Immerse Studio recently took part in a groundbreaking project for Childish Gambino’s tour, contributing to the development of a stunning visual centerpiece. Brought in to collaborate by production industry experts Brandon Epperson [Show Ninja] and Crystal Jow, the team was tasked with solving a unique challenge: transforming 1,024 motorized LED Bars into a dynamic, real-time visual display.
The Challenge: Creating Movement and Visual Impact
The core concept of the project involved using GlowMotion LED bars mounted on motorized winches, which had never before been used in such a volumetric capacity. Childish Gambino’s vision was to create a kinetic light show that synchronized with live video feeds, giving the audience the feeling of being immersed in the performance by allowing the audience to see him up close and personal.
There were two main challenges in this project: first, they had to figure out how to take traditional 2D video feed and translate it into a 3D visual experience, live. This involved multiple camera feeds with various angles, but also selectively displaying only relevant pieces for a congruent image. Second, they had to account for the constant motion of the LED Bars. This kinetic aspect made the project particularly difficult as each of the 1,024 LED Bars had to know exactly where it was in space in order to display the correct color and image, meaning the LED Bars needed to adjust to their own position while in motion.
The volumetric nature of the setup created another layer of complexity. The GlowMotion LED Bars were spaced vertically, creating a line effect, but they still needed to provide enough detail and clarity to be easily recognizable as the performer's face.
Turning the Vision into Reality
Turning the Vision into Reality
The success of the project was rooted in collaboration. As a later addition, Immerse Studio joined the core team—including Video Ninja, Frameworx.la, animation teams, and other agencies—helping to bring this ambitious vision to life.
As with any live music production, numerous elements had to be carefully timed and programmed to ensure a seamless experience. Video content—whether pre-rendered by an animation team or captured live—needed precise cueing to align with specific moments in the performance. Crystal Jow developed the essential tool for time coding, which Brandon Epperson then used to craft the dynamic motion patterns and volume of the visuals, perfectly synced with each song. This was an intricate, time-intensive process, involving hundreds of programming hours to achieve the precision required for this scale of production.
With the “when” and “how” locked in, it was time to tackle the “what” and “where”. With the 3D nature of the display as well as the kinetic up and down movement, it became essential to coordinate each bar’s placement with pinpoint accuracy. This is where Immerse Studio was asked to step in. Tekt, the creator of RayTK, took on the task of translating the 3D content from the visual team into a format that each LED Bar could understand and display in real time. Using TouchDesigner and RayTK, Tekt developed a custom solution to isolate specific colors from the content and map them precisely to the moving LED Bars. This adaptation highlighted a new and exciting use case for RayTK, pushing its capabilities further.
With all these elements in place and hundreds of combined programming hours invested, the project was finally tested for the first time in Pennsylvania.
The Result: A Groundbreaking Live Experience
The result was a visually stunning, immersive experience that perfectly synchronized the artist’s movements with the kinetic light display. The tour had an ambitious schedule with multiple shows each week throughout the entire country, meaning the entire display needed to be disassembled and reassembled after each show. With 1024 individual LED Bars, winches, and other complex machinery, this was no easy task! Immerse Studio’s Jon MacLeod was brought in to join the tour to assist with these operations, ensuring that the display was up and running prior to show-time.
The project showcased the ability of existing technology to be used in entirely new ways when creative individuals come together and ‘dream big’. The display was a smashing success 18 shows, but sadly the remaining US and world tours were cut short due to an unexpected illness of Donald Glover. We wish him a fast recovery and hope he can soon continue sharing his once-in-a-lifetime performance with the world.