Media Based Attractions
parkworld-online.com “The term ‘immersive’ ends up getting misused quite a
lot,” reflects Louis Alfieri of Raven Sun Creative in New York, and formerly with Universal Creative. “Part of what I think muddies the issue is the marketing of ‘immersive’ technology by some suppliers. In reality the technology is only a tool. A truly successful immersive experience requires a seamless integration of story, environment, architecture, technology, physical action and stagecraft, as well as an understanding of how humans process and react to their circumstances.”
COMPELLING CONTENT What makes for good media content in an attraction? “Quality, a storyline and invariably a sense of fun,” identifies Murphy. “Good media content looks good in terms of production values, resolution and quality of the production but it has to connect with visitors emotionally. The emotion could be sadness or fear, but invariably it is fun or humour that visitors want.” “Unfortunately there is some lazy content out there,”
remarks Alfieri. “How many attraction films do we have that pull off a bumper, hit a pipe or spray water in your face? When we lean on a laundry list of gimmicks, we fail to move the medium forward. I recently had the chance to see the new 4D production from MackMedia at Europa- Park. I really appreciated that they took chances and incorporated some new devices such a panning rotation, which was not used for a gag effect but to expand to the
vocabulary of the storytelling.” A quick way to connect with guests is to licence
branded content featuring popular film, television or increasingly computer game characters. Disney and Universal have built successful theme park businesses by leveraging their own intellectual property (IP) to maximum effect. Most other operators, with exceptions such as Europa-Park, the Plopsa group and one or two others, don’t have the luxury of an in-house media production business and so must licence content from external providers. It’s a costly business, but can work wonders for those parks that select the right IP. Yet even a strong IP can’t save a media- based attraction that has a weak storyline, so it’s important for operators not to be blinkered by the brand. The challenge, says Simon Reveley of British virtual
reality (VR) specialist Figment Productions, is to provide a narrative in the relatively short time that guests have to enjoy most media-based attractions. “Delivering a clear and compelling story in a 90 second, 4 minute or even a 10 minute experience is extremely challenging,” he observes. “The best immersive attractions leave you with an amazing sense of being transported to another world, but I wonder how many people heading out through the exit can tell you the details of the story they just experienced? One of the interesting features of VR is that time seems to warp when you have a headset on, perhaps because of a heightened focus and concentration that comes from your senses being taken over.”
“
The term
‘immersive’ ends up getting
misused quite a lot. Part of what I think muddies the issue is the marketing of ‘immersive’ technology. In reality the technology is only a tool
Louis Alfieri, Raven Sun Creative
MAY 2016
39
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