presentations, and back up to turn it into a lecture-style theatre,” says Berna. It’s a trend he’s seeing more and more. “People are tilting domes from horizontal to vertical in multiple presentations and creating dif- ferent environments using the same dome.” When it comes to seating trends, tiltable seats are common — even in a tilted dome theatre, some of the action still happens above the heads of the audience, espe- cially in the front row, so seats need to be tilted in advance to different degrees to improve sightlines. “Tilting of seats works well to ensure the viewers are looking com- fortably into the dome centre and being completely immersed within the degree projection environment, with peripheral vision covered,” says Hetherington. “Some theatre companies have now begun specialising in planetarium seats, and they offer seats with different tiltabi- lilties,” Huggins adds. Other innovations include seats with
speakers built into the headrest allowing each audience member to have personal audio in their own language, and interac- tive responder systems on seats allowing the audience to participate in increas- ingly sophisticated interactive activities. “[Interactivity] was around in the olden days, and is kind of coming back up in popular- ity,” says Weddle. Some planetariums now also feature seating with “seat-kickers” providing sub-
AM 3 2010 ©cybertrek 2010
The Our Dynamic Earth planetarium in Edinburgh, which launched in April, utilises 4D technology
tle movement, but some in the industry believe 4D seating won’t catch on: with the immersive experience offered by full- dome, 4D can be a distraction. As Weddle points out: “At our theatres, you’re so over- whelmed by the images and the sound that you could probably make people sick with too much extra stuff.” But for some domed theatres, 4D
is just the thing. Global Immersion recently worked with Our Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh on a new planetarium; it launched at the science-based attraction in April. The attraction wanted an experience allowing visitors to fl y through different biospheres; a fi lm created by the National
Space Centre in Leicester provides the visuals, while seat kickers provide motion, and 4D effects add an extra element — viewers feel rain mist while “visiting” the Amazon, hot air and wind while in the Sahara, and snow while in Antarctica. “It’s an experience where they can get their message across and give people an experi- ence that they’ll absolutely remember and talk about for a long time,” Caskey says. While the latest 4D technology can enhance shows, it’s not the most important element for would-be planetarium opera- tors to consider, Caskey cautions. “Don’t look for technology to be the draw,” he says. “It’s content that brings people in.” ●
Read Attractions Management online
attractionsmanagement.com/digital 57
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