International. Christie was commissioned to create spectacular visuals that would guarantee guests at the world premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens a memorable experience.
As Michael Kern, Disney's Vice President of Special Event Production and Technical Services, explains, "Disney and Christie have been sharing ideas and innovations in the field of projection and display for several years, aimed at gifting the viewer with unforgettable moments. That's why, when it came time to display spectacular red carpet displays for those attending such a special night, we had no doubt."
Christie's team offered technical advice at every step of the installation, from the creation of the concept to its delivery, through the preparation and assembly. To make it possible for the installation for that live event to go smoothly and in record time, Christie preconfigured and prepared many of the items days in advance at the company's headquarters in Cypress, California. Christie's Coolux® Pandoras Box Media Servers powered a variety of displays, including 388 Christie® MicroTiles® that formed a kind of backdrop along the red carpet, and 18 Christie LCD panels that served to enhance the carpet and photocall points during the premiere. In a world where visual and sound experiences are increasingly important to interest and excite audiences, a perfect organization and synchronization of content is crucial. And that's what led Christie to acquire coolux GmbH ('coolux') last year.
As stated by Sean James, Vice President of Christie Global Professional Services, "Christie's projection technologies have been involved in some of Disney's most famous premieres, such as Pirates of the Caribbean or High School Musical. We are therefore firmly committed to a customer who is also very dear, and that is what encouraged us to give our all in support of the world premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
Already in November 2012 an alliance between The Walt Disney Company, Barneys New York and Christie injected life and color into the world of high fashion with the installation of 425 Christie MicroTiles in all kinds of configurations, which filled with light the windows of the flagship of Barneys New York, its warehouses at 660 Madison Avenue, on a display entitled Electric Holiday.
"That's where we fell for the Christie MicroTiles and their high resolution, low thickness, almost total absence of divisions and realism of their images. Hence our enthusiasm to use them as a backdrop to the red carpet of one of our major premieres," says Michael Kern.
(In October 2013, Walt Disney Studios agreed with Christie that Christie would provide them with the latest digital film technologies and a range of professional services for production, post-production, screening rooms and premieres at Disney Studios. Christie provides Disney with a Digital Studio Services Team with 24-hour support for its digital cinema facilities.)
The magic of the premiere continued inside El Capitan, the extraordinary Los Angeles movie theater equipped with Dolby Vision™ and Dolby Atmos, where the audience attended a spectacular image and sound experience. In line with that privileged position offered by his collaboration with film giants such as Disney, Christie has worked hand in hand with Dolby in the joint development of the new proprietary HDR technology and wide color gamut, which allows the use of customized HFR (high frame rate) compatible with Christie's 4K laser projection heads to offer the unparalleled visual excellence of Dolby Vision.
