Behind the MetaHuman Design of Nike Ardilla at Synchronize Fest 2024 by bujukrayu
Synchronize Fest 2024 delivered a monumental experience, bringing Indonesia’s legendary singer, the late Nike Ardilla, back to the stage as a MetaHuman. On the final day of the event (6/10), MetaHuman Nike Ardilla performed her greatest hits and greeted the audience, soothing the longing of her devoted fans. This remarkable appearance was crafted through intricate visual design, from the MetaHuman Nike Ardilla character to the overall show design. Grafis Masa Kini had the opportunity to chat with bujukrayu, the creative collective behind this iconic presentation, who shared insights into their process.
Ferly Novriadi, or Peyi, Co-Founder of bujukrayu, explained that the collective has been venturing into the entertainment industry for several years now, including live music events. Nike Ardilla Live at Synchronize Fest 2024 marked bujukrayu’s first project in this field. “The idea of presenting Nike Ardilla as a special show at Synchronize Fest 2024 initially came from Edy Khemod, the show director. The production team Synchronize chose was a collaboration between Cerahati and Taba & Team,” Peyi recounted. Initially, the show was planned as a tribute, with several local singers performing Nike Ardilla’s hits with fresh arrangements. “That idea alone was captivating, considering Nike Ardilla’s massive and dedicated fan base. But Khemod was searching for a missing piece to make the performance even more spectacular,” he added. This is where bujukrayu stepped in, offering the solution by proposing a MetaHuman version of Nike Ardilla. “We’d been eager to do a MetaHuman show, so this opportunity was a perfect fit. After Khemod and his team welcomed our idea, we pitched it to the Synchronize team, and they were excited to collaborate. The rest is history.”
Established in 2013, bujukrayu has garnered significant experience creating MetaHuman characters. In fact, one of the team members was among the first beta testers for the technology. “Back then, it was purely for exploration, a learning experience, so none of our MetaHuman creations were ever published,” Peyi explained. The special show for Nike Ardilla at Synchronize Fest 2024 became bujukrayu’s first experience in recreating a MetaHuman character based on a legendary figure in Indonesia’s entertainment scene. “We realized it wouldn’t be as easy as our previous experiences because the result needed to look and feel identical to someone widely recognized, from facial contours to body shape.” To achieve this, bujukrayu’s first step was gathering every photo they could find of the late Nike Ardilla for detailed study. They also watched all archived videos of her available online. “We even consulted her family, who knew her intimately. We went to the Nike Ardilla Museum in Bandung for further research,” Peyi shared.
The initial stages were challenging, as the team found fewer archival materials than expected. “The available photos were not as high-resolution as we had hoped, so we had to upscale many of them. We even had to recreate some facial angles using AI,” Peyi noted. These resources formed the foundation as bujukrayu began sculpting the model. This process, Peyi said, required the agreement of several parties, especially Nike’s family and fan clubs. Despite its complexities, the team found the sculpting process enjoyable, discussing the minute details of her hair, clothing, shoes, and accessories. “We even scanned her original jacket, shoes, and watch,” Peyi added.
In addition to visuals, bujukrayu focused on replicating Nike Ardilla’s iconic voice. Initially, they planned to use her original album recordings to train an AI cloning model. However, Musica Studio informed them that the master recordings were lost in a fire, forcing them to seek a vocal substitute. After an extensive search, they found Ressa, a Nike Ardilla fan from South Sulawesi, whose voice bore a remarkable resemblance. Ressa was chosen to voice MetaHuman Nike during the show. To capture Nike’s movements, bujukrayu conducted motion capture at the Raden Umar Said Vocational School studio in Kudus, Central Java. Ressa donned the motion capture suit and became the “jockey” for the MetaHuman character. Besides her similar voice, Ressa was known as a passionate fan who had studied Nike’s style and gestures for years.
For MetaHuman Nike Ardilla’s Synchronize Fest 2024 stage performance, bujukrayu chose not to use the classic mesh screen technique, such as those employed for Tupac’s hologram at Coachella 2012 or Whitney Houston’s recent tour. Instead, they opted for a large LED screen, which allowed MetaHuman Nike to interact with the stage background and lights, creating a more realistic illusion. This inspiration came from the ABBA Voyage show, which demonstrated how digital characters could be effectively brought to life. “The drawback of mesh screens is that the MetaHuman appears transparent and less solid. The background must also be pitch black, whereas we wanted MetaHuman Nike to interact with the lights and stage backdrop,” Peyi explained.
The biggest challenge was on stage. Bujukrayu had to ensure synchronization between lighting, colors, and visual effects to create a convincing illusion. “It’s about finding the right saturation and brightness levels so that when stage lights and effects like smoke guns activate, MetaHuman Nike still appears as a real person on stage. Creating a Nike Ardilla MetaHuman that looks similar is one thing, but making her look alive on stage is another,” Peyi said. With limited time for adjustments, they could only fine-tune the show during the rehearsal on October 2. “If any errors arose related to the 3D render, there was no time for revisions. In the end, it’s all about the entire experience and vibe,” Peyi remarked. The show’s flow was seamlessly designed by Cerahati and Taba & Team, turning minor technical glitches into fuel for bujukrayu’s future projects.
As bujukrayu’s first entertainment venture, Nike Ardilla Live at Synchronize Fest 2024 was a significant learning experience, offering valuable technical insights and setting a foundation for the collective’s journey ahead. This meticulously crafted MetaHuman show provided a nostalgic platform and a tribute to the late Nike Ardilla.
