How Brands Use Forced Perspective LED Screens To Create Larger-Than-Life Visuals

Using billboards for advertisements has been an age-old marketing tactic that is still around because of its high success rate. However, over time, static billboards turned into digital billboards where, instead of basic posters, brands could run video advertisements. And as impressive as they are, several brands have started to use better technology that allows them to really bring their products to life with the help of forced perspective LED screens.

What are Forced Perspective LED Screens?

Forced perspective LED screens, as the name suggests, are large LED displays that take flat or 2D content and make use of specific angles to force the perspective of viewers to make the content appear as three-dimensional. This is why the content played on such screens is often also referred to as naked-eye 3D advertising, as these screens don't require users to wear special 3D glasses to enjoy the 3D animations or content.

What makes these displays different from average digital billboards is that these displays typically use two or more LED screens, while most digital billboards are flat and only use one screen. The reason multiple displays are used is that it helps create the illusion better. However, to make forced perspective LED screens actually work, just having multiple screens isn't enough. It requires the designers to precisely calculate the viewing angles and place the displays accordingly. Additionally, these displays also need content specifically made for them. What this means is that 3D objects are created in such a way that they appear natural no matter what angle a viewer looks at them from, while also adding effects to make them pop out of the display.

Industries that Can Benefit from Naked Eye 3D Advertising

Retail and Fashion

The retail and fashion industry can use forced perspective LED screens to unveil their existing or upcoming products. One of the most popular examples of this can be seen in the advertisement launched by Nike to celebrate the 2022 Air Max Day. They put up an ad in Tokyo that shows a shoe box popping out of the screen. The longer the ad plays, the more the audience can enjoy the different animation effects on various shoe models of the iconic Nike Air Max.

Automotive

The automotive industry can use 3D anamorphic billboards to showcase the different features of their cars. For example, Renault's first ever naked eye 3d ad featured its latest model at the time, the Renault Kiger. The video starts by showing a 3D model of the car being rotated, allowing the audience to view the car from different angles. As it progresses, it highlights the different features that it offers, like "multi-sense drive modes", "turbo charged engine", and more. While adding aerodynamic effects to the car as it moves around the city.

Entertainment

The entertainment sector is seemingly the perfect industry to make use of naked-eye 3D advertising. They can use these displays to tease their upcoming movies, web series, video games, and more. A good example of this is the Red XIII 3D Billboard Video to celebrate the launch of FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE on the Windows PC platform. This video could be enjoyed by viewers in Omotesando, Tokyo, as part of a game's campaign that happened in Japan.

How do Forced Perspective LED Installations work?

The effectiveness of the illusion of forced perspective LED screens mainly comes down to the 3D content created for it. Thus, when an anamorphic CGI production pipeline is created, the developers and animators need to ensure that all of the 3D models and other visual elements like the animations and effects perfectly align with the LED screen, and that the display is configured according to the intended viewing position.

To make a naked-eye 3D advertisement work, the first thing the brand needs to do is understand and select the type of screens that they will be using. This means whether they are going for a 90-degree corner or a curved screen. Next, they also need to understand the physical dimensions, resolution, pixel pitch, and orientation of the LED display to make it work. Once the team identifies how the screen connects, the next step is to set up a virtual camera. This camera is often referred to as the sweet spot, as this is the best angle for viewing the content that will be advertised.

Next comes the most important step, which is creating the 3D CGI assets. Forced perspective anamorphic billboards require expert designers who can make realistic 3D models, environments, textures, and lighting effects. After that, these 3D objects need to be animated in such a way that their interactions with the environment, shadows, and reflections feel natural. Once the content is ready, it is mapped to the LED screen. Finally, the content is tested from the intended viewpoint to check for perspective alignment, depth perception, colour accuracy, and playback performance. The goal of this final testing is to ensure the content doesn't appear stretched or squished, and if it does, it needs to be optimized.

To sum it up, forced perspective LED screens are excellent for grabbing the audience's attention and keeping them engaged. The magic behind this technology isn't in the hardware, but in the content. These anamorphic CGI billboards typically connect at a perfect 90-degree angle or make use of curved screens. Since these installations don't require any additional hardware, several industries like retail, automotive, entertainment, and more can benefit from these naked-eye 3D advertisements.

Want to Use Forced Perspective LED Screens for Your Next Campaign?

We at Ink In Caps are a MarTech firm that has several projects on anamorphic content across different industries like real estate and retail, having worked with Godrej and Procter & Gamble. Get in touch with our team, and together we will create something that works for your brand. Book a demo now!