News | Imagine Dragons powers Smoke+Mirrors concert tour with Barco media server, lighting and projection | Barco

Visual spectaculars have become increasingly popular in the musical entertainment world, with big acts continually upping the production value of their concerts with immersive screens, exploding 3D imagery, and interactive techniques. Imagine Dragons’ Smoke+Mirrors tour was literally that – utilizing various visual tricks to fool the eye and shock the senses.

Moment Factory served as the design team and developed the groundbreaking content on massive multimedia platforms, specifically eight LED columns which acted as screens for constantly morphing and shapeshifting video projection, completely driven by the Barco XHD-400 Series media server.

“Imagine Dragons began with a provocative ‘smoke and mirrors’ concept based on the notion that things aren’t always what they appear to be,” comments Creative Director Jesse Lee Stout of Moment Factory, who managed the content, lighting, automation and stage design of the show. “The Barco XHD media server performed perfectly, seamlessly managing the visual content on the main stage columns to create a dynamic focal point and complement the undulating, high energy of the performances.”

Power-packed 3D visualization made easy
The Barco XHD-400 media server delivers end-to-end show design, creation, setup and control, enabling video producers to easily develop their show from idea to realization. It simplifies 3D visualization for projection mapping with the ability to simulate and preview the entire show. The scalable media server supports connectivity with various sensors and input, enabling technical directors to deploy content onto surfaces of almost any shape or size with a sophisticated, yet easy-to-use video mapping tool.

Barco’s HDF-W26 projectors, used for a small scrim section, feature advanced Athena™ scaling technology with active 3D, quick preview and wireless control.

Seamless integration of lighting and video
Show creators were able to create surprising moments, where the video content mimics the lighting, by aiming spotlights at the video walls to create the illusion. For the lighting, Creative Director Jesse Lee Stout of Moment Factory and independent Lighting Designer Sooner Routhier specified 44 High End Systems Solaspot Pro 1500 fixtures, primarily due to the light’s clean, crisp blending and fast shutter speed, which was essential for mirroring the musical dynamics of various songs.

“We are always thrilled to partner with Moment Factory on large scale multimedia projects that deliver the ultimate entertainment experience,” comments Chris Colpaert, Vice President LED & Image Processing for Barco. “Our award-winning media server enables fast show design and programming, providing the dynamic visualization power and control show producers need to realize their creative vision.”

Barco projection mapping sweeping the world
Barco is fast-becoming the quintessential solutions provider for large-scale 3D projection mapping, having collaborated with Moment Factory and other show producers to create visual spectaculars for sporting events, major advertising and branding campaigns, and major performing arts and fashion exhibitions including the Super Bowl 2012 halftime show, Adidas Brazuca FIFA Tournament Ball, Anheuser-Busch Oculto campaign, Jean Paul Gaultier Exhibition and Electronic Opus.

About Moment Factory
Moment Factory is a new media and entertainment studio specializing in the conception and production of multimedia environments combining video, lighting, architecture, sound and special effects to create remarkable visitor experiences. Since its inception in 2001, Moment Factory has created more than 300 installations, events and shows across the world for big-name clients such as Cirque du Soleil, Nine Inch Nails, Madonna, Disney, Microsoft, Sony, Quartier des Spectacles de Montréal and the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Our team of more than 120 talented individuals occupies a dynamic, multifunctional 20,000 square-foot space in Montreal, Canada.

About Barco
Barco, a global technology company, designs and develops networked visualization products for the Entertainment, Enterprise and Healthcare markets. Barco has its own facilities for Sales & Marketing, Customer Support, R&D and Manufacturing in Europe, North America and APAC. Barco (NYSE Euronext Brussels: BAR) is active in more than 90 countries with 3,300 employees worldwide. Barco posted sales of 1.051 billion euro in 2014.