Director
Shapxo
Production Company
Dreambear
Executive Producers
Evan Brown, Dave Gelb, Hope Wilson & Gina Harrell
Supervising Producer
Nicolette Moreno
Producers
Jeff Kopchia & Hope Wilson
Line Producer
Michael Magaña
Director of Photography
Zoe Simone-Yi
Post-Production Studio
ABYSS DIGITAL
Creative & Post Producer
Shapxo
Post Producer
Stanislav Yuzva
Project Manager
Yan Marchenko
Editor
Mykyta Bereg
VFX Supervisor
Jack Kosoyan
Colorist
Matt Osborne
Sound Design
Berg & Dahl Audio
Assistant Post Producer
Brad Crawford
The music video for "City of Dreams" by Tyla Yaweh featuring Chris Brown, directed by Ukrainian-born visionary ShapXO, stands as a testament to innovative filmmaking and bold visual storytelling. Integrating dynamic shots, complex camera movements, and a unique visual identity, this project showcases ShapXO's impressive VFX techniques, surreal worlds, and keen sense of beauty. The video has significantly contributed to establishing ShapXO as one of the fastest-growing young directors of his generation.
When ShapXO first heard "City of Dreams," he envisioned a city depicted in a different, surreal dark world. His goal was to strip away the clichés of expensive-looking buildings, cars, and smiling partygoers, and instead focus on the city's true essence: its people. He aimed to create a dark world where individuals were portrayed as they are, highlighting their sins—selfishness, envy, greed, and jealousy.
To bring this vision to life, ShapXO employed cutting edge techniques to erase people from the digital space and bring them back to real life. Each character was 3D scanned on set by having them stay motionless for five minutes while the camera filmed them. This process allowed the team to create photogrammetry scans, which were later transformed into point cloud data 3D models in Unreal Engine. These models were then manipulated to dissolve into thousands of small particles, creating a stunning visual effect.
Combining NeRF techniques with dynamic editing and unique color treatments helped create the surreal, dream-like world ShapXO envisioned. The entire set was scanned and turned into a cloud data trip, further enhancing the video’s otherworldly atmosphere.
The filming process took place over two days in Los Angeles. The post-production phase was a fast-paced, three-week endeavor involving over 39 VFX artists. This phase was crucial in transforming the raw footage into the final product, leveraging advanced techniques to achieve the desired effects.
The "City of Dreams" music video has been praised for its innovative approach and stunning visuals being featured on several outlets like Instagram’s Eye Candy and receiving over 8.5 million views on Youtube to date. This project has established ShapXO as one of the fastest-growing young directors of his generation, demonstrating his ability to transcend boundaries and create unforgettable visual experiences.
