Image via Complex Original
Moment Factory is a media arts and entertainment studio based in Montreal, specializing in the conception and production of multimedia environments. They combine video, lighting, architecture, sound, and special effects to create one-of-a-kind experiences that bring people together and invite them to interact with their productions.
We spoke to producer Johanna Marsal about a selection of the live music tours they've designed and produced, which includes work for Jay-Z, A-Trak, Arcade Fire, M.I.A., DJ Tiësto, Usher, Madonna, and Nine Inch Nails. They're transforming the future of interactivity by creating original content, innovating from within their team, and raising the standard of what live shows can be. See what we mean by clicking through these 10 Incredible Moment Factory Productions.
Madonna Super Bowl 2012
Madonna At The Superbowl Halftime Show
Date: February 5, 2012
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
"For the Superbowl Halftime Show, we had to work closely with the people doing the television cameras, because we not only had to appeal to the 70,000 people in the audience, but also the millions of people watching at home. We made optical illusions, so people would wonder if the ground was moving or if the numbers were flipping.
When we found ourselves creating a show that we knew would go down in history, it was really exciting. We had an amazing, giant LED stage that we worked on with service producers and set designers. The challenge of the Super Bowl is that it’s on at halftime, and it's the most watched football event. How do you attract that audience? We had 7 minutes to assemble it and 400 volunteers hired by producers. We then had another 7 minutes to dismantle everything. For the 4 songs, we had to mix it up, especially with a client like Madonna who is very involved. The artist might not necessarily like the production, but luckily with Madonna it all worked out."
Usher AMEX 2012
Amex UNSTAGED: Usher
Date: June 11, 2012
Location: The Hammersmith Apollo, London
"For the Usher concert, there were audiences both at the show and streaming it online. We projected their tweets on the background screen in real-time. They were visually treated to be a part of the scenery. You weren’t only watching the show, you were participating in it, as well.
The goal is to make the audience part of the show and scene. That’s why we have 25 people working around the clock in our research and technology department, taking creative risks and making new tricks. People live with their smartphones, and we're mindful of bringing people together with this technology. Our goals at Moment Factory are to entertain and bring people together. The best part is when everything comes together — the lighting, set design, and costumes, because then the visuals happen and the audience feels involved. At the Usher concert, you could pick an avatar, and at some point in the show, your avatar would show up on the screen and be dancing behind Usher. Do you how many people loved that?"
Jay-Z At Carnegie Hall 2012
Jay-Z At Carnegie Hall
Dates: February 6 & 7, 2012
Location: Carnegie Hall, New York City
"The Jay-Z show was a challenge in a good way. We had 6 weeks to approve the whole show and 24 hours to install the visuals. There was almost no time. We created 10-15 environments, highlighting and representing the life of Jay-Z. It was all made to work with the architecture of Carnegie Hall. When you have only 24 hours to put everything together, you're under a lot of pressure, and that’s the rule of the game. You work with the time that's given to you, and you make the best show on that you possibly can. A lot of technicalities have to be worked out before we even get to the night of the events. If someone calls and says they want you to produce their event in a month, you get worried and don’t think you can do it, but the challenge is worth it. We wouldn't produce a show if we didn't think we could deliver."
Madonna MDNA Tour 2012
Madonna's MDNA Tour
Year: 2012
Tour: Worldwide
"We have a great team of over 20 people working with Madonna. Each song has its own effects and different stages. It's a different canvas each time that works alongside her choreography and costumes. We shot the visuals in India and New York. This tour was done in such a short amount of time, and it seems to have worked out. There are 3-D explosions, moving visuals, and amazing colors and lighting, which altogether make the show a spectacle."
DJ Tiësto's Club Life Tour 2011-12
DJ Tiësto's Club Life Tour
Year: 2011-2012
Tour: Worldwide
"We created more than an hour of original content, and then we shot more content of him here in Montreal. Although we collaborated with set designers and 3D animators, we were strictly visual designers. Each performer or DJ is focused on different techniques, so we create visuals from scratch and customize it for the client and for the audience."
Arcade Fire Coachella 2011
Arcade Fire at Coachella
Year: 2011
Tour: Coachella
"The Arcade Fire show at Coachella was a concert where we decided to take a risk. We created this balloon tank for 1,200 balloons to fall out of from above the stage. Inside each balloon, there was a ball inside that lit up with colors that went along with the rhythm of the music. It was the most viral show we've done. All it takes is one minute for people to be visually engaged and amazed by excellent visual effects. Even bringing home a beach ball from a concert makes a bigger impact than leaving with nothing at all. We would never risk the audience's safety, so we had to make sure there wasn’t a lot of wind, and we had to time everything perfectly."
A-Trak DJ Booth 2011
A-Trak's DJ Booth
Year: 2011
Tour: North America & Europe
"Everyone client is different, and it depends on the audience, the artist, the type of music, and the personality. A-trak was especially involved. He wanted to make his show interactive without the audience getting bored. It was a great collaboration, because he is different from anyone we've worked with."
M.I.A. NEET Tour 2010
M.I.A.'s NEET Tour
Year: 2010
Tour: European
"M.I.A.'s NEET Tour was completely interactive, and she was a great collaborator. This was also at the beginning of our adventures in interactive stage design, and it made a difference in Moment Factory's history."
DJ Tiësto's Kaleidoscope Tour 2009
DJ Tiësto's Kaleidoscope Tour
Year: 2009
Tour: Worldwide
"The first tour we did with him completely was the Kaleidoscope Tour. We collaborated on designing all of the visuals with him. All of his concerts are original and need digital flexibility, because he's a DJ and has to captivate the audience that way. For us, there's always original content, and it can come from various sources. We do a lot of shoots both in Montreal and around the world."
Nine Inch Nails 2008
Nine Inch Nails
Year: 2008
Tour: North and South America
"We started doing live music shows with Nine Inch Nails for their tour in 2008, using interactive screens that changed throughout the sets. We used our in-house technology to develop a playback system. Our work on the tour definitely opened doors for us in the industry.
With some clients, we're more visually oriented, and with others, we're more involved technically. Most of our projects these days are turnkey."