As part of the ongoing CHF Radiohead/Aniboom Interview Series, we visit with Andrew Kauervane, an artist with a history of music videos, and also a man with some skin in the game. He recently submitted this Flash-animated piece below to the contest. This is Andrew’s take on Radiohead’s moody track All I Need.
Here’s some concept designs Andrew sketched out before diving into production:
AARON SIMPSON: Tell us about the concept of your Radiohead contest submission?
ANDREW KAUERVANE: My concept really revolves around the concept of loneliness and love. I know it sounds corny but that’s what the lyrics did for me. My video exhibits a bit of a self-help message: There is someone out there for everyone. A rainbow to add meaning to your life. You just have to look for it; don’t mope.
AARON: How did this differ from your work on the SheBeats video you produced?
ANDREW: It’s significantly different because I’m doing something I like. I get to be as versatile as I want with the artwork and concept. With this one I’m going for a more avant garde look. I have flashing splatters serving as fills for items, film grain over the animation, and old black and white photography of wars, outdoors, and even newspaper clippings. I’m having alot of fun with this.
AARON: So, how is the process of directing a music video different from other animated work you’ve directed? Read the rest of this entry »
Allison Craig recently added her animation talents to a Nesquik campaign. As she pointed out on her blog, Allison animated the Nesquik rabbit and Jan Naylor did the clean-up - all in Flash. The spot is a promotion for the Where Does Nesquik Take You? contest.
And they also lent their skills to this subway tunnel campaign below. These are typically done with a series of computer controlled LED screens positioned at even distances along a subway tunnel.
In October of 2007, CHF featured M. Wartella’s psychedelic music video for The Go’s track You Go Bangin’ On. He joins us today for a very insightful interview into his process, his past music videos and his recent work on Adult Swim’s upcoming series Superjail.
AARON SIMPSON: How did the You Go Bangin’ On music video land on your plate?
M. WARTELLA: Well, we’ve been friends with and following The Go since their Sub Pop days. We try to catch their shows when they come through town (New York City), you know, hang out, drink their beer, and over the years we’ve just kind of become friends. Since they were looking to do something different for their latest record, they asked me to do the album art. Of course, as soon as I heard the new tracks, I was happy to oblige because I think this is their best release to date, and the critics seem to agree so far. But basically, the band decided they wanted to have an animated music video too, so that is how it came about.
AARON: Did you “pitch” your animation concept to the band before starting?
M. WARTELLA: At first, we wanted the whole video to be animated, kind of like a Yellow Submarine or Josie & The Pussycats thing where the band is drawn as cartoon characters. But as I started thinking more about it, I realized that most people, especially the band’s fans, would probably want to see real pictures of the group, not my drawings. So we started playing around with more of a Terry Gilliam/Monty Python paper cut-out approach. Of course, I realized that this was going to involve a photo shoot, and once I knew we were gonna have to do a shoot, I decided that we should just film the band “live” against a black backdrop, and then superimpose a “psych-out” style animation on top of them, like an old Jefferson Airplane or The Strawberry Alarm Clock type thing (below). Read the rest of this entry »
A few familiar faces have started submitting their animatics to the Radiohead Animated Music Video Contest over at Aniboom. Have a look, and then go submit your own - only 12 days left!
Not inspired enough yet to submit your video to the Radiohead Video Contest? Well perhaps Motomichi Nakamura can whip you into shape. His new Flash-animated music video for Temposhark’s track Blame keeps it simple - using black, white and red colors to create a lasting impression. Head over to SubmarineChannel to watch the full video.
A little over a year ago, we featured James Reitano’s brilliant music video for Cut Chemist’s single Spat. He’s now joining us for a Radiohead/Aniboom Contest interview.
AARON SIMPSON: How did you “pitch” the concept of the Spat video to Luke MacFadden, otherwise known as Cut Chemist?
JAMES REITANO: I actually wanted to make an educational video with Jurassic 5, kind of a Schoolhouse Rap thing. Luke had seen the All Caps video, and wanted one for his upcoming solo record. After a failed start in early 2005, we revived the idea in spring of ‘06, and got it going.
AARON: How did this string of animated music videos all come about?
JAMES: I think I fell into it by accident. KutMasta Kurt talked me into doing an animated video for his Masters Of Illusion LP with Kool Keith. I had never taken on 3 minutes of animation before, so I was hesitant. Kurt kept assuring me that it was doable and we wrapped it up in 2 months, and the reception was really good. From there, Biz Markie asked for one, and, the ball just got rolling. And I also have a deep love for music, so it’s kind of not too surprising that I’d be involved in one way or another. Read the rest of this entry »
After challenging the conventional album distribution system last Fall, Radiohead has turned its attention to how animated music videos are produced. On March 17th, the band announced that it had teamed up with Aniboom and Adult Swim for a groundbreaking music video contest. The concept of a user or listener-generated music video contest goes back to Madonna and MTV’s 1986 Make My Video competition, but when a band of Radiohead’s size is paired with the connective possibilities of the internet, we’re likely to see uncommon results.
Those results will arrive in 4 stages, starting with the April 27th deadline for the storyboard submission round. In this initial phase, animators, writers and other artists can submit a clip displaying their concept for a music video - using any song from Radiohead’s #1 album In Rainbows. The field will be subsequently whittled down to 10 semifinalists, who will each be awarded $1,000 to make a 1-minute music video. These 10 are culled to 5 finalists, whose work is then presented to the band.
Radiohead’s Thom Yorke
Finally, on June 30th, the winner will receive $10,000 to make a full version of their video (complete schedule and rules)
The 4-step process is a clever approach to the ever popular world of user-generated content, or UGC. It lowers the bar for entry, allowing artists to dip a toe into the contest without committing a month of their life to a submission that may not even make the finals. It’s actually an analog of the traditional method employed at major animation studios: concepts are presented, a rough pass is produced and then the final work is revealed to scrutinizing executives. Only here, the “executives” are one of the coolest bands in the world.
And while we know Radiohead for their progressive approach to the music industry and their unique blend of sonic experimentalism and alternative rock power, they know a thing or two about music videos. Jamie Thraves’ music video for Radiohead’s 1995 track Just is often listed amongst the best music videos of all time, and another three, Fake Plastic Trees, Karma Police and Street Spirit (Fade Out), have received similar acclaim. Their music videos are simply legendary. It’s enough pressure to make an animator freeze up in fear. Read the rest of this entry »
ANDREW KAUERVANE: My concept really revolves around the concept of loneliness and love. I know it sounds corny but that’s what the lyrics did for me. My video exhibits a bit of a self-help message: There is someone out there for everyone. A rainbow to add meaning to your life. You just have to look for it; don’t mope.
So we started playing around with more of a 
Not inspired enough yet to submit your video to the 
