Kid Cudi Flies to the Moon at XR Studios, for Amazon Prime Day with Disguise xR

Man’s return to the moon came much sooner than expected with Kid Cudi’s extraordinary xR musical performance for the Amazon Prime Day Show 2021. Using transformative xR and immersive “lunar” elements, Kid Cudi travelled through space to perform with the International Space Orchestra on the surface of the moon.

In this case study you will discover how Kid Cudi’s extraterrestrial adventure was built entirely through xR and facilitated with the Disguise xR solution featuring eight gx 2c media servers.

The challenge

The creative concept for Kid Cudi’s performance was based on the narrative he has been following since the release of “Man on the Moon: The End of Day,” his debut studio album, in 2009. The scenario follows his preparation, send off and launch, as well as his landing on the lunar surface. The technical goal of the project was to combine the virtual extended world of xR and AR with the physical and prop-based worlds of more filmic approaches seen in other in-camera visual effects shoots. 

While combining the physical and virtual worlds works well with today’s virtual production technologies, addressing the production sensibilities of cinematic and music video workflows with multi-camera or broadcast workflows proved to be an interesting challenge. The schedule and production design requirements added another level of complexity.

Adding augmented reality aspects and virtual set extension differentiates this shoot from other in-camera VFX or more cinematic projects because it showcases the full potential of xR, continuing outside the LED volume at times.

The solution

Combining a crew of live music and broadcast talent with a cinematic and music video production-based team made for a great collaboration to deliver Kid Cudi’s vision.

The xR build of the software and the maturity of the xR features of the Disguise workflow allowed the project to be completed successfully.

Using the Disguise camera and LED calibration system allowed for a perfect line up of set extension and cameras. The use of this technology allowed for wide expansive shots that purely physical LED solutions could not deliver.

The Disguise gx 2c media servers allowed Notch and Disguise’s RenderStream plugin for Unreal Engine to work seamlessly side by side. Additionally, Disguise’s colour calibration tool, used with XR Studios’ software by highly-skilled colourists, produced a seamless render across the real and virtual elements with minimal time taken for set up.