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DMN Newswire--2008-11-9--Taking interactive gaming to a new level, The Real Deal!, the first live, interactive poker-themed stage show, recently debuted at The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas. Hosted by Vinny Favorito, the project was developed by Executive Producers Merv Adelson and Gary Smith at The Merv Adelson Company in conjunction with entertainment experience company TimePlay, which collaborated with hybrid production studio Psychic Bunny to produce the intensive media for this innovative and immersive engagement.
Working in partnership with the worldâ??s most renowned poker professionals, The Real Deal! introduces a new paradigm in entertainment, a live show format that combines humor, the latest in wireless technology, and abundant prizes in wildly-fun, fast-paced action that will entertain poker enthusiasts and non-players alike. Staged in The Venetian Showroom, The Real Deal! engages the audience to participate both on-stage and from their seats through the use of wireless touch screen devices. The Real Deal! employs a revolutionary multi-player platform with interactive content. Playing both against and alongside the pros, audience members earn points to vie for prizes ranging from show merchandise to spectacular home electronics and more, including a chance to win a $1 million grand prize.
For more on the show, visit http://www.therealdeallv.com.
Upping the production ante, Psychic Bunny designed and created all graphics for the game, from live camera stat screens to scoreboards to screens for the wireless handheld devices. Psychic Bunny also wrote and produced 12 ten-second animations for key moments in the game, such as when a player goes all in, or busts out. It was a complex process requiring large format interactive experience and a unique visual sensibility.
â??The most exciting aspect of this game is that it has never been done before,â?? says Psychic Bunny Creative Director Rick Castañeda. â??This is the first time that an entire theater full of people can all play the same game of Poker. We've had to create big screen splash screens, huge multi-display leaderboards, and tiny handheld screens and bring it together for a first time experience.â??
"Working on these sort of hybrid, never-been-done projects, we constantly have to be on our toes," adds Psychic Bunny Creative Partner Doug Spice. "Specs change overnight, so we developed an ability to adapt to that with agility. For example, the hardware specs changed in the theater to include 4-panel displays. Immediately, we had to dive into re-designing various graphics to look natural on both the 4-panel and single-screen displays, which we did swiftly and successfully!"
TimePlay, the exclusive provider of the CineLynx platform, partnered with Psychic Bunny having previously collaborated with the company on projects that included both cinematic design and interface design for handheld units.
"Because these live, interactive shows are blazing new trails both technically and in terms of design, they require a fair amount of iteration and agility to get all the pieces right," notes TimePlayâ??s John Race. "Psychic Bunny has been the ideal partner for us. They are flexible, fast and incredibly creative and we're eager to start our next project with them."
Psychic Bunny is known for bringing broadcast design sensibility to interactive projects for a variety of clients including Bratz and Pokemon.
"I think our ability to use both right and left sides of the brain makes us stand out," explains Casteñeda. "We have the artistic direction to make something look really awesome and original on the big screen, but also possess the game design knowledge to know how all these assets need to link together, and how to deliver them. It was crazy and incredible fun."
Psychic Bunny is a creative collective that produces projects for the advertising, entertainment and gaming communities. From complete packages to executing key elements, the Psychic Bunny approach stems from its foundersâ?? multidisciplinary experience in film production, screenwriting, motion graphics and interactive design all combined in a small but mighty force. The hybrid studio is a hub of production (both live and digital), design and prototyping, concept development, content creation and future prediction.
http://www.psychicbunny.com.
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