The Santa Monica Pier is a magical place. The sprawling ocean. The Ferris Wheel. The sights and sounds of the people there. There’s a familiarity to it, a closeness, and this feeling is only magnified during its annual Twilight Concert Series.
This concert series is all about community, and Munkowitz and the team wanted to tap into that. They wanted to bring the space to life through a lighting universe where everything is interconnected, evoking a sense of warmth and tranquility, drawing the entire audience closer together.The resulting experience is to be driven by the attendees, their participation expressed visually as data in the form of vibrant pulsing lights, creating a unified visual language that permeates through the entire pier.
It’s an immersive, interactive environment that not only will make the attendees feel that they experienced something special, but that they shared something with others, too. Just as TrueCar uses user data to price cars, we use our audience’s data to drive this unique lighting experience.
THE TREATMENT
Our unifying theme is community, imagining vibrant images of fire and light synced with the signature sounds from the concert stage. The experience harkens back to a campfire, where we would stay warm and bonded close together in front of the flame, feeling like we were part of a larger group.
This warming entity would comprise a Lighting Universe which would create one cohesive experience, with every light acting as one pulse, driven by the Centerpiece... The Centerpiece, in turn, is driven by the audience. An attendee interacts with the Centerpiece, which then pulses light and color throughout the entire installation creating a sense of warmth for the pier community.The Centerpiece is much like a beating heart, with the installation being the body all around it. The heart emanates outwards to all the other lights, setting color themes and pulse states. This will all heighten the overall vibe and feeling for the audience. But to be clear, this is not EDM, with overwhelming sensory overload. Instead, our theme will mimic the concert’s vibe. It will be a chill, warm, pleasant experience that makes you feel like you’re a part of something together.
At its core, this is an audience-driven experience. Every light pulse emanates from the attendees’ data, making it a truly immersive and interactive experience for everyone participating in the Santa Monica Pier Concert Series.
TRUECAR L.E.D. Credits
Client: Truecar
Agency: Tiny Rebellion
Creative Directors: Jennifer Parke, Justin Smith, Alicia Benz
Producers: Stephen Fahlsing, Daryll Merchant, Peter McKinney
Account: Tyler Bell, Billy Derham, Jennifer Engleman, Brynn Wagner
Digital Production Company: Tool of North America
Director: GMUNK
Executive Producers: Chris Neff, Dustin Callif
Senior Producer: Jennifer Baker
Production Design: VT Pro Design
Executive Producer: Vartan Tchekmedyian
Creative Director: Michael Fullman
Design Director: Conor Grebel
Centerpiece Designer: Conor Grebel
Centerpiece Touch Designer Artist: Matthew Wachtner
Centerpiece Content Animators: Conor Grebel, Jordan Ariel, Akiko Yamashita, Ali Benter
System Design/Engineering: Harry Souders
Crew Chief/Install lead: Nico Yernazian, Hayk Khanjian
Post Production Company: Digital Twigs
Executive Producer: Mark Cramer
Cinematographer: Andrew Tomayko
Photographer: Bradley G Munkowitz
Editor: Andrew Tomayko
Composer: Keith Ruggiero (SoundsRed)
Audio Mix: Keith Ruggiero (SoundsRed)