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Behind the Work in association withThe Immortal Awards
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How Rodeo FX Brought Otherworldly CG to Coldplay and BTS’ Earth-Shattering, VMA-Nominated Collaboration

26/08/2022
Creative Production Studio
Montreal, Canada
420
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VP of development Wayne Brinton and VFX supervisor Erik Gagnon take LBB’s Adam Bennett on a tour of the universe they created for the global - and now extra-terrestrial - pop megastars

A great music video holds a unique power in the creative world. Often, they change the way we remember our favourite songs and affect the imagery our minds conjure when we hear them play. Like the memories of how our lives were when we heard a song for the first time, the best music videos are an indelible part of the impact a song makes on us. 

That importance - and that potential - is not lost on the team at Rodeo FX. Building on an enviable track record of music videos for the likes of Travis Scott, Justin Timberlake, and countless others, the visual effects wizards found themselves grappling with an ambitious challenge last year: Constructing a planet-sized sci-fi world for Coldplay to inhabit for their collaboration with K-Pop icons BTS. 

The resulting video for ‘My Universe’, which epically swings from planet to planet fizzing with head-turning visual treats, went on to garner 250 million views (and counting) on YouTube alone - and is nominated in the Best Visual Effects category at the VMAs this Sunday. Ahead of the ceremony, LBB’s Adam Bennett sat down with Rodeo FX’s VP of development Wayne Brinton, and VFX supervisor Erik Gagnon. As well as unpicking how Coldplay’s jaw-dropping alien planet came together in the ‘My Universe’ video, the pair also reflected on the art of a great music video and precisely how they can make such a profound impression. 


Above: A collaboration between Coldplay and BTS was always going to be huge, and the heavily Sci-Fi-influenced music video lives up to the billing. 


“Music must always be the main character - that’s the key”, notes Wayne Brinton. 

Looking through Rodeo FX’s work to date in the music video category, up to and including ‘My Universe’, it’s clear to see that respect for the source material shining through. 

“What’s challenging - and it’s a challenge we love - is that the quality of Game of Thrones-style VFX on TV has generally raised audience expectations across the board”, continues Wayne, referencing Rodeo’s work on the HBO classic. “In the case of the ‘My Universe’ video, the focus was on fun, creative collaborations and enhancing the song as best as possible given budget and time constraints”. 

Casting his mind back to the early stages of the project, Erik Gagnon recalls how the ideas behind it first began to take shape. “The meetings had barely begun when the table was set - we were going to make a Sci-Fi short film with rebellion as a theme”, he tells LBB. “We also wanted an exceptional visual signature for such an earth-shattering musical collaboration as this one between Coldplay and BTS”. 

World-building, then, was always going to be a hallmark of the project. “To create that environment we worked very closely with François Audouy [the acclaimed French production designer]”, continues Erik. “François was the maker of these worlds, and his imagination gave us the basis and points of view. We preserved his aesthetic to create the ‘real’ world in 360”.

As Wayne explains, those kinds of creative partnerships are almost always essential when it comes to bringing ambitious music video projects to life. “Great films are always about great collaboration”, he says. “In this instance, there was so much to build and so much work to do on a very tight deadline and budget - but it was a lot of fun”. 

And those partners can go on to make a profound impact on the creative process. “On the Floris planet, the one where Coldplay plays and our piece of the project, François had drawn a few options for the central set”, recalls Erik. “Behind the band should have been either a statue or a tree, with luminescent foliage. In the initial discussions, Dave saw the potential of adding a ‘living’ organic element amidst the desolation and destruction of the Floris planet. According to Francois’ first sketches, we modeled and then created a tree, and gave it life. But, ultimately, the tree was never used. Sometimes you will design things that don’t end up in the final product - but that’s part of the process of collaboration”.

On the topic of creative partnerships, another significant collaboration arose between the VFX artists and the video’s director Dave Meyers. “Working with Dave is a very fun and collaborative experience”, continues Erik. “You come in with some sketches and ideas, but then by the end of the day you could be working on a totally new type of video! It’s very cool to witness and participate in his process”. 

As with so many great visual and cinematic worlds, their true beauty and immersion lie in the detail. When it comes to music videos, however, Wayne notes how there are some subtle differences that help to set the craft apart. 

“As a VFX artist, you can truly embed yourself in a song”, he says. “That’s very different from just focusing for days or weeks on one shot that’s often disembodied and isolated from the larger context of the work, film, or TV show it’s taken from”. 

Thrillingly for the Rodeo FX team, their work on this particular music video could be set to land them a VMA for Best Visual Effects this week. As Erik describes, that news initially greeted him more in surprise than expectation. “It was only when Dave Meyers posted on his Instagram that the video was up for a VMA that I actually discovered the news!”, he says. “And it was two days later, when I received an email awarding me VIP access to the ceremony - and let’s stay positive here - to maybe receive an award with the team, that I truly fell out of my chair!”. 

And, for Erik, it’s another step forwards in an artistic career that has always been inspired by great music videos from recent years and times gone by. “I loved Dave’s work with Dua Lipa and Megan Thee Stallion on Sweetest Pie”, he says. “And there are also the classics - Outkast’s Hey Ya for duplication relevance, and 2016’s Turbo Killer by Carpenter Brut for its aesthetic. Peter Gabriel’s classic Sledgehammer video has always fascinated me with its in-camera effects, and - although it isn’t actually a music video it certainly feels like one - Spike Jonze’s Kenzo World is unforgettable. 


Above: The music video for Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer, directed by Stephen R. Johnson, was an early influence on Erik. The video picked up nine awards at the MTV Music Video Awards in 1987, more than any other single video has ever won. 


Regardless of the eventual VMA winners, however, few can deny that Rodeo FX’s latest work has already contributed to a colossal hit. On YouTube alone, ‘My Universe’ is edging ever closer to 250 million views. “It’s pretty wild to witness the fans”, says Erik. “When a project that you’ve worked on is deconstructed and analysed by that many people, you can’t help but get the sense that you’ve just worked on something exceptional!”. 

More broadly, the Rodeo team is aware that the bar is set high. “Viewers are extremely savvy nowadays, so they expect nothing less than a high fidelity, highly creative product”, observes Wayne. Happily, ‘My Universe’ stands as a stellar example of VFX helping music to shine.

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