Aztec Event Services deployed a specially equipped mobile projection van onto the streets of Berlin and Milan between 8 – 16 December, for its client onedotzero, the digital experience specialists. The activity was part of a campaign conceived by London creative agency Publicis for German conglomerate Tempo.

The van was equipped with two Christie Roadster projectors, a selection of lenses, two small petrol generators and a selection of laptops, tablets and networking equipment. It was driven and operated by Ed Kitchingman, project manager, and Ashley Attwood, technical manager.

For three days in Berlin and two in Milan, the Aztec team spent daylight hours scouting for suitable city centre locations with good projection opportunities while also being suitable for interviewing passers-by without causing too much disruption.

With three or four locations on the shortlist each day, the onedotzero and Aztec teams took to the streets as the sun set and outdoor projection became possible. The onedotzero production team interviewed willing passers-by on camera, asking them “If you could relive one moment from 2013, what would it be?” .

This straightforward question elicited huge variety of responses, from the deeply moving to the frivolous and, as soon as the answer was given, the onedotzero interviewer would tap a summarised version into their tablet.

At that moment the text was transmitted via WiFi to the Aztec team waiting in the van and armed with a 13,500 lumen projector. Within seconds the interviewee’s moment of the year would be projected onto the wall behind the subject in bright, crisp and large letters for the whole world to see. Then with a dramatic flourish, the subject was invited to turn around for a “reveal moment” caught on camera, when they saw their very personal and unique memory emblazoned in letters of light high up on the wall of a building. The pieces were later posted online through the campaign’s dedicated website.

Ashley Attwood, Aztec’s technical manager and long distance van driver, clearly enjoyed the experience, “This project was really different. The ‘guerilla’ nature of the work, deploying and packing up rapidly several times a day, made it hard work but great fun. Finding the locations was pretty challenging, the late finishes weren’t always easy, but watching the final results was really rewarding and there were some genuinely moving moments. It was a great experience.”

Sophie Walter, managing director of onedotzero, was full of praise for the Aztec team, “Ashley and Ed did an outstanding job, scouting locations, managing the tech and, of course, creating the all important projections to make the magic happen. The resulting videos from Berlin and Milan really speak for themselves!”