UNMUTE
What?
A virtual concert created by and for University of Southern California students amidst the Covid -19 pandemic.
Working as a team made up off passionate artists, markerters, 3D artists, and sponsored by the non-profit, Live Out Live, UNMUTE is an interactive concert experience aimed to connect audience members to performers while shelter in place mandates rocked the live music industry.
UNMUTE scouted and highlights local talent from USC’s Thornton School of Music and feature’s performances by rising indie artists, Ethan Danto, Cordelia, and Ellie Williams.
Why?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, live music and concert industries suffered severe financial losses, with global live music revenues dropping by 75% in 2020 compared to 2019. As a result, many artists and venues pivoted to virtual concerts, which became crucial for maintaining fan engagement and providing some income stream for musicians and industry workers. USC's "Unmute," the university's first immersive virtual concert, exemplified this trend by offering students a way to experience live music safely while fostering a sense of community during a time of social distancing.
Our show hoped to spotlight the beauty and power of voice, even under the mask. The pandemic was divisive, many struggled to push the movement towards ACCEPTING each other. Weworked to push against the worldly divide, bringing artists of all kinds together during a collective time of fear and suffering.
How?
We pre-record performances (with live audio) of 3 artists, each having a 10-minute set in front of a green screen. Our Animation Team worked with the Creative Director and each artist to create an animated, 3D world that will envelop each performance. Each artist also got 5 minutes to interact with their audience in real-time.
The show fundraised money and got support from Live Out Live to put on our livestream on Twitch.
Unmute was not just a Zoomed livestream show, it was a strategic and meticulous multi-part project begging with conceptualization, and moving into world-building, Pre-Recorded Sessions, Marketing + Partnerships, Longterm social strategy, Animation Production, and live DOS interviews for a built out experience.