Fremont Street Experience

Zipline Attraction

Immersive • Trigger-Synced • LED Motion Graphics

The SlotZilla Zipline sends guests flying beneath the Fremont Street canopy, accompanied by a series of synchronized motion graphics that travel the length of the street. These pieces weren’t tied to a theme or storyline—they were simple, high-energy visuals designed to mirror the motion of riders as they moved overhead.As the project lead, I created the full set of canopy animations and programmed the playback system that triggered them in real time. Each sequence was built around the average ride duration and launched automatically when the tower sent a start signal, ensuring a consistent, synchronized experience for every rider.

Project Overview

Unlike Fremont’s large-scale narrative canopy shows, the SlotZilla visuals were intentionally simple and non-narrative—collections of energetic animations designed to follow the physical motion of riders descending the zipline. My responsibility spanned both creative and technical execution:

  • Designing the directional canopy animations

  • Building timing and pacing based on average ride duration

  • Programming the playback logic to fire each sequence on cue when the tower’s launch signal was received

This end-to-end ownership ensured the visuals always aligned with rider movement and operated reliably within the attraction’s workflow.

GM mockup opener

Trigger-Synced Canopy Motion Samples

walk in loop

Canopy Playback — Live Environment

Creative Approach

The goal was to create a set of simple, kinetic visuals that mirrored the motion of riders beneath the canopy. Directionality and timing were essential, and the technical setup needed to operate automatically and reliably throughout daily attraction operations.Key considerations included:

  • Directional movement that traveled from the tower toward the landing zone

  • Timing aligned to average ride duration

  • Stylistic variation to keep repeating sequences visually interesting

  • High visibility optimized for the canopy’s scale

  • Real-time trigger programming for precise playback synchronization

The result was a fully integrated visual system—motion graphics and playback logic working together to enhance the sensation of speed and movement during each launch.

Credits & Tools

Role: Lead Motion Designer & Playback Programmer

Contributions:

  • Led creative and technical execution of the attraction-wide visual system

  • Defined the visual narrative, pacing, and timing of the ride experience

  • Designed all canopy-based, ride-synchronized motion content

  • Programmed trigger-based playback logic responding to real-time tower events

  • Structured animation timing and sequencing based on ride duration metrics

  • Delivered LED-optimized visuals and a stable, automated playback system

Tools:

  • After Effects

  • 3ds Max

  • Premiere Pro

  • Photoshop

  • Pandoras Box

  • Widget Designer

Scope: End-to-end creation of synchronized canopy visuals and a real-time, trigger-based playback system for the SlotZilla Zipline attraction