I’ve seen the Harry Potter movies countless times, but never like this.<\/p>\n
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An 87-foot LED dome extends upward. At its center, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone plays, while surrounding 3D imagery expands scenes from the film to fill the display. It feels less like watching a movie and more like living inside a magical world.<\/p>\n
During the opening scene on Privet Drive, more beige houses and glowing street lamps stretch out in every direction, instantly drawing me into the film. As Harry enters Diagon Alley, tall shops rise up all around me, and I share his sense of wonder. In Hogwarts Great Hall, hundreds of flickering candles seem to float overhead, making it feel as if I’m walking toward the Sorting Hat with first-year students.<\/p>\n
The experience is captivating, immersive and transportive. This is part of the viewing format called shared reality<\/a> But Cosmo Los Angeles<\/a>An entertainment venue that also has venues dallas<\/a> And atlanta<\/a>. The giant dome display combines traditional movie watching with computer-generated visuals, immersing viewers in the scenes unfolding on the screen \u2013 no headsets required. Other films to have received the shared reality treatment so far include The Matrix and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.<\/p>\n Ahead of its public opening on May 7, I attended the press preview of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in Shared Reality last week. <\/p>\n Virtual and mixed reality headsets also make viewers feel pulled into their favorite movies and TV shows. But headsets can become disorienting, isolating, and uncomfortable after long periods of time. There’s no opportunity for community viewing, which is my favorite part of going to a movie theater. I love laughing with other viewers and reacting to shocking or emotional moments. <\/p>\n Shared reality creates a balance between the two experiences. I can feel immersed in a magical world without a headset that shuts out my surroundings. I can happily react with other spectators as we climb onto the Quidditch pitch or walk onto Platform 9 \u00be. We can watch the intense magician’s chess scene together – which is even more impressive in shared reality with giant chess pieces looming overhead. <\/p>\n \u201cThat communal aspect, that shared element is really key to differentiating Cosm in this market,\u201d Devin Poolman, Cosm’s chief product and technology officer, told me. \u201cWe want to make you feel like you’re there and really take you in as part of the experience.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/div> Looking around, you would feel as if you too were at King’s Cross station.<\/p>\n <\/span> Abrar Al-Hiti\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n This is my first time at Cosm, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Will the formatting be similar to The Sphere, where films like The Wizard of Oz expand to fill the entire dome display? I was surprised when, instead, a small window appeared and played Harry Potter in the standard format I had seen many times before, surrounded by additional 3D scenes. <\/p>\n When CNET shared a clip of my experience on Instagram, many commenters were disappointed that the film’s scenes didn’t extend to the Cosmos’ dome. I had the same concern at first \u2013 would it look really strange if the movie was just framed in those 3D environments? But ultimately it struck the right balance, preserving the film as it was created while also taking me deeper into the on-screen world. <\/p>\n It also helps that not every scene is dynamic; Some are designed to make you feel like you’re in an environment like the Gryffindor common room or a Potions classroom, with glowing lamps or bubbling cauldrons. Too much movement throughout the film would be distracting and tiring to watch. Instead, more dynamic scenes such as walking along Diagon Alley or riding the Hogwarts Express are included for greater impact. <\/p>\n Poolman said, “The film is the hero; we want to be additive.” “But if you do too much, it starts to take away from the movie. We believe that the fans’ focus is really on the movie. … We also want you to be surprised and delighted by what’s going on.” <\/p>\n Poolman says the team followed a traditional 3D visual effects workflow to create the experience. A team of dozens of artists, creators, and technical engineers worked on what each scene should look like, creating those worlds using everything from shot lists and storyboards to three-dimensional tools. The visuals are then rendered at 12K resolution so they look sharp on huge displays. <\/p>\n It took about a year to go from concept to completion. Cosm’s internal team led the overall effort, working with Little Cinema to improve the visual options and pacing, with MakeMake Entertainment handling the finer technical and artistic details of building these 3D worlds. The partnership with Warner Bros., the studio that produced and released all eight Harry Potter films, helped the teams figure out the best way to present and build upon iconic scenes in the film. <\/p>\n MakeMake creative director Kirk Shintani told the audience during a post-screening Q&A, “We’re trying to amplify a moment and not take away what the film is trying to accomplish.” “There will be a lot of people coming in and seeing (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) for the first time. So we want to make sure they understand the purpose of the movie. What we’re doing is trying to put you guys in that moment so you can feel it a little bit more and experience it a little bit more.”<\/p>\n <\/div> Some backgrounds simply enhance the setting of the scene rather than creating movement. <\/p>\n <\/span> Abrar Al-Hiti\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The passion of the Harry Potter fan base cannot be denied, which is a big reason why Cosme chose Sorcerer’s Stone as its third shared reality film. It also helps that the franchise provides such a visually rich environment.<\/p>\n Poolman said, “The film \u2013 and the entire canon \u2013 really nicely sums up the transporting nature of what Cosm does.”<\/p>\n Whether this means that more Harry Potter films will be adapted to this experience is unclear. But a glance at the illuminated mirror reveals that this is one of my deepest desires.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n
Adapting Harry Potter for the Cosmos’ giant dome screen<\/h2>\n
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