Blog

March 21, 2024

The Women of Falcon’s

As we honor Women's History Month, we’re taking the opportunity to recognize and celebrate all the outstanding women at Falcon’s who are contributing to the success of our company.
February 15, 2024

Choosing the Right Animation Style for Your Project

What is animation? Animation creates the illusion of movement. Traditional or 2D animation is done with a pencil and paper, where an artist hand draws each scene frame by frame, but animation can also be created in 3D on a computer by a 3D animator.
October 19, 2023
Falcon's IAAPA Expo

IAAPA Expo 2023

We’re excited to announce that we’ll be exhibiting at the upcoming IAAPA Expo! The tradeshow will take place from November 14-17 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.
August 9, 2022

Getting Started with Real-time Engines

Real-time engines have limitless amounts of uses and potential. Many people get stuck trying to figure out where they should start, the right techniques to use, and how long it will take to put together their first masterpiece.
June 14, 2022

A Day in the Life of an Illustrator

I started my path down art at a very young age. I would always draw characters and concepts from animated movies, video games, and my imagination.
January 31, 2022

Top 10 Moments of 2021

A look back at Falcon’s 2021 highlights! In 2021, Falcon’s newest studio expansion: Falcon's X-Lab saw its first full year open to the public, and what an incredible year it was.
December 13, 2021

IAAPA: A First-Timer’s Perspective

Every year, our team looks forward to IAAPA week because of all the exciting events that take place. Of course, we love seeing people within the industry flooding to Orlando.
October 22, 2021

The Curse of DarKastle: The Making of

Over the last fifty years, a race for the latest and greatest technology has driven the themed entertainment industry. Developments in aspects like ride vehicles, media, and animated figures have furthered immersion, enhanced storytelling capabilities, and enabled escape.
August 11, 2021
Hulk CircuMotion blog Feature

Hulk Epsilon Base 3D CircuMotion® Theater

At Falcon’s, each project is uniquely challenging because of the variety of mediums and display formats we create content for, but perhaps one of the most satisfying projects I have personally been a part of is our 3D dome projection theater.
July 27, 2021
Ba Na Hills Master Plan

Bà Nà Hills French Village: A Case Study

Sun World Bà Nà Hills is an exotic destination resort located in the Trường Sơn Mountains west of Da Nang, Vietnam.
May 24, 2021
Edutainment Center

Edutainment

Storytelling is at the heart of everything we do at Falcon’s. Whether it is bringing to life attractions based on blockbuster IPs, like those from Marvel or Cartoon Network, or recreating amazing true-life experiences, our passion for crafting stories permeates everything we do.
April 8, 2021
Hard Rock Museum

Corporate Brand Design

A little while ago, I visited the Coca-Cola Store at Disney Springs in Orlando. I had a great time shopping for exclusive Coca-Cola merchandise, indulging in a couple of their specialty drinks at the rooftop bar, and even taking a selfie with their iconic mascot, a huge, furry, smiling polar bear who looked very cute in his red Coca-Cola scarf.
January 13, 2021
Theme Park Concept Art

World-Building

When looking at modern-day attraction design, the first thing we must keep in mind is the guest experience. Simply stated, what do you want your guests to experience and take away from your attraction, ride, or experience?
December 3, 2020

Jane Goodall Exhibition Receives TEA Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement

The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) Awards Committee and TEA International Board of Directors have named the National Geographic Museum’s Becoming Jane: The Evolution of Dr. Jane Goodall exhibition as the recipient of the 27th Annual Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement in Museum Exhibit Design, Limited Budget.
November 16, 2020

The Future with Digital Projection

How Falcon’s is levering innovations in digital projection and experimenting with high frame rates for new experiences. Digital media technologies are advancing at breakneck speeds.
October 21, 2020

The Future at Our Fingertips: Falcon’s X-Lab

The idea that The Future Is Now has never been more tangible than at this very moment, as we stand on the cusp of such rapidly evolving technological and cultural landscapes across the globe.
September 18, 2020

Building Connections with Brand Experience Design

As the world transitions from a purely goods and services economy to that of an experience economy, more and more brands are looking to make a deeper, longer-lasting, emotional connection with consumers.
August 20, 2020

The Magic of Light: Exploring the Evolution of Projection Mapping

Projection mapping, to me, is a truly fascinating subject. I became quite entranced with the tech while working on our Heroes and Legends project for Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex back in 2016.
August 3, 2020

An Interactive Experience at Hard Rock Vault

An interactive, multimedia experience at the Hard Rock Vault in Orlando gave fans an extraordinary opportunity to immerse themselves in rock ‘n roll’s compelling history.
July 17, 2020

Tales from the Lab: How Falcon’s R&Ds New Themed Entertainment Experiences

“When I visit an entertainment space, such as a museum exhibition or a theme park, I’m immediately drawn to attractions and experiences that captivate my curiosity, but I’m especially impressed by those that make me think, “How was this done?” or “How did they come up with that idea?”
June 19, 2020
Jane - Awards

Jane Goodall Exhibition Wins Prestigious Industry Award

National Geographic Museum exhibition, Becoming Jane: The Evolution of Dr. Jane Goodall, has been named an overall winner of the American Alliance of Museum’s 32nd Annual Excellence in Exhibition Competition, one of the highest achievements in the industry.
June 15, 2020
Building Characters - Featured Image

Building Characters for Themed Experiences

Characters turn places into living, breathing environments. Characters ground change and evolution in emotion and consequence. Characters transform events into full-fledged stories.
May 14, 2020
Worth the Wait - Featured Image

Worth the Wait: Design Methodologies for the Attraction Queue

"There was a line out the door…around the block…down the street.” When you hear of an event, attraction, or show attached to phrases like these, it’s safe to assume something pretty spectacular was waiting at the end of that line.
April 22, 2020
Synergy - Featured Image

The Synergy of Our Services

Spaghetti and meatballs. Burger and fries. Peanut butter and jelly. Ben & Jerry’s. Barnum & Bailey. Design, Media, and Licensing. Huh? What’s that last one? Admittedly, it doesn’t roll off the tongue like the others, but all the same, these Falcon’s Creative Group services form a dream team.
March 31, 2020
Dark Ride Animation

Animation in Themed Entertainment

Animation has existed in many forms throughout history.Some art historians point to early cave paintings that show a series of images, thereby implying movement, as the birth of animation.
March 11, 2020

UCF Advisory Council

When Falcon’s Creative Group recently celebrated its twentieth anniversary, I took time to reflect back on my own personal journey as well as key moments that the team has experienced.
March 5, 2020
Destination resort masterplan

Destination Resorts: Not Your Everyday Escape

Vacations offer the opportunity to escape from daily routines for a short period. Some people opt to lie on a beach and get lost in a good book. Others seek more active adventures where they can explore new cities, experience the local culture, and test their tolerance for exotic cuisine.
February 28, 2020
The Halo Ring Dome Experience

Making the Cut

Edits between the shots are commonplace. However, when you are talking about editing for themed experiences and special venues, the words “standard” and “common” are often removed from our vocabulary.
February 17, 2020

XR in Museums and Science Centers

The relationship between emerging technologies and methods of learning is closely interwoven and everchanging. As designers, artists, and engineers continue to find new ways to connect these two paradigms for entertainment and education of the masses, spaces like museums and science centers have become a premier venue to showcase innovative experiences, launching some of the most exciting opportunities for both creators and audiences.
January 30, 2020
Falcon's 20th anniversary logo

Falcon’s Celebrates its 20 year anniversary!

To commemorate the founding of Falcon's twenty years ago, Owner Cecil D. Magpuri and Executive VP Of Operations, Yvette Whittaker, take a trip down memory lane. In this 20th-anniversary blog post, you will learn the Falcon's origin story, how the culture was established, and the pivotal moments that sparked this masterful rise in the entertainment design industry.
January 20, 2020
CircuMotion dome theater

Trends in Media-based Theme Park Attraction Experiences

At the core, it’s about crafting a compelling story and engaging the audience’s imagination in such a way that, in any moment, they completely believe what they are seeing and hearing. A term often used in our industry that defines this is “immersive.”
December 30, 2019
Falcon's 2019 Top Moments

Top 10 Moments of 2019

Thank you to everyone who helped make 2019 an incredible year! Join us as we take a look back at some of our projects and special moments throughout the year.
December 16, 2019
Falcon's Suspended Theater Attraction

A Revolutionary Immersive Flying Theater

When we tasked ourselves with the challenge of creating the next generation flying theater experience, we knew the most important aspect was to make guests feel like they are inside a magical experience. The seedlings of our Suspended Theater™ concept grew from there.
December 1, 2019
Katmandu Press Event

IAAPA Expo Press Event Recap

At IAAPA Expo 2019, Falcon’s Creative Group had the opportunity to catch up with friends and clients and engage in exciting conversations with potential collaborators.
November 26, 2019
Designing for Sound - Featured Image

Designing for Sound: An Acoustical Adventure

Some of the best theme park attractions are driven by great storytelling. Since dialog is such an integral part of telling that story, what happens when the audience can only hear half of what is being said? It’s just not going to be an effective attraction, and both the guests and owners will be disappointed. In many of these special venue environments, there are so many variables to deal with, but most often, the problem is acoustics.
November 1, 2019
Storytelling through IP - Featured Image

Storytelling Through Intellectual Properties

When overseeing theme park design from the ground up, one special opportunity we have is the chance to dive deep into the worlds of renown intellectual properties.
October 22, 2019
HALO - Utilizing World Creator - Featured Image

Utilizing World Creator for Halo: Outpost Discovery

In order to meet the demands and challenges when creating large scale 3D media content at high resolutions, high framerates, and for uniquely shaped surfaces, the Falcon’s Digital Media team is constantly researching, developing, and implementing new software and technology that can optimize their workflow and complement their existing pipeline.
October 14, 2019
Retailtainment Blog - Featured Image

Retailtainment: Enchanting the Buying Experience

The term “retailtainment” has gained some pretty significant popularity in and around the themed entertainment industry in recent years.
October 1, 2019
Open Space Blog - featured Image

How Open Space Drives Design

The blank canvas, the black box, the green field, the empty space. What can, at first, feel like endless opportunities and seemingly limitless solutions can be used to define the starting point in the creative process. From master planning an entire theme park and its individual attraction design, the empty space marks the beginning of the creative journey.
September 17, 2019
Katmandu - Featured Image

Katmandu Theme Park Partnership

Falcon's will produce a series of Katmandu branded attractions beginning with a dynamic new entertainment venue in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The initial plans include two new attractions from Falcon’s Licensing within Katmandu that will help launch the country’s first-ever theme park.
September 16, 2019
Dome Theater - Featured Image

Completing the Circle: The Dome Theater Evolution

Ingenuity is something we pride ourselves on and over the years we’ve implemented several tools and techniques in our process of generating 360° dome content, specifically in the areas of pre-visualization, rendering, and color grading.
August 26, 2019
Dome Theater Media Production

Generating 3D Content For Dome Experiences

Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to put ideas into the world. Computer-generated imagery is one of the many methods used to bring such ideas to life. It’s a medium that’s been around for several decades and is always offering unique ways to be adapted. One such adaptation is that of dome theater experiences which fully immerse audiences into stories using an array of projections on a 360° dome-shaped screen.
August 1, 2019
Dinosaur animatronic at IMG Worlds of Adventure

Escapism: The Universal Language of Entertainment

The desire for escapism is fueling an explosive growth in the global themed entertainment industry. In my 13 plus year career with Falcon’s Creative Group, I’ve had the pleasure of working in dozens of countries and while 15-hour flights might sound extreme, they offer plenty of time for thought and reflection (after watching all the “new releases,” of course).
July 31, 2019

What is Experience Design?

And why does it matter? In the interest of due diligence, let’s first entertain the notion that I could simply say Experience Design is “the art of designing experiences,” and we could call it a day right now. Of course, that answer doesn’t exactly tell us anything new. So, how do we define Experience Design? Well, to find the right answer, we’ll first need to make sure we have the right understanding of the question.
July 5, 2018
Cecil D. Magpuri, Falcon's Creative Group

Falcon’s President/Chief Creative Officer named in Blooloop 50 Theme Park Influencers List 2018

Congratulations to Falcon’s President and Chief Creative Officer, Cecil D. Magpuri, for being named in the 2018 Blooloop 50 Theme Park Influencer list! This first annual Blooloop 50 list celebrates key individuals whose expertise and passion are shaping the 21st-century theme park experience
August 4, 2017
Theme Park master plan

What Does Innovation Mean to You?

Innovation is significant positive change. It’s a result. It’s an outcome. It’s something you work towards achieving on a project. We help deliver innovative, powerful experiences with breakthrough creative solutions. We build immersive experiences that challenge the limits of reality and fire the imagination. Innovation is a driving force in the themed entertainment industry.
May 25, 2017
Atlantis Sanya Aquaventure Waterpark

What Does it Take to Build a Water Park?

This week, Universal's Volcano Bay celebrates its grand opening. So have you ever wondered just what it takes to build a water park? We visited the design team at Falcon's Treehouse, the attractions division of Falcon's Creative Group.
January 27, 2017
IMG World of Adventure Dubai

IMG Worlds of Adventure opens in Dubai

In the year following a brief phase of stagnation in the wake of the financial crisis of 2008, Dubai, the largest city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has been investing heavily in construction again. By the time of the Expo in Dubai in 2020, the city is out to establish itself as the tourism destination for tourists and business travelers by increasing the number of visitors to 20 million, doubling the number of 2012. Like everything in Dubai, the vision is big.
August 14, 1019
Atlantis Sanya Art Direction

The Creative Guardian: A Protector of a Project’s Vision

“Wow, how fun…I have always wondered who did that stuff”…this is a response I hear many times after telling someone what I do for a living. “So, you get to travel the world, build cool stuff and get paid to do it? … you are blessed”. Yes I am, is often my response. What is it that I do, you ask? Well, I’m glad to answer…
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