GORILLAZ 'HUMANZ APP'
The Gorillaz have opened up fresh avenues of storytelling with their newly-launched app. Simply titled 'Gorillaz App' it brought music fans together for a simultaneous launch of the Humanz House Party, showcasing songs from the group's latest record.. With the onset of mixed reality tech, this brought the animated band into the real world through the lens of mobile devices. The Gorillaz app experience uniquely blends real world, AR, VR and 360 environments. It trended number one on the App Store when it launched - the trailer it linked with was third on YouTube and has 1.3m views to date. The app boasted 104,000 downloads in under 24 hours after its launch.
It marks a new level of music marketing, building upon the knowledge that bands have always sought new ways to tell their stories. The app, is an attempt to wholeheartedly embrace a new immersive storytelling medium. Mixed reality is merely "a whole new toolkit to make album releases more personal and engaging".
I worked on this film at B-Reel to tell the story of the app's success. Creating each story in Hewlett’s style required a seamless combination of CG, in-device rendering and photo-realistic compositing. What made it such an interesting challenge was the combination of different technologies and techniques to deliver a seamless MR story experience. I contributed to the 2D animation, motion tracking, screen replacements and atmospheric effects. I was solely responsible for comping the final 3D/2D renders into a cohesive piece, completing the final grade passes and the sound design. This involved using different file types/formats coming from multiple machines/artists so continuity was key.
Winner of a Gold Lion at Cannes 2017.