Saatchi’s Mariah Carey Hologram concept for T-Mobile fools the Euro Christmas crowds
The cold, crisp air hangs over the town’s central square. Throughout the wintry day, the collective attention of passersby is on an enormous white Christmas gift placed at the plaza’s center. As dusk falls, a noise emerges from the box. A crowd gathers. In an explosion of light and sound, Mariah Carey emerges, performing a moving rendition of Silent Night.
Then, as suddenly as she appeared, she disappears – this time in a dazzling 3D shatter of glitter, sparkles and confetti. The captivated and overjoyed crowd pauses in amazement before the performer miraculously reappears and delivers her upbeat version of All I Want for Christmas Is You.
In fact, spectators in five European cities are watching the event – which features a hologram of the famous singer – simultaneously, unwittingly taking part in a unique T-Mobile promotional event featuring VFX by MPC New York. The studio teamed up with @radical.media director Dennis Liu and hologram projection experts Musion to create the memorable event.
“We were thrilled to be involved with T-Mobile’s holographic event,” said MPC EP Justin Brukman. “To take part in an event choreographed across five global markets was a special challenge. With careful coordination between MPC, Radical Media and Musion, I think we contributed to a really memorable evening for a lot of people.”
MPC’s work stands out in the Mariah explosions and surrounding transitions on and off the stage. The studio worked closely with Musion to finesse the transitions to maximize their effect when projected as holograms at the live events.
Audiences in Macedonia, Germany, Montenegro, Croatia and Poland watched the live event, while people across the globe tuned in to a live broadcast via www.lifeisforsharing.tv which soon went viral on YouTube and elsewhere. Liu shot Mariah using a Sony F35 at 50i, choosing the camera that would produce shots most compatible with interlaced footage.
Says Brukman: “We found ourselves in the unusual position of working to double-length shots and then interlacing. Wanting your shot to have a ‘video,’ feel is certainly not the norm, but Dennis is a pro and we pulled it off.”
Advertising Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi
Agency Producer/Commissioner: Jiri Mika
Production Company: @radical.media
Director: Dennis Liu
Production Company Producer: Richard Fenton
Production Company EP: Ben Schneider
Post Production Co: MPC
Post Production Producer(s): Derek Macleod
VFX Supervisor(s): Alex Lovejoy and Vicky Osborn
VFX Team: Drew Downes, Carl Fong, Brinton Jaecks, Kelly Bruce
CG Team: Mitch Deoudes, Dean Robinson, Bill Dorais,
Telecine: Paul Harrison
Hologram Projections: Musion
London Production: Josh King