Optoma Laser Projectors Light Up CreateNow Charity Event

Challenge:  To overcome unique installation challenges and bring big, bold visuals to life at live events.

Solution:  Using Optoma ProScene ZU650+ projectors, light artist Brandon Friend-Solis designed a custom projection solution that brilliantly projected original photography and video content onto custom-built screens during a live, synced performance.

Results:  Optoma ZU650+ projectors helped bolster the immersive live event experience and contributed to a successful charity event.

The Challenge

Visionquest, an EDM music trio, was set to perform for the CreateNow charity event in Los Angeles and needed big, bold visuals to bring their music set to life. The creative director turned to Brandon Friend-Solis, a light artist, photographer and audiovisual technician, to create and hang triangular screens that mirrored the group’s iconic logo and incorporate projection mapping to display original photography and video content onto the screens, synced in time to their performance.

The event was held at a small venue, which did not have a truss or rigging network, making the task of mounting two projectors nearly impossible. Working with these constraints, Friend-Solis needed reliable, flexible projectors that incorporated advanced display technology with the ability to project bright, vivid images on a variety of surfaces.

The Solution

Speaking with a colleague in the visual arts space who had successfully integrated Optoma projectors into past projects, Friend-Solis identified Optoma as a leading projector brand that would be able to help provide the projection solution needed by Visionquest. After researching Optoma’s diverse line of projectors, he chose the Optoma ProScene ZU650+ as the best model to meet his needs for the project. Designed for professional environments, the projector combines an incredible 6000 lumen laser-phosphor light source, featuring 20,000 hours of virtually maintenance-free operation, 360-degree projection and motorized lens shift to meet the challenges of demanding ProAV installations.

With the projector’s easy installation features and incredible laser technology, the ZU650+ simplified the installation process and produced stunning images for the event. Friend-Solis commented, “Given the constraints of the event venue, the motorized lens shift feature made the set-up process significantly easier and more seamless.”

“The ZU650+ was designed with flexible installation needs in mind, as we’ve heard from our customers and installers that there is no ‘easy’ install environment,” said Brian Soto, head of product management, Optoma Technology. “With a variety of professional installation features, the ZU650+ delivers on its promise: maximum performance and incredible flexibility to meet the demanding requirements of even the most complex professional installation projects and venues.”

The Results

Although the event space lacked a mounting system to set up the projector, Friend-Solis was able to cleanly mount the projectors to the venue’s water pipes with zip ties and leveraged the projectors’ motorized lens shift to accurately project images on the triangle-shaped screens. As a result, the clients and musicians were wowed with the visual experience.

Russel Hadaya from Chip City Entertainment shared, “The clean look of the rigs and projected images brought A-class production to our charity fundraiser, and the venue, artists and attendees were all blown away.” Working with the constraints of the event space, Friend-Solis was able to creatively mount the projectors in the venue and successfully project super bright, accurate images and video on the screens, producing a highly visual, creative backdrop for the entire event.

Furthermore, due to the success of the installation at the CreateNow event, Friend-Solis was immediately hired for a future event at the same venue. Friend-Solis added, “I’ve continued to use Optoma projectors for other events and have consistently been impressed with their performance as well as Optoma’s customer service. I definitely see the value in using Optoma projectors over other brands and continue to recommend their projectors to my colleagues in the industry.”