Migos's futuristic hip-hop video vision sculpted by Calgary visual effects team
David Bell | CBC News | Posted: December 28, 2017 6:31 PM | Last Updated: December 29, 2017
META Productions' work on MotorSport video, featuring Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, viewed 70M times on YouTube
Migos is a pretty big deal.
The hip-hop trio is arguably the hottest name in rap music today, managing to have both a single and an album in the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200 charts, respectively.
So when they partnered with Nicki Minaj and Cardi B for their new track, they had their pick of visual effects producers.
And a local man and his team stepped up to the plate to make Migos's vision for their MotorSport video come to life.
Calgary's John Cameron and his team at META Productions, which has offices in Alberta and B.C., is carving out a name for himself and his company alongside industry heavy hitters.
"Primarily, what they wanted was to place themselves within this futuristic, dystopian landscape," Cameron told the Calgary Eyeopener of the MotorSport project.
"So we had to create it for them."
Cameron says it was a complex project.
- Heartland location scout talks best film spots in southern Alberta
- $28M Calgary Film Centre celebrates grand opening
"We flew down to oversee the visual effects supervision of that component. They did a portion of that on green screen. We then built the city around them. The city, the signage, the things that fly and move within it, to bring the thing to life."
The music video MotorSport has racked up more than 70 million views in three weeks on YouTube, but it's far from META Productions' first big-name deal.
Their work can be seen in Fargo, ESPN's X Games, Heritage Minutes videos and Budweiser ads, among other productions.
Cameron says the internet has connected people to the point that physical location of a production company is far less important today.
He said Migos discovered his META Productions team online.
"They saw a style that they liked and that they were aligned with. We are fortunate that they did reach out," Cameron said.
He says Calgary is becoming a place that is known for producing quality work, but the internet allows their company to take on work all over the world.
"Yes, you think of those major city centres when you think of certain industries and that applies to any industry, but the accessibility of being online, makes that location much less of a priority."
- MORE ALBERTA NEWS | Here's how Alberta's carbon tax increase will affect you in 2018
- MORE ALBERTA NEWS | You should do these things on LinkedIn if you're looking for work, says job-hunt expert
With files from the Calgary Eyeopener and CBC's Paul Karchut