NEW DELHI, India — Christie visual technology was chosen in a bid to help bring the candidates (or, actually, a projected likeness of the candidates) closer to potential voters across India in the run-up to elections for a new parliament, which were held in nine phases from April 7 to May 12, 2014. The winners were due to be announced May 16.
More details from Christie (www.christiedigital.com):
Extensively “driven by visual technology,” the general elections will see more than 814 million Indian voters casting their ballots to elect a new parliament. Close to 200 Christie Roadster HD14K-M and Roadster HD20K-J 3-chip DLP projectors have been used by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at more than 400 locations nationwide with the plan of having close to 2,000 events in total. The projectors are used to display holographic images of BJP candidate Shri Narendra Modi at election rallies, where he addresses multiple audiences at scheduled locations simultaneously across India. This is the largest deployment of Christie projectors for a single event in India to date.
Engineered specifically to produce unbelievably bright images with stunning detail and depth of color, the Christie Roadster Series delivers pure power with purpose-built features. Designed with built-in handles, an improved airflow system and multiple rigging points, these powerhouse projectors stack up against the rigors and stress of rental/staging, making them the ideal choice for deployment during this staggering electoral campaign.
These compact projectors feature HD resolution and a variable contrast ratio of 1600—2500:1 for brilliantly crisp, detailed images. Equipped with DLP technology, high-quality optics and 10-bit image processing, the Christie Roadster Series delivers crisp, clean images with perfect color saturation and spectacular video. Coupled with other benefits such as low cost of operation and ease of use, the Christie Roadster Series is undoubtedly the de-facto standard for rental/staging. The reliability and durability of these projectors make them ideal for delivering consistent, repeatable performance with no down time for the most demanding users to create fully immersive visual experiences.
“We’re honored to be part of the excitement during the Indian general elections period where so many of our projectors are deployed at such a grand scale for the first time in India by one of the major political parties for its enormous electoral campaign,” said Ken Wheatley, director of sales, Christie Asia Pacific. “The Christie Roadster Series projectors are known for their unparalleled performance and reliability, and we’re pleased that they are actively and innovatively used in these massive events that effectively showcase how the power of advanced visual technologies can bring people together to create and share experiences.”
UK-based Musion Das Hologram is responsible for consulting, designing and managing these holographic election addresses made by the veteran politician. The 3D holographic projection has been made possible by Musion’s advanced hologram technology using its proprietary Eyeliner system. Speeches are filmed and broadcast live via a satellite uplink to the fixed or mobile stages (30-feet by 30-feet) at each day’s events. The 3D lifelike holographic-type displays of the politician are projected at each location using a Christie projector mounted high above the stage to stream visuals to the bounce screen, which reflects the image on the stage. The stage holds the Eyeliner screen which is made of a unique and patented film that delivers the 3D illusion.
The team from BJP’s headquarters is able to view exactly what is being broadcast at any given time, as images are beamed back to the HQ from the various venues and simultaneously displayed on a massive screen. In addition, the vehicles housing the mobile stages, as well as fixed stages are designed and built by Musion. It also trained over 200 installation crews in setting up and using all the equipment deployed at all locations.
“We chose to partner with Christie on Shri Narendra Modi’s 2014 election project due to their market-leading levels of performance, service and reliability. With 200 event teams clocking up tens of thousands of miles throughout the 45-day election, Christie’s Roadster HD14K and HD20K projectors are the perfect choice offering excellent performance with the robust reliability needed,” said Giovanni Palma, director, Musion Das Hologram Ltd. “The combination of Musion Das Hologram products for holographic systems and Christie’s projectors delivers a stunning level of clarity that is amazing millions of people each night of the campaign.”
The results are breathtaking, highly realistic visuals that have since become a hit with supporters in various parts of India throughout the voting period. Spectators at various rallies have described the visual experience as “ecstatic” because the 40-foot by 40-foot by 35-foot holographic projections of Shri Modi are so real that it makes them feel he is standing in front of them.
Shri Modi had successfully worked with both Musion and Christie’s visual solutions for the first time during his 2012 Gujarat assembly election campaigns. This innovative move through which Shri Modi’s speech was broadcast simultaneously at 53 locations across 26 cities in Gujarat has earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. Now, with a planned outreach of close to 2,000 events in total, Shri Modi is all set to break his own record.
“The Christie brand has been firmly established in India over the years following several successful projects such as the recent Lusofonia Games and Gujarat assembly election campaigns in 2012,” said Lin Yu, vice president, Christie Asia Pacific. “We’re happy and proud that Christie’s visual solutions have been once again selected for India’s general elections and I’m confident that our solutions will meet the needs of everyone who use them.”
