The Film Projection System

The rendering is projected on three separate screens, in a way never done before, surrounding guests in 180 degrees of 'in-your-face' excitement. Each of the three projection screens located in the attraction measure 23-feet high by 50-feet long and are coated with an ultra-high-gain material to produce the best possible 3D imagery. Six fully automated 70 mm film 'Iwerks' projectors are required to created the 3D images that will reach off the screen and into the audience. To perfect the interlocking of 3D images on multiple screens, the creators enlisted the aid of NASA's Dr. Ken Jones, a specialist from Pasadena, California's Jet Propulsion Laboratories.

To blend the live entrance with the 3D movie onscreen, Production Resource Group (PRG) worked out a perfectly timed sequence of extremely fast movements: the screen flies up, a door formerly hidden behind the screen opens, the actor shoots through it on his motorcycle and the screen falls back into place — all in about three seconds. PRG also determined the best angle for the screen and other scenic effects, and we automated the system with a specially modified motion control system.
Drawing on long experience, PRG added other theatrical effects to take the picture to the audience. For example, when a cyborg disintegrates onscreen scattering tiny shards of metal in all directions, a PRG-created system sends a quick, fine spray of icy water onto the arms and faces of the thrilled watchers. Now that's giving them cold chills.