The Empire struck back last night in New York City, taking over the iconic Empire State Building with a light show for the ages. Characters from the Star Wars saga covered the building to celebrate the March to May the 4th, as well as allowing visiting fans the chance to meet characters, see new products – and there are plenty of products – and soak up all the GFFA goodness.
StarWars.com took a look at the work ILM did on producing these incredible projections to such stunning effect.
“The need to think about it differently is that there are many unique things that need to be taken into account to make sure that what gets put on this facade will actually translate correctly and will work correctly, visually and as part of the overall story,” Khatsho Orfali, ILM visual effects supervisor, tells StarWars.com about a week before the event. “What may look good as a composition and a scene that plays out in a movie theater or on a regular TV screen may not necessarily directly translate in the same way, to work well, once projected onto the facade of a building. It’s a very unique canvas.”
Orfali led the effort on the light show, which took four months total to complete. This included working with Lucasfilm Video Production, particularly senior editor Jeff Pickett, in developing a framework for the experience and then selecting scenes to showcase. The most critical piece, however, was deciding where ILM might create new VFX shots to take advantage of the huge vertical “screen,” as it were. “We came up with ideas and created concept art for what would look the best, have the most impact, and know that the fans are going to love seeing,” he says. “Once we got selects from those frames, we went into shot production and got to where we’re at today.” Once the show was complete, ILM collaborated with creative agency SUPERBIEN, who adapted the imagery to filter through 46 projectors and display properly. Skywalker Sound, Lucasfilm’s sound design and mixing firm, handled the audio.
Speaking of products, here’s a look at more reveals.
Photo Credit: Walt Disney
