disguise xR realises Alan Walker’s out-of-this-world NIO Day virtual concert

(London, 17 May 2022) – Norwegian DJ Alan Walker’s “Hello World” virtual concert for electric vehicle manufacturer NIO’s annual product launch day, used extended reality production powered by the disguise vx 4 and rx II media servers to create a mixed reality ‘alternative universe’ that amassed millions of online views.

Walker teamed up with China and Malaysia-based multimedia content creators Super Bonfire Group and UK-based xR specialists 80six to perform a live five-song medley across five different digitally-realised locations, featuring singers Au/Ra and Torine. With only three weeks to execute the project from conception to its public debut, production was split across three time zones, and work continued 24 hours a day with at least one team on the job at any given moment.

“The fact that multiple teams across the globe were using the same disguise hardware and interface meant we could troubleshoot together across different teams,” says Super Bonfire CEO Jason Kirby. “The workflow also allowed us to build in a lot of flexibility across both the Unreal Engine and Notch projects, which gave us more room to improvise and maneuver when shooting on site.”

Super Bonfire then used their partner’s xR stage in Kuala Lumpur to pressure test the new content.

Across the ocean, 80six built a custom xR stage for the shoot made with ROE Visual LED wall and floors running on Brompton Technology and ROE Evision EV4 for image processing. The xR workflow was powered by two disguise vx 4 and four rx II media servers working with Unreal Engine and Notch graphics engines as well as Mo-sys StarTracker as a camera tracking system. 

Part of the challenge came in creating a sense of scale around Walker and the singers, who were frequently shown in long shots flying through space or performing in great ice halls. The team used disguise’s virtual zoom feature and created AR drones that captured the performances at an artificial distance.

“With virtual zoom, we created a variety of complex camera movements by zooming in and out or panning beyond the physical constraints of the gimbal and Technocrane, creating an enhanced virtual performance space,” says 80six Head of Virtual Production & Real-Time Technology, Paul Nicholls. “Additionally disguise’s colour calibration has particularly improved with the latest release, speeding up the workflow and taking us less than ten minutes to get the colour calibration done”.

Despite the limited production time, the virtual concert was launched on NIO Day to massive success, with over 3.6 million views and counting. 

“The results we achieved were some of the best to date,” says Kirby. Kirby also believes the disguise solutions are a requirement for Super Bonfire’s top level projects:

“It’s always good when we get to work with disguise! The back-end support from them has been great and we learn a lot from them everytime we do a project. There is so much support available. Not only technically, but also through the wider disguise network. Being a part of it gives you access to a world of industry leaders in this field. Without the support from disguise, this project would not have been possible,” says Kirby.

Learn more about disguise xR

Learn more about Super Bonfire

Learn more about 80six

SCROLL POSTS

A Few Kind Words...

Kapil Gadhire, Head of Marketing, Magnifi

From the word go, team Bubble was super detailed, efficient, and exhaustive in their approach. They are true partners and make an effort to understand the ideology and end goal to plan the perfect media pitch and strategy.

Lauren Myers, Director, Integrated Marketing – Ross Video

Working with Bubble during and after IBC 2022 for PR and press support was exceptional. Their professional approach, strategic communication, and extensive media network generated significant exposure for our brand. Bubble's on-site support was outstanding, ensuring our story was accurately told to a global audience. Their post-IBC efforts further amplified our reach and provided valuable analytics. An experienced, professional team and a total joy to work with.

Andrew McKinlay, Marketing Director, Avolites

All amazing, just grateful I know I can rely on Bubble to get the job done brilliantly.

Tanya Rai, Marketing and Communications Manager, Pebble

Team Bubble are an extension of our own team. They are wonderful to work with, reliable, get the job done and gain great exposure for our business in key publications.

Mike Ward, Head of Marketing, Singular.live

Since we first started working with them, our team at Bubble have acted very much like an extension of our team. They work with us to try and help us achieve our goals and we very much feel that they have our interests at heart as well as having our backs when we need it!

Gavin Bunker, AE Live

Bubble were fantastic throughout the whole process and helped us deliver a successful event to celebrate our 30th corporate anniversary with industry peers.

Robert Cloudt, Synchronized

Bubble has been tremendously helpful to bring our marketing communication to the next level, very responsive and thinking with us together on the rightful messaging and timing across different media’s. Definitely a recommendation in case you need a well balanced media agency to help you out.

Carla Molina Whyte, Farmerswife

Working with Bubble Agency for a tradeshow has been truly amazing. The bubble team is incredibly helpful and talented. We are very happy with the results and with all the coverage we got prior and during the tradeshow!

Silvia Candido, Ateme

As usual, we were super busy before and during a tradeshow this year. What a luxury to have Bubble take care of our media relations and our social media accounts! We saw a surge of followers on LinkedIn and got good coverage in a number of publications.

Meg Travis, Iron Mountain Entertainment Services, Director, Global Head of Marketing & Communications, Entertainment Services

The Bubble team made everything easy at MPTS! From advising before the show, to facilitating client and press conversations during the show, to making recommendations on how to make the most of the connections we made there - we rely on Bubble as a key strategic partner for our sales and marketing teams.