Visual Productions for Exhibits

Video at Bowen Technovation

Bowen Technovation has a history of involvement in over 300 video and film projects since 1985. We have served as producers of all formats of professional video and audio for presentation in the museum theaters as well as for support exhibits. And many of our programs are mastered into a more standard format VHS or CD for outreach distribution to schools, universities, and private individuals. Seems like nearly every video project we touch is written up in some trade magazine as innovative and groundbreaking...that's why we have so many national and international awards on our office walls.

A few years ago, our success in video projects encouraged us to formally start a new Bowen Technovation division called VisualFX . VisualFX is based around all digital video technology. Some of the motion video services we provide are:

• Creation of a library of backgrounds, wallpapers, animations and other materials you can use in-house to easily create exciting opens and transitions for your video productions, exhibits, tv-radio promotions, and walkway monitors.
• Exciting computer graphic animations of museum and program logos and titles, even from a letterhead!
• Special effects, such as adding lightning, shadows, blurs, and vapor trails to film and video clips.
• Compositing of blue-green screen materials with an infinite number of digital layers. Kids stuff and comedy are some of our favorites! Merge motion video/film with flat art, logos, effects, stock footage.
• Media 100 editing at up to D1 resolution.
• Creation of animation clips and graphics for CD-ROM, interactive exhibits, and web sites.
• Turnkey concept-to-script-to-shoot-to-edit-to-screen production and training of your staff so they may best use our supplied content.

We then can integrate these materials with photographic, lighting, laser animation, animatronics and other exhibit or theater features to create a unique, cohesive visitor experience.

Or...we can train your staff how to accomplish this same mission.

Bowen Technovation/VisualFX recently completed the first three shows to ever be produced for the new Spitz Panoramic Video system and Electric Sky Theater. The motion video pans we produced are 180 x 60 degrees and are tightly integrated into laser animations, all-skies, and slide images. These shows are on line at the new Northern Lights Interpretive Centre in the Canadian Yukon, as well as at the new Spitz Electric Sky demo theater at Chadds Ford, PA. Drop by one of these sites and see this interesting new video format. We are in discussion with a number of of sites regarding custom production of panoramic video materials as these planetaria upgrade to a video pan system.

We encourage you to visit our link at Panoramic Video Productions

Some of our video services are:

Turnkey Project Production

From script to screen we can do it all. Concept...script...shoot...graphics...animation...special effects...edit...master...provide final tape or hard disc media...and integrate elegantly with other planetarium media. Or let us know if you only need one or two of these services. We are easy to work with.
Video success stories begin with good project management and good script authors. We are on alert at all times for good science writers...and we have found a bunch! You probably personally know one or two of our regular script writers.

Directing the Shoot

If you have a great script, but are not sure how to turn it into finished video production suitable for planetarium use...call us. We'll make sure production is done correctly. Most production companies have no idea how to produce for the museum/space theater environment, but we get it right!

We are always on the lookout for new ways to shoot and edit motion picture. Bowen Technovation staff continues to gain valuable video production insight from their long-term involvement in the International Television Association (ITVA), which Jeff served as Chapter President and national representative from 1995-1996. In 1996 Jeff was awarded the Meritorious Service Award for pioneering advancements in the video production profession. Bowen Technovation staff attends numerous trade shows and video productions seminars.

Computer Graphics

Our VisualFX graphics designers combine the use of the best "old tricks" with skillful use of the latest software tools to create stunning computer graphics for video and slides.

Animation and Compositing

VisualFX artists use the same software and hardware tools as major Hollywood motion picture houses to produce spectacular animations. One of our specialties is turning a still image (photo, logo, etc.) into a full motion special effect. We can composite layer upon layer of graphics and motion video so as to superimpose actors into artist's illustrations of landscapes. Our artists then can add flying birds, clouds, and other layers of moving images. The above frame uses a moving layer for each map, a moving layer for each date, and several layers of snow falling...truly impressive when seen on a 200 degree panoramic video projection system in a planetarium!

Bowen VisualFX can provide your finished work on tape, laserdisc, or as a QuickTime Movie on CD!

Video Editing

The Media 100 digital video editing system continually receives rave reviews worldwide for unequaled quality of video output. Video is "digitized" into the all-digital system...edited....special effects added....animations and graphics cut in...and your completed work is output to tape or laserdisc at a 300kbf 2:1 D1 resolution. Changes you might request are a snap...all video resides on our removable hard drives. We simply "drag and drop" the video clips into a new timeline and bam!.. you have a new program! No tape rewinding!!!

You must see this system to believe how great it is, so drop in and see us sometime.

Soundtrack and Audio

See our link to Audio/Soundtrack Design for Exhibits to see how we create terrific all-digital soundtracks for our video productions.