TVA provides the world's most advanced laser systems. Perhaps most importantly, the digital control of laser graphics and special effects is highly automated and the use of highly advanced technology does not require highly skilled human intervention to operate the systems.

Left: YAG lasers provide immense impact over a large distance. Some of the lasers in this picture are 2km from the camera.

Right: animated Rainbow serpent appears in laser graphic form in Sydney Harbour.

The use of lasers allows us to provide a stark visual contrast in style with the other photo realistic visual mediums, which is often of great assistance when productions include notional fantasy ideas. The most skillful use of lasers will allow film or video characters or objects to morph into animated laser characters, allowing a great deal of creative freedom.

Lasers are used to provide special effects and these may be provided by the same equipment used for laser graphics or in the case of the larger venues by using our Stella Ray YAG laser systems to provide involvement for an audience that may be spread out over a large area or distant from the site. The range of these lasers is measured in kilometre.

There are a variety of production techniques that may be used and TVA is a specialist in both film and

digital productionproducing a wide variety of materials in very significantly different styles for international and local clients every year.

Regardless of the production technique, the brightest and therefore largest images suitable for Aqua Screen of 25-30m in height, are produced by projecting in 70mm film. There are numerous 70mm film formats and Laservision uses one of the largest formats available for maximum light efficiency.

A special character was created for this 70mm Aqua Screen film.

The most recent advances in digital micro mirror video projection have resulted in practical and user friendly machines with immensely powerful and high resolution projection capabilities.

In situations where the Aqua Screen is less than 25m in height, digital micro mirror video projectors offer certain operation advantages and cost savings in the situation where multiple shows will be produced because the need to transfer the show to large format 70mm is avoided.

The large format (180mm) slide film medium provides the brightest images of all because the aperture is so large. It is extremely rare that this medium would be used on its own in an Aqua Screen show and would almost certainly be combined with lasers or possibly film or video as well.

Scrolling vertically, a series of images rise up out of the water onto an Aqua Screen installed in an indoor Olympic pool venue.

Scenic slide projection is particularly useful where the creative calls for a scenic background to be provided into which laser or other projection is combined. Scenic slides may be still or scrolling (providing moving images of more than one frame travelling from left to right or right to left, or vertically). The combination of scenic slides with lasers provides for productions at a lower cost than those involving motion pictures.

In certain venues such as theme parks and where there is ample space, the use of pyrotechnics is highly effective in this sort of Macro-Media presentation. Pyrotechnics will increase the scale of the production and provide a strong variation during the experience.

TVA utilizes a proprietary control system for the electronic firing of pyrotechnics making the operation of this medium highly automated. Pyrotechnics used in this way are most often instantaneous effects launched from the ground or from the Aqua Screen vehicle itself as the timing of the various “shots” of up to 60m in height can be timed extremely accurately.

Instantaneous effects are often used as punctuation within a Macro-Media presentation and the accuracy of electronic firing allows precise interaction with other elements of the show so that the pyrotechnic effect can acquire meaning beyond its own properties.

Lighting provides another opportunity to synchronise with other visual mediums on the Aqua Screen itself or to provide illumination of water effects and fountains. The use of high powered moving lights and intelligent stroboscopic lights provides a great deal of freedom to the designer of the visual effects.

High powered intelligent lighting including strobes provide yet another medium of their own which may be combined with film and lasers.

It is often the case that key characters are produced in Aqua Screen productions, both real and imaginary. In this case, it is desirable that if they speak, or cause sounds to be produced, that the sound should appear to emanate from behind the screen. This leads to the use of multiple discrete channels being used most often so that dramatic movement can be imaged into the production.

It is often the case that a Aqua Screen show is installed in the same venue as a synchronised or musical fountain of some sort. TVA enjoys a great advantage in that our programming system can deal simultaneously with the fountain and all of the other mediums irrespective of the programming protocol, digital or analogue. This allows a far greater and closer integration of the fountains with the other media.

A musical fountain, or indeed special fountain effects can be designed so that they interact with action in the film / video or laser animation. A character may cause water to be projected from the lake or fountain in such a way that it has some special meaning, greatly reinforcing the Macro-Media approach.

Laser special effects interact with the musical fountain at Sentosa.

Specially designed water effects can be used for theatrical purposes. Characters projected into Aqua Screens can appear to have power over the water in which they float.

A dedicated fountain effect interacts with the film character creating the illusion that he has the power to command physical elements.

TVA's use of such diverse media and intimate combination of that media created an essential need for a control and replay system without peer. The result is the Sinodial System. The system enjoys some unique and highly significant advantages.

The capacity of the hard disk based replay unit is enormous and audio, data, laser commands, and all other protocols can be replayed simultaneously from one omnipotent device.

Secondly, the Sinodial System uses fibre optics to deliver its multiplex control signals within the venue. This means that the integrity of the signals is absolutely guaranteed as they are transmitted as light and cannot be affected by electromagnetic interference of any kind.

It is also the case that the signals can be transmitted over many kilometres, which is impractical using copper cable in many instances.

Lastly, the system is extremely simple to use from the operator’s point of view. The most complicated Macro-Media experience can all be replayed by touching a few icons on a touch screen display and even the warm up and shut down of the equipment at the beginning and end of the performance can be fully automated.

Left: The Sinodial Control system has immense capacity within the Digital Data Pump
Right: A nightmare in copper is replaced with a single fibre.

TVA has a strong and varied creative team in house and around the world possesing a great depth of skills in all of the media in which we deal. Because of this we can produce better integrated Macro-Media presentations and deliver them at practical levels of expense within an efficient timetable.

We utilize a state-of-the-art studio which provides for full scale simulations and rehearsals that occur during the production schedule.

We provide a complete suite of services including concept, concept development, story boards, scripting, production in all mediums, post productions, transfers and commission.

In the case of live action, casting, make up and costume are all handled under the one roof and for animation based productions, our in-house animators provide a similar total service in a variety of different styles and technologies.

Aqua Screen film production is highly specialised, requiring very high contrast subject to background ratios. Our studio and production staff is best suited to this type of production, either in digital capture or film.