V Motion Project

The Challenge

At Fugitive, one of the most demanding deliverables was the V Motion Project — an interactive musical instrument built for a music-video shoot in Auckland, New Zealand. A breakdancer performed moves in front of the cameras; those gestures had to drive the entire beat and visual experience in realtime, with animations projected onto a building during the shoot.

The system had to feel like an instrument: reliable enough for a live performance on camera, expressive enough for choreography, and tightly synced across audio and projection.

Client & collaborators

The brand client was Frucor (makers of V energy drink), working with agency Colenso BBDO. Together they kitted out a warehouse space for the project to grow in and gathered a group of talented people from a number of creative fields. Delivery was through Fugitive, where the Gesture Management System and V Motion software were owned end to end.

Creative process

The live visual spectacle and music video were designed as one outcome: prove the technology was real and played live. The interface made that legible — realtime tracking and samples drawn as they fired showed the dancer controlling the audio. Visuals were generated live; the video is essentially a document of that night.

Constraints

• Two Xbox Kinect devices capturing performer motion for both audio and visual output.
• Realtime coupling of gesture → audio samples → projected visual effects with no room for lag on a live shoot.
• Custom storage of specific dance moves and X/Y hand positions mapped to the right samples and animations.
• End-to-end ownership of a six-month build in ActionScript 3 and Flex (PureMVC), plus on-site systems for downtown Auckland filming.

Contributions

1. Built a custom Gesture Management System (GMS) — stored the dancer’s moves and associated Kinect hand positions (X, Y) with target audio samples and visual animations used in the projection.
2. Owned the full deliverable in ActionScript 3 and Flex — architecture, realtime gesture/audio/effect syncing, and integration for V Motion rather than handing off critical paths.
3. Shaped the experience for a music-video performance — treated the installation as a playable instrument so a breakdancer could generate the beat and visuals live in front of camera and projection.

Outcomes

V Motion shipped as a Kinect-powered interactive instrument featured in a music video filmed in Auckland. The GMS made choreographed moves addressable as mapped gesture → sound → projection events. It remains one of the most challenging interactive projects in this portfolio — a six-month solo-owned build spanning software, hardware input, and live production support.

Project dates

June 2011 – December 2012 · Auckland, New Zealand
V Motion build: ~6 months