Kelly Rowland: "Everywhere You Go"

"Everywhere You Go" brought together Africa's finest musical talents and American R&B singer Kelly Rowland to celebrate African unity over the period of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The music video was commissioned by major cellular network and 2010 FIFA World Cup sponsor MTN. Nicework was responsible for the design and animation of the video, which incorporates bright African colours and iconography to reflect the sponsor and personalities of the musical acts involved. This premium quality video was designed and animated in the short time span of three weeks.

Client: AS Entertainment and MTN

AS Entertainment specialises in the African music industry, primarily dealing with artists, musicians and record labels. Their services range from distribution to co-ordinating marketing campaigns and live events throughout the African continent.

MTN is one of the top three cellular communications companies in the African continent.

Services:

Post Production, Graphic Design, 2D Animation

Discovery:

AS Entertainment commissioned the production of a music video, on behalf of MTN, that would be flighted during the 2010 FIFA World Cup to promote African unity and celebration.

Kelly Rowland, a famous African American singer who established her name in the R&B trio Destiny's Child, was selected as the main talent for the music video. Rowland collaborated with a number of musical artists from the African continent to create "Everywhere You Go".

Brief:

Nicework was commissioned to provide design and animation for the live footage of the music video for "Everywhere You Go".

The 2D animated elements had to express the individual personalities of the musical artists involved, as well as expressing a celebration of African unity. Another requirement was to show MTN's brand identity in the design treatment. Given that the music video was going to be aired during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the client requested that the music video convey the spirit of the event through its visual treatment.

Challenges:

To create a premium quality animated music video that reflected the artists involved as well as the brand identity of the client. Another challenge was to complete the task within a very strict timeline of three weeks.

Tackling the brief:

"Everywhere You Go" brings together some of Africa's finest musical artists including: Chameleone, Awadi, Krotal, e'smile, Rola, Samini, Kwesta, Slikour, 2face, Ishmael and Da L.E.S. (Jozi). Each artist was shot individually against a green screen after which the live footage was composited into a single piece.

Nicwork worked together director Andrew Wessels to create a visual treatment for the live footage. The treatment centred around the evolution of graphic design in an African context from the 1930's through to the current day. Three illustrators were selected to create posters: Hannah Hughes (http://hannahhughes.net/), Theory 01 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/theory_one/) and Mugnai (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mugnaiart/)

Nicework then began the design and animation process. Nicework team members Ross Drakes, Donovan Pugh and Creon Eftychis created 2D typographical and design elements to frame and spotlight the various musical artists. The animated elements tied together the footage into a coherent and engaging final piece.

Yellow featured as the predominant colour in the music video to express the main brand colour of MTN. The colour choice allowed the music video to have its own identity without looking like a promotional advertising campaign. The final result is an energetic design piece integrated with clean, classic motion that expresses a proudly African message.

The Result:

• A high-quality music video where animation and live action integrate seamlessly to creatively celebrate the Africa whilst promoting MTN and participating musical artists
• A music video that appeals to a wide audience
• Increased play of the song on radio
• Increased play of the music video on relevant music channels
• An appropriately themed pro-African music video to air during the 2010 FIFA World Cup