And this could be seen especially from Castille Square, where the magnificent Auberge de Castille was the backdrop for a 3D mapping projection, which covered its extensive facade, and included CGI, music and visual special effects to tell the story of Valletta's 500 year evolution from a barren hill to - well, a thriving European Capital of Culture.
We asked digital artist Duane Laus, who was responsible for the spectacle, to shares his take on this exciting project.
How did you become interested in lighting projections and where did you develop your skills?
First I was an artist drawing and painting, then I moved this on to graphic design. The next step for me was to animate my graphics, mainly for TV, commercials and music videos. You learn as you go along and I try to challenge myself to always try something new. Having a building as a canvas to project my work on, and not just any building but one of the most important buildings sin Malta, is one of the highlights of my career.
How did feel when you were asked to do the Valletta 2018 project. And what were your feelings on the night?
I felt honoured to be involved in the Valletta 2018 opening night as one of four main shows. A bit overwhelmed at first, but ready for the challenge. On the night when the projection was first shown I was anxious for everything to go well and that the people watching would like it and be entertained. I was also relieved that months of really hard work were over, and even more relieved with the positive reaction from the people.
Did you have a specific brief, was the storyline your own and how many other people worked on it with you?
The brief was given to me by the Artistic Director for Special Events for Valletta 2018 Mario Philip Azzopardi, and Sandro Kitcher, Antoine Farrugia and Francesca Galea. The title was "MinnQiegh l-Imgћoddigћall-Quccatatal-Ġejjieni" (roughly translated as "from the deepest past to the tip of the future"). We wanted to create a kind of timeline, without being a history lesson, but more entertaining. So from then on along with my team at Lava Graphics we started working on a script, developing it on the way and working of filming and graphics and animations, also with 3D animator Jens Klein in America. Meanwhile some fantastic music was being created by Paul and Ryan Abela. I also have to mention MadAboutVideo, the people who handled the projections onto Castille, who made sure everything played out well on the night.
What were your inspirations and how did your ideas develop?
Malta itself and its history were the main inspirations. We then planned each scene visually on the façade and started animating, always keeping in mind that you need to keep the viewers entertained for the full 20 minutes, which is quite a long time! I also wanted the scenes to be unique in each part, knowing that on occasions like these many people take photos, and as "still shots" they would also work.
Can you explain, simply, how the process works and how long it took to produce the show?
Once we had a storyline it was then a case of visualizing everything. We started off by recreating Castille's façade in 3D to use as our base canvas, and then worked on creating each scene around it. This took about 4 months to complete.
What conditions, natural or man-made influence how a projection will work on any given occasion?
For the projection to look its best the surrounding area needs to be as dark as possible to avoid light pollution. This was a problem we faced with Castille, being an open square with quite a few lights around because of the event, not to mention the moonlight. So during rehearsals we realized that certain colours needed to be adjusted to be brighter. Also the windows and doors need to be covered with material in a similar colour to the overall wall to create the "canvas" with the least distractions possible. And then pray for good weather...you don't want the audience to freeze in the rain!
Where would you like see this art form going in the future and how would you like to be involved?
Projection mapping on buildings has become increasingly popular over the past years, and possibilities are endless with some imagination and creativity. It is something I would love to be involved in again.