Kawai & Friends Concert

CREATIVE DIRECTION & STAGE VISUALS

Recap video by Jamie Jude

SKILLS USED: Creative Direction, Procreate, Blender, After Effects, and Resolume Avenue

Back in 2022 I had the pleasure of creative directing and creating stage visuals for “Sara Kawai & Friends” at The Echo! This concert showcased the harpist accompanying a lineup of RnB artists.

All of the artists’ music contained a contemplative, cathartic, and healing quality. I wanted to emphasize these feelings, by taking the audience to natural yet magical environments for reflection.

Stage Visuals

Under a tight deadline, I decided to make one looping backdrop for each set. I equipped each one with subtle changes and simple audio reactive components to keep things interesting while not distracting from the intimate performances. I planned each backdrop to form a subtle narrative arc which evolves over the course of the night, mirroring each artist’s lyrics and energy.

CHAPTER 1: “I Can Feel You in All The Places We Used to Be” – Jay Wile’s set focused on heartbreak and relationships gone bad. Two flowers bloom and exchange energy. What at first seemed full of life fades over time. Since this was the first set, I planned it so that the visuals roughly go from day to night in time with the actual sunset which happened around 8pm that night.

CHAPTER 2: “Take Me, Take Me, Take Me” – Amaria’s set was smooooth and full of yearning. The camera sways. New life, fireflies, and fungi emerge out of the night.

CHAPTER 3: “Brand New Bitch” – Alemeda is better off without you. The pacing and camera moves are much more dramatic. We traverse an alien yet organic landscape. The natural elements from earlier bloom and glow with a new energy.

IDLE ANIMATION: Sara Kawai’s harp playing is what tied the concert together, and so I made this the event’s central image. I sketched out a magical and slightly abstracted harp and collaborated with our poster designer, Rachel Jiang, who modeled the final asset.

I used translucent materials and volumetric lighting to emphasize its magical quality. I broke the scene into three render passes to VJ with, as I would use it many times throughout the night – during the DJ performances, in between sets, and when Sarah talked to the audience.

Event Poster

I curated typography, color, layout, and post processing references for our graphic designers, Gabbi Soong (logo type) and Rachel Jiang (poster and social assets), and gave notes to ensure all of our assets felt like part of this same organic yet magical world.