Post Malone’s Twelve Carat Toothache Listening Experience

Contrast Films combined digital and practical effects to create an introspective listening atmosphere for Post Malone’s closest friends and family.

When Contrast Films joined forces with Sila Sveta and XR Studios to craft a listening experience for Post Malone’s latest release, Amazon Music asked for ambient visuals to create the most intimate event possible. The artist would, after all, be debuting his new album exclusively for a small group of those closest to him personally and professionally. Intent on pushing the limits of atmosphere as far as possible, the team began by putting together a mood board inspired by minimalist digital art and testing practical effects, such as smoke, fog, condensation, and other textures.

The team needed to complete this show, which spanned the album’s entire duration, at a quick turnaround. They also knew they wouldn’t have access to a timecode. All things considered, to deliver the final product, they decided to employ real-time graphics and use Notch as a primary tool.

After XR Studios pulled together all rigging, lighting, LED, servers, and even physical space to make this event possible, Sila Sveta created graphics and real-time filters as Notch blocks distributed throughout the performance during the show’s programming process. In the end, they produced a highly collaborative but polished and cohesive finished product that won praise from both management and the artist himself.

“Because we were able to adjust blocks so quickly and easily, we had quite a bit of flexibility, especially during the show’s rehearsals when we needed it most.”

Sveta Yermolayeva, Video Producer, Sila Sveta

Additional press coverage:
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Credits
Clients: Amazon Music & Post Malone
Production Company: Contrast Films
Technical Producer: XR Studios
Creative Direction: Playlab Inc.
Content & Notch Producers: Polina Zakh & Sveta Yermolayeva, Sila Sveta
Notch Designer: Mark Serdtse
Notch Artists: Polina Zakh, Sveta Yermolayeva, Nguyen Hoan Anh, & Arkhipov Evgeny
Director: Micah Bickham
DP: Chase Smith
Line Producer: Cole Brian
Associate Producer: Cole Emery
Production Designer: Tyler Jensen
Senior Creative Producer: Kyle Goldberg
Producers: Emma Boardman, Haley Sliger, & Eli Perdew
Executive Producer, XR Studios: Francesca Benevento
Producer, XR Studios: Leah Hulgin
Technical Production Manager, XR Studios: Evan Cervantes
Screens Producer, XR Studios: Aron Altmark
Artist Creative Director: Otto Milo

Engineer In Charge: James Coker
Screens Technical Director: Brandon Smith
Lead Systems Tech: Joe Daleki
Camera Tech: Josh Perry
Systems Tech: Kelly Geer
Art Director: Danny Erb
Lighting Designer: Mike Smith
LD: Dom Adams
Stage Manager: Evan Michael Coniglio
Assistant Director: Ken Cooper
Camera Operators: Justin Danzansky, Connor O’Brien
Steadicam Operator: Andrew McMillan
Techno Op: Scott Acosta
Tower Camera Operator: Rob Pittman
Technical Directors: Toby Santos & Mark Brandon Smith
A1: Casey Graham
B Unit DP: Nyk Allen
B Unit OP: Tristan Gramling
Editors: Austin Prahl & Jakub Blank
Key Art Photographer: Adam DeGross
Set Photographer: Brianna Alyssa
Graphic Design: Jacob Boyles
Sound Design: Christian Stropko
Colorist: Jenny Montgomery