American Cinematographer - June 1986 - 16

Video Mural-in-Motion at

Epcot

Mural in motion, a

here," said Barry Howard, director and

high-tech attraction
at Epcot's Living

to create an

executive

producer, BHA Design, "was
intriguing and unusual pro¬
gram that would capture the attention of
millions of visitors to The Living Seas.
We recommended multi-image video as

Seas

the solution."
To meet the
that United Technologies

high definition
required, a to¬
tally new system had to be developed.
New technical production methods for
timing, pacing, rhythm and interplay be¬
tween images, as well as revolutionary
hardware and
behind the

software systems, are
of the moving mural.

scenes

"Technically," said Howard,
is a unique synthesis of
recently developed film and video pro¬
duction and post-production techniques.
Aesthetically, the program opens up a
new frontier of visual effects involving
the interplay of multiple moving images
that can constantly vary in size and
"the program

format."
Howard noted that the initial

imagery
A multi-video show system featuring
high resolution distribution of 35 inde¬
pendent images on a large monitor array
is a technological attraction for visitors
at United Technologies Corporation's
(UTC) Living Seas pavilion, Epcot Cen¬
ter,

Lake Buena Vista, Fla. It marks the

first time film and video technology
have been merged in such a manner to
create a

tion

large scale format, high defini¬
display.

video

The

147-second

program,

shown

continuously at the pavilion, viv¬
idly illustrates the broad range of tech¬
nologies and products that comprise
UTC.
"The Living Seas," which
opened January 15, 1986, features a
giant six-million-gallon "ocean" filled
with colorful sea life of every kind. The
Walt Disney World attraction is the

largest facility ever dedicated to man's
relationship with the oceans.
The multi-video show, one of
several exhibits within the pavilion,
uses a customized 35 television screen

system to create a
motion."

According to Gerald E.
Nason, manager-advertising for UTC,
the

original marketing concept was "to
a dramatic video production il¬
lustrating a profile of UTC" for visitors
to the Living Seas. "We wanted some¬
thing special, something that added to
the other high technology, futuristic
sights and sounds prepared by Disney in
the pavilion," said Nason.
To accomplish their objec¬
tives at the pavilion, United Technolo¬
gies enlisted BHA Design, Inc.,
create

Mamaroneck, N.Y., to create and pro¬
duce

14

American

Cinematographer

wall-sized "mural-in¬

the

June 1986

program.

"The challenge

was

shot

on

special format

35mm motion picture footage for max¬
imum image resolution. All scenes were
shot on-location in Paris, Singapore,

Hong Kong and several North American
Footage was also used from

locations.

outer space.

Further, computer-controlled
optical processing was used to select
and separate individual image elements
for later reconfiguration.
This step was followed by a
color-corrected film to video tape trans¬
fer of all show elements on video
source reels. Assembly of the final
show followed on state-of-the-art editing

equipment with 35 separate program
segments produced on a single master
tape.
Since

no

video

facility in the

world allows 35 independent images to
be edited simultaneously, the creative
work was completed sight unseen.

Then, testing and simulation of com-
American Cinematographer - June 1986

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