AUDIOVISUAL
from Dunkirk. The network of Secret Wartime Tunnels stretch for 60m (200ft), 26m (85ft) deep underground behind the white cliffs of Dover, UK. Audiovisual technology is used through-
out the eight zones to re-create the drama of the Dunkirk evacuation. The highlight of the attraction is Rescue from Dunkirk, Casemate Z, where special effects have been used to dramatically present the events of 26 May to 4 June 1940. Twenty-three projectors create giant
images that run the entire length of the space, augmented by spectacular light- ing effects. German fi ghter planes appear to speed down the entire length of the tunnel, immersing visitors in a recrea- tion of the action on the Dunkirk beaches. Another scenario shows silhouetted fi g- ures hunched over a table as they plan the evacuation from within the tunnels. Danish company Kvorning Design &
PASSAGE OF TIME O
n 10 June, English Heritage opened the doors to its new Second World War attraction Operation Dynamo: Rescue
The Secret Wartime Tunnels that were
invaluable during WWII
have now opened at Dover Castle. Electrosonic’s
Robert Simpson explains how they helped bring them to life
Communication produced the new attrac- tion with Electrosonic as the AV systems integrator. The two companies worked closely together from the initial design stage. “As a team we’ve created one of the largest permanent projection setups in Europe,” says director Arne Kvorning. “The experience is absolutely breathtaking and brings the history of the tunnels to life.” The prime mover behind this project was
English Heritage. The unique challenges faced in bringing this project to realisation included dealing with a listed building, the climate and the fact that no surface has a straight edge to project images onto.
THE SHOW Run as a pulsed show, parties of up to 30 people are taken through the eight zones. These contain original news-reels and recordings – the result of two years of painstaking research and testimonies from veterans of both the beaches and the tun- nels. Special effects deliver a vivid account of what the British prime minister at the time, Sir Winston Churchill, called: “A mira- cle of deliverance.” Zones one to fi ve use a pulsed visitor
fl ow system, allowing each group to experi- ence the shows in succession. At the end of each presentation, traffi c lights indicate that it’s time to move on to the next section. Throughout the attraction, caption panels are in English, French and German and, where voice commentary is used, induc- tion loops are fi tted for the hard of hearing.
THE WAR BEGINS The show starts in the War Begins wait- ing area – every nine minutes a sergeant major-style voice instructs the group to move on to the War Begins Cinema. This space is themed as an underground
briefi ng room, complete with a mock 16mm projector and blackboard. The fi lm, which is actually shown electronically, describes the events leading up to the war. The blackboard prop is revealed to be an LCD panel covered in black gauze, which is used to give French and German subti- tles to the presentation.
BATTLE OF FRANCE After the fi lm, visitors leave the cinema and walk through corridor-style tunnels to a space where a live presenter gives orienta- tion information and draws attention to the graffi ti on the tunnel walls. The Battle of France presentation follows in a large space themed as an under-
The War Begins Cinema is themed as an underground briefi ng room. Subtitles appear on the “blackboard” LCD panel
62 Read Attractions Management online
attractionsmanagement.com/digital AM 3 2011 ©cybertrek 2011
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