Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Marquee. Content Creation Guidelines

Transcription

1 Boston Convention & Exhibition Center Marquee Content Creation Guidelines

2 INTRODUCTION 2 REGIONAL VIEW The Boston Convention & Exhibition Center Marquee One-of-a-Kind Located in the heart of Boston s Innovation District directly in front of the BCEC, the Marquee presents a unique opportunity to display compelling animations and messages in a high-visibility outdoor setting. S. BOSTON BYPASS BCEC SUMMER ST. Westin Hotel SEAPORT BLVD. CONGRESS ST. D STREET At-A-Glance: Measures 76 tall Seven display surfaces - no two the same size Incorporates high-definiton LED screens and lower-resolution LED sticks Features lighted support columns Effective viewing distances range from a few feet to one mile Vehicle traffic passes within 30 feet of the display Visible from nearby hotels, offices and restaurants TABLE OF CONTENTS The BCEC s Marquee is unlike any in the convention industry. These guidelines present technical and creative information necessary to create successful and engaging content for this dynamic display. INTRODUCTIOn 2 DIMENSIONS 3 DESIGN GUIDANCe 4 BEST USES 5 DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS 6 AFTER EFFECTS TEMPLATES 7-8 FILE SPECIFICATIONS 9 SUBMITTING YOUR FILES 10-11

3 DIMENSIONS 3 16MM VIDEO STICKS 1 Upper Sticks East W x 44 3 H 346 x 1088 px. 2 Upper Sticks West 21 3 W x 44 3 H 412 x 1088 px The Spine 5 3 W x 55 9 H 106 x 1088 px. 16MM VIDEO TILES 4 Lower Screen East 24 W x 14 4 H 440 x 264 px. 5 East Bend 8 5 W x 14 4 H 154 x 264 px. 6 West Bend 6 W x 14 4 H 110 x 264 px Lower Screen West 24 W x 14 4 H 440 x 264 px. COLORED LED LIGHTING Support Columns 14 diameter x 17 3 from plinth to underside of lower displays Figure a: The Marquee

4 DESIGN GUIDANCE GO DEEP RESOLUTION DIFFERENCES Regions 1, 2 & 3 - Upper Sticks 16 MM low-resolution LED sticks Vertically oriented sticks spaced approximately 1.5 inches apart Use bold, high-contrast motion graphics and video images to draw the viewer s attention Not intended for placement of detailed logos or thin fonts Regions 4, 5, 6 & 7 - Lower Screens 16 MM high-definition LED tiles Handles logos, fine image detail and text exceptionally well 4 The Aquarium The Aquarium 150 Aqua St. Downtown 150 Aqua St. Downtown Region 8 - LED Lighting 10 support columns lit by colored LEDs activated at night Complements overall design of the Marquee content Due to the different technologies and architecture of the display, there may be slight color differences between the Upper Sticks and the Lower Screens. VIEWING ANGLES The Marquee is a three-dimensional structure. There are multiple viewing angles and experiences depending on the position of passersby. 8 Figure b: The Marquee flattened UNIFIED CONTENT From a messaging standpoint, the Marquee should be treated as a unified display. Any number of surfaces can be used independently or in conjunction to create a single coherent design. Presenting a mix of different programming or advertising on different surfaces at the same time is highly discouraged. The Marquee was designed to display moving content.

5 BEST USES 5 FULL-MOTION VIDEO FEATURE Use high-definition videos and animations with vivid colors and details to capture attendees interest. MULTI-LEVEL MESSAGING Use less-defined, high-contrast animations and videos on the sticks; use the lower screens for detailed text and logo elements. MOTION GRAPHIC ANNOUNCEMENTS Combine animations, videos, photos and text to create a dynamic mix of brand messaging.

6 DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS USE: DARK, RICH COLORS Deep, rich tones display more effectively than light, pastel-oriented tones These same color tones work best on the support columns of the Marquee (Figure a, Region 8) and should coordinate with display content USE: SLOW, TEMPERED EFFECTS AND PACE Slower pacing and gradual transitions, wipes, fades and stable video footage are recommended USE: LARGE VIDEO AND ANIMATED EFFECTS Large, evenly-paced video and animation display very well on the Sticks (Figure a, Regions 1, 2 & 3); imagery should be used in this area to support the more detailed content on the high-resolution Lower Screens AVOID: LARGE REGIONS OF WHITE Large areas of white are very bright on all screens and can overwhelm other content and viewers If branding requires large regions of white, use gradient backgrounds or other light colors AVOID: INTENSE OR STROBING EFFECTS Fast-moving or rapidly blinking/ shifting content can be disorienting and unpleasant due to the large size of the Marquee and the close proximity to viewers and vehicular traffic AVOID: DETAILED GRAPHICS ON UPPER DISPLAY Avoid using highly-detailed logos and graphics or thin fonts on the sticks due to the spacing between each LED stick

7 AFTER EFFECTS TEMPLATES 7 All content must be created with the MCCA Adobe After Effects template Figure c: INDIVIDUAL TEMPLATE Compositions: BCEC_Outdoor_Marquee_Individual Designing Content should be designed in one of the following templates: BUILD_Video_L_264x594 (Figure a or b, Regions 4 & 5) INDIVIDUAL TEMPLATE: BCEC_Outdoor_Marquee_ Individual (Figure c) Breaks the Marquee into three compositions: BUILD_Video_L_264x594 BUILD_Video_R_264x550 BUILD_Sticks_864x1088 Design for the Lighted Columns: BUILD_Lights_600x100 BUILD_Sticks_864x1088 (Figure a or b, Regions 1, 2 & 3) BUILD_Video_R_264x550 (Figure a or b, Regions 6 & 7) BUILD_Lights_600x100 (Figure a or b, Regions 8) UNIFIED TEMPLATE: BCEC_Outdoor_Marquee_Unified (Figure d) One composition that treats the Marquee as a continuous surface: BASE_Build Content Here Design for the Lighted Columns: BUILD_Lights_600x100 Figure d: UNIFIED TEMPLATE Compositions: BCEC_Outdoor_Marquee_Unified BUILD_Lights_600x100 (Figure a or b, Regions 8) Most content creators prefer the Individual Template BASE_Build Content Here (Figure a or b, Regions 1-7)

8 AFTER EFFECTS TEMPLATES (continued) 8 All content must be created with the MCCA Adobe After Effects template Reviewing INDIVIDUAL TEMPLATE : BCEC_Outdoor_Marquee_Individual (Figure c) Composition SIMULATION (Figure e) shows two realistic vantage points of how content is displayed on the Marquee: one from the West side and one from the East side Composition 3D Preview (Figure f) provides a rotating 3D view allowing you to see the various perspectives of the display UNIFIED TEMPLATE: BCEC_Outdoor_Marquee_Unified (Figure d) Composition 3D Preview (Figure f) provides a rotating 3D view allowing you to see the various perspectives of the display Figure e: Simulation 4 5 Figure f: 3D Preview Rendering Final content must be exported from the RENDER composition (Figure g) in order for the system to correctly interpret and reassemble the file on the display Final file dimensions will be 1920 x 1080 px Figure g: The RENDER Composition

9 FILE SPECIFICATIONS 9 All content must be created with the MCCA Adobe After Effects template FILE RESOLUTION The final playback file should be submitted in RBG color format 1920 x 1080 at 72 pixels/inch composition. MOTION FILE TYPES The MCCA accepts video and animation content in the following formats: H.264 compressed MOV* (preferred) Xvid compressed AVI For details on how to convert files to an Xvid AVI format, please contact the MCCA Digital Media Team. *PLEASE NOTE: The MCCA can only accept QuickTime (.mov) files with the H.264 codec compression. Other QuickTime codec compressions are not compatible with our system. VIDEO LENGTH All videos are scheduled in 15 second increments so all files must be exactly 15 or 30 seconds. The MCCA requires that no files exceed 30 seconds in total length and 1.5 GB in total size. TRANSITIONS All content must have a one second fade to black at the beginning and the end. FILE NAMING CONVENTIONS Please use the content nomenclature below to ensure scheduling of the proper content _M_SportsExpo_Welcome-1 Date for Play Start Date content is set to begin playing [YYMMDD format] Display Type M for Marquee Name For this section please use the specific event or advertiser name (i.e. ASA, Global Help, Acme, etc.) Content Descriptor This helps identify what each piece of content is (i.e. Welcome, Schedule, etc.) Version Number Content version number for tracking most up-todate content copies

10 SUBMITTING YOUR FILES 10 HOW TO SUBMIT Content must be uploaded to Visiconn.net following the steps below. For Visiconn.net access contact the MCCA Digital Media Team. 1. Sign in to with the appropriate username and password. 2. Navigate to the Upload Files menu in the blue menu bar at the top of the screen. Select Silverlight Uploader. 3. Select the Browse for Content button and locate the content on your computer you wish to upload. A single file or multiple files may be uploaded at once. 4. Once all files have been selected, click on the Upload Files button. Do not close the uploader until the progress bar for all files turns green and reads Upload Complete.

11 SUBMITTING YOUR FILES (continued) 11 SUBMISSION DEADLINE All content must be submitted to the MCCA at least two weeks before the event or advertisement begins. This allows time for testing, approval and scheduling. If files do not arrive on time, the content may be delayed or may not be displayed. CONTENT APPROVAL All content must comply with these BCEC Marquee Content Creation Guidelines and the MCCA Advertising & Sponsorship Standards available on our website at Content_Standards.pdf. Any content that does not comply will be returned to the content creator for corrective action and resubmission. We re here to help! Please send files or questions to: Bob Kephart Digital Media Manager (cell) Boston Convention & Exhibition Center 415 Summer Street Boston, MA Version: BCEC_M_080113