The Franklin Institute of Philadelphia, PA wanted to overhaul their rotunda with an immersive show. To fulfill this request McCann Systems designed four custom projection rigs that house the Christie HD8k projectors. These units project content onto four acoustically treated panels surrounding the statue of Ben Franklin.
Taking projectors to new heights
Four Christie HD8k projectors with a 1920 x 1080 HD resolution, displayed in portrait mode, are located 40 feet in the air on a marble ledge in the rotunda overlooking the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial. The installation schedule had to be precise because of the limited time the scaffolding was available. The ledge where the projection units are installed is 30” deep; 12” of it is restricted for the safety harness system. This left McCann Systems with only 18” of space for the projectors. Because of the size of the projectors we had to turn them on their sides and bounce the image off a mirror. This was not a straight shot; the top of the image was 10 feet below the projector and 80 feet away. McCann Systems built a custom shroud for the projector and mirror system that positioned it at a precise angle to get the proper projection perspective.
The Medialon Control System was designed to allow content to run on a predetermined schedule while the museum is open. When the show begins it totally immerses the viewer with lighting, audio and video. To accomplish this immersive show the Medialon System receives cues that have been programmed into the WATCHOUT show. During the time between shows the projection system displays famous quotes by Benjamin Franklin.
Accompanying the projectors are three wall boxes located on the ground floor of the rotunda. These devices allow users to plug their source equipment into the system. Through the Medialon control system the end user can select a preset which will display that source as a window within the projection area.
This space is also used for corporate events, parties and weddings, this mode allows the museum to set specific lighting scenes allowing for any theme, color etc. This gives the rotunda a custom look for any event. It also gives the presenter the ability to route the wall plates to send signals to the projected images allowing importation of different sources which display on the projection surfaces.
