The Creative Services division of Daktronics (Nasdaq – DAKT) of Brookings, S.D., recently produced content for the historical Grand Rex theatre in Paris, France, to help promote Manissa, an animated character that represents the theatre. The final unveiling of Manissa took place at the theatre on March 6, 2012, and it was featured on the theatre’s outdoor LED video displays above the main entrance.
“The final animation is amazing! Manissa, the star of the Grand Rex, is beautiful and has been brought to life,” said Alexandre Hellman, Director of the Grand Rex. “I’ve noticed many people stopping to take pictures of the façade and looking at Manissa. I can see the curiosity in their eyes and feel their wonder of who the character is.”
The project was started in 2010 with the creation of concepts and scripts for the actual animation as well as the progress of taking the existing 2D version of Manissa and building her in 3D. Over the time that the animation was being created, multiple test versions were sent for approval. The Grand Rex team was very fond of the work-in-progress, so they played the early versions on their LED displays prior to the final unveiling.
“The initial goal was to draw people in and make the Rex a tourist destination to see in Paris by utilizing Manissa to inform the public of the tour,” said Stef Manning, Account Executive, Daktronics Creative Services.
The Grand Rex offers a theatre tour as an attraction, during which they project images of Manissa on the walls. The theatre has been part of many different Hollywood film productions, such as serving as a setting in “King Kong” to unveil the gorilla, and it has hosted numerous concerts and movie premieres.
Hellman added, “It was a real pleasure to work with Stef and Daktronics. She was very open-minded and understood our needs perfectly.”
“The Grand Rex is such a beautiful, iconic gem in Paris, and working on such a large character animation with their ‘spokesperson’ and tour guide, Manissa, is an honor!” said Manning. “We stayed true to the character mannerisms that Manissa exhibits in ‘les étoiles du rex,’ but just gave her a modern update. The process went smoothly, primarily due to the professional trust and kindness exhibited by Alexandre and the rest of the team involved from the theatre, and the results are absolutely stunning to see!”
About Daktronics
Daktronics has strong leadership positions in, and is the world’s largest supplier of, large screen video displays, electronic scoreboards, computer-programmable displays, digital billboards, and control systems. The company excels in the control of large display systems, including those that require integration of multiple complex displays showing real-time information, graphics, animation and video. Daktronics designs, manufactures, markets and services display systems for customers around the world, in sport, business and transportation applications. For more information, visit the company’s World Wide Web site at: http://www.daktronics.com, e-mail the company at sales [at] daktronics.com, call (605) 692-0200 or toll-free (800) 325-8766 in the United States or write to the company at 331 32nd Ave. PO Box 5128 Brookings, S.D. 57006-5128.
MEDIA RELATIONS:
Mark Steinkamp
Marketing Manager
tel (605) 692-0200
e-mail Mark.Steinkamp [at] daktronics.com
Source: Daktronics
