Cita's World

1999–★ 6.5·

Cita's World is a video music show that aired on Black Entertainment Television in the United States. It was the first show to feature a virtual reality black stereotypical character as the hostess named Cita. Cita's World was the brainchild of Curtis A. Gadson, B.E.T. Senior VP of Programming at that time, & Corey Turner, concept designer and director. They came up with the idea sitting poolside one day laughing about how funny it would be to have a virtual character who could say almost anything...and get away with it! The show was ahead of its time technologically using advanced visual effects techniques that are now standard practice on feature films such as Avatar for onset capture and visualization. Most people don't know that the show actually moved production locations 3 times. The first 2 years the show was produced and shot in BET's headquarters in Washington, DC. The third year the show was moved to Harlem in BET's newly rented space. The Cita's World set and technical infrastructure literally sat next to the 106 & Park set. The fourth and final year the show was moved to Burbank, CA. The show was also given a major overhaul. New optical tracking motion capture to acquire Kali Troy's performances, its own dedicated stage for the blue screen set, and a remodeled and designed Cita. The show would benefit from the relocation to Los Angeles with staff that was already proficient in visual effects workflows and techniques.