Projection Advertising fires up Bear Grylls’ show

Projection Advertising has created an exciting new 3D video-mapping spectacular to promote Bear Grylls’ new television series Escape From Hell, which will be shown on the Discovery Channel from October 7.

Beamed on to Battersea Power Station last night (September 25), the fire-themed projection was augmented by pyrotechnics and was part of a larger launch event organised by Discovery Networks International, where clips from the new series were screened to around 500 guests.

So realistic was the projection mapping show, fire fighters were called out<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-24277508>to deal with the apparent blaze.

A video of the projection event can be viewed here<http://youtu.be/n2hMePQAtdM>.

Commencing with the chimney stacks of Battersea Power Station apparently catching fire, the projection went on to depict the flames growing and gradually engulfing the building. Sections of brickwork appeared to crumble until the insides of the chimneys could clearly be seen. Meanwhile, projected searchlights scoured the building and settled upon a figure on the roof. The figure – the real, un-projected, Bear Grylls – rappelled down the building and managed to get clear of it before it finally burst into flames.

Tom Burch, MD of Projection Advertising comments: ““Video-mapping is all about augmenting surfaces to such a degree of realism that people are left wondering what was real and what was digital – something that we definitely achieved with this project! We’re always pushing the boundaries to create the most spectacular and believable effects possible, and using actual pyrotechnics alongside the projection plus the real-life Bear Grylls helped us to blur those boundaries particularly effectively.”

Projection Advertising used a total of nine projectors at a resolution of 3000 x 4000. Three of the projectors were 20K Christies and these along with two 15Ks were used on the main chimney stacks. Four more 15Ks were also used for the mid-section.