People Fly Like Starlings, Merge Into Whale, In This Amazing Expo Promo Video
July 12, 2022 by Dave Haynes
With the usual qualifier that this sort of thing looks best at a very specific viewing angle, here’s a video of another rather amazing forced perspective 3D illusion piece developed by the Seoul creative shop D’strict – this one to promote the bid by the southern Korea port city of Busan for the 2030 World Expo.
D’strict says in a video description:
Busan aims to host Korea’s first and the largest World Expo(Registered Expo) in 2030. New voyage for a better future begins as the world joins Busan’s leap forward. Thousands of people from all over the world gather together by the gesture of a person representing Busan. With Busan at the forefront, people merge with each other to create a new, delicate yet huge image. By hosting the World Expo 2030, Busan will give hope and vision to all mankind, regardless of national, generational, and physical distances. Through this opportunity, Busan will once again create a global arena where the synergy of convergence, the essential value of the World Expo, can be exerted.
There are now seemingly all kinds of creative shops producing these kinds of anamorphic illusions for big public displays, like this one in a Seoul shopping district, but few do it with the level of sophistication and complexity as D’strict. I think I like the Dior one I posted on recently a bit more than this one, but this piece is nonetheless very impressive.
I’ve only seen one of these forced perspective displays in person (COVID has meant minimal travel), but the one I did see at an InfoComm booth last month reinforced that qualifier that these things might only look good from what is technically termed the two-point parallel. (Hat tip to Jackie Walker for finding that term!)
I think that’s OK when it comes to particularly good long-form pieces like this, which are a bit like Super Bowl ads that people really want to see, versus ads that are just on the TV during game breaks. It also helps that D’Strict has created numerous pieces that have appeared in the past two or three years on that specific LED display, so people who frequent the area know where to stand to get the most out of it. And those who don’t, will probably notice how others stand at a certain angle, and head over that way.
In places like Times Square and Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto, I think it’s more of a challenge because there are numerous display faces and most or all of the ad spots are short-form and 2D.
Great use of the tech… AND with a call to action! Can you use this stuff to sell things? Who knew?