Star Wars Day (May the 4th be with you) may be a little ways off, but Disney has commenced the march towards the fan-favorite holiday with a massive light and projection mapping show on, fittingly, the Empire State Building. The five minute show was synced to John Williams’ “The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme),”and was accompanied by photo ops for fans, as well as showcases of new merch and memorabilia.
Hayden Christensen, who portrayed Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in several films, was present to kick of the lighting ceremony. The real star of the show, however, was the projection mapping show by Industrial Light & Magic, the visual effects house for Lucasfilm. IL&M handled creating the show, while projection was handled by creative agency SUPERBIEN.
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“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,” said Khatsho Orfali, ILM visual effects supervisor, in a statement to StarWars.com. “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.”
