“The Great Rotumpkin was a great display of what projection art has to offer," first-year College student Alejandro Erazo said. Trick-or-treaters in costumes took breaks in their hunt for candy to see the animated bats emerge from the sky to transition to an entertaining choreography performed by a trio of skeletons, leaving viewers astonished as sound equipment and only two large projectors were capable of displaying these interactive and descriptive scenes.
![melody halloween special melody halloween special](https://www.artbox.co.uk/images/022853_Keychain_Halloween_MM_1_650.jpg)
Children posed as their parents took photos of them in front of the projection. The third and final scene ended on a happy note with a calm tempo accompanied by the triangle, flute, violin and timpani. The level of detail was amazing as the pumpkin shone in various angles. A loud gasp and flashes from phone cameras rose across the audience as a huge orange jack-o'-lantern covered the entire Rotunda. The translucent columns displayed an intriguing switch from the modern Rotunda to an abandoned prehistoric stone building covered in weeds with a pumpkin and purple witch’s cauldron rotating across the projection. It featured lighter music initiating with a whistling melody and then switching to an accordion and tambourine. Groups huddled together on their blankets in the cold fall night waiting for the next scene. The animated ghost moved smoothly, haunting the outside of the mansion before it faded away with only the lights inside the Rotunda remaining. As the piano’s melodic minor continued, a white figure hovered at the top of the building before making its way down. The projection covered the entire north side of the Rotunda with waves of colors reaching the bottom of the steps.
![melody halloween special melody halloween special](https://cosplayers.acparadise.com/46325/46325-30ad57f716aba9d9950abf4368cba8db.jpg)
A smooth transition saw the colors of purple, green, light blue and yellow transform the building into a mysterious mansion. The night began with tense and heavy based music while a variation of colors swayed their way up the Rotunda. “When it's dark, the only thing you see is that and that brings everything to life, creating this magical illusion,” Dobrow said. Returning to the site, the technical infrastructure begins with placing 200-pound projectors and the special cabling in their location, creating an ideal canvas for animation to be projected onto the building. Various components - lighting, music and depth cameras - play a major role in the animation.
![melody halloween special melody halloween special](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/1RkAAOSwOu9hRim-/s-l300.jpg)
The tedious process begins by mapping out the building and creating a 3D model, which becomes the base of the animation.
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Maybe somebody goes out and looks at it some more, puts two and two together and wants to learn how to do it."ĭobrow’s extended experience in motion design and digital art is the driving force for the harmony of technology and immersive art in his work. “ absolutely thrilled because it’s another opportunity especially for children to see stuff like this and to be impacted and be wowed by it," Dobrow said, "And then hopefully, maybe be curious. The projection mappings proved to be a smart and creative alternative in the wake of the University’s cancellation of the annual Trick-or-Treating on The Lawn - an event canceled the past two years due to COVID-19 guidelines.įamilies and students returned to the Lawn to see the University's most renowned building - the Rotunda - be lit up in the spooky Halloween aesthetic. The stunning projections by Dobrow were such a crowd-pleaser they were brought back to celebrate the upcoming holiday.