibiting at DEAL 2018

LASERVISION Exhibiting at DEAL 2018: Through April 9th-11th, LASERVISION will be at the 24th edition of the DEAL Middle East show; the largest amusement and leisure trade show in the world outside of America.

LASERVISION is excited to exhibit at DEAL 2018 in April. We will be exhibiting our latest technical and creative capabilities for world-class, permanent attractions and creative productions. We look forward to discussing and showing off our latest innovations in immersive technology and creative direction with our visitors to DEAL 2018.

DEAL 2018 is a great opportunity to discuss our services for Attraction Development and our methodology in creating world-class entertainment that drives greater footfall and dwell-times at your property or event. Our business development team will be there to assist you every step of the way.

We are also excited to have this unique opportunity to show you our latest, world record setting, nighttime spectacular. The immersive IMAGINE attraction is located down the road from Dubai’s World Trade Centre and the LASERVISION team would be happy to take you to see the show and discuss our mediums, technologies and services. To book a time to see IMAGINE with the show’s creators, or to discuss your next big attraction or event, please send an email to our team here: [email protected].

If you are attending the DEAL 2018 show, we would love for you to come by our booth located in Za’abeel Hall 1, booth 21.

See you there!

Technology and Art – LASERVISION Creates World-class Customer Experiences in Dubai

NEWS_LASERVISION’s ‘IMAGINE’ Contributes to Record Setting Tourism Growth in Dubai

December 14 2017, Dubai, UAE: Following the 46th UAE National Day on the 2nd of December—a celebration of the UAE’s Union Day between the seven emirates with a plethora of world-class entertainment options—it can be said that customer engagement in the region has flourished in recent years. The UAE’s entertainment sector is expected to boost tourism revenues to $44 billion by 2020, and consumer interaction and immersive technologies are at the forefront of the entertainment technology movement, as demonstrated by Laservision with Dubai Festival City’s IMAGINE.

IMAGINE is a prime example of the quality of immersive technology and entertainment in the region, celebrating its one-year anniversary on the 26th of December. A world record-setting spectacular conceptualised, designed and installed by Laservision, IMAGINE is undoubtedly one of Dubai’s most magnificent entertainment and tourism attractions, contributing to the spectacular redevelopment of Dubai Festival City Mall.

Used for National Day celebrations in 2016 and 2017, the launch of Game of Thrones Season 7, special events and more, IMAGINE has seen astronomical success with an increase of 40% footfall to the Mall within the opening 6 months. “IMAGINE signifies the endless opportunities and possibilities of viewers from Dubai and around the world to interact and be a part of the show and to connect with something truly unique,” said Steven Cleaver, Director Shopping Malls, Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate.

Game of Thrones Season 7 Promotional Production at IMAGINE – Dubai Festival City

Blending Science, Technology and Art

The possibilities are indeed endless, with a company that blends art, science, technology and customer experience to create unique and immersive experiences.

Mr Shannon Brooks, CEO, Laservision commented that “Laservision prides itself in the ability to surprise and delight the audience at every moment in our productions and installations. Modern audiences around the world expect the very best in immersive entertainment and Laservision continues to deliver on their expectations; raising the bar for large-scale entertainment attractions”

Laservision’s installations have seen great success, being used for other world-renowned events such as New Year’s Eve Celebrations in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore and The Venetian, Macau, and are the name behind the world’s most unforgettable spectaculars. This demonstrates the incredible flexibility of Laservision attractions, which are reprogrammable and designed to be used throughout the year, giving an even greater return on investment for clients.

New Year’s Celebrations – Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong

Such flexibility has also been demonstrated with Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, where Laservision produced a light and water show to captivate audiences using music, theatrical lighting, water effects, pyrotechnics, fountains and choreographed special effects synchronised into a single spectacular nightly performance. The show has been used as a spectacular to further engage audiences at National Day celebrations, New Year’s Eve Countdowns, Earth Hour and the world’s only Formula 1, night race.

Mr Brooks continued saying that “as Laservision considers a client’s brief for their next world-class attraction, we are always looking to the long-term benefits and longevity of the technology and art we produce. It’s important to us that our attractions can be used in a variety of events throughout the year, increasing our client’s return on investment.”

The quest for improved, unforgettable and long-lasting customer experience is top of mind for all brands. Laservision’s unique sensory experiences are strategically planned and executed to provide flexibility and longevity.

46th UAE National Day – Dubai Festival City

LASERVISION Takes Top Honours for Creation of ‘IMAGINE’ at 2017 Australian Event Awards

NEWS_LASERVISION 2017 Australian Event Awards HBO Game of Thrones White Walker

“An entertainment project of mind-bending complexity with so many challenges was obviously well conceived, planned and managed.”
—Judging Panel, Australian Event Awards

September 13th, 2017 – Sunshine Coast, Australia; After a World Record breaking year, Laservision Mega Media has won another award for the hugely successful launch of their latest Mega Media tourist attraction, ‘IMAGINE’ at Dubai Festival City, Dubai. They were awarded Best Achievement in Entertainment for ‘IMAGINE’.

The Australian Event Awards and Symposium has been recognising the best events and achievements in the Australian event industry since 2009, with previous winners such as The Australian Open and Vivid Sydney.

Laservision’s award-winning team is recognised for their innovations in story-telling, industry leading creative techniques, high-quality productions, and their ability to portray stories in an immersive, and entertaining way.

Mr. Shannon Brooks, CEO, Laservision, said “it is another tremendous honour to be represented and acknowledged along with many of our creative colleagues within this highly competitive industry. We’re humbled to be recognised in the company of other leading Australian Creative and Technical Companies.

We’re excited to share our win with future clients as another testament of our capabilities to bring beautiful and technologically advanced attractions to the world. Our ability to deliver on such projects is underpinned by our research and development teams creating new and unique technologies for the Entertainment Market.”

The Technical and Creative Teams at Laservision spent over 4 years of research and development, and creative concept planning, leading up to the yearlong install of ‘IMAGINE’ at Dubai Festival City. Upon completion, IMAGINE has set two Guinness World Records: One for World’s Largest Water Screen Projection, and the second for World’s Largest Permanent Projection Mapping. ‘IMAGINE’ opened to the public in 2016 and has drawn visitors to Dubai nightly.

Matthew Tuey Laservision Accepts Australian Event Award

Matthew Tuey accepts award for “Best Achievement in Entertainment” at the 2017 Australian Event Awards for Laservision’s incredibly popular ‘IMAGINE’ Attraction. — Photo by Eventpix

About The Australian Event Awards: The Australian Event Awards provide the best events in Australia and Australians doing exceptional work in the global events industry with a unique opportunity to compete directly to be acknowledged as the best in the national industry and take home a prestigious Australian Event Award.

The program is guided by ongoing industry consultation and continues to answer the need for cohesiveness across the entire Australian industry, developing and reinforcing industry identity and assisting Australian operators in cross-development of opportunities between events and event disciplines.

About ‘IMAGINE’: IMAGINE is Dubai Festival City’s record-breaking new attraction, which offers unique sensory experience, harnesses the power of light, water, and fire, combined with giant aqua screens, fountains and surround sound to connect with audiences and produce a show never seen before.

Boasting the largest water screen projection and largest permanent projection mapping in the world – both breaking Guinness World Records, ‘IMAGINE’ features the latest entertainment technology in water, pyrotechnics, lasers, lights and dramatic effects. Photo by Laservision

LASERVISION Creative & Technical Teams Win Three Stevie® Awards in 2017 International Business Awards

“Everything is so good . . . Great teamwork and talent!”
—Judging Panel, International Business Awards

Sydney, Australia – August 24, 2017: Laservision Mega Media has been recognised and awarded on the international stage; receiving two Gold and one Silver Stevie® Awards in the 14th Annual International Business Awards (IBA). Taking top honours for “Creative Department of the Year” and “Technical Innovation of the Year” for their work in the entertainment industry and continued advancement in Mega Media technologies. Laservision was also awarded a Silver award as “Creative Team of the Year” for the creation of their latest Multi-media Spectacular installation in Dubai, ‘IMAGINE’.

Shannon Brooks, Laservision’s newly appointed CEO and General Manager overseeing the creation and installation of ‘IMAGINE’ said, “We are exceptionally proud of our creative and technical teams here at Laservision. Being honoured by the IBA affirms that we are continuing to bring the best Mega Media entertainment to the world. We wouldn’t be able to do that without our incredibly talented and forward-thinking creative and technical teams. Our ability to dream big, develop new and innovative technologies and deliver projects on-time-on-budget is a key factor why clients choose Laservision to create the largest multi-media spectaculars in the world.”

IBA Judges from across the globe have commented on the high calibre nominations received this year. “With the level of achievement documented in the nominations from 60 nations, the Stevie Awards are proud to honour organisations that demonstrate a high level of achievement in a variety of industries,” said Michael Gallagher, president and founder of the Stevie® Awards.

Laservision’s award-winning creative team is recognised for their innovations in story-telling, industry-leading creative techniques, high-quality productions, and their ability to portray stories in an immersive, and entertaining way. Complemented by Laservision’s innovative and unique entertainment technologies, Laservision continues to design and create world-class, record-setting productions and attractions around the world.

Laservision’s recognition by the IBA follows the launch of Laservision’s two-time, Guinness World Record-setting creation, ‘IMAGINE’ at Dubai Festival City, Dubai, UAE.

Dubai Festival City’s ‘IMAGINE’ set two Guinness World Records for “World’s Largest Permanent Projection Mapping” and “World’s Largest Water Screen Projection” and has been running continuously, since opening in December of 2016.

“A World Record-Setting, Multi-Media Spectacle.”
—Khaleej Times, Dubai

About The International Business Awards
The International Business Awards are the world’s premier business awards program. All individuals and organizations worldwide – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small – are eligible to submit nominations. The 2017 IBAs received entries from more than 60 nations and territories.

Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word, “crowned,” the awards will be presented to winners at a gala awards banquet at the W Hotel in Barcelona, Spain on 21 October.

Game of Thrones Season 7 Promotional Production at IMAGINE – Dubai Festival City

LASERVISION’S Latest Dubai Attraction Awarded Guinness World Record for a Second Time!

“A WORLD-RECORD SETTING, MULTI-MEDIA SPECTACLE”
—Khaleej Times, Dubai

Dubai Festival City, U.A.E. – May 4, 2017: Dubai’s latest World Class attraction IMAGINE, designed by Laservision Mega Media, achieved another Guinness World Record with the launch of “A CHILD’S DREAM.” The 360-degree spectacular combines the latest in entertainment technologies into a ten-minute immersive experience capturing the imagination of the audience.

This latest production produced by Laservision, has been awarded a Guinness World Record for “World’s Largest Permanent Projection Mapping” as the iconic InterContinental Hotel is transformed into a 4,857 square meter digital canvas.

Designed, created and installed by Laservision Mega Media, “A Child’s Dream” is the second multimedia spectacular to open at IMAGINE and adds to the continuing success of the record-breaking performance of “STARDANCER,” launched December 2016.

“A Child’s Dream” offers an entirely new way to experience IMAGINE and is a wonderful journey through the vibrant imagination of a young child – with airplanes, magical whales, optical illusions and giant dancing robots.

Spanning over 20 acres, IMAGINE is a world benchmark for the latest in permanent multimedia spectaculars and combines projection-mapping, high-definition video, water-screens, dynamic fountains, lasers, surround-sound, intelligent lighting, and powerful flame effects.

“We are exceptionally proud of our creative and technical teams for creating a truly vibrant and colourful adventure into a child’s imagination.”

“It is energetic, playful and really shows off our latest offering of technologies with its incredible colour palettes and rich visual content.” says
Shannon Brooks, CEO Laservision.

The complimentary attraction, IMAGINE at Dubai Festival City, is designed for audiences of all ages and languages, with multiple showings every evening catering to thousands of audience attendees every week.

This is Laservision’s Third Guinness World Record. Laservision also created the World’s Largest Light and Sound Show, for “A Symphony of Lights,” Hong Kong, and World’s Largest Water Screen for “IMAGINE,” Dubai Festival City.

Laservision’s Attraction, IMAGINE, Awarded Guinness World Record

Dubai, U.A.E – December 30, 2016: History was made the night of December 26, 2016, when Dubai-headquartered Al-Futtaim Group set a Guinness World Record with the launch of their Mega Media attraction, IMAGINE at Dubai Festival City. Designed, created and installed by Laservision Mega Media, IMAGINE pulled out all the stops as the Guinness Book of World Records team enthusiastically presented Omar Al Futtaim, Vice Chairman of Al-Futtaim Group, the world record for Largest Water Screen Projection during the finale of the grand opening show.

Royalty, including HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, dignitaries and international media, along with over 25,000 excited spectators, attended the attraction launch and kick-off for the 22^nd Dubai Shopping Festival. Laservision’s creation IMAGINE—the new world benchmark for permanent multi-media attractions—adds to Dubai’s extraordinary trophy case and is anticipated to become one of the top tourist attractions, rivalling popular waterfront shows in tourist havens such as Las Vegas, Hong Kong and Singapore.

IMAGINE, a unique sensory production spanning 20 acres over water, land and sky, skillfully combines powerful mediums such as lasers, surround-sound, massive water-screens, intelligent lighting, intense flame effects, 360-degree fountains and a plethora of additional special effects to provide a dramatic and unforgettable immersive experience. The six record-setting water-screens span nearly 2000 square meters and provide the creative canvas for high-definition projection. The multi-media spectacular features additional high-intensity, high-definition projection which produces a gigantic video-mapped image across 36-stories of the InterContinental Hotel; a projection area that is four-and-a-half times larger than the world’s biggest IMAX screen.

Al-Futtaim Group, a leading Dubai based company reputable for distinctive pioneering project development, sought out the industry’s best when selecting Laservision to create and deliver an innovative and globally renowned attraction for Dubai. “IMAGINE signifies the endless opportunities and possibilities of viewers around the world to be part of the show and connect with something truly unique,” said Steven Cleaver, Director of Shopping Centres, Al-Futtaim Real Estate.

Laservision’s creative team produced IMAGINE’s powerful sound score, beautiful imagery and spectacular effects by bringing together over 100 of the world’s brightest creative minds from 6 continents including CGI masterminds from Hollywood blockbusters and Europe’s finest motion graphic artists. The complimentary attraction at Dubai Festival City is designed for audiences of all ages and languages and shows every evening, 365-days a year.

This is Laservision’s second Guinness World Record. Laservision also created the World’s Largest Light and Sound Show, for A Symphony of Lights in Hong Kong.

‘Wonder Full’ Receives Prestigious Tourism Award!

‘Wonder Full’, the spectacular light and water show that captivates audiences every night at Marina Bay Sands, has been awarded the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Award for outstanding contributions to the tourism industry in the category of Heritage and Culture.

Winning the Pacific Asia Travel Association Award for Culture

We are delighted that the ‘Wonder Full’ Light and Water Show at @marinabaysands has been awarded the Pacific Asia Travel Association Award for Culture.

Previously announced as “South East Asia’s Best New Tourist Attraction” by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Tourist Attraction, “Best International Multimedia Show” by the International Laser Display Association (ILDA) and “Best Installation in Asia” by Wireless Solutions, ‘Wonder Full’ is a consistently award-winning multimedia installation set in the heart of Singapore’s Marina Bay precinct.

Water Screen Projection – How We Created the World’s Largest Water Screen