The 42nd Annual Country Music Association Awards (CMA Awards) lit up the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tennessee, on November 12, 2008, bringing together the biggest names in country music for an unforgettable evening. Broadcast live on ABC, the event was hosted by CMA Award winners Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, with Kenny Chesney and Sugarland leading the nominations.
Project
Country Music Awards
Client
ABC
Our Role
2D & 3D Animation, Live Event Visuals
For the show’s opening musical performance, a high-energy collaboration between Brad Paisley and Keith Urban, GRAFX Co. was tasked with creating a fully animated, scrolling stage backdrop that would run for the entirety of the number. With just two weeks from concept to delivery, our creative and production teams worked around the clock to design, animate, and seamlessly integrate a cinematic visual story that enhanced the live performance.
The custom visuals told an artistic narrative of the two stars’ journeys, blending iconic imagery, dynamic motion graphics, and stylized transitions to match the rhythm and emotion of the music. The scrolling video backdrop was perfectly timed with the live band and stage lighting, ensuring that every beat, lyric, and visual cue connected for maximum audience impact, both in the arena and on the live broadcast.
GRAFX Co. also created the stage-visuals for the country group Lady Antebellum for their live performance at the Country Music Awards.