Philippe Bergeron chosen for once-in-a-lifetime event
Philippe Bergeron, a Quebecois living in Los Angeles for several years, made history last week by producing the very first 3D architectural projection on an operational rocket in Cape Canaveral, Fla., ahead of its launch. Indeed, PaintScaping, the 3D mapping company founded by Bergeron in 2009, was hired by United Launch Alliance (ULA) for this once-in-a-lifetime event.
“It’s truly an honor to have been selected to map a rocket at the famous Cape Canaveral,” said Bergeron from his home in California. The Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is responsible for several historic launches.
The mapping consisted of the history of ULA, from the flight of John Glenn, first American to perform an orbital flight, to the future of the space company. Six Christie 45,000 ISO lumens projectors were used for this technological feat, among the most powerful projectors for 3D mapping. Christie Digital, the manufacturer, is a Canadian company based in Kitchener, Ontario.
PaintScaping holds several records in the mapping world, including Park MGM, in Las Vegas – the largest USA mapping ever, and Calvin Harris featuring Rihanna’s music video, This is what you came for, the most viewed mapping ever on YouTube, at 2.4 billion views.
Bergeron has had an eclectic career, both in computer animation and in acting. He co-directed, with Pierre Lachapelle, Pierre Robidoux, and Daniel Langlois, the revolutionary computer animation short Tony de Peltrie, closing film at SIGGRAPH in San Francisco, in 1985. It was the first synthetic human to convey emotions. Time Magazine described it as a “breakthrough.”
As an actor, Bergeron has appeared in several films and television shows, including Iron Man 2, Mad Men, Rush Hour 3, The Family Man, and Contact. He played a Québec Mafioso in TheSopranos – voted best series ever by several critics. Bergeron holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science from University of Montreal, and has published a dozen articles on computer graphics.
PaintScaping’s other major projects include the famed San Diego Zoo, voted #1 zoo in the world, as well as Rodeo Drive, Sony Pictures, Tiffany, Porsche, and Ritz-Carlton. In Québec, PaintScaping produced a mapping on Le Palais Montcalm, during the Québec Winter Carnival, in 2013.
