Costume Designer Tells Variety Just Dance: Decades of Hits Rejects AI

Costume Design Choices for Just Dance Decades of Hits

Human labor shapes every character in the latest iteration of Ubisoft’s flagship dance franchise, distinguishing its production pipeline from titles relying on generative algorithms. Ubisoft launched Just Dance: Decades of Hits on Tuesday, bringing its roster of on-screen performers to life through physical tailoring, handmade wigs, and practical makeup applications filmed against green screens, as Variety reported. Benjamin Jouffret, costume designer and character lead, stated that avoiding automated software remains a core philosophy for the team. According to Variety, Jouffret emphasized the creative ownership of his department, noting that staff members sketch concepts independently and collaborate directly with real costume makers rather than turning to artificial intelligence tools.

The Tech TL;DR:

• Ubisoft released Just Dance: Decades of Hits on Tuesday, maintaining a strict anti-AI stance for its character creation process.
• The Paris and Shanghai studios rely on handmade costumes, wigs, and practical fittings executed by human designers and dancers.
• The development cycle for each character spans roughly seven weeks, incorporating a one-day brainstorming phase, two to three weeks of design, four weeks of production, and a single day of filming.

Paris and Shanghai Studios Produce 100 Costumes Annually

Operating across a Paris-based lead studio and a partner facility in Shanghai, the design team produces approximately 100 distinct costumes for each annual installment of the franchise. The schedule moves from concept to capture within a compressed production window. Following a single-day brainstorming session where creators review music videos and listen to tracks, designers spend two to three weeks drafting concepts. Production then runs for about four weeks, encompassing fittings, hair and makeup trials, and rehearsals to guarantee the garments withstand active choreography. Filming concludes the asset creation phase over a single day. Reviewing material from the franchise’s 17-year history, the studio maintains an archive of hundreds of physical costumes currently stored in Paris, with aspirations to mount a public exhibition or runway presentation following necessary repairs to garments damaged during filming.

Material Practicality and the Rejection of Automated Tools

Practical constraints dictate material selection during the physical fabrication phase, preventing the team from adopting certain advanced manufacturing techniques wholesale. Earlier experimental integration of 3D printing yielded accessories that proved excessively heavy for performers to move in comfortably, restricting that technology exclusively to smaller, intricate structural details. Jouffret explained to Variety that garments must balance visual fidelity with functional utility for the dancers. The creative direction encompasses diverse character archetypes, ranging from casual wear and mascots to aliens and nonbinary figures, drawing inspiration directly from original artists such as Zara Larsson, Lady Gaga, and Bad Bunny. The team also incorporates broad representation into its casting, previously collaborating with performers such as Jana Bruno, a dancer with one arm, to reflect diverse backgrounds within the game’s core choreography.