The first challenge was coordinating the shoot for necessary scenic imagery and included a diverse spectrum of landscapes from around the United States. The project’s success hinged on collecting captivating, surreal imagery.

Transitioning from shots & combining worlds convincingly was the primary design objective, but creating a digital rupture/procedural system of organized chaos within our tight production schedule was one of the first milestones.

The Mill's Design team explored the concepts of space, time, and place whilst the footage was distressed with a visual "grenade", contrasting the isolation and disquiet of the photography with a highly stylized digital imperfection.

To envision the final graphics and design package, we used a show package and theatrical video screen elements for the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards. The theme was the Visual Grenade and the Digital Abyss.

Early tests were altered to the extreme, this provided opportunity to dial back and make further refinements. As we progressed, we fine tuned the technique with the captured scenics, first wreaking havoc on the shot and then dialing the effect back in order to achieve a final look.

The final outcome pushed the aesthetic boundaries for broadcast television and theatrical screen looks achieving a a unique balance of chaos, beauty and an explosive effect required to define an iconic look for the VMA's.

"Working on the MTV VMAs is a dream for any designer." "We discussed a diverse range of ideas and finally honed in on our final concept of 'Contrast.' We wanted to shine the spotlight on some of the unusual beauty of America drawing a parallel to the unique and diverse musical talent on the VMA stage."