Treatment Unveils New Visual Designs for Shawn Mendes Tour

	Singer-songwriter and teen sensation Shawn Mendes launched first all-arena world tour in Glasgow, featuring stunning new visuals and real-time effects designed by Treatment visual productions.

The Canadian chart-topper Shawn Mendes is on his Illuminate world tour, titled after his second album. The multi-platinum selling performer will play 61 dates worldwide, starting at The SSE Hydro in Glasgow on April 27.

For this pinnacle in Mendes' touring career the pressure to deliver on a big scale is on. Creative director Paul Caslin asked Treatment, the London-based studio, to take on the challenge to create imaginative and complementary visual designs to impress audiences. The production team lead by producer, Lizzie Pocock and animation director, Simon Russell started by drawing inspiration "The Hero's Journey," by Joseph Campbell; interpreting Mendes' world tour as a "call to adventure," with challenges met and progress made along the way. This has been reflected in three videos -- a triptych with one film for each key section of the show.

An introductory segment places Mendes at the heart of the aural landscape, with sound reactive particles of light forming shimmering soundwaves on screen. A bridging section will provide a background to the performer's on-stage transition between stages, followed by a dreamlike conclusion that will welcome him back for his encore.

Multiple techniques have been employed for this process, which has been conceived and completed in-house. LIDAR scanners and green screen filming have provided the template for the live material used; while point cloud data from Kinect cameras and original footage will create a parallel world of responsive light form, akin to pointillism.

Describing the approach, animation director, Russell says "In many ways it's been very technical, combining 3D, LIDAR, particles, Kinect data, real-time effects and so on, but on another level it has been about creating a really beautiful, luminous dream world. I love working with particle-based effects but it's also great to create some sound reactive elements -- for me that's an ideal."

"It has been a really fun, creative project to work on. It's great to be so closely involved in the creation of the show, from visuals concepts to final delivery. For me it's been great to work not only on pre-baked animated sequences but also on the real-time elements of the show. Using Notch to create 3D and particle based effects in real time which respond to the performance has been new to me and really stimulating."

This visual journey will accompany the international tour, which will travel across Europe in May before the London dates at the O2 and then the USA. As a teaser to the Illuminate tour, Mendes has just released an exclusive new single "There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back."