Hershey's Really Big 3D Show

The 3D experience was envisioned by Hershey and Landmark as a specialized theatre with special effects that draw the audience into the film, similar to Universal's T2 3D.

Guests enter the Hershey's Really Big 3D show through a flashy marquee and into the "boardroom," decorated in dark woods and lush drapery. A campy video presentation hosted by Patrick Warburton explains some of the history of Hershey's Chocolate, and introduces guests to the esteemed speaker who will present a scholarly speech further detailing Hershey's history.

As the film finishes, guests pass into the corporate theatre, replete with theatre-style seating, dark burgundy curtains and a beautifully finished wood stage.

As guests settle into their seats, the lights dim and professor Quigley steps to the podium. The slide show begins, and it appears as though the presentation we are here to see will be scholarly...and dull. Suddenly a backstage door slams open, and in come a stream of cast members and animals, all lead by the vertically challenged producer "Hollywood Johnny Proctor."

The computer generated proctor bursts through the curtains, projected in high definition 3D. Interacting with the live Professor Quigly, Proctor (sent by "the boys from Corporate") quickly takes over the show to add a healthy dose of showbiz pizzazz.

A projected curtain parts, revealing a Buzby Berkeley scene performed by singing and dancing chocolate bars. When we see Peppermint Patty candies skiing down a mountain slope in a snowfall, snow machines over the audience spew fluffy "snowflakes" into the crowd. During the Circus sequence, elephants appear to spray the audience with water, as jets above sprinkle guests. Moments later, a box of rats is accidentally dropped, and they appear run through the audience, brushing against guests legs. A handful of Hershey Kisses thrown into the air appear to hover and swirl through the house.

The show ends with a finale to end all finales, complete with a cannon explosion and a blast of Mylar streamers into the audience.

Visual Terrain designed and coordinate lighting not only in the main theatre of the attraction, but also in the queue area and the "boardroom." While the queue area was effectively lit with compact quartz floods, the boardroom had to have a more refined appearance. Old fashioned pendants set the tone, while task light pendants suggest Hershey"s white chocolate Kisses.

The main auditorium presented a challenge of lighting a show mostly populated by computer generated characters.

"We had to complete the design 18 months before we would ever see a piece of video." Project Designer Jeremy Windle said. "We had some initial discussions about approximate angle of lighting, color and beam quality. That information was sent on to the animators so they could try to match the appearance of our stage lighting with their computer generated lighting."

Because the show is hosted by a live performer, it is necessary to isolate the performer, and spread light onto the highly reflective screen about 4 feet away. To complicate matters, during the show, the actor moves onto the floor, and crosses in front of the stage to center. His entire path had to be illuminated without disturbing the projected image brightness.

The most difficult technical challenge was extending a 3D film effect of hundreds of floating Hershey Kisses into the theatre itself. A custom four-color template was matched to Hershey's Kisses colors by Apollo Technologies. A system of ellipsoidal projectors fitted with dual template rotators to provide a kinetic "sparkle" to the images, allowing them to elegantly "float" on the walls.

A grid of 3 catwalks over the house, as well as two onstage electrics provide hanging positions for lighting and special effects. A system of color scrollers backlight the actor, and color the floor and low-lying fog to reinforce colors and scenes projected on the screen.

Controls are handled through an AMX front end, allowing touch-screen access to all lighting, audio and video controls. In addition to hosting Hershey's Really Big 3D show, the theatre, the largest in the area, and is used for corporate events. A secondary system of lighting was used to light the stage for these presentations.

Opened in April 2002, Hershey's Really Big 3D Show has met with rave reviews from guests, especially the youngsters.

Project: Hershey's Really Big 3D Show Location: Hershey, PA Lighting Designers: Jeremy Windle LC Producer: Landmark Entertainment Precision Effects Director: Gary Garrison Technical Director: Dan Coats Lighting Programmer: Mark Matzkanin Theatrical Lighting Supplier: Clair Brothers Bill Simmons Partial Theatrical Equipment List: (96) Strand CD80 dimmers (1) Strand 510i Lighting Playback Controller (4) High End Dataflashes (6) Wybron Forerunner Color Scrollers (12) L&E Cyclorama Lights (48) ETC Source 4 Ellipsoidal (4) High End Studio Spot 250 (9) Apollo single template rotators (4) GAM Twinspin (25) Times Square Compact Flood (6) Flash Works multi-flex strobes	Hershey's Really Big 3D Show Guests to Hershey's Chocolate world in rural Hershey, Pennsylvania, have a something new to do after visiting the gift shop. Hershey's Chocolates now come to life in the new Hershey's Really Big 3D Show, Produced by Landmark Entertainment and Precision Effects. The 3D experience was envisioned by Hershey and Landmark as a specialized theatre with special effects that draw the audience into the film, similar to Universal's T2 3D. Guests enter the Hershey's Really Big 3D show through a flashy marquee and into the "boardroom," decorated in dark woods and lush drapery. A campy video presentation hosted by Patrick Warburton explains some of the history of Hershey's Chocolate, and introduces guests to the esteemed speaker who will present a scholarly speech further detailing Hershey's history. As the film finishes, guests pass into the corporate theatre, replete with theatre-style seating, dark burgundy curtains and a beautifully finished wood stage. As guests settle into their seats, the lights dim and professor Quigley steps to the podium. The slide show begins, and it appears as though the presentation we are here to see will be scholarly...and dull. Suddenly a backstage door slams open, and in come a stream of cast members and animals, all lead by the vertically challenged producer "Hollywood Johnny Proctor." The computer generated proctor bursts through the curtains, projected in high definition 3D. Interacting with the live Professor Quigly, Proctor (sent by "the boys from Corporate") quickly takes over the show to add a healthy dose of showbiz pizzazz. A projected curtain parts, revealing a Buzby Berkeley scene performed by singing and dancing chocolate bars. When we see Peppermint Patty candies skiing down a mountain slope in a snowfall, snow machines over the audience spew fluffy "snowflakes" into the crowd. During the Circus sequence, elephants appear to spray the audience with water, as jets above sprinkle guests. Moments later, a box of rats is accidentally dropped, and they appear run through the audience, brushing against guests legs. A handful of Hershey Kisses thrown into the air appear to hover and swirl through the house. The show ends with a finale to end all finales, complete with a cannon explosion and a blast of Mylar streamers into the audience. Visual Terrain designed and coordinate lighting not only in the main theatre of the attraction, but also in the queue area and the "boardroom." While the queue area was effectively lit with compact quartz floods, the boardroom had to have a more refined appearance. Old fashioned pendants set the tone, while task light pendants suggest Hershey"s white chocolate Kisses. The main auditorium presented a challenge of lighting a show mostly populated by computer generated characters. "We had to complete the design 18 months before we would ever see a piece of video." Project Designer Jeremy Windle said. "We had some initial discussions about approximate angle of lighting, color and beam quality. That information was sent on to the animators so they could try to match the appearance of our stage lighting with their computer generated lighting." Because the show is hosted by a live performer, it is necessary to isolate the performer, and spread light onto the highly reflective screen about 4 feet away. To complicate matters, during the show, the actor moves onto the floor, and crosses in front of the stage to center. His entire path had to be illuminated without disturbing the projected image brightness. The most difficult technical challenge was extending a 3D film effect of hundreds of floating Hershey Kisses into the theatre itself. A custom four-color template was matched to Hershey's Kisses colors by Apollo Technologies. A system of ellipsoidal projectors fitted with dual template rotators to provide a kinetic "sparkle" to the images, allowing them to elegantly "float" on the walls. A grid of 3 catwalks over the house, as well as two onstage electrics provide hanging positions for lighting and special effects. A system of color scrollers backlight the actor, and color the floor and low-lying fog to reinforce colors and scenes projected on the screen. Controls are handled through an AMX front end, allowing touch-screen access to all lighting, audio and video controls. In addition to hosting Hershey's Really Big 3D show, the theatre, the largest in the area, and is used for corporate events. A secondary system of lighting was used to light the stage for these presentations. Opened in April 2002, Hershey's Really Big 3D Show has met with rave reviews from guests, especially the youngsters.


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