Arc de Triomphe
7 years of mapping on Paris' most iconic monument
The context
The Arc de Triomphe, an iconic monument, hosts major events broadcast worldwide every year: the New Year's Eve show in front of over a million spectators, the Paris 2024 Olympics Champions Parade, the November 11th commemorations...
These shows demand extreme precision, total reliability, and perfect coordination between technical, artistic, and pyrotechnics teams.
The events
New Year's Eve — 7 editions (2018 → 2026)
Every December 31st, the Arc de Triomphe lights up for a sound, light, and fireworks show in front of over a million spectators on the Champs-Élysées. Broadcast live on television.
15 Barco UDX projectors, 8 redundant Modulo servers
Champions Parade — Paris 2024 Olympics
On September 14, 2024, 360° mapping on the Arc de Triomphe to celebrate the Olympic and Paralympic athletes. A 400-meter circular stage around the monument.
24 Panasonic PT-RQ50K projectors, full 3D setup, very tight deadlines
November 11th Commemoration 2023
Projection for the official ceremonies.
My mission
I've been working on these events since 2017, in partnership with Magnum (technical service provider):
Upstream preparation
- •Creating the 2D and 3D pixel map for the creative studios
- •Preparing work files and templates
- •Coordination with creative teams (Holymage, Spectre Lab, Ateliers BK)
On site
- •Calibration and warping of all projectors
- •Full 3D setup (notably for the Olympics with very tight deadlines)
- •Video team coordination
- •Timecode synchronization with pyrotechnics, sound, and lighting
Technical challenges
Extreme precision
The slightest misalignment shows on a monument of this scale. Calibration must be flawless.
Tight deadlines
For the Olympics, the full setup was completed in record time thanks to a 100% 3D approach.
Absolute reliability
Zero room for error in front of 1 million spectators and TV cameras from around the world.
Multi-team coordination
Video, sound, lighting, pyrotechnics, security: everything must be synchronized down to the timecode.