February 9, 2016

The new Coldplay video featuring Beyoncé – Hymn for the Weekend – was filmed in India but has an Israeli visual effects and design company to thank for its beautiful images. The Yaron Yashinski Studio of Tel Aviv spent 12 weeks working frame-by-frame on visual design and animation for the popular video that has already topped 37 million views.

“Super happy to present our latest work for Coldplay & Beyoncé!!!” the Yashinski studio Facebook feed exclaims.

 

“The biggest achievement that this video has for the Israeli local industry is the fact that it’s been made here,” Yashinski, a VFX artist who runs his own studio, tells Billboard magazine. “These projects can reduce the hurdles between people who are skeptical about working with Israelis. The talent is here in Israel, and we would love the support of the global community. If we can use art instead of politics, perhaps our future will shine, like Coldplay say, A sky full of stars.”

“As an artist, why does it matter if you’re born in Tel Aviv or Tehran? Art is supposed to transcend above and be the bridge that connects people. If somebody doesn’t want to work with me because I’m Israeli, then it means that the world has won, and art is limited.”

Yashinski’s team is responsible for the stages of the video’s design, animation and additional visual elements.

‘The talent is here in Israel, and we would love the support of the global community. If we can use art instead of politics, perhaps our future will shine.’

“Almost all shots were treated in Post: Beyoncé was shot on green, flowers, fireworks, birds & peacocks, sky replacements, smoke, colored particles, dust, multiple set extensions, tree roots, fire, bioscopes, kaleidoscopes, posters, facial replacements, flare removals, boats, one entirely CG scene and tons of general beauty & cleanups,” Yashinksi posted on Facebook about his team’s work behind-the-scenes.

Yashinski received the commission to work on the video with his Los Angeles-based Israeli partner, Uzi Mor. They’ve also worked together on videos for the Black Eyed Peas and the Kardashians.

The Israeli design and animation was also present at the Super Bowl half-time show this past weekend.

Yashinski tells Billboard that his studio provided the imagery for the backgrounds that appear in the video for the performance.

“From the standpoint of exposure, it’s in first place in the world,” he told Haaretz’s business newspaper, TheMarker. “The design that we built and the backdrops will feature at the event as part of Beyonce and Coldplay’s performance.”

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