Pixel Artworks delivered a broadcast first at The Mayor of London’s famous New Year’s Eve celebrations. Reece Webb explores the method behind the magic.
Today, wow factor requires greater innovation than ever before. Sprinkle in a spoonful of cutting-edge technology, a handful of out-the-box thinking, and just a drop of good fortune to tie it all together and you have a recipe for success that leaves audiences wondering “just how did they do that?”
This philosophy sits at the heart of Pixel Artworks’ ethos, a creative studio that specialises in developing immersive experiences that aim to build lasting connections with audiences.
Pixel Artworks added a new twist to one of the UK’s most prestigious events of the year, the London New Year’s Eve Fireworks, an event that regularly captures in-person and remote audiences from around the world as the skies over London are illuminated with a world-famous firework and light show.
The London fireworks that ushered in 2025 saw a special guest greet visitors during the celebration, as classic literary character and movie sensation, Paddington Bear, appeared in the centre of one of London’s most famous landmarks, the London Eye.
Pixel Artworks worked with Identity, the lead creative agency, and the Greater London Authority to give remote revellers a unique projection experience, as Paddington Bear appeared ‘holographically’ in the centre of the London Eye’s wheel to bring the famous fireworks show to a close with a show-stopping finish.
This unique surprise was achieved by using Hologauze, a silvered projection gauze designed for creating large-scale ‘holographic’ media using projection technology.
Paddington Bear appeared live to BBC viewers through the use of a locked off television camera set up to capture the ‘holographic’ experience.
Simon Graham, creative technology director, Pixel Artworks, explains: “This was the first application of Hologauze to augment a live broadcast. Previously, we have applied a locked-off camera scene that outputs images, or video taken of Hologauze in front of the subject that you’re focusing on beyond it, but this was the first live broadcast application of the forced perspective illusion type of hologram that was used during the show.
“A common misconception was that the Hologauze was hung on the London Eye. This wasn’t possible as it would essentially create a sail out of the structure which could be highly dangerous in high winds. Instead, a Hologauze screen was setup in front of a broadcast camera at a specific angle to create a perspective-based illusion.”
The team had to make sure that there was no ambient light on the gauze, so that the only light visible from the camera position was the light coming from the projector.
Graham continues: “The real ‘first’ was the amount of light coming off all the fireworks. The fireworks were, understandably, not possible to rehearse, so an ambient lighting test of these conditions was out of the question. Based on previous experience with this workflow we planned for what we thought would work, lined it up and then we had to see how it would work on the night.”
To achieve this unique, live experience, Pixel Artworks used a combination of Hologauze, kept under tension to prevent a wobbling effect, in conjunction with two Panasonic 32K laser projectors and disguise media servers. Pixel Artworks used one Panasonic projector, with the second kept as a backup which could be un-shuttered instantaneously if the live projector failed. The Hologauze setup itself was approximately 5m x 4m, creating an image less than a metre wide in the centre of the London Eye.
"The fireworks were, understandably, not possible to rehearse, so an ambient lighting test of these conditions was out of the question" - Simon Graham, Pixel Artworks
Graham adds: “With Hologauze, you lose a lot of the light that goes through it. However we had the projectors running at quite a low light output to allow the London Eye lighting and our hologram to be visible to the camera at similar levels, but we were able to adjust the light output of the projector should we need it. This was also balanced with the camera racking to get the colour levels right for broadcast. It turned out that we only needed to run the projectors at 50%, but we could ramp up the brightness to compete with the fireworks if we needed to.”
Not only did this project pose unique challenges expected of a pioneering project, but Pixel Artworks also faced the unpredictable challenge of stormy weather on the night, facing strong, 40 mile-per-hour winds and intense rain that at one point, even threatened to cancel the extravaganza altogether.
"With 40 mile-per-hour winds, we had lots of unpredictable elements with the fireworks" - Steve Richley, Pixel Artworks
Steve Richley worked as project manager on this setup. He clarifies: “The test was done with a 2m x 2m gauze with a few stands and a projector outdoors. That really showed how much ambient light was affecting the setup. When we’d used Hologauze for photographs and shots, it’s very easy to tap the gauze if it gets wet. If it’s continually raining, it’s going to ruin the effect, as you need the gauze to ‘disappear’.
The Hologauze was under high tension, and with 40 mile-per-hour winds, we had lots of unpredictable elements with the fireworks, high wind speeds, and we were concerned about wobble.
“A flock of seagulls even appeared in the middle of the shot, and we had bugs flying towards the projector that could get stuck in the gauze, plus, the moving lights had to be choreographed to avoid our zone and the gauze. We discovered that the lights were so powerful and so focused that they could illuminate the net when the light streamed across at a certain angle. It had to be precisely time-coded so that when the camera wasn’t looking at the ‘hologram’, the lights could have free reign.”
A first of its kind approach often means that technology can behave in unexpected ways, which was certainly the case with this project. The unprecedented effects of a huge quantity of fireworks, wind, and smoke, led to a positive, if unpredicted, outcome that enhanced the overall experience.
Graham says: “We chose this method because none of it could be done in post to the same level of detail on a live event. You had the ‘hologram’ reacting to the light of the fireworks as it’s happening live, and there is no other way you could achieve that. Because this is ‘real’ it can stand the test of time as it’s very hard to simulate the interplay between all those light sources and the hologram media.”
“Some of the words were whited out in the smoke and the big flashes, blending together to create the illusion that this image really was on the wheel. We’re playing with explosions and light then projecting light in front of it, so it was all interacting with each other. You couldn’t simulate that with the number of fireworks going off.”
Richley adds: “A south-westerly wind prevailed on the night and worked in our favour as it got rid of the smoke that we were worried about. If the wheel was hazy, and our image was crisp and sharp, it could have blown the illusion, so it all ended up just right.”
On the night, Pixel Artworks delivered an experience that wowed audiences around the world, generating national news headlines in the UK and breaking a boundary in large-scale event projection for broadcast audiences.
Graham continues: “The overall execution was fantastic, bringing all the different components together to retain the ‘hologram’ effect. Normally, you have an audience, and they will focus on the subject beyond the hologram, so to get that with a locked-off camera in a live environment, with everything going on around it was a challenge. Getting everybody involved happy with a project like this with content that is visible and looks like a hologram was no small feat and it’s something that we’re proud of.”
Richley closes: “It’s nice to see all the theory and design come to fruition. The coordination is something you expect from the BBC, and it was really done well, there was an extra level of quality that was put into it. It was enjoyable to do because everything had been addressed. We had the timecodes to lock in with the cameras, and everything plugged together. It was quite a pleasure to work on.”