Immersive content creation - Video Mapping
Video mapping, or projection mapping, is a revolutionary technology that transforms ordinary surfaces into breathtaking visual shows. By projecting video animations onto three-dimensional structures, it creates immersive experiences that captivate audiences. In the world of experiential marketing, this technique offers a unique opportunity to engage spectators, transforming events, exhibitions and art installations into interactive and memorable adventures. Projection mapping thus makes it possible to disrupt traditional visions of space and perception, offering brands, artists and event organizers a powerful tool to enrich their narratives and create strong emotional links with their audience.
What is video mapping?
Video mapping is a technology that involves projecting images or videos onto an object or non-smooth surface in order to create an illusion of movement and depth. The result is a spellbinding visual experience that tells stories or changes the public’s perception of a place or object.
This experiential marketing technique can be adapted to all types of surfaces, transforming buildings, objects, sculptures, tables, vegetation, stages and even water into surprising displays. Mainly contemplative, these devices can also, depending on their level of complexity, become interactive.

What is the creation process?
1. Concept
Apart from the technical elements, it is essential to start a video mapping project with a creative and artistic vision. Designing a real story to captivate the audience and immerse them in the world of the projection through meticulous art direction. So the first stages generally involve storytelling, moodboards and then storyboards.
2. 3D modeling
It is essential to start by understanding the surface on which the video projection will be produced. Taking measurements, understanding the adjacent environment and analyzing the axes of visibility by the public are the three main elements to be taken into account.
Once the data has been collected, it is transcribed onto 3D modeling software to create a digital representation of the surface with its different reliefs. This modeling allows us to visualize how the video content will adapt to the shape and dimensions of the surface and to identify areas of shadow and important viewing angles.
3. Video content creation
Based on 3D modeling and storyboards, the production teams begin to concretely create the video content. This may include animations, special effects, visual patterns and any other graphic elements needed to realize the artistic vision of the project. During this phase, it is important to keep in mind how the content will fit into the projection surface and how it will interact with its environment.
4. Sound integration
This stage is not essential but it is nonetheless extremely important in order to produce a successful immersive experience. In particular, it can be designed in parallel with stage 3 with a view to creating a bespoke soundtrack to punctuate the video and provide the audience with a complete audiovisual experience.
5. Video mapping
Once the video content has been created in the right format, it must then be precisely adapted to the reliefs of the projection surface. This stage consists of accurately aligning the previously created content with the contours, depth zones and shape of the surface.
6. Adjustment, testing and installation
Once all the content has been completed, it is important to plan a test and adjustment phase at the projection location. This will enable the brightness, contrast and/or resolution to be calibrated to ensure that the content is presented in a both high-quality and readable way to the audience.
What equipment is needed?
- Projectors: The power and type of projectors depend on the size of the surface and ambient light conditions.
- Media servers: They are used to synchronize the animations with the projection and ensure that the content is broadcast without lag or interruption.
- Mapping software: Software like MadMapper, VPT (Video Projection Tool), or Resolume Arena are frequently used to align video content with complex surfaces.
- Sound system: The scale of the set-up and the installation of the various audio supports are influenced by the layout of the environment and the public’s lines of visibility.

Contexts of use of video mapping
There are many potential applications for video mapping or projection mapping, but this technique is today mainly used in the fields of art or entertainment, for street marketing and events. The main applications are as follows:
- Projections on facades: these are often used at urban events such as light festivals or city celebrations to transform iconic buildings into canvases for dazzling visual spectacles. The idea here is either to take advantage of the reputation of a renowned place to maximize the impact of a projection, or to modify the perception of an architectural construction in order to magnify it or allow the public to (re) discover from a new perspective.
- Immersive dinners: these create augmented dining experiences by integrating video mapping to create themed atmospheres that tell a story while corresponding to the menu. Visual projections complement the dishes served, offering diners with a unique multi-sensory experience.
- Projection on objects: unlike monumental projections on facades, projection on objects focuses on an object of variable size to change its perception more finely and offer a considerable level of detail. It can be used for both product launches (particularly automobile) and artistic installations (generally white surfaces with relief brought to life by video mapping).
- Projection of shows: these aim to amplify the impact of an artistic performance through light and video. Video mapping is used to create interactive sets that respond to music and movement, offering an immersive multimedia experience to the audience.
What is the secret to successful video mapping?
- The quality of the creative and artistic direction
In the age of artificial intelligence and automated tools, it has never been easier to create massive streams of content. However, no artificial intelligence tool is currently capable of modeling a surface or creating a video mapping, which puts the importance of creative and artistic direction at the forefront. The quality of the story being told, the visual atmosphere and the overall coherence between the different “tableaux” are essential criteria for the success of your future creations.
- The synergy between sound & video
Forgotten simple playlists from royalty-free libraries without additional work. By definition, video mapping is an immersive, contemplative experience and therefore requires a high level of quality in both visual and sound terms. So not only it is recommended to surround yourself with a high-quality sound design team but also to ensure that the synergy between the video, lighting and sound designers is complete. This will result in a uniform experience giving the impression of having been created by a single person while benefiting from multiple expertises.
- The precision of the mapping
As with all immersive shows, attention to detail is the key to success. Indeed, if the quality is not there, there is a risk that the audience will not feel completely immersed in the experience and this will put an end to the illusion. Of course, the higher the level of animation, the higher the requirements will also have to be. It is therefore a question of striking the right balance between increasing quality (and so costs) and the potential gain in impact if the experience were of a higher quality.
- Interaction with the environment
We are getting closer to the architectural codes here, because it is not only a question of the projection surface but also of the surrounding elements. High-quality video mapping takes into consideration the environment as a whole in order to disrupt the public’s perception while offering fluid and legible animations.