Notre-Dame de Paris reopening ceremony

Notre-Dame de Paris shines again with Modulo Pi media servers

On December 7, Notre-Dame de Paris took center stage as the iconic landmark celebrated its grand reopening. Broadcast worldwide, the ceremony marking the rebirth of this UNESCO World Heritage site featured stunning projections that illuminated the cathedral’s façade. The event reached its peak with a captivating performance by French DJ and producer Michaël Canitrot, accompanied by a monumental sound and light show powered by 30 Panasonic projectors and Modulo Pi’s state-of-the-art Modulo Kinetic media server.

Following the devastating fire in April 2019 that destroyed the roof and framework of Notre-Dame de Paris, five years of meticulous restoration have returned the iconic cathedral to its former glory.

To mark this momentous occasion, an official reopening ceremony was held on December 7, 2024, attended by the President of the French Republic, international heads of state, patrons, and distinguished guests from around the world.

Throughout the event, the majestic Gothic façade of the cathedral came alive with stunning video mapping, expertly crafted by AV Extended and Alabama Média.

A total of 30 x Panasonic PT-RQ35K projectors were deployed to illuminate the 43-meter-wide façade and its towering 69-meter-high spires. The projection system was meticulously designed to deliver optimal brightness for filming and broadcasting, ensuring a minimum output of 400 lux.

To power the mapping and content distribution, Modulo Pi’s Modulo Kinetic media server solution was selected. The setup included a Kinetic Designer workstation and three Kinetic V-Nodes servers, each offering six outputs.

Clément Hahusseau, video operator at AV Extended and responsible for the mapping, shared his experience:

“Modulo Kinetic is an essential tool in our daily workflow. From the initial projection study to final execution, the system ensures a seamless and dependable workflow.”

To ensure flawless broadcasting, the installation included a backup Modulo Kinetic workstation and V-Node server. “The setup allowed us to have redundancy at every level, which was essential for this historic mapping” explains Clément Hahusseau.

In preparation for the event, the AV Extended teams created a detailed model of Notre-Dame’s west façade, utilizing a LiDAR scan and mesh originally developed for the cathedral’s reconstruction project.

This model was then adapted into several versions, enabling the image studios involved in the reopening ceremony to craft bespoke content for projection onto the iconic building. Superbien handled the ceremonial sequences, Cosmo AV produced the prime-time show, and AV Extended designed the grand closing sound and light show, which featured an electrifying performance by DJ Michaël Canitrot.

To ensure precise alignment of all video mapping content with the architectural details of Notre-Dame’s façade, AV Extended utilized Modulo Kinetic‘s X-Map functionality.

Developed by Modulo Pi, this 2D warping tool simplifies the creation of mappings, even on complex projection surfaces. The X-Map feature allows users to separate elements of the mapped object into as many layers as required. These layers can then be warped independently of each other for precise adjustments and seamless integration.

For the video mapping of Notre-Dame de Paris, AV Extended, in collaboration with Alabama Média, created and fine-tuned a total of 285 X-Maps. This meticulous effort ensured high-precision projections throughout the event, which was broadcast globally. “Using Modulo Kinetic provided us with enhanced flexibility for the mapping with X-Maps distributed across multiple V-Node servers” highlights Clément Hahusseau.

The ceremony featured several poignant moments, including the symbolic three knocks on the cathedral doors and rippling effects across the façade, representing the resurrection of the iconic structure. Another powerful highlight was the projection of a giant “MERCI” paying tribute to the 650 firefighters who intervened to save Notre-Dame from the devastating fire five years ago.

Modulo Kinetic’s compositing tools were instrumental in adjusting the rendering of some media directly on-site, ensuring they met the desired results for the broadcast capture.

The ceremony concluded with a spectacular performance by DJ Michaël Canitrot and artist Jérémie Bellot, collaborators on the Monumental Tour – a unique concept blending electronic music, heritage, and digital art.

On the forecourt of Notre-Dame, Michaël Canitrot delivered a dynamic 10-minute set, accompanied by an awe-inspiring sound and light show created by Jérémie Bellot specifically for the occasion. Featuring six striking tableaux, the show explored themes of resilience, transcendence, and universality. The harmonious façade of Notre-Dame was transformed into a luminous masterpiece, with its intricate architecture – three portals, countless statues, and iconic rose window – beautifully highlighted and celebrated.