Jean-Luc Mélenchon, a far-left candidate for French president, kicked off his campaign Feb. 5 with a neat trick, appearing in both Lyon and Paris at the same time to announce his run.
“Where am I? I am in Lyon,” Mélenchon said before snapping his fingers and declaring, “Now I’m in Paris,” as his hologram was beamed into a venue 310 miles away.
Technology is a pillar of Mélenchon “citizen revolution” platform, though he’s not the first politician to employ the use of holograms. Indian prime minister Narenda Modi did the same thing in 2014 on a larger scale, beaming himself to villages across the country during his campaign.
Adrénaline Studio was tasked with making the hologram for Mélenchon. It filmed him in Lyon, and then used a projector in Paris aimed at a screen on the ground to broadcast the footage. The video was reflected back through a special, transparent screen angled at 45 degrees, completing the illusion.