Creating Sony Pictures’ Ghostbusters: Afterlife ECTO-1 interactive display using Unity

When Dr. Peter Venkman uttered the phrase “Generally you don’t see that kind of behavior in a major appliance,” he wasn’t referring to the Sony Spatial Reality Display. With a legacy of cutting-edge visuals and 3D technology, combined with an incredible optical experience, Sony’s Spatial Reality Display opens up a whole new world of design and visualization for workflows in entertainment and beyond.

On June 8 – known as Ghostbusters Day, the anniversary of the original 1984 film’s theatrical release – Sony Pictures released a behind-the-scenes video for the upcoming film Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

Featuring Director James Reitman and Production Designer Francois Audouy, this backstage footage demonstrated how Sony’s Spatial Reality Display can be used in the industry to visualize the look and the feel of the movie.

Using the Spatial Reality Display’s unique eye-sensing technology and real-time rendering algorithm, Reitman and Audouy were able to see the staple symbol of the Ghostbusters franchise – the Ecto-1 – come to life in a virtual space. Recreating this classic car in real-time 3D using Unity allowed them to view the vehicle in new ways while maintaining its authenticity and nostalgia factor.

In the entertainment industry, where working with various designs requires consistent feedback, the Spatial Reality Display allows the production and design teams to communicate with one another more concisely and efficiently. Implementing the display as part of the Unity review process streamlined the workflow and posed an opportunity for the team to see the vision realized directly in front of them and to make changes instantaneously.

The applications for using this new display technology for Unity workflows extend far beyond media and entertainment. The Spatial Reality Display can be used across the many design and visualization disciplines that Unity enables, and has broad uses for 3D visuals as a new medium for artistic innovation.

“Anything that I can use as a tool to be more efficient and to communicate concise detailed notes to artists is valuable to me,” says Audouy. “It’s an opportunity to really get on the same page in a design sense and show a director what you’re intending – it’s a really exciting piece of technology.”

Ghostbusters: Afterlife exclusively in theaters Fall 2021

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Learn more about Sony’s Spatial Reality Display.