On May 26, the 4.5-meter life-sized statue of breakout Autobot Mirage made its Asian debut at the entrance of ArtScience Museum following the unveiling of Optimus Prime and Optimus Primal at Gardens by the Bay. It held court for three days until May 28, allowing fans to meet one of the best-loved Transformers characters up close and capture their real-life encounters on camera.
That evening, the integrated resort rolled out the red carpet for a massive fan event where the public could catch a glimpse of the stellar cast and filmmakers.
Throngs of super fans gathered at the promenade around the Museum to welcome Director Steven Caple Jr., long-time Transformers showrunners and producers Lorenzo Di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian, as well as cast members Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, and Tobe Nwigwe.
Marina Bay Sands’ Chief Operating Officer, Paul Town, was also present to grace the occasion, along with over 150 local media personalities and more than 300 content creators and media who had specially flown into town to celebrate the film premiere.
The atmosphere was electric as fans were treated to a jovial meet-and-greet session with the film’s stars, followed by a surprise lead-up to the finale. Calling on all Autobots to unite, the red carpet event ended on a high as everyone joined the cast and crew to launch the adrenaline-pumping light and pyrotechnic extravaganza.
In true Transformers fashion, Optimus Prime grandly opened the show. Guests and spectators surrounding ArtScience Museum and across Marina Bay were then treated to a three-and-a-half minute-long original, never-before-seen laser and light show, complete with state-of-the-art video mapping choreographed to an amazing score from the film.
The entire audio-visual creation was given extra pizzazz with a colorful and dazzling sky-high orchestration of pyrotechnics illuminating the bay area.
Until 11 pm, Marina Bay Sands remained aglow in Optimus Prime’s signature red and blue colors, with the ArtScience Museum building exterior and Hotel’s iconic three towers lit up for the event.
Laser projections featuring the Transformers logo were intricately tracked on the buildings, while scenes from the movie were projected onto the façade of ArtScience Museum.
Acclaimed director Steven Caple Jr. and producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura also held a dialogue with 43 aspiring filmmakers from the School of the Arts Singapore, Temasek Polytechnic, LASALLE College of the Arts, and Nanyang Technological University as part of the integrated resort’s Corporate Social Responsibility program orchestrated by Sands Cares. Known as “In Conversation With,” this ongoing series offers student beneficiaries one-of-a-kind exposure to the worlds of film, art, and culture through the eyes of talented experts and celebrities.
The students sat in on an hour-long session where they had the rare opportunity to have their queries on filmmaking answered and gained insights from the inspiring stories the duo shared of their own personal journeys toward becoming leading creatives in the industry.
The press tour ended on a high that night with the world premiere screening of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts held at Sands Theatre for invited guests. Meanwhile, the public can look forward to ushering in a new era of the Transformers series when the film opens in theaters island-wide on June 8.
