Electric Dream Machine Co-Founder Brings the Right Tool for the Right Job
Jasper Mosher is the co-founder of The Electric Dream Machine, a company that specializes in creating immersive projection mapped environments and animating existing artwork of all mediums. Jasper and his team have taken their extensive collection of Epson projectors all over the U.S. and used them in ways that most people have never seen or thought of before. Projection mapping is in no way a new field, but The Electric Dream Machine uses some very unique methods with a focus on bringing existing artwork to life. It’s an interesting niche art form that The Electric Dream Machine conducts while exclusively using Epson projectors.
Music is Love
Mosher’s humble beginnings as a projection-mapping artist began over 20 years ago when he joined some friends in a local band as their tour manager. With no previous experience in this line of work, his education at Herkimer County Community College in upstate New York and double major in marketing and business may have laid the groundwork for this adventurous spirit to take on the new enterprise.
The band was making a living working the eastern seaboard, and Mosher decided to bring a projector out with them. “It added a lot to the production and seemed to make the entire show a more interesting experience,” he says. At the time, projection-mapping software wasn’t really a thing, so he ran the shows with a stack of DVD players and an analog RCA video switcher with a single signal dial to select video input.
This was 2002. His love affair had begun. Mosher began researching and investing in a variety of projectors for the bands production. “I think I bought one of every other brand imaginable before buying my first Epson. It was kind of a special moment in my timeline when I compared my first Epson to the best projector in my collection at the time. I didn’t know smaller consumer level projectors could ever work like that, and I immediately wanted to give away everything else I owned and just use Epson from that moment on. There is something special about how their 3LCD technology creates the projected colors that just blows everything else away.”
Along with his fascination with projection mapping, he was captivated by the art of mixing live video screens for concert productions. Rather than “flashing soul-less VJ loops,” Mosher envisioned “a special artistic mix of live camera angles and effects that would paint a picture with the emotions represented in each song,” he says. “It was huge pivoting point for the company when I formed a relationship with Live Nation while doing the Wanee music festival,” he adds, noting his involvement in the Live Oak, FL-based event from 2011 to 2018, where he worked closely with, and learned much from, Live Nation VP Joe Nieman.
Another element that helped Mosher get the visions in his head to the screens in the world was Resolume projection mapping software. “That really changed everything in the early years,” he says. “That software allowed me to take control of every projector individually and essentially turned the whole world into a blank canvas. It is a brilliantly written piece of software that just keeps getting better with each new update. Resolume is the muscle behind the magic, and our team could not have accomplished a fraction of what we have done without it.”
The software, Mosher adds, also let him venture into more complex setups at outdoor festivals, where the reliability of the Epson projectors really shines. “The Epson projectors are built to last. Many of our events take place outdoors for extended periods of time, and the equipment can face some very challenging weather conditions. I have been using and abusing my entire arsenal of projectors in these conditions for years, and they all still function like they are brand new.”
Mosher describes Electric Dream Machine’s vision as “bringing the existing artwork to life in a way that complements not only the original structure but also the enchanted vibe present throughout the festival,” adding that “we appear to be a huge hit at the big ‘hippie’ music festivals where some people like to experiment with mind-bending substances.” Of particular note is the Electric Forest Festival, where Electric Dream Machine has played an integral role since 2015. It has a special place in Mosher’s life, too, as this is where he met his soulmate and creative partner, Shelby Wilson.
The World Comes Knocking
Mosher says the versatility of his collection of Epson projectors is what makes every Electric Dream Machine project possible. “Epson has a massive range of short throw to long throw lens options,” he notes, adding that “many of their lenses are also compatible with different model projectors. This allows us to completely cover any space we are projecting on from any angle, without having to waste money buying complete lens kits for every different type of projector.”
As his inventory of Epson projectors continued to grow, Electric Dream Machine’s production capabilities are evolving to include immersive environment creation and unique decor effects for higher end events. South Florida is, after all, where the rich do the Ballroom Blitz. “People always want to have something at their party that nobody has ever seen before – something that will wow their guests and make the event a memorable experience. With the versatility of the Epson projectors, we have been able to provide this new and exciting ‘wow factor’ inside any venue served in any color or style imaginable.”
Word-of-mouth has been driving Mosher’s continuously broadening canvas and exposure. “The variety of our projects is what keeps everything so exciting,” he says. “We seem to jump from one completely different scene to the next, from fancy ballroom events, motorcycle rallies, celebrity parties, retail spaces, choreographed performances and lots more.”
The Right Tool for the Right Job
The consistent quality of work Mosher has achieved in the diversity of settings of his projection mapping environments is not only attributable to his artistic ethos. “I can sometimes put over 200 hours into a single installation, and the vibrancy of the final product is very important to me.” For this reason and many others, he feels the biggest factor that sets Epson above the competition is how much more vivid their colors are in the projected image.
He is the first to admit that his self-taught education towards finding the right brand and model to buy has been an in-depth learning curve. “Between the resolution, lumen count, contrast ratio, and connection options, choices can get a bit overwhelming at times.” Clouding over those parameters was the false claims by many brands of the actual lumens delivered. Boasts of a bright 7K were all well and fine… in white. “Once I added color to the image, the projected color brightness dropped off dramatically. Epson measures their lumen count in color and brightness, and the difference in the projected image quality is tremendous when viewed in a side by side comparison.”
Electric Dream Machine’s projection mapping can be at a distance, as with concert performances, or up close and personal, as with an animated sand sculpture installation in West Palm Beach, FL. The size of the projected surface, the amount of ambient lighting, and proximity of the people to the image are the main factors in determining how bright the projector will need to be. “When resolution is important, I have found that it can be more cost effective to use several smaller HD projectors to form a single 4K to 12K resolution image, than it would be to purchase a few native 4K resolution projectors to cover the same area.”
This use of multiple Epson projectors also gives Mosher “the ability to zoom in on the specific areas and minimize wasting any of those precious pixels. Each installation is completely different and often turns into an elaborate light puzzle that can only be solved by placing the right projector in the right location. Piecing everything together can get complicated at times, but it is a really cool feeling to have control over an entire immersive reality at the touch of my fingertips once it is all set up.”
The options built into the hardware and firmware free up Mosher’s imagination to concentrate on the art rather than juggle mechanics. “Practically every Epson model is equipped to accept any type of video input I can throw at them,” he notes. “The firmware handles all sorts of advance tasks such as turning themselves on and off, playing content automatically from a flash drive, automated edge blending, projector stacking assistance, and so much more.” These attributes are especially helpful for permanent installations.
“It might seem like I am just throwing around compliments to make a brand sound good like everyone else does, but everything I am sharing is coming from a place of genuine admiration developed over decades of real life experiences in the industry,” Mosher says. “I speak from the heart when I say that these projectors are absolute rock stars, and that Epson is better at making them than anyone else on the planet.”
Forward, Never Straight
The Covid era pause forced Mosher to take a breath and the opportunity to reevaluate his path a bit. “While it has been a blast jumping from one lavish party to the next pretty much non-stop for the past 20 years, I find that I like setting up installations and bringing them to life more than I enjoy taking everything down at the end of the party. My fiancée Shelby and I are considering pivoting the company’s focus towards offering more permanent installations that can be enjoyed year round.”
Toward that end, the two spent their time in isolation and “break from reality” putting together a studio where people can ship their artwork to be animated. The intention is to spend a good deal of time creating the animation before traveling with the final product to a location for permanent or extended installation. They are currently working on a large canvas painting for renowned artist King Saladeen for an installation in NYC.
“Shelby and I both like the feeling of working hard to create something special that will last instead of racing against a deadline to make a venue look good for a few hour event. Our plan is to put together a tour visiting all the countries we have always wanted to see and putting up permanent installations along the way. Whether it is an elaborate installation at a five star resort or a painting that catches our eye at some local dive bar, we just like the idea of traveling the world looking for inspiration and being able to add our own magic to what we find.”
Once again, Electric Dream Machine will be leveraging the latest advances in technology to achieve that vision. “Using Epson’s new built-in direct playback option, we could design all the content on our laptops while traveling and simply plug a flash drive directly into the permanently mounted projector for never ending playback,” Mosher says. “That way, we could continue with our travels without having to leave behind any computers or media servers. The 20,000- hour lifespan of the Epson Pro Series laser light source would last for years and let us circle the globe quite a few times before any maintenance would be required.”
As of this writing, permanent installations are running in West Palm Beach, Miami, Orlando, NYC, Lake Park FL and Grand Cayman. “We really like the idea of adding to this list and plan on making our next stop in Hawaii later this year,” Mosher says. “It’s going to be a fun adventure, so please feel free to join us on our travels on our new IG page,” viewable at plsn.me/e-dream.
For more information, visit www.epson.com and www.electricdreammachine.com.
