We reveal the magic behind Terminal 4’s immersive screens

Digital screens in airports are typically informational and are used to display flight information or directions for wayfinding. At Terminal 4, two digital screens—The Immersive Wall at the Centralised Security Screening Area and the Heritage Zone have a vastly different purpose. These screens, telling stories of culture, travel destinations and more, are where entertainment and moments of delight are presented to all visitors on screens seamlessly integrated into the surroundings.

Here, we tell you where to find these screens, the best viewing positions and how these special content pieces were created. 

Tips to get the most out of Terminal 4’s immersive screen experiences

1. The Immersive Wall

Visible from the departure hall, and to all visitors to the airport, the Immersive Wall is a 70 metre long by five metre high LED wall, spanning across the entire length of the centralised security screening area. This large format LED screen showcases 16 diverse and carefully curated capsules of digital content—from panoramic scenes of Singapore, landmarks in ASEAN nations, to an animated whimsical story of different pieces of lugagge travelling through the airport.

The 16 video capsules play on a 50 minute loop, with a 10 minute “break” where the screen shows a scene looking deceptively like stone carvings etched into the wall.

Tip: While passengers travelling through T4 can view the screen up-close, non-travelling visitors can also enjoy the video capsules from the Departure Check-in Hall near Check-in Row 7.

2. Peranakan Love Story at the Heritage Zone

The second digital screen situated at the Heritage Zone (within the transit area) spans two shopfront bays (10 metre long by six metre high) of the Peranakan façade. From afar, it is difficult to tell which bays are actually screens, until the two middle shopfront bays transform into the living rooms of two Peranakan homes. The Peranakan Love Story, a six minute theatrical show, is about an unlikely romance between two passionate musicians living beside each other.

Tip: The Peranakan Love Story comes on approximately once every 15 minutes. You don’t have to wait that long if you didn’t manage to catch the beginning of the show!

Going behind the scenes: Bringing sketches to life

The creation of content on these two digital screens, together with the installation, took several months to complete. Here’s a glimpse of what went on behind the scenes and the work that was done to bring these two productions to life.

Step 1: Research, concept and storyboarding

Step 2: Travelling the world to capture panoramic shots

Step 3: Live action filming and digital animation of scenes

Step 4: Video editing and computer enhancement

As content is showcased on a large screen format, every detail had to be perfect. From the sketches to live film shoots, editing and compositing, the production team went through many iterations and an intense review process.

One of the most complex animations was for the capsule about the suitcase machine – a light-hearted story about what happens to your luggage after it’s checked in. One of the bags contains durians, and adorable luggage handlers don gas masks to handle that particular bag. Another luggage belonging to a female traveller goes through the x-ray machine and reveals what’s in it – a whole luggage full of shoes!

To put the clip together, the production team had to first go through extensive sketching and prototyping of the machinery and mechanisms that carry the luggage, before embarking on the many phases of design and production.

The other challenging piece of content was the bas-relief sculpture, which resembles a static stone carving from afar. It adds a serene, architectural touch of tradition to the busy security area, until you spot the surprise animations – such as the elephant moving its trunk or the butterfly fluttering!

Fun fact: The Immersive Wall at the centralised security screening area features 10 times more pixels than an average HD display – 8,220,672 pixels to be exact!

Introducing the creators

Content on the screens was developed in collaboration with Moment Factory (a Canadian multimedia company), and Singapore composer Dick Lee, creative director of Peranakan Love Story. Additional consultation was provided by Peter Lee—an independent scholar who is also the honorary curator of NUS Baba House—to ensure the authenticity of costumes and props in Peranakan Love Story. Find out more about the Peranakan culture in our article detailing the Peranakan touches in Terminal 4.

The next time you travel through Terminal 4, keep a lookout for these two digital screens and enjoy the beautiful imagery and content shown on it. Just don’t forget to catch your flight!