Assessment of: Pirates of the Caribbean, Shanghai Disney.

Questions For The Pirates Video: 

1. Reaction? 
  
 Hearing the experiences of the park goers is really satisfying because it looks like the people were really immersed in the pirates fantasy that the attraction was selling. The effects being used in synchronization with the projection/video mapping was really impressive, and really helped sell that everything was working together, like with the scene were Jack and Davy Jones were fighting and it was reacting with the set around it. Overall I think it looks like a really fun dark ride, more fun than most dark rides that I've ever seen or been on.
The addition of the restaurant being near the start of the ride also adds a nice touch of atmosphere to both the restaurant and the ride, with being able to see more themed areas while inside of the ride. This also provides entertainment for people who are eating at the restaurant as well, which is always nice when taking a break.

2. What connections did you make with the ride? Discuss the elements that you connected with.

The connections that I managed to make with the ride was the aspect of selling the whole underwater theme with the entire ride, from the set dressing to the projection mapping putting us underwater. There was also the elements of practical effects being used in conjunction with the other effects. Some of the cool elements of this was the two physical pirate ships that were in the ride during the battle between the two ships, and the practical fountain effects being used to simulate cannonballs splashing into the water.
The other really cool elements that I was able to connect with was the quality of the animatronics on the ride. Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones' movements while they were animatronics were incredibly fluid for what they are, and surprising that they haven't broken down from the amount of intense movement they have to do for a repeated amount of times a day. The subtle movements of the fingers and eyes really helps sell that they're more 'alive' than your standard animatronic.
Also, for the aspects of selling the underwater feeling, the lighting was done excellently to help the riders feel very submersed in the ocean with all of the sea life floating around, as well as the Kraken showing up.

3.  What changes would you make to adapt this work into another medium? What medium would you use? What changes would you make?

If I were to change this into another medium, it would probably be the one that I'm specifically studying which is Video Game art and development.
This would mean that I'm moving it into a fully 3D medium, and would likely opt to make it a VR experience so it feels more immersive.
The changes that I would make is to obviously put the entire ride into a 3D experience with something like Unreal, and allow the 'player' to be on rails and moved along in this new environment, taking extra advantage of sound being able to be heard around the players location with a VR headset. There would be an even better opportunity for objects that occur in the ride to get up close and personal with the player as well, such as the mermaids appearing and singing a small siren song.
The other changes that I think would need to be done is to make the experience longer, and have more of a definite story ending that could be enjoyed by the player. While being a VR game it would lose the effect of being in a physical little raft and the sprays of water, the fidelity of a good game engine and excellent sound design could immerse the player just as much if not more into the world of the Pirates of the Caribbean, especially as a VR ride experience.

Black Panther Park Proposal - Cam Cook

The proposal for this theme park is as follows:

The Wakanda theme park is going to be reasonably large, with an entrance to the park mimicking the mouth of the large panther statue that's featured in the Marvel movie, Black Panther. This provides a huge landmark for people entering the park. The 'weenie' for this park is going to be the royal Wakanda palace, which is also going to be a hotel for the inner park. Stays in the hotel will be expensive, but offer gorgeous views of the park, catered hotel service, and luxury interiors that immerse you in the experience of staying in this hotel.

There are two main rides, a slow ride with no height requirements, and a thrill ride, with requirements.

The slow ride is called Spirit of the Black Panther, and offers riders a 'dark-ride' style trip through the ancestral plane of Black Panther, with beautiful colors and projection animals/animatronics. Riders are offered an immersive experience with gorgeous simulated landscapes into the ancestral plane, with the cool breeze offering the rider's some respite from the outside areas of the park.

The thrill ride is called Bast's Fury (named after the black panther goddess), and offers two loops with many twists and turns and high drops, offering riders both a thrilling experience and a wonderful view of the park from above. Photo opportunities are had when people make the first descent on the first large drop, and riders are able to buy the photo if they choose after the ride.

One of the 'shows' is going to be an act simulating the opening sequence from the Black Panther movie, showing the history of Wakanda, how the Black Panther came to be, and various cultural dances from the tribes that make up Wakanda.

Another attraction would be a safari park, where various animals, such as the White Rhino, will roam and be observable by guests.

The main traits of the park are going to be:
 - Afro-futurism
 - Community
 - Tradition

Aspects of the park are going to mimic the city of Wakanda, with various tribes that are both in the movie, not in the movie, or are only mentioned being represented in the park.

Food that is based in the park is going to be traditional meals based from the different tribes present in Wakanda, with healthy beverages being offered to people in the park (teas, water, etc) as an alternative to soda. To keep with efforts of reducing plastic waste, the park would use biodegradable products to serve on-the-go food in.
One example of a quick treat food to have in the park would be the Heart-shaped Herb Cone, which is a simple snow cone colored with butterfly pea flower (For blue) and served with a cut lime (or lemon) for the customer to drizzle onto the cone in order to have it shift to a beautiful purple/red color, much like the flower. It's flavored with honey, and topped with chopped fresh mango. No artificial colors or sweeteners.

Marketing is going to be based on Black Panther products, such as masks, clothing, accessories, plush toys, posters, and more. Beyond being a Marvel product to promote the buying of products, a deal to donate a percentage of the profits to outreach/enrichment programs could be made.  Proceeds could also be donated to endangered animal programs, to go with the safari park.