Disguise services powers Emily Rowed's music video

A magical, bioluminescent forest tucked between the mountains. An endless field of flowers, as far as the eye can see. Countless sparkling stars and a perfectly rounded, full moon in the sky. 

Thanks to virtual production - all within the city limits of downtown Nashville. 

Emily Rowed in an ethereal virtual set created with Unreal Engine, seamlessly combined with a physical landscape. 

Flowers as far as the eye can see - right in the heart of downtown Nashville

The official music video for Nashville-based artist Emily Rowed took viewers on a unique visual journey of her song ‘Bloom’, a song about expanding and unfurling, with “no plan of where you're going or who youʼll be next,” according to the singer-songwriter.

Emily Rowed amongst a physical set of flowers, created by Sophia Matinazad.

Emily Rowed surrounded by blooming flowers displayed on the LED Volume at Arc Studios. 

Our team of xR designers took Emily’s interpretation of the song to heart and created an ethereal virtual set that transforms with the song.

Moving from dusk to dawn, the environment changes with the messaging. From being “paralysed” in a dark forest, to expanding the world into a wide open field filled with flowers - representing the burst into bloom.

The virtual set of the ethereal forest is displayed on the LED Volume.

Paralysed is getting old - Emily Rowed finding her way out of the forest.

Sequences in Unreal Engine create the real-time workflow on the LED Volume. 

In camera, this virtual production seamlessly combined a physical set, consisting of an entire magical garden, and the virtual content integrated with the curved LED Volume at Arc Studios. 

“I walked onto the set and it started with a massive scenery on the wall and also physical scenery in the space.  I was interacting with flowers and moss and dirt and having a very physical experience while there was very much a full world behind me,” said artist Emily Rowed. 

“Everything is seamless to create one world in-camera while I am experiencing two worlds.”

In camera, the virtual and the physical set blend into one immersive environment.

From the ethereal forest to an open field of flowers - the entire music video was shot in the studio. 

While Emily experienced two worlds, the virtual and the physical, the camera combined both into one immersive world.

Because virtual production allows for total control of the environment, time of day, weather conditions, and last-minute landscaping changes did not interrupt the shoot. The music video was wrapped up within two days of shooting

The success of the final virtual production was a joint effort between the teams at Arc Studios (Disguise Services and Gear Seven), Emily Rowed, and many others. 

Emily Rowed’s music video to ‘Bloom’ has been nominated for Best Performance in Virtual & Remote in the 2022 Webby Awards and has been singled out as one of the best in the world in its category.

Emily’s fans can experience her world in Virtual Reality (VR). For an experience in addition to her music video, our team has taken the set from the virtual production and created an entire 360 virtual world for fans to experience with a VR headset.