How Stars Prepare: A Rolling Loud Moment

How Stars Prepare" is a cinematic motion piece that explores the emotional weight artists carry before stepping into the spotlight. Through the lens of Lyric, a fictional R&B/hip-hop artist on the verge of a major performance, the project touches on the often unseen moments of anxiety, pressure, and internal dialogue that accompany public success. Using AI-generated visuals, expressive animation, and concert-caliber sound design, the piece captures how mental health intersects with performance, fame, and expectation. More than a narrative short, this work stands as a storytelling prototype for future campaigns bridging entertainment, tech, and advocacy. It opens the door for deeper conversations about the invisible struggles that affect even our brightest stars, and how platforms like Snapchat and Rolling Loud can help make those stories visible.

`The Challenge`

In a world where artists are constantly performing for both the stage and social media, it's easy to forget the emotional toll behind the spotlight. The challenge was to create a story that humanizes the superstar, capturing the raw, unspoken moments of fear, reflection, and resilience that occur right before stepping into the public eye. How can we use emerging technology to visualize that vulnerable space while still delivering the spectacle expected of a headliner?

`Creative Approach`

I developed How Stars Prepare as an emotionally-driven motion design piece that follows a fictional R&B/hip-hop artist named Lyric in the moments leading up to her performance. Inspired by themes of mental health, performance pressure, and personal strength, the concept blends cinematic framing, AI-generated visuals, and audio storytelling. Using tools like Leonardo AI, Kling, Photoshop, and Suno, I sculpted each scene to build emotional tension, then release it with a powerful concert entrance. The piece is stylized to feel like both a music video opener and a branded campaign teaser.

`Execution`

The story was visualized using a series of high-resolution AI-generated images, stylized according to a consistent cinematic aesthetic (inspired by The Idol and Drive). Motion was brought to life with Kling and Lemonslice for character animation and lip-syncing, while audio was developed using Suno for vocal performance and ElevenLabs for VO. I layered in custom sound design and score shifts to mirror Lyric’s emotional arc—from solitude in the limo to adrenaline backstage to empowerment on stage. The end result is a short-format prototype that could live on platforms like Snapchat or YouTube Shorts while sparking deeper conversations around mental health in music.

Designing Lyric — A Consistent Character Across Emotional Worlds

Building a consistent character across multiple visual contexts is more than just maintaining appearance — it’s about preserving soul. With Lyric, I set out to prove that AI-generated characters can not only stay visually consistent but emotionally resonant across scenes, lighting conditions, and narrative tones. From intimate moments of solitude to the explosive energy of a stage performance, Lyric remains unmistakably herself. This sequence of stills captures her full dimensionality — vulnerable, powerful, reflective, and magnetic.

Creative Approach

I anchored Lyric’s identity in a signature visual language: natural Afro-textured hair, hoop earrings, deep expressive eyes, and wardrobe continuity. Each scene was crafted to reflect a different beat in her emotional arc: journaling in silence, riding in thought, stepping onto the red carpet, and owning the stage. Lighting, composition, and wardrobe cues helped maintain visual fidelity while allowing for expressive range.

Execution

Used multiple AI platforms to generate and fine-tune consistent facial structure and emotions
Directed each shot with cinematic intention, from over-the-shoulder reflections to dynamic concert angles.
Maintained wardrobe key pieces (hoodie, gold blazer) as visual anchors.
Used subtle emotional cues (eye movement, body language, facial tension) to convey internal states without losing continuity.