We wanted the experience to have continuity as passengers move through the airport, with ideas and inspirations emerging in one moment and then fanning out to others. To achieve this, we developed several modular storytelling threads relevant to passengers: the passenger experience, the iconography of Los Angeles, and the destinations served by the Tom Bradley International Terminal. This modular approach allows the features to provide a consistent but surprising experience as passengers transition through the terminal. With each media feature, we sought an appropriate level of engagement to highlight key moments, signposting the emotional arc of the travel experience with ambient storytelling and playful interactive components. The goal was to capture imagination without overwhelming passengers by competing with their practical trajectory and efficient way-finding. Real-time weather data, a clock, and travel information, for example, are incorporated into the content so the media features are informational as much as they are a work of art and ambience.
Created over 16 months, the more than 4 hours of video content we produced for the installation required a massive coordination effort with location shoots on 3 continents, time-lapse photography, ultra-high-speed filming in laboratory conditions, live-action shoots with actors and elaborate sets, interactive real-time 3D and video effects. Despite this abundance of content, there is no sense of screens or technology within the terminal, only architecture that comes alive. The success of this collaboration is an example of how content production and multimedia design can dovetail with architectural plans to support the flow of traffic through a space and enhance user experience. The modular design of the content also leaves the system open to development with the addition of new content, sponsorships, and ideas. No longer would the airport be an uninspired place to transition through as quickly as possible. At LAX, the latest in multimedia entertainment meets essential functionality, turning the terminal into a spectacular, welcoming space to spend time: a destination unto itself.
