When onedotzero calls and asks you if you want to make some video to play back during a concert performance, and that performance will be done by one of the biggest pop stars of all time, and you get to pretty much do what you want...how the hell do you turn that down?
You don’t. This was one of those projects that just showed up out of the blue and we had to take it.
The timeline was short (nearly 2 weeks). The technical constraints were different than we were used to (a grid of 56 different LED screens making a 30 foot wide and 16 foot tall wall of video), and we would be working blind for a portion coming up with whatever we wanted…which is weird coming from a client regardless of who they are.
After a last minute (meaning we found out the day before) trip to LA to shoot Janet Jackson on greenscreen, we huddled up for a couple days coming up with our plan and began rounding up assets. Once we received the footage from the shoot, we went into a production hole that we would only be able to emerge from once we were done. Many, many late nights later we had a solid round of content to present to Janet for approval.
Here's where some project explanation needs to happen. The whole show, which you should try to see if it comes near you, is based on a futuristic blade runner-like scenario, and there are forces battling for Janet's very soul. Our job was to turn Janet into good and evil versions of herself showing the struggle, but also be very techno-apocalyptic in style for both the good and evil characters...which according to Janet we nailed.
Some hefty sound design support was provided by the superstar Guy Baker over at Digital One.
Here we have an update from yesterdays Oakland show:
Review: The hits kept coming at Janet Jackson´s Oakland show
By Jim Harrington - Contra Costa Times
As unbelievable as it may sound, Janet Jackson says she actually phoned some of her fans and asked them what they wanted to hear on her "Rock Witchu" Tour.
Their response, apparently, was they wanted to hear as many hits as possible.
And that's exactly what we got from Jackson's extremely fan-friendly tour when it rolled into the Oracle Arena in Oakland on Saturday night. The 42-year-old vocalist, the youngest of the Jackson family of musicians, didn't even make us wait for the good stuff, opening the show with three straight Top 20 smashes: "The Pleasure Principle," "Control" and "What Have You Done for Me Lately."
Some two hours and 35 songs later, Jackson had played all 10 of her No. 1 hits, as well as most of her other blockbusters and a representative sampling of tunes from her latest album, "Discipline." That's how a true pro gets back to business after a seven-year absence from the road.
Like Jackson's previous tours, "Rock Witchu" was a flashy, high-budget extravaganza built on well-choreographed dance routines and plenty of theatrics. The star made 10 wardrobes changes, none of which featured a "malfunction." But unfortunately, she never took the time to change her hairdo.
I bring the latter up because Jackson's 'do was clearly a talking point with crowd members, many of whom had unkind things to say about the look. She wore her hair short on the sides, tall on top and long on the back — sort of a Mohawk mullet, if you will — and the style was last seen topping Sanjaya Malakar on "American Idol."
The haircut was basically the only thing that was unsightly at this show. The dance routines were all incredibly solid and fit in well thematically with the music. The stage design, which seemed to shift shapes about every three songs, was also quite impressive. The only other knock on the show, besides Jackson's 'do, was that the high-concept narratives between songs were a bit confusing and hard to hear.
Jackson's best look, among outfits that included a sailor uniform, a dominatrix-like outfit and a B-girl suit, was the fashionable red evening gown that she wore while singing the hits "Come Back to Me" and "Again." That second tune, as lovely a ballad as Jackson has in her arsenal, served as a particularly nice vehicle for the more tender side of her singing voice.
It was also great to see hip-hop star Nelly join Jackson onstage for a version of their smash duet, 2006's "Call On Me." Nelly opened the show with his own, marginally enjoyable, offering, the highlight of which was a guest appearance by Bay Area rapper Keak da Sneak.
Merchandise from Janet´s `Rock Witchu` Tour can now be purchased at FanFire.com. Featured Items are the official tour book, t-shirts, shorts, bags, buttons and much more. The picture below is the cover from the tour book.
Here we have the first pics and first review from yesterdays kick off show in Vancouver. More infos about the show soon. Klick on the pics to enter our gallery :-)
Review: Janet Jackson still a trendsetter, diva and marvelous performer Amy O'Brian, Vancouver Sun
In the fad-hungry world of pop music, seven years is a lifetime.
Many who make it to the tops of the charts one year will be nothing but a frothy memory seven years after their career climax.
But Janet Jackson - who launched her first tour in seven years Wednesday night with a high-voltage performance at GM Place - has a secure place in the pop world. The soft-spoken diva has a fan base and track record that allow her the rare privilege of hiding from the spotlight for years at a time before breaking out again.
But when she decides it's time for a tour, Ms. Jackson makes sure it's done right. And when she promises fans the show is going to be packed with hits, costumes and dancers, she doesn't disappoint.
Within the first 10 minutes of the show, Jackson powered through four hits, covering material that spanned an impressive 22 year range. The opening set made it abundantly clear that Jackson has weathered many different musical trends and eras, but has always remained an individual.
Blasting off with The Pleasure Principle, off her 1986 breakthrough album, Control, Jackson quickly set the tone for a show that had a serious celebratory party vibe. The 42-year-old danced and sang her way through What Have You Done for Me Lately and onto Feedback, the lead single off her most recent album, Discipline.
With an ear-piercing blast of pyrotechnics, a fog of thick cloud and dancers that popped up out of the stage and runway, Jackson proved within the first few minutes that she didn't choose the low-budget route for her Rock Witchu Tour.
The costume changes came fast and furious, ranging from futuristic space wear to a sailor-inspired number that included a curious corset to a long red sequined gown - which she wore for her slowed-down set of four ballads (including Come Back to Me, Let's Wait Awhile and Again). Nine dancers did their best to keep up with her on stage, a video screen behind showed graphics and images to enhance the mood, moveable staircases created layered interest, and a band worked away off to the side.
The crowd - which didn't quite fill the stadium - was on the quiet side to begin with, but exploded with high-pitched cheers for mega-hits like Nasty, Miss You Much and Together Again.
But it was after that last tune - Janet's eighth No. 1 hit on the Billboard charts - that the audience went wild.
For what seemed like minutes, Jackson stood alone, at the end of the runway, gesturing gratitude with her hands and allowing a few tears to roll down her cheeks. Judging from the screams, that kind of emotional display from Ms. Janet was worth more to the 11,000 or so fans than all the dance moves in her repertoire.
But while Jackson can be endearingly sweet and tender, she can play nasty just as well, if not better.
Toward the end of the more than two-hour show, Jackson put on an S&M display that would have either made you blush with embarrassment or flushed with lust, depending on your range of sexual fantasies.
For one enthusiastic male fan, it might have actually been a fantasy come true as he was hoisted up on stage, walked towards a torture-like device, and hoisted into various compromising positions as Ms. Janet and her dancers had their way with him. But it was probably a good thing there were barely any young kids in the crowd.
Rhythm Nation, one of Jackson's signature classics, was one of the last songs of the night and was presented with so many deafening fireworks explosions, I briefly felt we were under attack.
And, in a sense, we were. Janet Jackson's latest choreographed concert spectacle is an aggressive reminder to the world that she is a woman who has risen above fads and scandal (who can forget the famous Superbowl wardrobe malfunction?). It is a reminder that she is a trend-setter in her own right, a true diva, and a marvelous performer.
Janet Jackson has a lot to live up to on her Rock Witchu Tour, the celeb's first tour in more than seven years. Most notably, there is her own track record on the road for her to equal or surpass.
Her first worldwide tour, in support of 1989's "Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814," was such a smash success that it still holds records at some venues. It sold out four nights at the 48,000-capacity Tokyo Dome in just seven minutes, a mark that might never be broken.
Subsequent concert treks also proved very successful in regard to ticket sales as well as the high quality of the stage presentation. Over the years, Jackson has become known for flashy extravaganzas filled with dance routines and theatrics. So it's going to take a lot work to meet fans' expectations when she plays Oracle Arena in Oakland Saturday.
Jackson says she and her crew are ready..
"We know what the goal is, and we know what it takes," the 42-year-old vocalist said during a teleconference call during rehearsals for the tour. "And we push and we push until we get there, even if it's beyond the hours that we would normally (work).
"You have a show to put on. So whatever that takes, that's what you put into it. ... I've always been a hard worker. That's how I was raised. Everyone in my family's like that, and I don't think I'll ever be any different."
What is different this time, however, is Jackson's place in the industry. Once the biggest female star in the pop-music galaxy, the vocalist has been eclipsed in recent years by such R&B/soul songbirds as Mariah Carey, Rihanna and Leona Lewis.
Still, Jackson's tenth studio album, "Discipline," made its debut at No. 1 on the Billboard charts back in February. But "Discipline" quickly slid downward on the charts, failing to produce any smash singles. Her label, Def Jam, appears to have stopped promoting the album, an impression seemingly confirmed by Jackson's statement that no new single from "Discipline" is being released in conjunction with the tour.
In 2008, Jackson is at least as well known for making tabloid headlines, such as the scandal surrounding her famous "wardrobe malfunction" during the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show, as she is for her music. So despite selling more than 100 million albums worldwide and scoring 10 No. 1 singles, Jackson now to be making a bit for a comeback.
The Rock Witchu Tourcould be a good start. Jackson says the fan-friendly show will touch upon the new album, as well as her most-beloved hits.
"This show is for the fans," she said. "That's something I have to stress. This show is for all the fans."
Many performers say that, but very bother to get input from the fans. Jackson, however, took that step.
"A lot of the kids have told me what they'd like to hear," she says. "I have a number — a call-in number for fans — and they can leave a message. I leave a message for them. A lot of them I call and speak to directly. I can leave a message on their home phone, and I've asked them to tell me what they'd like hear, what they'd like to see, what they want. And being so dedicated and so loyal, they told me what they've wanted, and this is what I'm trying to give them. So, hopefully, they'll be happy."
Janet in-concert video
New Message from Janet
Oakland Show - Pics, Review & Video
Kick Off in Vancouver
