Mirada teamed up with UCLA to create a one-of-a-kind film designed specifically for projection onto the façade of the University’s iconic Royce Hall. The 10-minute film produced at 5K+ resolution was developed from beginning to end by Mirada, and became a true passion project for the creative team; Mirada co-founder Javier Jimenez is a UCLA alum, and the company has participated in mentorship programs with UCLA students for several years.
“This project was an incredible creative collaboration; we had writers, directors, musicians, designers, and visual effects artists working closely with the marketing and a special events team at UCLA to create this live event spectacle that pays homage to the history of the University and its values,” said Jimenez. “As a UCLA alumnus, I am incredibly proud of this institution, and this project further underscores UCLA’s commitment to the future and to continued innovation across disciplines.”
The film was directed by Jesús de Francisco, art directed by Mirada’s Daryn Wakasa, concepted by David Fowler and de Francisco, led by digital effects supervisor, Andy Cochrane and written by Ryan Erke. The entire story was framed to fit visually and conceptually within the size and shape of Royce Hall’s towering facade. The larger than life imagery projected onto a 230×99 foot surface tells a story in three parts: Part I honors the visionaries that founded UCLA almost a century ago, Part II is a journey through the illustrious history of the institution and its many luminaries, and Part III is a journey of imagination presenting UCLA’s visions for the future. The film was narrated by actor John Lithgow and was scored by Atli Örvarsson.
‘The film combines archival stock imagery with original filmed content along with extensive motion graphics design and visual effects,” expounded director De Francisco. “The opportunity to direct a projection mapped film, and having the creative freedom to visually transform a building that is such a hallmark of Los Angeles was incredible. To see the project come to life, projected at 468,000 lumens is stunning, and the building and space lent themselves beautifully to the story to be told.”
Mirada had a creative and production team of over 40 working on the project for six months, and developed a custom pipeline to produce over 19,000 5K+ image frames, much of which included complex CG animation tightly choreographed to move along the dimensions of the building, timed to the accompanying score. The film debuted at a screening on Friday, 16 May; projection was facilitated by Chaos Visual Productions using D3 software and eighteen 26K Barco projectors.
UCLA Centennial Show – “Let There Be”
Conceived, Produced and Directed by Mirada
Director/Creative Director: Jesús de Francisco
CEO/Executive Producer: Javier Jimenez
President: John Fragomeni
Executive Producer: Patrick Nugent
Head of Special Projects: Andy Merkin
Head of Production: Sascha Flick
Producer: Jason Cohon
Production Manager: Jessica Roulston
Production Coordinator: Zack Whitley
Sr. Art Director: Daryn Wakasa
Digital Effects Supervisor: Andy Cochrane
Film Concept: Jesús de Francisco, David Fowler
Writer: Ryan Erke
Designers: Janice Ahn, Luke Belderes, Mark Brinn, Jeffrey Chang, Alex Hanson, Tae Kim, Ken Lee, Miwa Matreyek, Clara Moon, An Nguyen, My Tran, Neil Tsai, Jacklin Yoo
Animation Lead: Andrew Tan
Animators: Sarah Blank, Ivan Cruz, Kenny Ceron, Frank Lin, Isaac Park, Ken Quemel, Noah Rappaport, Gian Carlo Rondani, Yan Sedie-Ng
BTS Director: Ryan Erke
Camera Operator (Film): Andy Cochrane
Camera Operator (Show): Paul Bode
Camera Operator (Interviews): Zen Sekizawa
Camera Assistants: Marshall Rao, Jake Martin
Gaffer: Damon Casarez
Sound Recordist / Mixer: James Ridgley
Make-Up: Linda Whang
Prop Master: Rudie Schaefer
Integration: Graham Herbster
Modeling: Toshi Sakamaki
Asst. Editor: Jorge Sandoval
Post Production Manager/HR Director: Tina Van Delden
Director of Marketing: Caroline Gomez
Narration by
John Lithgow
Music by
Atli Örvarsson
Projection Team: Chaos Visual Productions
Marty Wickman: Owner
Systems Engineer: Stephan Hambsch
Project Manager: Russell Wingfield
3D Lead: Jason Davis
Sound Design & Mastering: Outlaw Sound
Sound Engineer: Steve Pierson
Live Event Audio: CLAIR/Soundworx
Project Supervisor: Nelson Walti
Front House Mix: Ron Anonsen
Special Thanks
Willem Henri Lucas, UCLA
Adam Sadowsky, founder Syyn Labs
David Wicks for the use of Drawing Water
Guvenc Ozel at Idea Labs