Tupac’s hologram performance sparks ideas for other late artists

April 25, 2012

With all the hype and attention that Tupac’s hologram performance at Coachella is getting, it has sparked the question for what the future holds for other deceased artists.

“The projection part is pretty simple, and has been done for many years. It’s a piece of glass that reflects onto a screen. They create a ghost like image to create a 3D like effect. It is a technique that has been used in different plays,” says SLCC Film Instructor Channing Lowe.

Lowe isn’t sure if SLCC teaches that same technology in any classes, but suggested that students interested in a similar field should check out the 3D animation degree.

“The Tupac hologram was pretty cool. I liked how real it seemed and that the original artists for the song, both Tupac and Snoop Dogg, were there,” says Student Ben Bradshaw.

In an informal poll of 50 students, 76 percent said that they would go see one of their favorite late entertainers in hologram form in concert.

“I would definitely go to a concert featuring Tupac as a hologram. He is one of the best lyrically, and just to have a chance to go see him would be well worth my time,” says student Peter VanDyke.

While there are many students who feel that seeing one of their favorite late entertainers perform would be worth spending the time and money, others have not yet jumped on to the big hype.

“I feel like it would be watching a glorified movie. So if the ticket pricing was movie prices then maybe, but probably not,” says Student Conrad Blackburn.

Whether or not students agreed on if they would attend a similar show, one thing that was a common phrase was how realistic the hologram looked, and wondered how it was created.