More modern dark rides tend to depend quite heavily on the elements of screens and projection mapping a lot more than the ones we remember that opened up when we were children. But are these effects just an easy way out to enrich and create an “immersive” experience for guests? Or do they truly make dark rides more intriguing?
Projection-Mapping:
I absolutely adore projection mapping providing it’s done right and subtly. If you’re questioning whether that’s genuine or projection-mapped then it’s done amazingly well. More often than not projection mapping is cast upon a physical set piece which then just makes the said prop feel more lifelike. It can be quite bizarre how alive some things become when it has this element featured on them. It’s a part of the modern technology we often tend to see within attractions which I feel tends to enhance the ride rather than take the easy way out on theming.
Screens:
This is exceptionally ride-dependent but also scene perspective. If the ride is heavily reliant on screens I tend to feel it’s a scapegoat for actual theming and storytelling. Some rides like Ninajo at Legoland Windsor are understandable as to why it’s screen heavy with the interactive technology. But rides like Ratatouille over at Disneyland Paris feel a little bit too much of an easy way around not being bothered with more physical theming. For me, a dark ride needs more physical sets than screens to be truly immersive. Screens tend to have more possibility of becoming a problem and malfunctioning. Where if you use physical elements, yeah they’ll break at some point but they are a tad more reliable in my opinion. A ride with the correct mixture of physical to screens works better in my opinion. Looking at The Ghost Train at Blackpool Pleasure Beach it has that terrific variety of the two where the screens don’t feel like a cop-out but instead more of an extra element of articulating that story more plainly. A truly iconic classic ride that just works.
How Do They Really Impact The Experience?
I love to see that perfect assortment of screens to physical set pieces as the combination tends to offer that really amazement around the storytelling efforts. Projection mapping is my favourite component of the two. It just brings out the physical sets to different tiers of wow. Whereas screens occasionally can look quite cheap and like a cop-out in my opinion. The rides that have a blend of both work better because if one factor conks out the other tends to hold up the story beautifully. Storytelling is crucial for any dark ride and if that’s not shown very well then it’s quite disappointing.
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What are your thoughts on both of these features? Do you enjoy them? Do you dislike them?
Thank you for reading and let’s have a chat again about these nerdy things x