Digital studio Radium/Reel FX, Santa Monica/Dallas (www.radiumreelfx.com) ignites an inspirational fire in this highly anticipated music video “Firework” for Katy Perry from her new Billboard chart-topping sophomore album, “Teenage Dream.”

Radium/Reel FX was selected by Director Dave Meyers of @Radical Media to take on the visual effects, online and finishing for “Firework.” The video features Katy inspiring hope in several individuals who are in the crux of troubling situations and reminds them that everyone has a fire inside; it just needs to be ignited. “Firework” was shot over four nights in various locations around the city of Budapest, Hungary. Radium/Reel FX Visual Effects Supervisor Kevin Althans and Producer Leigh Mergehenn traveled to Budapest, Hungary for the shoot. Althans worked closely with Meyers in planning the logistics of both capturing practical effects during the shoot and preparing for the extensive post-production CG effects. Shooting with the RED Camera, the crew sought out locations with edge that would create the right mood for the video’s vignettes. With a goal of getting as much practical footage as possible, the production and post-production crews worked together on everything from locations to interactive lighting.

Director Dave Meyers recalls, “Having worked with Radium/Reel FX before on a hit music video, I knew that they were the right choice to pull off the VFX that could take ‘Firework’ to the next level, especially with the firework effects so integral to the song and story. Both teams worked together from pre-vis to post to bring Katy’s fans something that is visually stunning and inspirational at the same time.”

“The entire process was extremely collaborative,” notes Althans. “Dave and the entire @Radical team made sure our VFX needs were considered at all times during the shoot, which was essential given our tight schedule. This ensured we had the best possible footage to work with. We are excited to have been part of the team and thrilled with the public response!”

Upon return from Budapest, there were approximately three weeks to edit, finish and deliver the effects-heavy video. The final look of the fireworks was achieved using custom Houdini plug-ins – written by 3D Effects Artist Anthony Chappina – which generated the dynamic fireworks, in combination with compositing the 2nd Unit plates of practical fireworks in Inferno.

Over 40 staff artists in Radium/Reel FX’s two locations, Dallas and Santa Monica, worked around the clock for two weeks to generate over 60 effects shots. Tools included Houdini, Maya, Particular for After Effects, with compositing happening in both Nuke and Inferno, and beauty work and final finishing happening in Inferno in both Dallas and Santa Monica.

The video opens with the elegantly dressed Katy Perry standing on a balcony overlooking Budapest, Hungary singing about empowering yourself and embracing your inner firework. It then cuts to shots of various stories of individuals seeking to find their own inner firework. One storyline follows a boy distraught over his disputing parents, another follows a young woman uncomfortable with her body at a party filled with underwear-clad guests and another story follows a cancer-stricken girl who longingly watches the world pass by her in the halls of the hospital. As the chorus begins, Perry’s inner firework starts to expel from her chest as the other characters begin to find their own as well. The video cuts to shots of two gay youths at a party struggling to find an appropriate way to express their feelings for one another as well as a teenage boy being bullied in an alleyway for his affliction for all things magic. The video closes with Perry leading a group of inspired individuals into a city square where they all dance in celebration around her as fireworks explode all around them.

Perry has noted that the video has personal significance to her and has dedicated the track and video to the “It Gets Better” campaign, which addresses discrimination and bullying against LGBT youth.

To view the video, please visit http://www.radiumreelfx.com.

About Radium/Reel FX

Radium, the commercial arm of Reel FX Creative Studios, is an evolving artist-driven studio that includes filmmakers, artists and designers focused on creativity and innovative solutions. We embrace a shared creative role with our clients from script to screen. Our VFX background and CG expertise provide us with a strong technological foundation on which we build groundbreaking work, including stereoscopic 3D projects, for the expanding world of advertising.

Credits:
Client: Katy Perry
Title: “Firework”
Airdate: Currently Airing
Design & VFX Company: Radium/Reel FX [Santa Monica/Dallas]
Executive Creative Director: Dale Carman
Executive Producer: Dan Bryant
Producer: Leigh Mergehenn
Bidding Producer: Linda A. Jackson
Production Manager: Ellyn Golub
Production Coordinators: Derek Johnson, Leah Garner
Production Assistant: Meghan Cole
VFX Supervisor: Kevin Althans
VFX Artists: Brenda Vaughan, Bryan Bayley, Jared Brower, Joe Censoplano, Laychin Lee, Mike Roy
Online Assistants: Ahren Shaw, John McStravick, Quan Tran
CG Supervisor: Mark Thielen
CG Artists: Mike Wallace, Randall Smith, Scott McCullough, Seth Olsen
3D Effects Supervisor: Walter Behrnes
3D Effects Artists: Anthony Chappina, Jake Rusch, Matthew Bennett, Nick Ilyin
Lighting Supervisor: Chris Browne
Lighters: Connon Carey, Doug Hogan, Jessica Hogan, Julie Terrell, Michael Zollinger, Sungman Pyun
Compositor: John Rogalski
Motion Designer: James Tobias
2D Artist: Kyle McCauley
Production Company: @Radical Media
Director: Dave Meyers
Head of Production: Derek Roberto
Executive Producer: Jennifer Heath
Line Producer: Robert Bray
Editor: Chris Davis
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For More Details, Contact: Virginia Scripps