Lingna Belle, Duffy and other Shanghai Disney stars appeared on the big screen in Chunxi Road, Chengdu. The dolls stood on the floats and waved, and this time the audience could feel even closer – as if they were waving at you beyond the limits of the screen.
Standing in front of this huge L-shaped screen, it was hard not to stop, watch and take pictures. Not only Lingna Belle, but also the giant panda, which represents the characteristics of this city, appeared on the big screen not long ago. “It seems to have crawled out.” Many people stared at the screen and waited, just to watch this naked-eye 3D video of more than ten seconds.
Glasses-free 3D large screens are blooming all over the world.
Beijing Sanlitun Taikoo Li, Hangzhou Hubin, Wuhan Tiandi, Guangzhou Tianhe Road… In many key business districts of cities, 3D large screens of hundreds or even thousands of square meters have become the city’s Internet celebrity check-in points. Not only in first- and second-tier cities, more and more 3D large screens are also landing in third-tier and lower cities, such as Guangyuan, Sichuan, Xianyang, Shaanxi, Chenzhou, Hunan, Chizhou, Anhui, etc., and their slogans are also “first screen” with various qualifiers, highlighting the characteristics of urban landmarks.
According to a research report from Zheshang Securities Research Institute, there are currently nearly 30 glasses-free 3D large screens in operation in the Chinese market. The sudden popularity of such large screens is nothing more than the result of commercial promotion and policy encouragement.
How is the realistic visual effect of naked-eye 3D achieved?
Huge whales and dinosaurs leap out of the screen, or giant beverage bottles fly in front of you, or virtual idols full of technology interact with the audience on the big screen. The main feature of the naked-eye 3D big screen is an “immersive” experience, that is, you can see the 3D visual effect without wearing glasses or other equipment.
In principle, the visual effect of naked-eye 3D is produced by the error effect of the human eye, and the form of the work is changed through the perspective principle, thus forming a sense of space and three-dimensionality.
The key to its realization lies in the screen. The several large screens that have become landmarks are almost all composed of 90° folded surfaces at different angles – whether it is the screen of the Gonglian Building in Hangzhou Hubin, the large screen of Chunxi Road in Chengdu, or the large screen of Taikoo Li in Sanlitun, Beijing, the huge L-shaped screen corner is the best viewing direction for naked-eye 3D. Generally speaking, arc angles work better than folded angles at the joints of the screen. The higher the clarity of the LED screen itself (for example, if it is upgraded to a 4K or 8K screen) and the larger the area (landmark large screens are usually hundreds or even thousands of square meters), the more realistic the naked-eye 3D effect will be.
But this does not mean that such an effect can be achieved by simply copying the video material of an ordinary large screen.
“In fact, the screen is only one aspect. Videos with good naked-eye 3D effects almost all require special digital content to match.” A property owner in a Beijing business district told Jiemian News. Usually, if advertisers have the need to put up a 3D large screen, they will also entrust a special digital agency. When shooting, a high-definition camera is needed to ensure the clarity and color saturation of the picture, and the depth, perspective and other parameters of the picture are adjusted through post-processing to present the naked-eye 3D effect.
For example, the luxury brand LOEWE has launched a joint “Howl’s Moving Castle” advertisement in cities including London, Dubai, Beijing, Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, etc. this year, presenting the naked-eye 3D effect. OUTPUT, the digital content creative agency of the short film, said that the production process is to upgrade Ghibli’s animated films from hand-painted two-dimensional animation to three-dimensional CG visual effects. And if you observe most digital content, you will find that in order to better present a three-dimensional sense, a “frame” will be designed in the picture, so that the picture elements such as characters and handbags can better break through the boundaries and have a feeling of “flying out”.
If you want to attract people to take photos and check in, the timing of the release is also a factor to consider.
Last year, a giant calico cat on a big screen on a busy street in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, once became a star on social networks. YUNIKA, the operator of this huge 3D advertising screen, which is about 8 meters high and 19 meters wide, said that on the one hand, they want to make a sample to show advertisers, and on the other hand, they hope to attract passers-by to check in and upload to social networks, thereby attracting more topics and customer traffic.
Fujinuma Yoshitsugu, who is in charge of advertising sales at the company, said that cat videos were originally played randomly, but some people reported that the ads were finished as soon as they started filming, so the operator began to play them in four time periods of 0, 15, 30 and 45 minutes per hour, with a duration of 2 and a half minutes. However, the strategy of playing special ads lies in randomness – if people don’t know when the cats will appear, they will pay more attention to the big screen.
Who is using the 3D big screen?
Just like you can see various Asian Games promotional videos on the streets of Hangzhou’s bustling business district, such as the three mascots “flying” towards the audience on the 3D big screen at the lakeside, a large part of the content played on the outdoor 3D big screen is actually various public service advertisements and government propaganda videos.
This is also due to the management regulations of outdoor advertising in various cities. Taking Beijing as an example, the proportion of public service advertisements is more than 25%. Cities such as Hangzhou and Wenzhou stipulate that the total amount of public service advertisements must not be less than 25%.
The implementation of 3D large screens in many cities is inseparable from the promotion of policies.
In January 2022, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Central Propaganda Department and other six departments jointly launched the “Hundred Cities and Thousands of Screens” activity, guided by pilot demonstration projects, to build or guide the transformation of large screens into 4K/8K ultra-high-definition large screens. The landmark and Internet celebrity attributes of 3D large screens are becoming stronger and stronger. As a public art space, it is a manifestation of urban renewal and vitality. It is also an important part of urban marketing and promotion of cultural tourism after the surge in passenger flow in various places in the post-epidemic era.
Of course, the operation of the entire 3D large screen also requires it to have commercial value.
Usually its operating model is similar to other outdoor advertising. The operating company purchases relevant advertising space through self-construction or agency, and then sells the advertising space to advertising companies or advertisers. The commercial value of the 3D large screen depends on factors such as the city where it is located, publication price, exposure, and screen area.
“Generally speaking, advertisers in the luxury goods, 3C technology, and Internet industries tend to place more 3D large screens. To put it bluntly, clients with sufficient budgets prefer this form.” A Shanghai advertising company practitioner told Jiemian News that since this type of advertising film requires special production of digital content, the price of landmark large screens is relatively high, and outdoor advertising is mostly for the purpose of pure exposure without involving conversion, advertisers need to have a certain budget for brand marketing.
From the perspective of its content and creative form, naked-eye 3D can achieve a deeper spatial immersion. Compared with traditional print advertising, its novel and shocking display form can leave a strong visual impact on the audience. Secondary dissemination on social networks further enhances discussion and exposure.
This is why brands with a sense of technology, fashion, art, and luxury attributes are more willing to place such advertisements to highlight brand value.
According to incomplete statistics from the media “Luxury Business”, 15 luxury brands have tried naked-eye 3D advertising since 2020, of which there were 12 cases in 2022, including Dior, Louis Vuitton, Burberry and other brands that have placed multiple advertisements. In addition to luxury goods, brands such as Coca-Cola and Xiaomi have also tried naked-eye 3D advertising.
“Through the eye-catching naked-eye 3D large screen at the L-shaped corner of Taikoo Li South District, people can feel the visual impact brought by naked-eye 3D, opening up a new digital experience interaction for consumers.” Beijing Sanlitun Taikoo Li told Jiemian News.
According to Jiemian News, most of the merchants on this big screen are from Taikoo Li Sanlitun, and there are more brands with trendy attributes, such as Pop Mart – in the latest short film, huge images of MOLLY, DIMMO and others “overflow the screen.”
Who is doing the 3D large-screen business?
As naked-eye 3D becomes a major trend in outdoor advertising, a number of Chinese LED display screen companies have also joined in, such as Leyard, Unilumin Technology, Liantronics Optoelectronics, Absen, AOTO, XYGLED, etc.
Among them, the two 3D large screens in Chongqing are from Liantronics Optoelectronics, namely Chongqing Wanzhou Wanda Plaza and Chongqing Meilian Plaza. The first 3D large screen in Qingdao located in Jinmao Lanxiu City and Hangzhou located in Wensan Road are manufactured by Unilumin Technology.
There are also listed companies operating 3D large screens, such as Zhaoxun Technology, which specializes in high-speed rail digital media advertising, and regards the 3D outdoor large screen project as its “second curve” of growth.
The company operates 6 large screens in Beijing Wangfujing, Guangzhou Tianhe Road, Taiyuan Qinxian Street, Guiyang Fountain, Chengdu Chunxi Road and Chongqing Guanyinqiao City Business District, and stated in May 2022 that it would invest 420 million yuan in the next three years to deploy 15 outdoor naked-eye 3D high-definition large screens in provincial capitals and above.
“The naked-eye 3D projects in major business districts at home and abroad have achieved excellent marketing and communication effects. The topic has been hot for a long time, has a wide range of online and offline dissemination, and users have deep cognition and memory. We are optimistic that naked-eye 3D content will become an important form of brand marketing and promotion in the future.” Zheshang Securities Research Institute said in a research report.
Post time: Feb-14-2024
