INDUSTRY INSIGHT
The history of the hologram in pop culture
From Star Wars to volumetric video, we explore advances in holographic tech
News and views from around the international CG community
T his May marks 45 years since cinema-goers were introduced to the concept of holograms, thanks to a lowly moisture farmer in a galaxy far, far away. Rather than heading off to the Tosche Station to pick up some power converters, young Luke Skywalker became the recipient of eight words that changed his world — and ours right along with it.
Although Star Wars didn’t invent holograms, Star Wars: A New Hope was what educated the public on what holograms were, and more importantly, what they could be. Like flying cars and hoverboards, audiences accepted that it was an inevitable technology.
It’s been a few years since the rebellion landed on Luke’s doorstep, but the image of a 3D Princess Leia made an indelible mark on the public. As we are reaching a point where science fiction is becoming more science and less fiction, we look back at the history of holograms in pop culture.
THE MAKING OF A HOLOGRAM
A hologram begins with the beam of light emitted from a stabilised laser. As it travels, the light bounces off of something it is illuminating and creates an interference pattern, which is caused by overlapping lightwaves. That pattern is then recorded, and from that a hologram can be produced. Naturally, there’s more to the science behind it, but that’s the basic idea.
Holograms can come in all shapes and sizes — from a simple image on an ID (including official seals added to make documents harder to copy) to bringing deceased musicians back to life to play Coachella (RIP Tupac). In fiction they’ve gone much further, but we are now starting to catch up.