Each themed environment we create is created like a show, with sets, props, costumes, story, and characters. Beyond that, we imagine a world that involves all of the senses: sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste (when possible). We go beyond the obvious visualizations to create three-dimensional worlds that trick guests, inviting them into immersive, new frontiers. We make the unbelievable, believable and the believable, unbelievable!
Admittedly, we are story fiends. And, whether we are building an exhibit in a museum, or a theming a restaurant, we look closely at the guest experience, meticulously analyzing their walk patterns and other tendencies to determine what sorts of sights, smells, etc will gently lead them, unknowingly, into our uniquely crafted environment. Why? Why do we study the art of color and the effect they have on the human spirit? Why do we create colorboards and storyboards? Why do we test out an array of visual images through models and on the computer, arranging them in various patterns to determine what creates the best sight lines? Why do we obsess over words like “wienie” (a term used to describe a set piece or other massive object i.e. a castle – that beckons an audience to move forward towards it), “staging” and “forced perspectives?” We do it because we love a good story and we are pretty sure each of your guests will as well. We know that by obsessing over the details that will eventually become permanent fixtures in your world, we give your audience the best chance to lose themselves for a little while, and find themselves enthralled in our uniquely themed world.
BEFORE AND AFTER PICTURES OF A SCENE IN A MEXICAN CHURCH CIRCA 1901
Immersive. Penetrating. Vast. Every where you look someone has thought of putting something there to allow your senses to feast. Imaginative. Beautiful. Placid. Whatever it is your senses crave, we have thought and given it to you. In fact, so much so that you may never want to leave. Do you remember that time when you first saw The Grand Canyon, Niagra Falls, or any other wonder of the world? It was breathtaking. It was immersive. It inspired you and you could hardly believe how unbelievable that place was, and you longed to return if even for a moment. That is the type of wow effect we hope our environments will leave on your guests. We hope they will long to rekindle that feeling they had as they looked around and got lost in your world.
To do this, is not easy. We have to rely on a century of exploration that has gone before us. We have learned from the best and have tried to emulate their discoveries for our clients, adding our own inventive ideas. We have learned a whole bunch about glue, foam, rubber, silicone, and cement. We are constantly amazed at how cool the developments in set construction have become, although with each new step of progress comes new learning curves – a challenge we embrace whole-heartedly. If there is a method that is less expensive, more durable, or will get the job done faster, we are all ears. In fact, we keep our ears and our eyes so keenly aware of the developments in the industry that you rarely see our guys and gals without a camera or video camera capturing the work of others as we peruse through our competitors theme parks, museums, etc.
That’s not plagiarism, is it? No, we don’t think so. Because imitation is the highest form of flattery, right? And what better way to pay someone a compliment than to read their book, study their art, go to their classes, and then apply all of the amazing principles we have gathered into our own environments. That is what we do. We are just big fans of themed environment work and have talented enough hands that most of the things we experience, we can break down into sizable steps that allow us to recreate those elements, often at a fraction of the cost. (I guess that’s perhaps where we might make someone else mad once in awhile) We pass those saving on to you, our client, who can also leave the world guessing if you really hired the top designers in the world to theme your environment, or if you called those talented folks at Popcorn Attractions.
