How did FulldomePro upgrade the game in the Dome market?

  FulldomePro, one of our hardware partners and leader in the construction of dome solutions in the attractions industry, was founded in 2010 with the aim of bringing easy-to-use digital Dome technology in the industry of fun. As you may already know, in June 2019 we took part in IAAPA Expo Asia in Shanghai, where we showcased our CGI content on a Dome simulator that was kindly provided by FulldomePro. Following, an interview with Yana Fedorova, Head of Business Development at FulldomePro: we asked her some insights on this amazing company and she was more than happy and available to answer our questions.  

When FulldomePro was founded in 2010, what made you think of a company focused only on Dome solutions?

We at FulldomePro totally fell in love with dome screens as one of the most immersive media environments. Previously people could only experience this dome immersion in planetariums to explore space. With modern technology and FulldomePro’s creative ideas, we can now explore not only space but travel around the world, take the role of a character in a fantastic fairytale, have a look at underwater life and be part of any story. So, the main idea behind FulldomePro, is to bring this immersive experience to other parts of our lives. First of all to the entertainment industry, which is very closely connected to the emotional aspect of our lives.  

What makes Domes the future compared to any other digital attraction?

Dome attractions are definitely futuristic because they totally give you the overall feeling of being in a different reality. Especially when accompanied by motion seats and effects – it is complete immersion, which very few media formats can provide. At the same time, dome based attractions feel very natural and comfortable, because you don’t need to wear anything on your face, no headsets, no helmets, and usually not even 3D glasses. Everything you see around is screen. And you use your peripheral vision too. This is how it works in real life, so it feels very natural. Besides, when the content is made the right way and the potential of the immersive screen is used to the fullest, visitors will feel the 3D and volume even without actually needing a stereoscopic picture.  

With 360 Dome Theater, you’ve created the futuristic attraction that industry professionals were waiting for. Tell us more about this new dome format.

We can talk about domes forever, but this is visual experience first of all. It is better to see it once than to hear about it 100 times. What we at FulldomePro consider to be the main advantage of dome attractions is that you can share your feelings and emotions with others, your family, your friends. Your visitors are not isolated by headsets. The dome definitely provides a social immersive experience which you can share, and this is what is really important. We can all watch anything on Netflix at home but we still want to go to the cinema, because it is a social experience. It’s the same here, you can enjoy VR at home on your personal device but if you want to go through the immersive experience with your loved ones, a dome theater/dome attraction is ideal.  

Video content that is specifically designed for the attractions industry is what really allows great hardware to glow. What importance do you give to content in your Domes?

We totally agree! FulldomePro is a provider of complete turnkey solutions, meaning we do the engineering, design, manufacturing, project supervision, installation, and maintenance of high-quality mobile and fixed dome theaters, so we can be totally sure of the technology that we offer. This is extremely important for integrators, master planners, etc., but not to the end user, because people do not come to the dome theater to see the dome itself, no matter how good it is, or how easy and smart it is to use. Visitors come to get the experience. This is where content is most important and plays a major role. Only a great show can really ensure that visitors get most of the attraction and live it through. So, yes, content is definitely a key element.  

Why have you chosen Red Raion as your content partner?

FulldomePro is always looking to partner with the pioneers of the industry. We have been successfully working with many companies in the entertainment industry. Being a young and progressive company with a lot of revolutionary ideas we definitely need support from companies with similar vision and strategy. What we have experienced over the years, is that it is really hard to find high-quality content available for distribution and at a very reasonable cost. As Red Raion is one of the leaders in high-quality content production, we believe that dome format shows will be definitely the future. The industry has a huge need for high-quality dome shows.  

What are your next cutting-edge plans for the future?

We are excited to launch our first flying theater projects, to share it with our partners and customers, and of course, to start actively implementing projects with VR domes and 360 projection sphere as the next level of the dome projection evolution.