Leading audio visual company, Electrosonic has provided AV systems integration services to the IWM London, for their new temporary exhibition, Real to Reel: A Century of War Movies.
The exhibition, open until 8 January 2017, goes behind the scenes of some of the most iconic war films ever made including The Dam Busters, Where EaglesDare, Apocalypse Now, Battle of Britain, Das Boot, Casablanca, Jarhead, Atonement and War Horse, with clips from the films and over 200 objects on display.
Electrosonic has worked with IWM on numerous projects over the last 30 years. For the Real to Reel: A Century of War Movies exhibition, Electrosonic was contracted to work with the IWM’s own AV team to integrate systems that they had designed, as well as to supply a range of audio and video products and services, and in addition to provide the commissioning and programming of resource equipment.
Clips of classic war films are shown with projection technology as well as large and small LCD screens throughout the gallery. Visitors can select clips using touch screens adding an element of interactivity.
Multi-channel audio-systems accompany the footage and in some spaces, 7th Sense Delta Nano servers were used to supply seamless looping audio in addition to video playback, allowing several visitors to listen to the audio through headphones at once. This is particularly effective in conveying the horror of war, for example in the dramatically realistic Omaha Beach scene from Saving Private Ryan.
Commenting on the systems integration, Matt Garrett, AV Infrastructure Manager, Imperial War Museum, said, “Electrosonic created a custom interface, which is clear and easy to use. It allows us to monitor and control all aspects of the system from both the gallery (via a wireless network) or in the exhibition’s control room, located several floors away from the gallery. We can override the pre-programmed timeline as required and this has given us the flexibility to accommodate the museum’s needs.”
Jo Saull, AV Interpretation Manager, Imperial War Museum, added, “Electrosonic worked closely with the IWM AV team, designing projections, advising on speaker positioning and specifying a control system. The install team worked really well alongside our in-house AV team and sound designers to deliver the immersive media installations.”
