Hurrairah bin Sohail discovers why Bermuda Storm in China won the Arts & Experience category at the 2025 Inavation Awards.
Located in the newly built Chimelong Spaceship Indoor Theme Park, Bermuda Storm is a testament to the evolution of experiences and attractions. Guests are invited to embark on a journey where technology, content, media, special effects, and an engaging narrative come together to entertain and delight.
Chimelong Group, the owner of the attraction, contracted Kraftwerk Living Technologies (KLT) to provide AV consultancy, media technology and systems integration services.
Joining the delivery team were Far Out! who provided creative direction, Mack Animation responsible for media production, Brogent Technologies who provided a motion base platform, Technifex in charge of mechanical and special effects, Visual Terrain who provided lighting, and Yessian Music & Sound Design handling audio.
Thomas Gellermann, head of special projects, Kraftwerk Living Technologies, begins: “In the planning stages of the Chimelong Spaceship, it was clear that an innovative e-ticket media attraction was essential. Driven by the ambitious vision of Mr Su Zhigang (chairman and founder of Chimelong Group), the plan included a groundbreaking feature: a large, single-piece motion platform unlike anything previously constructed.”
KLT was responsible for delivering a fully integrated queue area, pre-show, and main theatre systems for the simulator experience at Bermuda Storm. This simulator, accommodating up to 304 riders on a single motion base platform, allows visitors to board a ship and experience the thrill of sailing through an epic storm.
The experience at Bermuda Storm begins from the moment visitors step into the entrance area and join the queue where they are transported to a Caribbean setting complete with palm trees, island melodies, and screens that beckon them to embark on a whale-watching expedition with Captain Bob and his animated sidekick, Charlie the chimpanzee.
The themed queue line features over 40 speakers, eight video monitors, and lighting transitions. The technology immerses guests into the world they are about to experience by explaining the backstory of the main characters. Skylights mimic the soft glow of twilight, offering glimpses of Captain Bob and Charlie's shore office.
A variety of speakers from QSC paired with two CXD4.3Q amplifiers make up the audio system in the queuing area. LG monitors with Brightsign players are used for the video system.
As guests transition from the dock into the ship’s interior, projection and captivating soundscapes set the stage for the upcoming adventure.
Moving into the pre-show, guests step from ‘land’ on to the ‘boat’ with an experience that takes place in the attraction’s briefing room and imitates a boat that is slowly leaving the harbour with ‘side windows’ providing a view of a cleverly placed landscape created by blended projection. The projection is hidden behind the walls and guests can only see the movement of the outside world through the windows.
In the front of the room there is a themed Captain’s Bridge, and the main characters appear on a holographic projection dome with short throw projection and gauze screens.
The entire pre-show floor is a floating structure with 48 transducers mounted underneath to give the guests a sense of the rumblings of the boats engine as it leaves the harbour. As a rumble signals the start of the voyage, the doors open, and visitors enter the main show area, at the bow of the ship, marking the beginning of their journey through the Bermuda Storm.
QSC AP-5152 units serve as the main speakers and are supported by AP-4122m speakers. QSC GP218 subwoofers provide the low end. The audio system is powered by QSC CXD4.3Q amplifiers.
Twelve Epson EB-700U projectors, two Barco UDX-W22 projectors, and screens from Holo Gauze are pressed into action. LG flat panel displays augment visuals while content is delivered with the help of Brainsalt processing.
Moving to the main portion of the attraction, the patrons step out onto a ‘viewing deck’ at the front of the boat which is a moving simulator. A large immersive perforated projection dome surrounds and immerses the guests into a realistic environment with a panoramic view.
Two of the most impressive technical systems are the state-of-the-art audio system and the unique projection screen system.
The custom-designed (LFE) system features QSC speakers, subwoofers, special effect speakers, James Loudspeaker units, and Meyer Sound point source speakers as well as subwoofers for low end extension. These speakers, installed behind the screen out of the guests’ view, are arranged densely and allow for the creation of a spatial 41-channel 3D soundscape.
The more conventional subwoofers behind the screen are supplemented with two very low frequency elements (VLFE) on the floor to support the frequency range from 11Hz to around 30Hz, as well as a large number of transducers below the platform to generate a vibrating effect to simulate the boat ride and it crashing through waves.
A Q-SYS Core 510i DSP and QSC amplifiers complete the audio system.
Gellermann says: “With these three systems we were able to create a very powerful LFE system with a frequency range from 1Hz up to around 100Hz. This gives the content creator every freedom they need to immerse the audience and pull them into the drama of the storm and the story.”
The main theatre features an innovative 44m diameter, complex-shaped dome screen with a 90m circumference, offering over 10,000 pixels in length and a 237-degree horizontal field of view. The resolution is defined in a 5K Dome Master Format of 5,120 pixels in diameter.
One of the world’s largest curved projection screens from Endurescreens, measuring in at 1,682.2 sq m, serves as the canvas. The unique curved shape had to be custom-designed and made just for the attraction, and it had to be built on site with the ride and pool in place, which are positioned right in the middle of the main show area making access a challenging and interesting puzzle to solve. Sequences for the screen construction and installation and testing needed to be coordinated very precisely.
Four Barco 4K XDL-4K60 projectors, each with 60,000 lumens and an external cooling system were installed to deliver visuals. KLT had to plan the placement with great precision in order to avoid shadows from the ride system and to project the large-scale screen area.
The video image is created by a 4 x 4K blended projection with an auto-alignment system, ensuring crisp images for every show. Brainsalt processing comes in to ensure visuals are rendered. A Crestron Pro 3 control processor manages the AV system while Brainsalt processors provide show control.
Gellermann details: “We needed a high-end playback system with integrated motion control and Brainsalt checked both these boxes. In addition, it also has an auto-alignment system which set it apart from the rest of options we considered. The Brainsalt processor was able to do everything we needed in one box.”
A custom-built motion platform by Brogent Technologies measuring 24.4m wide and 25.6m long, standing 7.1m above the ground is deployed. It is capable of heave (+/- 0.45m), roll (+/- 5-degrees), and pitch (+/- 7-degrees) movements, accommodating up to 304 standing passengers.
The entire show experience is enhanced by precisely integrated show action and special effects from Technifex, including cannonball water splash effects, boat wake and splash water effects, overhead and bow fans with water mist effects, lightning, and vibration in the motion base handrails – all seamlessly integrated without affecting the motion platform and projection screen.
The system features water cannon explosions placed in a large pool between the dome screen and simulator platform. These are used during a battle scene, and water spritz on the front of the simulator platform is used to simulate ocean spray as the boat moves through the waves.
On the front of the simulator platform, an animatronic of Charlie the chimpanzee pops up via a massive, customised stage lift to surprise guests, assist in the battle against an enormous kraken, and guide the show to a conclusion.
The creation of Bermuda Storm was a Herculean effort, and Gellermann indicated that the trust placed in KLT from the client was crucial to its success, allowing the delivery of “something truly stunning and unique”.
Tech Spec
Audio
James Loudspeaker units
Meyer Sound point source speakers, subwoofers
QSC AD-S6T, AD-C6T, AD-P6T, AD-S112, AP-5152, AP-4122m speakers, CXD4.3Q amplifiers, GP218 subwoofers, Q-SYS Core 510i DSP
Video
Barco UDX-W22, 4K XDL-4K60 projectors
Brainsalt B8 series media server
Brightsign HD1023 players
Brogent Technologies motion platform
Endurescreens dome screen
Epson EB-700U projectors
Holo Gauze screens
LG 43SE3KD displays, flat panels
Control
Brainsalt BX series processors
Crestron Pro 3 control processor
Photo credits: Chimelong Group