We teamed up with our friends at Sturdy to craft a dynamic stage visuals for Cardi B and Meghan the Stallion’s “Bongo's” performance at the 2023 VMA’s.
Our challenge was to construct a vibrant jungle setting where foliage, wildlife, and lighting danced to the rhythm of the beat while feeling like an extension of the stage. Facing a quick turnaround, we made the decision of building our environment in Unreal Engine to leverage its quick render times and scalable environment-building capabilities.
We utilized Maya to rig and animate specific plant elements, seamlessly integrating them into our Unreal Engine environment. The result was a fun, colorful and lively performance that energized the VMA audience.
Cardi B feat Meghan the Stallion
Bongos VMA Performance
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Show Director & Creative Director: Adrian Martinez
Executive Producer: Kevin Henry
Art Director / CG Supervisor: Jasper Heenan
Jr Project Manager: Sophie Viscardi
Concept Artist / Lead Designer: Peach Quintana
Stage Render Assist: Kai Shinomura
Visuals Team: Jasper Heenan, Justin Sanchez, Aura Studios
Scenic Art Director: Leon Leticia
Aura Studio Credits:
Team Director: Colin Ozawa
Producer: Sean MacWilliams
Animation Director: Kane Pickerill
Unreal Engine Artist: Daichi Sakane, Colin Ozawa
Animation: Al O’Sanlou
Rigging: Rudolf Jansen van Vuuren