A series of promo spots for the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards that celebrate the show's return to New York City. The spots pay homage to the theatrical classic musical West Side Story, featuring show host Russell Brand and VMA-nominated musicians performing a recreation of the signature tune Tonight throughout a series of original Manhattan sets.
The spots were produced individually and then edited together as one fully-mixed anthem. Each have a distinct look and feature some of the biggest names in the music business belting out a hope-filled tune in anticipation of the night ahead. Ne-Yo, in classic Michael Jackson-style attire dances his way through a graffiti-laced junkyard. Swanky Katy Perry hustles up an attitude in a rooftop garden. Glamorous Taylor Swift sings in the rain out of the open window of a taxi. Cobra Starship slams through the Subway in a musical parade while Leighton Meester sings on the steps. And a cane-swinging Russell Brand sings about the awaiting night's events through the city's gritty backstreets. Each of the bits uses the network's iconic spaceman statuettes, a hallmark of the VMAs since their inception.
MTV VMA Promos: Katy Perry
The spots were produced individually and then edited together as one fully-mixed anthem. Each have a distinct look and feature some of the biggest names in the music business belting out a hope-filled tune in anticipation of the night ahead. Ne-Yo, in classic Michael Jackson-style attire dances his way through a graffiti-laced junkyard. Swanky Katy Perry hustles up an attitude in a rooftop garden. Glamorous Taylor Swift sings in the rain out of the open window of a taxi. Cobra Starship slams through the Subway in a musical parade while Leighton Meester sings on the steps. And a cane-swinging Russell Brand sings about the awaiting night's events through the city's gritty backstreets. Each of the bits uses the network's iconic spaceman statuettes, a hallmark of the VMAs since their inception.
MTV VMA Promos: Katy Perry
Advertising Agency: MTV inhouse
Director: Seyi Peter-Thomas
Producer: Kris Walter
Post/Effects: Click 3X
Creative Director: Mark Szumski
Head of Production: Jared Yeater
Director of CGI: Anthony Filipakis
Managing Director, Broadcast: David Edelstein
Executive Producer: Connor Swegle
VFX Supervision/Lead Flame Artist(s): Mark Szumski, John Budion
Flame Artist: John Ciampa
Flame Artist: Johnny Starace
Online Editor: JD Yepes
CG Animator/Lighter: Grace Hwang
CG Animator: Jong Moon Woo
CG Animator: Kristen Pederson
CG Modeler: Paul Liaw
After Effects Artist: Tom Matheu
Junior Flame Artist: Salvatore Randazzo
Junior Flame Artist: JD Yepes
Shake Roto: Sophia Avgousti
Producer(s): Rob Meyers, Jared Yeater