Embracing Co-Creation: A Discussion on the Future of Entertainment Design

​Chad Kunimoto talks to Tom Lionetti-Maguire (Little Lion Entertainment), Sol Song, and David Newman (both of Moongate Design Studio) about the impact of co-creation on entertainment design.
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Blog post by Chad Kunimoto for TEA
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​Attraction design has always thrived on collaboration; different teams will join a project at different stages. However, the dynamics of when, what, and how each team contributes are changing rapidly.

Creators, tech partners, and integrators are now interdependent. The internet has made communication seamless, allowing complex tasks to be accomplished off-site. Stakeholders can now collaborate closely wherever they are, leveraging a diverse knowledge pool to find innovative solutions.

Recently, I discussed this trend with three experiential design-firm executives I’ve worked with as part of Panasonic Connect’s technology partnership, and it shed light on the evolving landscape of collaboration in the themed entertainment industry.

Tom Lionetti-Maguire, CEO, Little Lion Entertainment.

Collaboration pushes boundaries
Tom Lionetti-Maguire, CEO of Little Lion Entertainment, one of the UK’s largest immersive attractions company, and The Ents Inc Ltd., the studio behind hit attractions such as Chaos Karts, believes that co-creation opens new possibilities in entertainment.

​“Our process is always one of collaboration with our own teams and external stakeholders,” he says. “Sometimes a company will ask us to turn their IP into a live experience. Sometimes, we come up with the genesis of an idea and approach a particular IP for a branded partnership. There is no set formula. Collaboration with new and exciting companies also allows us to push the boundaries of what people can expect from modern entertainment.”

Sol Song (Creative Director) and David Newman (Managing Director), both former executives at Universal Studios Japan, pooled their years of experience to form Moongate Design Studio, an international concept designer and development firm. Song echoes the significance of collaboration. 

Sol Song, Creative Director, Moongate Design Studio

While complete creative freedom is always nice, he says, the reality is that most projects are tightly controlled.

“Most of the time, the client has a high-level vision in mind. Visualization is always necessary to communicate the vision to ensure alignment, direction, and approval. The freedom to go through an ideation process will always deliver the best results. But we are aware of the invisible hand of running the business. Timeline and financials usually guide the team to the final idea.”

Involving problem-solvers is key
Not all creative individuals fit the mold of artists or designers. Welcoming professionals with diverse backgrounds fosters lateral thinking, leading to innovative solutions. For example, a product engineer with a clear understanding of the attraction designer’s vision can shape new products to meet a specific need, while designers learn how to shape a product’s design by showing the engineer exactly what they need it to do.

As a growing trend, design studios are actively engaging tech partners from the beginning of the ideation process to tackle challenges at an early stage.

Lionetti-Maguire observes, “It’s interesting for technology partners to see how companies will use their products, sometimes in ways they may never have imagined. What this does is create new problems to solve. Technology has to be reliable over long periods and many iterations. When faced with the public, technology has to be at its most robust. These challenges will always create new areas of interest and perhaps even new products for both sides.”

The Ents’ Chaos Karts attraction uses a dynamic digital track created by Panasonic projectors in a system designed in collaboration with Panasonic Connect.

Newman also acknowledges the value of on-site cooperation in tackling challenges, stating, “Since Moongate Design Studio focuses on LBE projects, we face many challenges due to specific conditions of different locations. As a team, we always try to clarify the possible issues in early development with partners.”

Reconciling the “what” and the “how”
However, finding the right balance between visionary concepts and practical considerations can be tough.

David Newman, Managing Director, Moongate Design Studio

"The ‘what’ and the ‘how’ must be considered equally,” says Newman. “But individual ownership should be different. This is an example where the ‘we’ will deliver more than a ‘me.’ A balanced team is essential. The creative goal should be to push the extraordinary and develop new ideas. The production team will support their vision but remind the team what can be accomplished under the project constraints.”

Lionetti-Maguire agrees. “The first concept development meeting has to be totally free. We have a mantra of ‘there’s no such thing as a bad idea’ in these meetings. That allows people to be free in their thinking and means we can push the possibilities.

“It’s then in the second phase that we begin to consider the ‘how.’ This is when we introduce technologies and attempt to see if our earlier ideas were possible. We often have to rethink certain elements or make compromises, as is inevitable in any project. However, we have garnered such experience in live entertainment that we often think several steps ahead and will have a very good idea of delivering a certain element.”

The co-creation laboratory
To realize this balance, Panasonic Connect’s creative engineer initiative fosters deeper communication between tech partners and clients. Engineers gain a better understanding of on-site requirements to propose effective solutions.

Panasonic Connect’s XR Lab in Shinonome, Tokyo, is a studio forum that invites all stakeholders to collaborate on next-generation attraction design.

It’s the impetus of our XR Lab concept. R&D teams are brought together with LBE designers and tasked with creating next-generation experiences. For creative studios, this strong emphasis on collaboration differentiates “technology partner” from “equipment supplier.”

“An equipment supplier will often do the bare minimum, dropping off an installing kit and walking away without any further care for the project, which is shortsighted,” says Lionetti-Maguire. “A great technology partner, like Panasonic Connect, will invest time and care into their partner’s project, knowing that this will be a mutually beneficial endeavor in the long run.”

A glimpse ahead
Looking ahead, emerging technologies promise a new kind of immersive experience. “The technology we are developing with Panasonic Connect for Chaos Karts has enormous possibilities in all those fields,” says Lionetti-Maguire. “The idea of fully digital 360-degree worlds in which customers can play in real-time without the use of VR, which is limiting and inherently anti-social in the real world, is one that I find extremely exciting.”

Song looks forward to more immersive experiences driven by advanced technologies. “More advanced technologies allowing us to share the experience virtually and worldwide will only create more hybrid types of new immersive genres where the traditional theme park and new digital age experience collide and coexist.

“What excites us is not so much about the upcoming technologies; it’s about how we can forge all the tools to create a stronger and more immersive guest experience.”

If you’re interested in learning how a technology partner can enrich and sustain your next attraction, please drop me a line at kunimoto.chad@jp.panasonic.com.

Chad Kunimoto is the Global Business Development Manager for Themed Entertainment and Immersive Experiences at Panasonic Connect.