To get viewers hyped for its 2018 “CMT Music Awards,” CMT called on 2C for a custom event spot featuring our signature special-effects touch. The goal was to take the network’s concept – that the CMT Music Awards will blow your mind – beyond the figurative and, in a creative/playful way, convey the fun that differentiates this award’s show experience from all the others.

In other words, CMT Executive Producer for On-Air Promos Jeff Nichols asked us to put some real wind behind his idea, and let’s just say we had quite the “blast” in the process! We combined the idea of a slo-mo photo booth party and blasting compressed air into someone’s face to create a hyper-real “mind blowing” experience. Compressed air was expelled through as many as four nozzles at wind forces of 100 psi, or the equivalent of constant 88-mph hurricane force wind. The resulting wind gusts produced hilarious facial distortions that could only be enjoyed by shooting at 1000 fps (frames per second) on the Phantom Flex 4K camera. Combined with a series of fictional party goers and funny characters, this produced a montage of memorable moments promising an explosively good time.

For us, the biggest concern was keeping the actors safe during the shoot’s forced air component. We tapped an experienced special effects supervisor who recommended a tankless compressor and super-clean lines to prevent foreign material from entering. Then the air blasts were kept short, no more than 5 seconds at a time, a limit Live-Action/Creative Director Brian Eloe imposed after testing the wind effect on himself to get a first-hand feel for what his cast would experience.

The 2C-CMT collaboration has been instrumental in two high-profile season launches for “Nashville” and season launches for “Party Down South” as well.