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Darth Vader 3D Billboard Towers Over Times Square

ILM and LG team up to create the experiential display.

Published

2 years ago

July 12, 2022

Signs of the Times Staff

Darth Vader 3D billboard in Times Square

The new 3D billboard of Darth Vader from Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and LG Display.

LG Electronics’ (Seoul, South Korea) massive digital billboard overlooking Times Square recently became home to a realistic 3D display of Star Wars’ most iconic antagonist: Darth Vader.

Lucasfilm’s visual effects division, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM, San Francisco), used LG Display’s OLED devices to power the New York billboard’s visual effects, Nerdist reports.

Unveiled last month to promote both LG’s OLED technology and the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi, the new billboard’s video opens with doors lifting to reveal Darth Vader in his chamber. He walks to the edge, looks down at pedestrians, drags his lightsaber along the ground and paces to both sides of the building corner thanks to wrap-around screens.

The collaboration with ILM comes on the heels of another 3D billboard promoting The Book of Boba Fett. Both anamorphic videos create “a visual illusion of the content being projected forward from a certain vantage point,” according to LG Display. “With this technique, one can simulate 3D content on a 2D screen to provide the most immersive viewing experience.”

Watch the video below to learn more about the technology behind The Book of Boba Fett billboard that launched in April.

Signs of the Times Staff

Signs of the Times has been the world leader in sign information since 1906. Contact Signs of the Times' editors at editor@signsofthetimes.com.

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