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Leveraging 34 Epson Projectors to Transform Casino Grounds with Big, Bright Content While Withstanding Unpredictable Florida Weather
On a mission to drive excitement and reinvigorate space at the Seminole Casino in Coconut Creek, Fla. after the industry-wide slowdown in 2020, Adam MacDonald, entertainment and productions manager, started searching for new ways to turn ordinary spaces into magical moments, while keeping the need to adapt to various events and occasions in mind. After building a massive 20,000-square-foot outdoor venue, the highly anticipated Fourth of July event was coming up and MacDonald wanted to “make a big splash” with people coming back to the casino. He needed something fresh that would raise the bar and set a new standard for attractions and events at the Seminole Casino Coconut Creek. Digital artist Jasper Mosher and his creative partner and wife, Shelby Mosher, came onboard with a fleet of Epson® laser projectors to help light up the casino with dazzling images and colors.
“What better way to draw attention to a building than with a massive display that could be seen from miles away,” said MacDonald. “To pull this off, I needed technology that could produce very large images with flexible placement and easy content changes, and of course I needed to factor in cost. Projection checked all the boxes and through research I came across several examples of projection mapping with Jasper Mosher’s name attached to them. After seeing his work, I trusted him and knew he was the right person for the job.”
The Mosher team had been working with production company Native Event Services (NES) who specialize in artistic installations and special event productions for the Seminole Tribe casinos. NES introduced the Moshers to MacDonald to projection map a large section of the casino using custom visual effects for the July Fourth celebration. This area included 280 feet of the exterior and a 360-degree projected environment inside the attached Porte-cochere structure for a live band performance.
“I remember standing in front of the casino trying to wrap my head around the scope of this project,” said Jasper Mosher. “And just when the reality started to set in, Adam invited me to check out the other sections of the casino that he wanted to map.” By the end of the tour, Mosher and MacDonald planned to map over 300 feet of the casino’s exterior, the Porte-cochere stage area, which included six video screens, a separate two-story entrance, and a VIP rooftop party.
The team did have a slight hiccup with a few Florida royal palms standing in the way of the exterior projection. To avoid removing the trees, Mosher got creative with projector placement and leveraged the versatility of Epson lenses to eliminate most of the tree shadows. Mosher noted, “This first project came together flawlessly and after that, the productions just kept getting bigger and better.” MacDonald adds, “Everyone was blown away by the projection mapping, including property leaders and executives.”
Fast forward to 2022. As the July Fourth production drew near, MacDonald’s visions expanded and the talented Mosher duo delivered, using 34 Epson laser projectors to bring various sections of the casino to life, including a new water screen installation. “It was my first chance to play with the new Epson EB-PU2220B 20,000-lumen projector,1” noted Mosher. “This projector is a marvel of modern science – impressively small and lightweight for the power it pumps out.”
For the water screen installation, the EB-PU2220B was positioned on the opposite side of the lake and focused on a huge 70-foot by 30-foot “water screen” pump that Mosher and MacDonald placed in the center of the lake. “The results were just awesome. The incredibly bright and colorful images looked like massive holograms floating above the water. It was cool listening to hundreds of people making awe-inspired noises in unison every time the visuals transitioned,” Mosher adds. “It felt like an embodiment of the elusive ‘wow factor’ that everyone in the special events industry tries so hard to create.”
The results of the July Fourth celebrations have inspired MacDonald to use projection mapping throughout the casino – taking over any and all space that allows for it. New to the 2022 holiday season, MacDonald wanted to create something that all ages could enjoy. Holiday décor was projection mapped on the exterior of the casino and went along with a custom playlist for people to drive or walk by during the season. MacDonald said, “The projection was so big, bright and colorful that it was visible from miles away, so it was truly something that everyone in the community could enjoy.”
The main exterior mapping typically runs for six to eight weeks at a time around the Fourth of July and holiday seasons. Each projector has its own custom weatherproof case and the Epson Projector Professional Tool Software (EPPT) makes it easy to setup and manage the installed projectors. Mosher notes, “Throughout the last three years of using the same Epson projectors for extended installations, we have not had any issues.”
For MacDonald, there is no copy and paste projection template. “My goal is to have every event deliver a new experience. Jasper’s inspirational ideas and mapping skills coupled with reliable Epson projection technology, so far, we’ve been able to do just that.” Focused on increasing the number of casino guests as well as driving awareness, social engagement and community outreach, MacDonald emphasized the impressive results from each production; more folks are attending casino activities and awareness has grown exponentially.
“Not being bound by any frames or restricted by space, projection technology has made these projects limitless,” said MacDonald. “I keep throwing outrageous ‘hail Mary’ ideas at Jasper and Shelby, and they keep delivering. I’ve worked with many of the best in show business and event entertainment, and the Mosher team sits at the very top of this list.”
For content creation and management, the Mosher team relies on Resolume projection mapping software. It is the main tool used to manipulate custom content to fit into real world environments and the included autopilot features allow them to leave the projectors running for months at a time.
As a big part of these installations, Mosher noted his appreciation for NES and their associated company Event Service Group (ESG). “Using their resources to do the heavy lifting involved in these massive productions make it possible for Shelby and me to focus our energy on the artistic aspects of the trade.
“Jasper’s artistic capabilities and innovative projection mapping skills continue to amaze us,” said Ramzi Shakra, product manager for large venue projectors at Epson America, Inc. “His work is the definition of pushing projection beyond limits, and we always eagerly await the next big project.”
“I didn’t know what to expect when we started this projector mapping project, but now it just keeps getting better,” said MacDonald. “Last year’s water projection experience was a gamechanger and now the hardest part of my job is trying to do outdo the last project. Luckily, creative possibilities seem to be infinite with the Mosher team and Epson projectors.”
