In May 2023, ARHT collaborated with Premier Comms and Paramount+ to bring a one-of-a-kind production to the opening ceremony of MCM Comic Con London. The event centered around a Star Trek-themed panel featuring the cast of the highly anticipated Paramount+ series “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.” Based on the previous successful collaboration and fan activation through holograms, the Paramount+ team reached out again to ARHT, but this time with a more ambitious idea. The objective of this project was to provide attendees of MCM Comic Con London with an unforgettable experience and enable fans to meet their heroes beaming in — as holograms — from New York and Los Angeles to London.
Challenge
The idea was that the moderator Alex Zane would host a panel discussion with fan favorites Rebecca Romijn, Ethan Peck, Celia Rose Gooding, and Melissa Navia. The foremost challenge for Paramount+ was to bring together the cast of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” located in Los Angeles and New York, and their fans in London for the MCM Comic Con. Conventional methods, such as flying the cast to London, were expensive, time-consuming, and presented logistical challenges. Another major challenge was ensuring the holographic technology worked seamlessly, providing fans with a realistic, exciting, and immersive experience.
Solution
After Paramount+ explained their vision, our production team proposed to use two solutions: ARHT CAPSULE to beam life-size holographic representations of the actors onto the MCM Comic Con stage and ARHT Screens for the booth presentation and interaction with the fans.
To make this feasible, a stage was created in London with ARHT Screens, which displayed the holographic presenters and graphics. This technology allowed the actors to appear as life-sized presenters, talking to fans and the moderator in real-time. The screens were specifically designed to display live holograms with a minimal footprint, providing an ideal solution for bringing high-definition immersive hologram presentations to life. The technical team ensured that the holographic technology operated seamlessly. Our project management team also added a creative beam-in effect referencing the Start Trek transporter. Coordination, testing, and troubleshooting were essential to ensure a flawless holographic live stream.
In addition to the speaker panel, fans were also given the opportunity to turn themselves into holograms utilizing another solution: ARHT CAPSULE. These setups enabled event attendees to experience the Star Trek universe in unique and thrilling ways, bridging the gap between fiction and reality.
One of the visitors who tried the ARHT CAPSULE shared their thoughts on the experience: “It’s been a surreal experience, something you would usually see only on TV! I love the teleportation concept, this idea that you could be anywhere you want it to be in a matter of seconds. Seeing myself as a hologram felt like I was a movie star!”
Impact
The holographic panel was an overwhelming success, creating excitement and anticipation among Star Trek fans worldwide. The event received rave reviews from both fans and the media, with attendees describing it as an unforgettable experience. The video of the panel received thousands of views on social media platforms, with fans eagerly sharing the experience with their friends.
Bringing the Paramount+ vision to life and enabling actors to interact with fans in a whole new way demonstrated the power of holographic technology when you want to create unique experiences. The event perfectly showcases how holograms have a much more significant impact on viewers than any other form of presentation, turning them into highly engaged and enthusiastic participants.
“It was a galactic operation linking three time zones with state-of-the-art holographic technology and a lot of very talented people that helped make it happen. This is a great example of how Paramount+ is using cutting-edge technology to bring its beloved franchises to consumers in unique, fan-driven ways,” shared Tim West, Brand PR at Paramount+.
Paramount+ also benefited significantly by saving enormous costs and time. Thanks to ARHT’s innovative solutions that cater to multiple needs of this type of event, they were able to eliminate the logistical challenges that would have arisen from flying the cast to London, reducing carbon emissions, and aligning with the eco-friendly values of the Star Trek franchise.
Conclusion
The MCM Comic Con London’s first-ever holographic panel event left fans starstruck, giving them the opportunity to connect with their Star Trek heroes as live holograms. The reception of the fans, the excitement of the actors, and the overall success of the project illustrate how holograms can be used to deliver engaging and immersive experiences that connect audiences in new and exciting ways.
“That was wonderful! It was a great demonstration of technology. This is the first time we have seen this type of display on the panel. It’s an example of technology we’ve seen on Star Trek, so it’s amazing that you brought it into real life. After the initial appearance of the actors, I completely forgot they were not physically there. It felt like they were a part of the room just as much as we, the audience, were, there was a real sense of the actors’ presence!” shares one of the audience members.
“It was just amazing energy and the way that we’re doing it, it’s truly something I haven’t experienced before,” said Celia Rose Gooding, while Rebbeca Romijn commented, “This felt like Star Trek coming to life!”
As holographic technology evolves, its applications in events, entertainment, and other industries will continue to grow. The Star Trek-themed panel at the MCM Comic Con London event was just the beginning of what promises to be a new era of immersive and interactive experiences for fans worldwide.
If you are interested in creating unique experiences for your audience or just curious about how holograms can help you make an unforgettable impact, reach out to us!
