
Mirada teamed up with UCLA to create a one-of-a-kind film designed specifically for projection onto the fa ade of the Universitys 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 special events teams 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 UCLAs commitment to the future and to continued innovation across disciplines.
The film was directed by Jes s de Francisco, art directed by Miradas 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 Halls towering facade. The larger than life imagery projected onto a 230x99 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 UCLAs visions for the future. The film was narrated by actor John Lithgow and was scored by Atli rvarsson.
The film combines archival stock imagery with original filmed content along with extensive motion graphics design and visual effects, explained 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, May 16th; 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: Jes s 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: Jes s 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 rvarsson
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
About Mirada
Mirada is a studio designed for storytellers. Founded by filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, cinematographer Guillermo Navarro, and Motion Theory co founders Javier Jimenez and director Mathew Cullen, Mirada is equal parts design studio, visual effects & animation facility, and creative and technology incubator. Mirada opened in 2010 with narrative tradition at its heart and technological innovation as its engine. http://www.mirada.com
###
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
03/11/2026
Grass Valley has announced that France T l visions has completed the first phase...
03/11/2026
SES and WELT TV have renewed their partnership under a new multi-year agreement for satellite distribution in Germany. The agreement runs into the next decade a...
03/11/2026
Eutelsat's OneWeb low Earth orbit (LEO) network will provide connectivity as...
03/11/2026
CONMEBOL has renewed its agreement with GRUP MEDIAPRO, which will continue to run the CONMEBOL Hub's end-to-end operation through 2030. The Hub handles prod...
03/11/2026
Aggreko has returned as Official Temporary Power Partner for the FORMULA 1 HEINE...
03/11/2026
Gravity Media has deployed its fully IP-based OB truck, Nova 110, in Belgium for the first time. It made its operational debut supporting a UEFA Europa League m...
03/11/2026
The NFL and TMRW Sports have unveiled Premier Flag, the brand identity for a new...
03/11/2026
Stephen Arnold Music has developed the original musical theme and sonic branding...
03/11/2026
Monumental Sports Network (MNMT), the local media rights holder for the NHL's Washington Capitals, NBA's Washington Wizards and WNBA's Washington My...
03/11/2026
has brought its specialist SMARThead robotic camera technology to the United Sta...
03/11/2026
In under two years, a seven-person startup has grown to more than 270 staffers, ...
03/11/2026
Olympics history is currently being made in Dakar. During the next two weeks, the Youth Olympic Games, which began on Oct. 31 and conclude on Nov. 13, are the f...
03/11/2026
There are many challenges in the sports-video-production industry that keep personnel up at night, and one that's currently on the minds of individuals in b...
03/11/2026
Telstra Broadcast Services may call Australia home but this year it continued to...
03/11/2026
Employs German-made CK12 capsule
Myburgh have announced that their long-awaited M28 microphone is now shipping. Said to be the ideal choice for engineers in...
03/11/2026
New AI-powered denoise & stem separation tool announced
iZotope have just released a new GPU-powered tool that pairs stem separation with a powerful selecti...
03/11/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to demonstrate technologies supporting Europe's sovereignty ...
03/11/2026
New path-to-purchase research solution connects 30 consumer categories and more ...
03/11/2026
Latest Nielsen data reveals a surge in advertising investment during key festive...
03/11/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, announces the launch of the iSphir OT s...
03/11/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/11/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/11/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/11/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/11/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/11/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/11/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/11/2026
PlayBox Neo has taken 24/7 playout for the news outlet Cheddar to the cloud. Powered by PlayBox Neo's own CDN and the full PlayBox Neo Suite media platform,...
03/11/2026
Blendkit for Unreal
Brie Clayton November 3, 2026
0 Comments
Blendkit expands ecosystem with new Unreal Engine integration alongside 8th anniversary l...
03/11/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces New UltraStudio Express HD
Brie Clayton November 3, 2026
0 Comments
New capture and playback solution with 3G-SDI, HDMI an...
03/11/2026
Berklee Artists Return for Performances at Bostons Snowport Holiday Market Presented through a partnership between Snowport, Mohegan Sun, and Berklee, the wee...
03/11/2026
Grass Valley announced that France T l visions has completed the first phase of its Genesys production infrastructure renewal program for Franceinfo, moving the...
03/11/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/11/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/11/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/11/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/11/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/11/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/11/2026
SmallHD announced the launch of the new Focus 504 Monitor, featuring a low-profile form factor, die-cast aluminum construction, professional-grade I/O, and the ...
03/11/2026
Gaffer Webb helped light the pivotal Kill Room scene with Astera QuikSpot...
03/11/2026
IllusionFX 1.1 is Out!
Alex Perea November 2, 2026
0 Comments
More tools, more creative freedom.
Graph editor. Shape your animation curves with preci...
03/11/2026
Rowan University Explores Virtual Production Workflows
Brie Clayton November 2, 2026
0 Comments
Students work across camera tracking, compositing and ...
03/11/2026
How to Hand Over an After Effects Project So the Next Person Can Open It
Ozgur Gorgun November 2, 2026
0 Comments
Most After Effects projects get open...
03/11/2026
Don't F*** with Fans comes to Sky Documentaries on 21 NovemberTuesday 3 Nove...
03/11/2026
From The Ghoster to The Flake, new research reveals the characters, chaos and ca...
03/11/2026
For every stage of creation From first idea to finished song, Scarlett is there for whatever comes next.
Start where you are Music-making rarely waits for t...
03/11/2026
Omar films with the 2017 Shotgun Microphone from DPA Microphones. By his estimate, he has used it for about a year and a half to two years, and he says he cant ...
03/11/2026
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 202...
03/11/2026
Demand for advanced chips is rising. The processes to build them are getting mor...