San Francisco Giants x Star Wars Fireworks & Game Show
In the summer of 2016, I created one of the biggest and most theatrical projects of my career. A few weeks prior to the event, I discovered that the 40th anniversary of A New Hope coincided with our annual Fireworks Night, and the wheels started turning. I pitched a themed fireworks show to the VP of Game Entertainment and was given the green light to create something AT&T Park had never witnessed before.
AT&T Park Video Takeover
There was always a long delay between when the game ended and the fireworks show began. I wanted to keep people in their seats while also giving LucasFilms the opportunity for a sponsorship activation. I had a massive idea: use every single video board in the park to create a game show, something that had never been done in the 16-year history of the ballpark. To make that possible, we had to sync our EVS DYVI switcher graphics with our Blaze Click Effects machine, which presented numerous technical challenges. Delays from our older machines meant the control room had to rehearse the timing multiple times to ensure everything played back correctly.
The video here shows what played on the main scoreboard (top), right field boards (bottom left), aux board (bottom middle), and left field boards (bottom right). Which X-Wing will be the one to blow up the Death Star? If you're a Star Wars fan, you might already know the answer.
Tools Used
Premiere - Movie Editing & Fireworks Timing
After Effects - 3D Animations & Motion Graphics
Cinema 4D - Additional 3D modeling and animation
Blaze Click Effects - Played all auxiliary content for the show
EVS DYVI - Played Scoreboard video and animations
Fireworks Show
I was connected with Pyro Spectaculars by Souza and shared my grand plan: a five-act show beginning with video clips from A New Hope and culminating with fireworks timed to the film’s iconic musical score. They were onboard, so I had just a few short weeks to make it all happen.
I had only a few minutes to tell the entire story of the film, while also dedicating one of the acts to Carrie Fisher, who had passed just a few months earlier. Throughout the process, I served as the sole creative for both the game show and the fireworks show. The talented operators in the control room managed the live portions, while I produced from the sidelines.