John Batiste “Tell The Truth” (live)

Production Co: Caruso Company

Director: James Niebuhr

Caruso Company, based in San Francisco, produced a live performance film of “Tell The Truth” featuring Grammy Award Winner Jon Batiste and his band, directed by James Niebuhr. Filmed in New York City, the project was created as part of Meta’s Metaverse launch and introduced during the Connect event, where Mark Zuckerberg and his team outlined a vision for shared virtual experiences.

The film supports a simple idea: rethinking how live entertainment can be experienced across distance. Within that framework, the story follows two young women sharing the same live performance while physically far apart, using music as the connection point.

To anchor the concept, the production focused on capturing a complete live performance from Batiste. Niebuhr chose to film “Tell The Truth” in a single continuous take, using motion picture film. The performance audio was recorded live on set, preserving the timing and energy of the band as it happened.

This approach required coordination across camera, lighting, and performance. Movements and transitions were planned in advance, with Batiste and his band working closely with the crew to align key choreography throughout the song. Shooting in a single take meant there was no coverage to fall back on, placing emphasis on precision and continuity from start to finish.

The footage was designed to serve multiple uses. It was integrated into one of three Meta Connect presentation films produced by Caruso Co entitled “Entertainment In The Metaverse”. And it also functioning as a standalone “live” performance video for the track.

The final film captures a complete, uninterrupted performance, combining live execution with a broader concept about shared experiences. It balances the needs of a large-scale product launch with a focused approach to music performance, keeping the emphasis on timing, movement, and connection.

Batiste bts music video