The first film based motion simulation theaters were built in the mid-eighties. Over the first 6 years the industry grew at a very moderate pace, but since the early 1990s the number of theaters installed worldwide has exploded and continues to grow at a rate of more than 15% per year. We estimate that there are about 2000 simulators operating today around the world.
The Hardware Companies
There are more then a dozen major
companies manufacturing and/or selling motion simulation theater hardware:
Showscan, iWERKS, Simex, Ridefilm, Thomson, Doron, Flight Avionics,
Ride Trade (Intamin), Reflectone, Moog, Intersim, Taito Corporation, Sega,
Camber Entertainment... Over the last couple of years, a flurry of smaller
companies have started to market motion simulation technology around the
world.
The Software
Until the early 1990s, hardware
companies produced their own films which they distributed exclusively
to the operators who purchased hardware platforms from them. The problem
with this situation was that none of the hardware manufacturers could
afford to produce more than one big budget film ($1 million to $2 million)
per year and a few cheap live action films, while motion simulator operators,
having invested large sums of money in the hardware, were longing for a
much larger supply of new titles.
The First Independent Ride Film Library
Having identified that the demand for high-end
ride films was greater than the supply and realizing that this situation
would not change because hardware manufacturers
were hesitant to distribute their films to companies who had purchased motion simulators from their competitors, nWave Pictures created the first catalogue of independently produced
ride films. Our strategy has been to emphasize both quality and quantity.
The key to our success is the
fact that the tools of the digital revolution have enabled us to make our
films available in all formats. One of the biggest challenges in our undertaking
was to be able to sell our films to all motion simulation theaters no matter
what audio visual hardware technology they used. There are at least 6 different
film formats, with different image size and frame rates and as many different
video and sound formats. By making our films available in all formats to
all the existing systems, our potential distribution network exceeds 2000
screens worldwide.
nWave Pictures' strategy is to make sub-distribution deals with existing hardware manufacturers, instead of distributing our films directly to the venues. Our approach is paying off handsomely. nWave Pictures currently has a library of more then 20 titles with distribution deals in place with most major hardware manufacturers.
We estimate that more then 200,000 people a day experience one of our rides.
The Competition
Despite the rapid expansion of the ride film business, nWave Pictures is still pretty much the only independent producer of ride films building up a library of titles available non-exclusively in all formats. Ride films have traditionally been produced by special effects or visual effects companies on a work-for-hire basis. These companies have produced films either directly for the venues (theme parks, casinos, etc.) or for motion simulation hardware companies. Few of them have the financial resources to build their own library.
By financing or co-financing the titles we produce and by releasing at least 4 new titles per year, nWave Pictures has had a profound impact on the industry answering the needs of motion simulator operators for more products.
The Future: 3-D Ride Films
By releasing five 3-D ride films in less than 12 months, nWave Pictures is again riding the crest of a new trend in the motion simulation industry: the 3-D experience. The 3-D titles released to date are "Journey Through the Center of the Earth", "Magic Carpet", "Aqua Ride", "Kid Coaster" and "Glacier Run".