House Mapping Video Content
Something you are definitely going to need to create your holiday projection mapping show is video content.
You can design your own from scratch, or you can source content free online or buy content.
If you want to create your own designs from scratch I would highly recommend YouTube tutorials to teach you pretty much any effect you can dream up.
Free
You can also adapt or layer effects on top of free content available online.
YouTube is a great resource for this. Search for “green screen” or “chroma key” to find footage with a background you can remove using the chrome keying technique. And anything with a black background is good because projecting black is the same as projecting nothing at all.
Free stock footage sites are a brilliant source of copyright free video and images.
A good example of this is Pixabay or Videvo.
soundimage.org is a good source of sound effects as is freesound.org.
textures.com is great for images of different materials like stone and wood.
Using tools like doodad you can generate hundreds of tillable patterns.
Free Video Content
See a list of some of my favourite resources for free video content online.
Paid
Then of course you can pay for content.
AtmosFX is the biggest player in this space. Their content is very popular and high quality though it is quite pricey.
You could consider subscription services like Envato Elements which gives you access to thousands of high quality videos, motion graphics, images and sounds.
There are other places like holidayprojection.com, hi-rezdesigns, HallowFX and the Luma Box shop.
Pre-Made
Lastly, a discussion about pre-made shows that you can buy.
The way this works is that you submit the outline map of your house, you select from one of their pre-made shows and they adapt it to your house.
These usually cost between $99-$200.
You still need to create and submit an outline map of your house, so you can’t wash your hands of the technical process entirely.
And this map needs to be correct; if you change your mind on the projector position or you made a mistake – too bad, the show won’t fit on your house.
They are selling you the final video file, so it’s much harder to make your own edits or tweaks.
Also watch out for copyright infringement. Some of these companies use movie clips or characters which are someone else’s intellectual property which is against the law.
Copyright
A word on copyright and using copyrighted material in your shows – that might be music or footage you’ve lifted from movies or recognisable characters from well-known franchises .
Although I am not a lawyer and don’t claim to offer legal advice, my understanding is that if your showing of copyrighted material is public, you must obtain performance rights.
So anyone playing movie clips or using copyrighted music is technically in breach of copyright law.
If you take an entrance fee to see your projection mapping show, you are more likely to get in trouble, but offering your show for free doesn’t make it legal.
If you use copyrighted music and you post on YouTube, it will likely get flagged but usually this doesn’t result in anything bad – your video just won’t be able to be monetised.
If you use copyrighted material you might want to avoid news coverage. News crews will probably avoid you because they don’t want to get into legal trouble.
Though the chances of getting in any serious trouble from using copyrighted material are very low, the safest option is to avoid using other people’s intellectual property altogether if you don’t own the appropriate licenses.
TIP
Use the shortcut Command + F1 twice and it will extend your display.
Related Guides
Projectors for house Mapping
Which projector should you choose for house projection mapping? Learn about lenses, brightness, resolution and lamp vs laser light sources.
House Mapping Video Content
Where can you find video content for your projection mapping show? There are many free resources out there and also some high quality paid content.
Will My House Work?
Is your house suitable for holiday mapping? Learn about some of the biggest considerations like house size, yard length and ambient light.
Featured Guides
Projector Set-Up (Mac)
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Projector Set-Up (Mac)
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Projector Set-Up (Mac)
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