5 Top Modern FX Trends That Shaped the AV Industry

VFX Online March 3, 2020, 2:03 am 1.3k Views

5 Top Modern FX Trends That Shaped the AV Industry

The AV industry is not as popular as it ought to be. Nearly every sector stands to benefit from professional AV solutions and equipment.

From the entertainment industry to marketers, fitness, educational institutions, and restaurants, these businesses can gain substantially from incorporating AV technology into their operations.

Entrepreneurs can use AV when making presentations to investors and influence them to make a favorable decision.

Adding FX to AV technology adds uniqueness and an element of surprise in its application.

What is FX?

Abbreviating special effects, FX refers to the illusions, either images or sounds, created to enhance media productions in the film, television, and theatre industries. They enable a producer to give the audience a surreal, intriguing, and exciting experience. Examples of special effects are the zombies and ghosts used in horror movies.

What is the AV Industry?

The AV or audiovisual industry refers to the field of service providers, manufacturers, and materials used in creating electronic media comprising of both a sound and visual component. Slide-tape presentations, live broadcast services, web streaming, and collaborative conferencing are all part of this industry.

Audiovisual technology is applicable to both residential and commercial needs. It is useful in projection systems, sound, video, lighting, and display in-ceiling speakers, cinema rooms, flat-panel television, projectors, and projector screens, and any staged event such as concerts.

How Do They Relate?

Applying special effects makes any audiovisual memorable by adding excitement. It charges up the energy of the audience by surprising and intriguing them with unique scenes and sounds that enhance the message you intend to pass across.

Concerts, for instance, would work well with theatrical smoke, flying effects, fire and sparks, and confetti. Dollar signs and money effects can come in handy when making a corporate presentation.

Special effects make an entertainment or business event to remain on the audience’s minds for months to come.

What are 5 Top Modern FX Trends that Shaped the AV Industry?

1) Projection Mapping

Gone are the days when projecting imagery could only occur on a flat surface. Projection mapping software makes it possible to display images on the surfaces of irregularly shaped objects such as buildings. The image wraps around the exterior of the building to make it look like part of the building. It also has the capacity to warp the image.

There is currently a supply of high-powered projectors with the capability of producing up to 30,000 lumens. They can turn any irregular surface into a 2D or 3D interactive video display and can also project images on surfaces that move unpredictably.

2) Computer Generated Imagery (CGI)

If you have watched Game of Thrones or an epic movie produced in recent years, you can understand how far the AV industry has progressed in the creation of computer-generated imagery. The high-quality super-real 3D dragons and make-believe environment give viewers an awesome experience.

CGI is also evident in video games and has greatly improved the experience of video game players. It allows them to play in a realistic world where they can do things that they usually would not do in the real world, such as hunting dragons.

3) Mechanical Effects

If you have winced at the sight of cars crashing or blowing up in movies and television programs, then you have been subjected to the magic that is in mechanical effects. Mechanical effects are used when shooting live-action to give illusions such as cars that turn into robots.

Mechanical effects in films are great at helping producers give viewers an experience of something that would happen in real life, but exaggerated to create excitement. A good example is cars flipping over large obstacles, super-speed racing in crowded streets, car chasing on busy roads with shooters on board, or airplanes blowing up mid-air.

4) Hologram Effects

This is an image effect produced with photographic projection. It results from the interference patterns between laser light to create an image that has all the characteristics of the illuminated scene. The image is 3D and visible without the need for 3D glasses.

Holograms are making it easy for businesses to present demos and prototypes to investors. It has also transformed the entertainment industry by making it possible to recreate the performance of legendary musicians who passed on, such as Michael Jackson. In addition, by using holograms, bands can perform live at multiple events around the world.

5) Water Screens

Water screens add a wow-factor to marketing events, product launches, events, and promotions. They are unique and add an element of surprise to an event. For this special effect to be effective, it must be near a large body of water such as an ocean, pond, or swimming pool.

It makes use of a thin splash of water that creates a semi-circular screen. The AV specialists project 3D images or videos on the water screen as they would project on a solid surface. Because the images are three-dimensional, it gives the illusion of real images floating on air.

Conclusion

Adding FX to AV technology has transformed the way business professionals make presentations, the production of top-rated movies, and how teachers teach practical lessons. They make a message memorable and break the monotony of doing things.

They drift the audience to a thrilling fantasy world through visual and sound illusions that stir their imagination. Projection mapping, mechanical and hologram effects, water screens, and CGIs, in particular, have hugely impacted the AV industry. And we cannot wait to see what the future holds.

Author Bio:

David Freudenberg is the active public relations manager for ProductionCrate an awesome website providing custom, easy to use, tools and resources so you can take your production to the next level! When he is not building relationships with others for ProductionCrate. He enjoys spending time with his family and friends.