• by Jeremy Duimstra , Op-Ed Contributor, July 13, 2015

The four-color back cover has closed on another year at Comic-Con, and as usual there was a brutal battle for mindshare and attention. We had a blast trying out a huge variety of digital marketing interactions and other fun promotional experiences. Here’s the best of what we found, and we’ve tried to include a video link so you can see for yourself whenever possible.

Legendary & Google Cardboard

Legendary Pictures had another memorable year at Comic-Con with one of the con’s coolest digital experiences. Following 2013’s  Godzilla Experience at Comic-Con and the 2014’s uber-creepy Crimson Peak Gothic Gallery Tour,, the studio partnered with Google to give out 50,000 Google Cardboard units to show off 360º scenes from Warcraft and Crimson Peak. Cardboard is Google’s virtual reality answer to the much-hyped Oculus Rift --  but at a fraction of the cost, while giving up none of the fun. Warcraft was particularly impressive. I rode aback a huge virtual gryphon on a flight over the city of Stormwind, which culminated with a stomach dropping dive over a cliff. Yikes!

If you didn’t make it to Comic-Con, don’t worry! Legendary is launching the Legendary Virtual Reality app (iOS and Android), which will allow anyone with a smartphone and a $12 Google Cardboard to experience these amazing 360º worlds for themselves.

Interview with Legendary’s Barnaby Legg: https://vimeo.com/133073046

MTV Presents: "Scream," the TV Series Slow Motion Booth

MTV rocked into Comic-Con with a fun slow motion filming booth. Conference attendees stood in front of the iconic masked ghoul from the new “Scream” TV series and got body parts thrown at them while wildly swinging various weapons. This footage combined with an ominous background, then slowed down to be viewed by the crowd. The film was shot at 1200 frames per second, ensuring the slow motion effect was movie studio quality. From there, newly minted movie stars typed their information into an iPad to share their video with the masses on Facebook, Tumblr, or other social networks.

Interview about the digital experience (along with some gory footage) here: https://vimeo.com/133077870

The Ant-Man Social Vending Machine

If you were up for waiting in a line that was anything but ant-sized, superhero fans got some seriously cool swag from the Ant-Man Social Vending Machine. This nifty digital experience required a selfie in front of the Ant Man billboard, followed by a tweet with the hashtags #antmansdcc and #wasntmyidea. This gave users a code on the vending machine, which then awarded prizes: movie posters, Marvel Universe, DVDs, and superhero themed snacks. On preview night they garnered 509 tweets with a reach of 4,212,170 people. Pretty impressive!

Here’s how it worked: https://vimeo.com/133083358

3D Printing

There are few digital experiences cooler than watching Batman’s mask being printed in three dimensions right in front of your eyes.  Vendors with 3D printing were back again this year, showing off technology that’s better than ever. The machines are faster, print with better fidelity and definitely make you imagine a world where you can make just about any object you want in a few minutes. Adobe Photoshop’s booth showcased some of the thinnest 3D printing available, as well as tried-and-true software for creating 3D models.

3D Systems also had a booth showing the actual printers doing their thing. As many times as I’ve seen the process, it remains impressive to watch objects being created literally  right in front of your eyes. 3D printer prices have dropped significantly in the last couple years; you can pick one up for under $400 from 3D Systems.

Watch an interview with 3D Systems showing off their 3D printers and haptic feedback system:

Comic-Con 2015: 3D Printing from MJD on Vimeo.