The LEGO Group and Universal Music Group (UMG) have recently announced LEGO VIDIYO, a playful and innovative music video maker experience designed to celebrate and expand children’s creativity and passion for music.

LEGO VIDIYO is a brand-new way to play that helps children dream big by directing, producing, starring in, and sharing their own music videos, using tracks from across the globe, led by chart hits from UMG’s unrivalled artists.

LEGO VIDIYO is aimed at children aged 7 – 10, providing a safe universe where they can traverse the worlds of physical and digital play. The platform lets children experiment with play and music, a powerful combination that’s fundamental to their development, extending their ability to connect with other people emotionally and creatively.

Combining new technology with the LEGO System in Play, and music from many of the world’s leading artists covering multiple genres, LEGO VIDIYO provides a refreshing opportunity for children to express themselves creatively. By putting them in charge of their own music video productions,  children can both discover music and harness their passion for it through an immersive, positive and safe social experience. As LEGO VIDIYO requires verified parental consent – along with anonymity –  and external moderation of all content uploaded to the App feed, parents can be reassured their child is unleashing their creativity while staying safe online.

Accessed through a unique mashup of LEGO elements, minifigures, music, augmented reality and a vibrant new App, LEGO VIDIYO will be filled with endless combinations of editing options unlocked through new special effect ‘BeatBits’. Young creators can enjoy and experiment with their own individual styles and ways of bringing music videos to life.

Here’s how it works:

• Choose one of the many songs in the App from a broad variety of established artists – both contemporary chart toppers and instantly recognisable classics.
  Create your band from a vibrant collection of new, physical minifigures, which can be customised and brought to life in different scales through AR technology in the VIDIYO App.
• Line up special effects in the form of ‘BeatBits’ and place them on the scanning stage. BeatBits are decorated 2×2 square LEGO elements, which once scanned unlock digital effects that let you control everything from video and music styles to scene effects. Creators can see their vision realised by choosing anything from black and white bling effects, to confetti showers and even X-ray vision. They can also add audio effects such as DJ scratching, mouse voice or sax solo, as well as fun signature character moves and gimmicks, from breakdancing to surfing on a shark…
• Set the stage. From parks to bedrooms and backyards to brick-built models, LEGO VIDIYO music videos can live anywhere. In just three seconds, your location is scanned and production countdown starts.
• Hitting the selected BeatBits in the App, children then take creative control of their own music video production, triggering dance moves and audio/video effects in an amazing 60 second performance, which can be trimmed down to 5, 10, 15 or 20 second shareable clips.
• Clips can then be uploaded to the App feed, but only once the content has passed moderation. Any content featuring personally-identifiable information, such as children starring in the video, will not be approved for App feed upload, but can be stored locally in-App, to be enjoyed in-person with friends or family members.

In blending these elements, children can experience LEGO play in a way never seen before.

Using new AR technology, this will be the first-time children can play with minifigures in real-life scale and at a super-sized scale, in addition to the iconic minifigure scale. The App lets children style all of their band members, select names for their band, design album covers and much more.

New music, challenges, and inspirational content will be added regularly to the App to keep gameplay fresh and encourage children to continue developing their creative skills.

The challenges are designed to help young creators transform their videos from simple performances to exciting and dynamic productions, while ensuring they take full advantage of the wide range of features LEGO VIDIYO has to offer through new unique BeatBits.

“We want to feed the imagination of the next generation of creatives, providing a new canvas for kids to creatively express themselves,” said Julia Goldin, Chief Marketing Officer, the LEGO Group. “Research shows over three quarters (79%*) of parents globally wish their children had more creative confidence, so we’re launching LEGO VIDYO to help make that happen. We know children are always chasing new ways to experiment creatively, and LEGO VIDIYO is here to help all kids with a passion for music unleash their creativity through LEGO building and music video production. We can’t wait to see what they come up with!”

LEGO VIDIYO is the first collaboration between the LEGO Group and Universal Music Group, after the two companies announced their partnership in April 2020.

As the global industry leader, UMG shapes culture around the world through the power of music. UMG brings both local and global superstars, along with an unrivalled catalogue of recorded music, covering all genres and languages, to LEGO VIDYO. The LEGO Group itself has worked to inspire and develop children through play since 1932. It brings to the partnership boundless experience in innovating and developing play for children and their families around the world, generation after generation.

Olivier Robert-Murphy, Executive Vice President, Universal Music Group and Brands added: “Through this innovative global partnership – with the power of music and play harnessed to support early development of creativity – children around the globe will be able to express themselves as they stage, direct, perform, and share their music videos. LEGO VIDIYO is a great way for millions of kids to discover new music and get closer to their favourite artists while learning and connecting through play.”

LEGO VIDIYO introduces a completely new and vibrant visual identity that sets it apart from all other LEGO franchises. It is a colourful lifestyle brand including an App experience, LEGO sets, and lifestyle products, which are being brought to life in partnership with Bravado, Universal Music Group’s industry-leading merchandise and brand management company.

The first LEGO VIDIYO products will be available in most countries around the world from March 1st 2021.

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The post Lego Group Announce Lego Vidiyo appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

This year’s most eagerly anticipated soundtrack is released today: Elton John’s epic musical fantasy ‘Rocketman: Music From The Motion Picture’.

Released in celebration of Rocket Pictures, MARV Films and Paramount Pictures’ release in UK cinemas now, it sees celebrated producer and composer Giles Martin re-interpreting and re-imagining Elton’s iconic hits, tailoring the music specifically to support the narrative of the upcoming major motion picture, with a truly show stopping vocal performance from lead actor Taron Egerton.

To celebrate the release of ‘Rocketman: Music From The Motion Picture’, previously unseen footage from Elton’s legendary Dodger Stadium shows has been unveiled for the first time. Taking place over an Autumn weekend in 1975, the performances saw Elton play two shows to over 110,000 people in two marathon sets of flying piano stools, baseball bats and unadulterated rock ‘n’ roll abandon. The riotous performance of ‘The Bitch Is Back’ (watch above), sees Elton joined on stage by Tennis superstar Billie Jean King. He was the first musical act to perform there since The Beatles nine years earlier, and at that time these were the largest concert events ever by a single artist, cementing Elton’s place at the very top of his game. The performance from Dodger Stadium was recently recreated to stunning effect by Taron Egerton in the epic musical fantasy ‘Rocketman’. Watch Taron’s performance of ‘Rocket Man’ below.

‘(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again’, a brand new song written especially for ROCKETMAN by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, and performed by Elton and Taron Egerton, was premiered earlier this month. Listen here.

‘(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again’ is co-produced by Giles Martin and Greg Kurstin, and was recorded at London’s AIR Studios and Echo Studio, Los Angeles. Taron’s interpretation of ‘Rocket Man’, and Elton and Taron’s ‘(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again)’ are both available to stream now.

Tasked with taking Elton’s unparalleled back catalogue and reimagining it to fit the film’s narrative, Giles Martin worked closely with the filmmakers, supervising all of the music for the production and pulling a vocal masterclass from Taron in the studio. From transforming ‘Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting’ into an epic ensemble piece, to morphing ‘I Want Love’ into a heart-breaking moment of conflict around little Reggie’s family meal, each track has been sculpted to form a unique part of the narrative of this most incredible of stories. The soundtrack also contains a brand new Elton John and Bernie Taupin composition ‘(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again’ performed by Elton and Taron Egerton. The album is produced by Giles Martin (except (I’m Gonna) Love Me Again’ co-produced by Giles Martin and Greg Kurstin). Executive Album Producers are Elton John, David Furnish, Matthew Vaughn and Dexter Fletcher.

Paramount Pictures presents, in association with New Republic Pictures, A Marv Films/Rocket Pictures production ROCKETMAN, an epic musical fantasy about the incredible human story of Elton John’s breakthrough years. Released in cinemas around the world from 22nd May, the film follows the fantastical journey of transformation from shy piano prodigy Reginald Dwight into international superstar Elton John. This inspirational story – set to Elton John’s most beloved songs and performed by star Taron Egerton – tells the universally relatable story of how a small-town boy became one of the most iconic figures in pop culture. Rocketman also stars Jamie Bell as Elton’s longtime lyricist and writing partner Bernie Taupin, Richard Madden as Elton’s then manager, John Reid, and Bryce Dallas Howard as Elton’s mother Sheila Farebrother. ROCKETMAN was directed by Dexter Fletcher, written by Lee Hall and produced by Matthew Vaughn, David Furnish, Adam Bohling and David Reid.

‘Rocketman: Music From The Motion Picture’ is out today on Virgin EMI Records / Universal Music Group.

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