What happens when you invite five of the most innovative international digital artists, equipped with powerful Z by HP workstations, to collaborate around an energized dance anthem from Alt-Pop German rock duo Milky Chance? You get “Synchronize,” a fantastical, otherworldly journey into the colorful minds of Z by HP global ambassadors, who are provided with product and payment by HP and include Orlando Arocena, Bradley G Munkowitz aka GMUNK, Nidia Dias, Jody MacDonald, and Rik Oostenbroek, inspired by the sounds of guitarist/singer Clemens Rehbein and bassist/percussionist Phillipp Dausch, aka Milky Chance.
Z by HP first challenged its global ambassadors to bridge geographic divides in 2021 in the production of a short film called “The Living System” using the previous generation of desktop workstations to evolve their creative skillset. In this second effort, “CoCreated: The Story of a Mixed-Media Music Video Collaboration,” these incredible artists were challenged to push their skillsets, experimenting with emerging AI, real-time, and simulation tools to produce a music video with multiple voices, and a singular vision.
The video, developed in partnership with integrated agency Giant Spoon, takes the viewer on a ride through syncopated visuals timed to highlight the rhythm of the track. Scenes meld and morph into one another, featuring lush landscapes captured in India by Jody, real-time sequences from Nidia, GMUNK’s colorful rotating cloud simulations, Rik’s vibrant floating orbs, and a vector art poster from Orlando that draws inspiration from each of the ambassador’s contributions. The stunning imagery was created using 3D simulations and custom assets, built using real-time 3D and AI-powered tools.
Tools used by the artists on this creative journey include JangaFX’s EmberGen, Stability AI’s Stable Diffusion, Autodesk’s Maya, Maxon’s Cinema 4D, SideFX Houdini, Adobe Creative Cloud, Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, and Topaz Labs’ VideoAI. The data demands of bringing this project together and enabling high levels of creative collaboration and iteration required the rigorous performance and robust capabilities supported by Z workstations.
“We've collaborated with visual artists before, but never so many all at once. We wanted to let the ambassadors do their thing, so we tried to stay out of their way as much as possible, and trusted them to make something great once they shared the initial treatment. ‘Synchronize’ has been a fan favorite since it came out, so we think our fans will be very excited to see a new visual interpretation of this song. It was very cool to see how the different artists interpreted the song and how it all came together at the end. We think it looks very cool and we hope that you all like it as much as we do,” said Milky Chance’s Clemens Rehbein.
“Our global ambassador program partners with leading artists and directors to push the boundaries of their craft. Teaming up with Milky Chance to collaborate on a music video that came together from different corners of the globe presented the perfect opportunity to push the envelope,” said Jim Nottingham, SVP & Division President, Advanced Compute Solutions, HP. “It’s projects like these, and the advancement of artist tools in the areas of AI, simulation, and real-time graphics that inspire our team to push boundaries and deliver more powerful and innovative technology solutions.”
Learn more about this exciting collaboration by watching the behind-the-scenes making-of-reel. Visit Z by HP online to learn more about how the latest desktop workstations can bolster your creative vision.
