View Poll Results: Beams or Graphics?

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  • Beam Shows! Love that light!

    32 71.11%
  • Graphics Shows! Love those cartoons!

    3 6.67%
  • I AM A BANANA!!

    10 22.22%
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Thread: Graphics Show or Beam Shows?

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    Texas
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    Graphics for me. I like it all, but developed my love for laser shows from graphics and abstracts in planetarium shows. This is probably the result of many years doing animation as a film student.

    I'd really like to create an 3-4 minute animated short in laser graphics some day, if I can ever find the time to sit down and make it happen
    Last edited by Displaser; 07-16-2011 at 20:53.

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
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    Knoxville, TN, USA
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    Banana (I think?)

    If the stage is setup correctly, beams firing around a centralized graphics scrim can make for a VERY impressive display!!
    RR

    Metrologic HeNe 3.3mw Modulated laser, 2 Radio Shack motors, and a broken mirror.
    1979.
    Sweet.....

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
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    Netherlands
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    Very glad i'm not the only one who thinks there's money in graphics.

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
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    Miami, FL
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    Quote Originally Posted by masterpj View Post
    Very glad i'm not the only one who thinks there's money in graphics.
    I never said there was no money in graphics

    I just enjoy doing live shows a lot more, and thats not really realistic with "graphics"

    I DO do a planetarium show (at our planetarium) every month live with mostly lissigious patterns etc... used to use LivePRO but been using QS2 lately, lot easier to move around and does 90% of what I used in LivePRO anyway

  5. #15
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    Jul 2010
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    aaah I take that back then.
    oh and good morning! *just got out of bed yeah*
    DO you have a video of the planetarium?
    you should play a graphics show on there

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
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    Miami, FL
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    we play plenty of graphics shows... actually pretty much all graphics shows... the main projector plays back shows that were recorded on ADAT and then I run a second projector doing live stuff

    another guy runs the intelligent lighting, another person runs some of the other lighting effects and the star projector... and another guy runs the beam table on the main projector

    you are coming to SELEM right? a few of the shows we are running are shows I... um... "borrowed" from the planetarium

  7. #17
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    Jul 2010
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    Netherlands
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    Displaser that last sentence about making an 3-4 minute animated short.. is exactly what I'm working on.
    How about a collaboration once on this field someday hmm?

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Melbourne, Australia
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    My 2c...

    RGB lasers are not the best projection medium for graphics. I prefer High Def digital video myself for that. So laser graphics just look gimmicky to me. Eventually, a laser projector and associated software may be able to render the animations we've had available via Standard Def video projection for years, but what's the point (even if it can be done in 3D on a 2D screen/scrim/wall)?

    Nothing beats the sharp precision of a laser beam cutting through thin (haze assisted) air. This is where lasers can't be beat, and for me, where the energy should be spent in advancing the state of the art.

    Additionally my view is driven by the 17 years of regular experience in being bathed in audience scanned laser light. Every time I see a video of a laser show where there are only overhead beams and scans (i.e. no audience scanning), it looks weird because it is lacking that which I love most: the magic of being touched by the razor sharp beams and scans.

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
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    UK
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    Quote Originally Posted by taggalucci View Post

    Nothing beats the sharp precision of a laser beam cutting through thin (haze assisted) air. This is where lasers can't be beat, and for me, where the energy should be spent in advancing the state of the art.

    Additionally my view is driven by the 17 years of regular experience in being bathed in audience scanned laser light. Every time I see a video of a laser show where there are only overhead beams and scans (i.e. no audience scanning), it looks weird because it is lacking that which I love most: the magic of being touched by the razor sharp beams and scans.
    I'm with you on this.

    I've been to many shows audience scanned and not and non audience scanned just leave me dead, I agree that magic is just missing.

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
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    Raleigh, NC
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    The last large planetarium show I went to was a NIN show back in the 90s. It was a '3D' show so they gave out some sort of difraction glasses that made it all sparkly. That was pretty cool. Otherwise, it was kind of dull. Part of the show had silouettes of dancing girls and I heard several people commenting on how 'cheesey' that was. Projecting ATARI Tempest video game quality images don't do much for the average person but they get excited about seeing wildly colorful abstract images that are 'dancing' with the music. Most people go to laser shows expecting a psychedelic experience. Cartoons don't do that. Abstracts do. Beams do. 3D worlds made of laser lines.... don't (in my opinion). The cartoony/3D stuff definitely serves a purpose for stuff like Intros, commercial display, theme park stuff, etc... so I think that you will find more money in being able to create really high quality images. But, if you're doing laser shows for audiences you might as well leave that stuff at the door unless you have something exciting to back it up.

    Disclaimer: This is obviously just my opinion based on my observations.
    Last edited by JohnYayas; 07-17-2011 at 03:21. Reason: spelling

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