Masked Wolf teams up with Hype Republic to deliver stunning performance on Jimmy Fallon

Hype Republic recently created a groundbreaking virtual production for Sydney rapper Masked Wolf’s global TV debut on the April 23rd episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Masked Wolf’s ‘Astronaut in the ocean’ has amassed over one billion streams and rose to the top of the charts in over 8 countries.

Says Macario De Souza, co-director, Hype Republic: “When Elektra Music Group reached out and asked us to create a jaw dropping live production clip, we jumped at it. They challenged us to push all the creative boundaries within a really short timeframe. It was a monumental challenge.”

Says Allan Hardy, co-director, Hype Republic: “Over 30 crew members pushed the limits and broke new ground to create the most ambitious virtual production accomplished in Australia.

“Combining live performance, pyrotechnics and special effects, we delivered the performance within an insane delivery timeline.”

In just 10 days the Hype Republic team collaborated with Australia’s industry leading experts to develop and execute the entire project in such a short amount of time, which included:
– End-to-end production management
– Creative development and 3D virtual world building
– Designing the intricate stage including VP LED walls, pyro, water effects, controlled lighting & band integration
– Band casting & rehearsals
– Artist styling & HMU
– Direct & shoot all performance elements
– Post-production, edit, colour & final delivery for international broadcast.

Says Josh Weier, creative director, Hype Republic: “Astronaut in the Ocean is a song that touches on depression. We wanted to create a visual spectacle that would blow Jimmy Fallon’s audience’s collective mind but also link back to the theme of the song. We created two worlds: a serene ocean planet which the production opens on, and a fiery hellish world that we finish in. Symbolically this represents to me the mental health struggle that many people face. One moment you might be fine, and then the next you’re being pulled down a wormhole into a dark place.”

Says De Souza: “We called on Spectre Studios to help us bring this virtual production idea to life. The team at Spectre worked relentlessly to deliver an outstanding experience for the viewer.”

Says Rick Pearce, VP supervisor, Spectre Studio: “When Hype Republic reached out about the Masked Wolf project, we had to say yes straight away. The task was massive and ambitious and there were so many moving parts, which on any production, is a lot of work. This project was running real time UE4 environments, a large LED backdrop, fire, water and rain which are all things no one has ever really incorporated simultaneously before in Virtual Production.”

Says Hardy: “We chose to shoot on the ARRI ALEXA Mini LF with ARRI Signature Prime lenses. The large format sensor delivers the best output for virtual production, seamlessly blending the pixels of the rear LED backdrop with the live foreground elements. A special thanks must go to NEP Studios for going above and beyond with amazing support and long hours, allowing us to throw everything at their virtual production studio to get the very best result.”

Says De Souza: “Lastly, a big thank you to Masked Wolf and his team for the opportunity and trust to pull something so epic off with them. Wolf is one of the hardest working and humble artists we’ve worked with. He gathered the entire crew at the end of the shoot, grabbed the mic and personally thanked the entire crew. We’ve collaborated with a lot of talent from all over the world and only a handful have done this, and it’s always appreciated. We’re all really looking forward to seeing what’s next for Harry (Masked Wolf) and are backing him to go even bigger this year.”

Hype Republic also created two alternative versions of the performance within the same day of filming. These performances were run on huge American TV shows: The Voice America and The Kelly Clarkson Show.

Watch Masked Wolf’s second performance of ‘Astronaut in the ocean’ on The Voice America here.

Watch Masked Wolf’s final performance of ‘Astronaut in the ocean’ on The Kelly Clarkson Show here.

Label: Elektra Records
Hype Republic
EP / Co-Director: Macario De Souza
Co-Director / DOP: @Allan Hardy ACS
Producer/1st AD: Dayna Yates
Creative Director: Josh Weier
Associate Producer/Camera Technician: Cameron Pianta
Additional Camera Operator: Tyson Lloyd
Additional Camera Operator: Jarred Lammiman
BTS Video: Tim Fearnley

Spectre Studios
VP Supervisor: Rick Pearce
Senior Lead Artist: Nick Creecy
Senior VP Programmer: Matthew Jones
Lead Realtime 3D Generalist: Daniel Zhao
Realtime CFX Artist: Kelin Miao
Virtual Production DOP: Chris Bland

Crew
Pyrotechnic Director: Ben Fenwick
Pyrotechnics: Harrison Smith
Pyrotechnics: Darren Roberts
Lighting Director: Steve Granville
Musical Director: Toby Chew Lee
SFX Supervisor: Max Hughes
SFX Supervisor: Arlo Markantonatos
Standby Props: Daniel Palmer
Stylist: Daniel Palmer
Stylist Assistant: Jessica Rolfe
Hair and Make Up: Nadine Terens
Photographer: Guy Davies Photographer
Safety Supervisor: Peter Barr
Production Assistant: Bronte MacInnes

Live Band
Drummer: Dan Kerby
Guitarist: Toby Chew Lee
Synth Player: Jerry Gorman

Post House: Hype Republic
Editor: Allan Hardy ACS
Editor: Cameron March
Colourgrade: Joe Lancaster
Sound Design: Folklore Sound and Music

Photo credits: Guy Davies / Hype Republic