Brainstorm, leading manufacturer of real-time 3D graphics and virtual studio solutions, has proudly participated, in partnership with Sequin, in Madonna’s stunning performance during the latest edition of the Billboard Music Awards that was held in Las Vegas on May 1st.

For the Billboard Music Awards, Madonna’s Manager and her creative director wanted to introduce something really spectacular and innovative for this event and it was while discussing new ways of engaging the audience that the use of AR came into the equation. They imagined Madonna –in flesh and blood– and Maluma on the stage dancing with four virtual representation of the pop icon that during the whole show popped out and faded among butterflies and smoke effects. 

This was possible thanks to Brainstorm’s InfinitySet, that proved to be the most reliable real-time render engine and the most robust and flexible tool, especially in the high-pressure environment like this live event, which was also broadcasted worldwide. InfinitySet was capable of combining and controlling all the external hardware, including live video feeds and the real-time tracking data coming from three different cameras, plus the additional devices involved such as the volumetric captures of Madonna done using Unreal Engine. 

This stunning imagery required using a time code slate that allowed for frame synchronization and helped to get as a result that perfect matched music, lighting, graphics, avatars and other AR elements. 

During the show, InfinitySet added live AR environmental objects like rain, cloud and lighting. Everything together, including the four “virtual Madonnas” and the real one, crafted a comprehensible narrative that seek to represent her different personas matching the idea behind her new album “Madame X”. 

“Sequin has given us a great opportunity to showcase InfinitySet capabilities and reliability. We are happy that entertainment executives, highly specialized on creative AR, and with the experience of Lawrence Jones and Robert DeFranco, relied on Brainstorm for this complex event. We are both satisfied and impressed with the results.” said Brad Rumler, VP of Sales US&Canada.