The Warning2025
The Warning: Ferrofluid and Shattered Glass
An audio-reactive ferrofluid that becomes a human silhouette, and a storm of glass that shatters on every drum hit.
The challenge
Open a rock show with a narrative intro on a giant scrim that drops to reveal the band, and close it with a visual that matches the energy of the last song. Of the whole show, I led three moments: the intro and two songs.
The intro
An audio-reactive, Venom-like ferrofluid (a viscous black mass) that transforms into a deliberately genderless human silhouette, then appears trapped behind heavily fogged frosted glass.
The closing song
Glass shards break in time with the percussion, new shards appear with every hit, and the finale becomes a giant tornado of glass.
My part
Ferrofluid simulation and frosted-glass effect in Houdini (Karma); RBD glass simulation synced to percussion and the glass tornado with particles, simulated in Houdini and rendered in Unreal Engine; art and mocap direction; animation cleanup, sequencing, lighting and cinematography.
I led other artists on mocap cleanup and Houdini sequence setup.
Breakdown
- 01
Ferrofluid
Audio-reactive simulation in Houdini.
- 02
Frosted glass
The trapped silhouette, rendered in Karma.
- 03
Glass on the beat
RBD synced to every drum hit.
- 04
Render
The Houdini simulations run in Unreal Engine.
Outcome
My pieces opened and closed the show.
The challenge
Open a rock show with a narrative intro on a giant scrim that drops to reveal the band, and close it with a visual that matches the energy of the last song. Of the whole show, I led three moments: the intro and two songs.
The intro
An audio-reactive, Venom-like ferrofluid (a viscous black mass) that transforms into a deliberately genderless human silhouette, then appears trapped behind heavily fogged frosted glass.
The closing song
Glass shards break in time with the percussion, new shards appear with every hit, and the finale becomes a giant tornado of glass.
My part
Ferrofluid simulation and frosted-glass effect in Houdini (Karma); RBD glass simulation synced to percussion and the glass tornado with particles, simulated in Houdini and rendered in Unreal Engine; art and mocap direction; animation cleanup, sequencing, lighting and cinematography.
I led other artists on mocap cleanup and Houdini sequence setup.
Breakdown
- 01
Ferrofluid
Audio-reactive simulation in Houdini.
- 02
Frosted glass
The trapped silhouette, rendered in Karma.
- 03
Glass on the beat
RBD synced to every drum hit.
- 04
Render
The Houdini simulations run in Unreal Engine.
Outcome
My pieces opened and closed the show.
Behind the scenes
Stack
Houdini (Karma) · Unreal Engine · Motion capture
Credits
- Artist
- The Warning
- Production
- WeMake