Britain’s Rupa Rathod has always had two passions in life: music and motion graphics design. As a motion graphics designer for musicians, she has found a way to merge these two interests together, living her dream every day.
“Being able to create content as a motion graphics designer has given me an opportunity to channel my creativity. It's given me the freedom to create anything and everything. Each treatment differs from the last and so It's always a challenge interpreting clients’ concepts which is a hugely fulfilling job. There's nothing that can't be achieved, and I enjoy all aspects of the journey, it's a feeling of achievement that I don't think will ever go away and something that keeps me constantly motivated,” said Rathod.
Working with incredible artists on many global tours, Rathod has become extremely in demand for what she does. Earlier this year, she helped to create the large-scale motion graphics for Shania Twain’s “Now!” tour. She is now beginning work on Kylie Minogue’s next world tour “Golden”, which will keep her busy until the end of summer.
This new tour is not Rathod’s first time working with the Australian pop icon. Back in 2014, she worked on Kylie’s “Kiss Me Once” tour after being personally approached by the singer to create the visual content for the tour and to edit her film Sleepwalker, Minogue’s own personal short film which would be the opening pre-show for her global tour. The experience, according to Rathod, was the highlight of her esteemed career.
“I've been fortunate enough to work with some incredible artists and create content for some of the biggest global tours but working with Kylie has been the highlight. Having one of the biggest award winning, respected pop stars in the world give credit for the work I do was a hugely humbling experience for me,” said Rathod. “Kylie Minogue is one of the most respected pop stars in the industry and her past tours have been of huge, epic proportions, so when I was offered the opportunity to work on her tour, I couldn’t turn it down, I wouldn’t, I had to be a part of it. I’ve grown up with Kylie’s music, she’s a hugely influential figure in the music industry, and I knew that it would be a completely bonkers and fun treatment. I couldn’t wait.”
Sleepwalker was a very personal project for Minogue, and she trusted Rathod to turn her vision into a work of art. The result is an eight-minute extended music video for the release of her EP, a collaboration with Fernando Garibay. It started with an initial treatment written by the Director, William Baker, and Kylie Minogue herself. They had a clear vision for all the main scenes and the narrative that progressed throughout the film. Once the film was shot, Rathod took over the production and met with Kylie and Tom, the Executive Producer, at the tour rehearsals in West London. This film became the pre-show for her 2014 tour.
Sleepwalkerpremiered on the screens in front of over 10,000 adoring fans on the opening night of her “Kiss Me Once” tour. It attracted sponsorship by the global underwear brand Sloggi and having since shared it via YouTube has now notched up over 444,000 views.
“Naturally we spent a bit of time together working on this video. Kylie had a very clear vision of how she saw the narrative playing out and we spent some time blocking those bits out. Keeping within the parameters of the narrative and general feel for the piece, I was given the creative freedom to adapt it in any way I wanted,” Rathod described.
For the tour, Rathod also worked on the visuals for three key songs. “Skirt” was a provocative performance video shot in the back of a Rolls Royce Phantom, which would act as an intro to the section of the show that featured “Can’t Get Your Out of My Head” and her recent hit “Sexcercise”. Rathod worked closely with Minogue when editing the tracks, and her work went on to impress all she worked with.
“Working with Rupa is fun and inspiring. She works long hours and is always smiling. She is amazing at taking my random references and weaving them into a stylish, coherent narrative. She always makes my ideas better,” said Rob Sinclair, the Lighting Director on the “Kiss Me Once” Tour.
Rathod’s personal style of working with content was ideal for Minogue’s tour content. The musician has a long working relationship with the company Rathod works for, Blink Inc., and the collaboration between the motion graphics designer and the singer became very harmonious as their work progressed. Rathod’s ability to see outside of the realms of what a conventional narrative was just what Kylie was looking for to make both her film and tour a success.
“My fondest memory from this project was being told that nothing was too much. There was so much flexibility on this project to really let my creativity and my personality loose on the content I was creating. It had to have energy, strobing was allowed, it had to be completely bonkers and I was fortunate enough to have a lot of creative freedom on this project. This experience to this day has remained one of the most prominent moments in my career. Being recognized for your work by one of the most respected pop stars in the industry on a personal level is a huge achievement,” Rathod recalled.
Kylie Minogue’s “Golden” tour begins this September, and Rathod’s creative work will be a visual highlight.
For more information on Blink Inc. and Rathod’s work, go to the company’s website here.