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In the kaleidoscopic whirl of Coachella 2024, amidst a sea of music and revelry, there emerged a visual experience so distinct it could only be the brainchild of two creative visionaries: Grimes and Kaiber Studio. This collaboration, which painted the big screens with otherworldly visions, was not just a performance but a landmark moment in the fusion of technology and live music.
Genesis of a Vision
The collaboration began somewhat serendipitously when Koto, Grimes' creative director, discovered Kaiber's generative AI video tool. Intrigued by its potential, Koto got in touch with Jacky Lu, Kaiber co-founder and AI artist. Their exploratory conversations quickly evolved, with Jacky previewing an early version of our video-to-video Transform tool and sparking an idea that felt like destiny.
Jacky and the Kaiber Studio team proposed a bold concept: a bespoke "Grimes AI Model." Within just three days, Kaiber Studio, trained a custom AI model, prototyped what would eventually become Kaiber’s Motion 1.0 tool, and crafted over a hundred individual visuals for Grimes' headliner set at the iii Points Festival.
Worldbuilding with AI
The task was monumental. Because generative image and video models are formed from large datasets of images and other forms of media, we had to undergo a lengthy model training process to create the Grimes Model. The output, we hoped, would bring us closer to our larger creative vision: bringing to life the Grimes’ universe — a whole world full of characters, scenes and places.
Grimes' team sent over 3,000 images, which we meticulously curated to 700 to ensure a diverse and high-quality dataset. Dominated by scenes of fantastic backdrops and women clad in cybernetic armor — many created by Grimes herself—our team enriched the collection with supplemental images, added nuanced captions, and trained a model to generate a rich tapestry of visuals.
As the iii Points Festival loomed, the stakes were high. Up until just an hour before Grimes' dress rehearsal, Jacky and the Studio team were in a frenetic push, sending a drive of fresh visuals to meet the artist’s last-minute needs. Remarkably, about 60% of Grimes' set ultimately featured AI-generated assets—a testament to the seamless integration of our technology under pressure.
Coachella: A Technological Tour de Force
After successfully contributing to the visuals at iii Points, Koto’s call for a Coachella collaboration came about a week before the festival. The team immediately got to work.
After many failed experiments, but through relentless iteration, we managed to push the technology we featured in our first performance in almost every aspect — detail, quality, movement. The creative tooling we built for this product will be slated to appear on the Kaiber platform in the coming months, with many aspects of the detailing and refinement process already built into our core video features. At the same time, we shared our live progress with the Grimes team — exchanging notes on AI tech, sharing creative feedback, and placing the visuals in a pre-visualization of the live performance. After a huge number of hours iterating on the tools, and getting just the right set of clips, we were finally ready for the show.
The Spectacle and Beyond
At Coachella, when the pulsating lights met the enchanting, dreamlike Kaiber visuals, the stage transformed into an otherworldly portal. This wasn't just about showcasing technology; it was about creating an immersive narrative that married Grimes' musical and creative genius with our visual innovation.
Reflecting on this collaboration, it was far more than just a project—it highlighted our mission of exploring what it means for humans and machines to create art together in ways that were previously unimaginable. For those who experienced the shows, the visuals served as a vivid testament to the groundbreaking potential of this partnership.
As we step into the future, Kaiber stands not merely as a toolmaker but as a pioneer on the frontier of artistic innovation. Whether you're a creator looking to embark on your next project or a visionary eager to push boundaries, Kaiber is ready to transform your artistic vision into reality.
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