Taking place at the heart of Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, the Warner Bros. Cinema Spectacular features a full-sensory 360-degree canvas of mapped projection and lighting effects coupled with multichannel surround sound to completely transform Warner Bros. Plaza into a spectacle of light, movies, and magic. Thinkwell provided concept design, schematic design, design development, in-field art direction and creative integration, IP management, production, media production, audio design, technical design, and onsite supervision for development of this spectacular. Thinkwell Studio Montreal developed the patented auto-calibrated projection system and all programming for the show.
The show was designed so that the Art Deco style buildings and the ceiling serve as visual canvas for simultaneous projections, requiring 37 projectors to cover the surface. In the central plaza area there is a large scale audiovisual installation — The Warner Bros. Cinema Spectacular — which celebrates nearly 100 years of Warner Bros.’ cinematic legacy, this spectacular immersive show, hosted by Bugs Bunny, brings together favorite clips, characters, and settings from the Warner Bros. vault with a soaring symphonic soundtrack and impressive visual effects.
In developing the auto-calibration projection system, the team in Montreal worked to perfect a markerless 2D self-calibration system that improves accuracy, quality and maintenance and allows for projections on 3D surfaces. 12 cameras were installed onsite and the process of 3D self-calibration can now be completed in just 45 minutes, automatically.
A sweeping arc of film genres and blockbuster titles transform Warner Bros. Plaza with fan favorites featured across the 15-minute show ranging from Casablanca to Justice League. Taking advantage of the indoor environment that allows the show to run both day and night (a world’s first for a major theme park light spectacular show), the production serves as both an exhilarating introduction to the world of Warner Bros. as well as a memorable finale to a day in the park.
The Malaysia Truly Asia Center is a cultural experience made up of multiple attractions in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.
Thinkwell conceived and designed a live cultural production featuring a cast of dozens of acrobats and dancers, huge puppets, large-scale projections, epic scenery changes, a rainfall and more, all within a hibiscus-inspired bespoke theatre.
Rolling across the country supporting local libraries, this nationwide community outreach program was envisioned as the “library of the future.”
With a sleek and iconic hi-tech design, this 74-foot, 18-wheel wonder immerses visitors in a multimedia environment and encourages readers young and old with a mobile, sharable collection of downloadable e-books, audiobooks, music, movies, and more.
Drawing on a cast of more than 400 volunteers, the Atlanta Falcons’ cheerleaders, and the drumline, we designed and produced an interactive spectacular for the opening game of the 2009/10 NFL season, to celebrate the Georgia Lottery instant game Atlanta Falcons $500,000 Touchdown.
Featuring a live audience-participation game show, card stunts, animation, pyrotechnics and thousands in cash and prizes for the fans, this high-energy program delivered maximum impact to the Lottery, the fans, and the Falcons.
A recipe for headline news: take one crowd of crazy bikini-clad volunteers, add gallons of candy-colored body paint, and set them loose on Times Square.
That’s how we celebrated the 65th birthday of M&M’s and the opening of their new retail store on Broadway. Turned into honorary “M” characters, New Yorkers of all shapes and sizes were painted head to toe in the candy’s signature colors and sent on a colorful frenzy through the streets for a memorable image that instantly became a headline image around the world.
Building upon the success of the blockbuster film franchise, this unique touring attraction mixes education with thrills, immersing visitors in the science of paleontology and contemporary dinosaur discoveries while also delivering the wonder and adventure of the Jurassic Park brand.
Working with world-class paleontologists Dr. Robert T. Bakker and Dr. James I. Kirkland, we developed an educational curriculum that seamlessly integrated into an exciting 60-minute walkthrough show featuring 20 full-size animatronic dinosaurs, interactive media, environmental sets, and immersive special effects.
This signature, crowd-pleasing show at Universal Studios Hollywood provides guests with a hilarious and engaging live show experience that combines footage from famous Universal Entertainment movies, live actors, and special effects with lots of audience participation.
The show brings the park’s “behind-the-scenes” content into the contemporary digital realm with demonstrations of motion-capture and digital-backlot techniques, as well as a unique look back at classic techniques like miniature models, stop-motion animation, and matte paintings—honoring Universal Entertainment’s legacy of iconic cinematic visuals in a fresh, contemporary new format.
When we put on a Super Bowl show, it’s not your same old song and dance.
For the 2003 Super Bowl in San Diego, we oversaw design and production of all thematic and scenic elements for both the Pre-and Post-Game Shows, featuring Santana and Bon Jovi, and a dramatic pyrotechnic backdrop for Beyoncé Knowles.
In Houston in 2004, we did the same for headliners Willie Nelson, Toby Keith, and Aerosmith, with a spectacular show that featured a cast of 500, a stadium card stunt, an inspirational tribute to NASA with performances by Josh Groban and Beyoncé Knowles—and a dramatic finale that featured five base jumpers dropping in from the rafters of the stadium.
Taking audiences on a fantastical journey through cinema, this permanent show has taken residence in the magnificent Dolby Theater in Hollywood since September 2011. Thinkwell’s team of audio experts created the intricate audio system and sound design for the show, continuing our long relationship of technical and creative collaboration with Cirque du Soleil.
Since 1989, Thinkwell founder François Bergeron has designed sound for Cirque’s La Nouvelle-Expérience, Saltimbanco, Quidam, “O” at Bellagio in Las Vegas, La Nouba at Walt Disney World, Varekai, and Zed at Tokyo Disney Resort.