Illstrator and animator Monkmus has directed a second music video for the UK-band Los Campesinos! Produced by Hornet Inc., You! Me! Dancing! captures more of the disco battle that began in the video for We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives.

Monkmus had animation help from Simon Ampel.

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Monkmus, who was interviewed here at CHF back in October of 2005, has completed his most recent music video - this time for Los Campesinos!, a UK band on the all-mighty Wichita label. The track is titled We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives, and it’s currently available for viewing on the Hornet Inc. website.

Monkmus also created the album packaging, cover artwork and other illustrations for the album We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives, which is due out soon. The video, according to an article in Digit, was created with both Flash and After Effects, and Monkmus had additional character animation help from Simon Ampel and Chris Siemasko.

The first part of the Cold, Hard Flash interview with Monkmus went up earlier this week, and now we’re back for part 2. In this half, we learn about Monkmus’ recent spot for Burger King, which of his projects were produced in Flash and which music videos he looks to for inspiration.

AARON SIMPSON: Was your Burger King project, ‘Honbatz,’ produced entirely in Flash?
MONKMUS: We used a little AE, here and there. There’s even some 3-D on one of the spots. Overall, though, 95% of it is good ‘ol Flash.

AARON: When you worked on ‘Honbatz,’ was the Flash format already chosen by the ad agency?
MONKMUS: No. We convinced them that Flash was the way to go, both for aesthetic and budgetary reasons.

AARON: Before that, what other projects did you produce with the help of Flash?
MONKMUS: Other than Honbatz, The Badly Drawn Boy video, ‘Year of the Rat’ used a lot of Flash. ‘In The Air’ (Nike Canada), ‘Extra Track II’ (Bullfrog), ‘Away,’ and all the shorts for Kid Koala’s ‘Short Attention Span Theater’ were done completely in Flash.

AARON: You’ve animated with After Effects and Flash. When you take on a project, how do you decide which software to use?
MONKMUS: Usually, it’s a combination of how the concept art looks, the budget, and who’s available to work on the project. Recently, it seems that all my projects require both software packages.

AARON: If you’re looking to learn a new After Effects trick, or a Flash technique, where do you start?
MONKMUS: I ask a friend. A few of my friends are way more savvy than I am when it comes to using these programs. If nobody knows, I hit the books and/or the web for help.

AARON: When you first created the ‘On a Lead’ comic, did you envision that one day it would evolve into an animated short?
MONKMUS: When I was drawing it, I always had the feeling that it could be reworked into an animated short. A friend of mine even mentioned
that it was laid out more like a storyboard than a comic.

AARON: Did you have any help on the ‘Topside Rag’ short?
MONKMUS: Yes. I’ve been working with two excellent animators, Johnny Painter and Maximilian Graenitz, and a great layout/background artist, Kenard Pak.

AARON: What software did you use in creating ‘Topside Rag?’
MONKMUS: Flash. We used After Effects for the compositing and camera work, but all the character animation is created in Flash.

AARON: How did ‘Topside Rag’ find its way onto Cartoon Network?
MONKMUS: Cartoon Network was looking for short films and projects to commission for their new show, “Sunday Pants”, and they approached the folks at Ka-chew and asked if they wanted to submit anything. Ka-chew, in turn, asked me if I was interested in pitching an idea for the show. I submitted ‘Bruno the Man,’ Cartoon Network took a liking to it, and it’s been great working with them ever since.

AARON: Your body of work is full of music videos. How important is music to your animation process?
MONKMUS: Well, if it’s a video, the music is everything. I draw all my inspiration from listening to the track over and over again. The look, the timing, the feel all come about from doing this. In the end, I try my best to marry the visuals with the music as best as I can. On the other hand, if It’s a personal film or purely narrative project (ie. short films, commercials) the music is not quite as important when it comes to the initial creative process.

AARON: Do you ever feel like technology and software are limiting your work?
MONKMUS: Not really. Compared to how things were done just 10 years ago, technology is very liberating. Sure, there are a few bells and whistles I wish Macromedia would add to Flash, but overall I’m pleased with the software. I also find that it’s limitations can sometimes lead to better solutions. The one drawback with technology is that there are TOO MANY options and a penchant for endless tweaking. The trick with computers is knowing when to call it a day and learning to move on.

AARON: You’ve collaborated a few times with your cousin, Eric San, also known as the hip-hop artist Kid Koala. Do you two have any other collaborations in the works?
MONKMUS: Not until 2006, when his next album is due out. He’s super busy working on his ‘epic’ comic book, right now. Me, I’m up to my ears working on my shorts for Cartoon Network.

Eric and I do chat from time to time… So, I’m sure the subject of the next music video is just around the corner.

AARON: Are you working on any other personal projects?
MONKMUS: Just finished a short live-action project. It was fun and a great experience. I may try it again in the future. Other than that, I finally got my website up and running (2 years in the making!).

AARON: If put on the spot, could you name 3 favorite animated music videos?
MONKMUS: Hmmm…

1.‘Sledghammer’ (Peter Gabriel) - Stephen Johnson, Aardman, Brothers Quay
2.‘Is A Woman’ (Lambchop) - Shynola
3.‘Drop - Do It Again’ (Cornelius) - Koichiro Tsujikawa

AARON: Thanks, Monkmus.
MONKMUS: It’s been a pleasure.

Now that the hurricane waters have receded and the New Orleans brass bands are again striking up the bittersweet notes of jazz funerals, it brings new meaning to the collaborative music video between Kid Koala and Monkmus - ‘Basin Street Blues.’ The now ever more poignant animated short is both somber and celebratory; depressing and highly inspirational. Much like the procession that inexplicably ascends into the air, the imagery sends your emotions soaring. It is exactly the type of work we’ve come to expect from Monkmus.

But music videos are surely not all he creates. After attending school on each coast, RISD in Rhode Island and CalArts in Los Angeles, he’s worked on animated features, but also live-action shorts. He’s animated high-profile TV commercials for Burger King and Nike, and his animated short ‘The Topside Rag’ recently aired on Cartoon Network as part of their Sunday Pants block. He’s also an illustrator, a comic book artist and a recent addition to the Hornet Inc. team in New York City.

But it’s the music videos that the world has come to know him for. At this year’s SxSw Film Festival, Monkmus’ animated music video for Badly Drawn Boy’s ‘Year of the Rat’ won the Jury Award for Best Music Video. And the same video picked up the 2005 award for Best Music Video at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival. Watch the video and you’ll soon understand. Monkmus took a beautiful, well-written song and turned it into a visual poem. It’s a story about hope and reconciliation, and however idealized the message may be, the video makes an undeniable, emotional impact.

Cold, Hard Flash recently got together with Monkmus to discuss his ascending career, his Flash-animated projects and what inspires him.

AARON SIMPSON: Your music video for Kid Koala’s ‘Basin Street Blues’ seems even more meaningful in the wake of the Katrina disaster. What inspiration did you originally draw from as you created the video?
MONKMUS: Pretty much the music. The idea of doing a funeral procession just popped into my head as I listened to the track. The more I listened
to it, the more the idea grew. I just went with it.

AARON: You recently signed on with Hornet, Inc. How did you first meet up with them?
MONKMUS: I cold called them. My contract had come to a close with my former reps and I was actively searching for new representation. I don’t specifically recall how I had ever heard of Hornet Inc. (I believe through a friend), but I checked out their website and was immediately impressed with the site and their body of work. So, I e-mailed them to see if they might be interested in working together.

AARON: You took home some fairly prestigious awards this year - Best Music Video at both Annecy and SxSw. Did you make it out to France or Austin this year for the ceremonies?
MONKMUS: No. I would have liked to… but between my schedule and the expense I really couldn’t afford to go. I’m really honored, though, to have won those awards at such great venues. I’m always happy to hear that people enjoy the work that me and my associates have created. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to win anything, so the awards are all a bonus.

AARON: Growing up, did you know that you would work in a visual medium?
MONKMUS: Well… I could always draw well, and I enjoyed it, but it never really dawned on me that I could make a career of it until late into High School (11th grade). For the longest time, I figured I’d go into a profession: Science, Medicine, Law, Business, etc…

AARON: When did you first add computers into your creative process?
MONKMUS: I’ve had computers surrounding me my entire life. My father had a knack with them, so even when I was 10, there were like 3 PC’s, 1 Macintosh (classic), 2 electronic word processors, and an Atari 400 sitting around the house. It wasn’t until college that I started using the computer artistically (and I’m using this term very loosely). Nowadays, there’s always a computer around when I’m working.

AARON: At RISD, did you work with filmstock in your production classes, or was it all digital?
MONKMUS: Film stock. The look and feel of film is amazing. I kinda miss cutting on a Steenbeck, those machines were kinda fun to work on.

AARON: Did you take animation classes there?
MONKMUS: Yes. I learned a lot about experimentation, conceptualization, and working with film when I was at RISD. On the other hand, I did spend a year at CalArts, where I learned about story structure, acting, and design. A friend of mine from school always commented on how I had the best of both worlds having attended both RISD and CalArts. In light of this, I feel very fortunate.

AARON: How did you learn animation timing?
MONKMUS: Also at CalArts. I wasn’t all that great of an animator in school, but I learned the basics there. I’ve gotten a lot better since then just through application, observation, and experience.

AARON: Did you learn After Effects at school?
MONKMUS: No. Other than Photoshop and Quark, I’ve learned to use every piece of software by reading books and manuals, then applying what I’ve learned directly into a project. A few programs I learned by just winging it until I got good at it. I figure this ability came from hours of video game playing, where I’d rarely read the manual except to look at the cool artwork.

That’s the end of part 1 of the Cold, Hard Flash interview with Monkmus. Check back soon for part 2.

To say that Burger King is aggressively re-branding their company is almost an understatement. Back in April of this year, Cold, Hard Flash reported on some of the new marketing tactics that ad agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky has employed to beef up the burger chain’s Chicken sales, and they’ve only added more fuel to the flame since. A spoof website for the Slipknot-esque band ‘Coq Roq,’ was created, hoping to entice more 18-34 year olds to swallow more coq, and the media has done exactly what they’re supposed to do - they’re horrified!

What does this have to do with Flash animation? Little. But other efforts by Burger King do. The Flash-animated ‘Honbatz’ campaign, which was also reported on back in April, is now set to go worldwide. According to a KidScreen Magazine article, the ‘crudely drawn 2D characters’ (hmmmm….) will be released in 4 international markets this month - “one each in Europe and Asia and two in Latin America.” The Flash-animated campaign was created by Minneapolis-based Boing, and the current plan is to turn the Honbatz characters into the Burger King’s Ronald McDonald.

Previous ads for Honbatz were created by Monkmus, who recently signed up with New York’s Hornet Inc. Monkmus also added a thought in the comments section of the April Honbatz post.

I was watching the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards 2005 on Saturday night, and during a commercial break a Burger King spot played several times that I’m dead certain was produced with Flash. It was a promo created exclusively for the Kids’ Choice Awards, as it parodies a voting scenario, but instead of pop stars and best actors nominees, we were introduced to The Honbatz. I don’t frequent the fine establishment known as Burger King, so I can’t say for sure if this is a new promotion for them, but I’d venture to say that this is the first time The Honbatz have appeared on TV. And I’m going to come out and say that I love these little guys. They’re well designed (if a bit derivative of the whole Ugly Doll craze), well animated, and they’re not half as saccharine and do-goody as the McDonald’s mascots.

Head on over to The Honbatz site, and click around. There’s a good deal of animation on the site, and if you click on the ‘Vote’ icon in the upper left corner, you can see the spot that aired last night during the KCAs. If you drill down into the ‘Who’s Who’ section, you’ll be treated to 5 different shorts. They’re all fairly tight, and timed well.

For the life of me - I can’t figure out whose behind The Honbatz design and animation. I pride myself on being able to complete nearly any type of information search on the web, but I’m stumped. I’m thinking the answer is Crispin Porter + Bogusky, the agency responsible for the new wave of peculiar Burger King live action commercials. My particular favorite is ‘Wake Up With the King,’ (click on video link below the photo) a creepy take on a fast food breakfast morning. CP+B was also behind the ‘Subservient Chicken‘ website. Very Clever.

The CP+B website is full of Burger King work they’ve completed, but no animation, so I’m guessing they probably outsourced to an animation house. A few message boards and blogs mentioned that The Honbatz appear on product packaging, and the BK website features a few cameos, so it’s safe to say we’ll be seeing more of these little burger-loving creatures. Please post below if you figure out who animated these pieces.

***UPDATE #1***
Not entirely sure, but I think Minneapolis-based Boing is responsible for the Honbatz. They’re an off-shoot of Campbell Mithun, the relatively large advertising and marketing company. I still think they outsourced to an animation house, so I’ll keep digging…

***UPDATE #2***
I found a hidden page that I’m guessing is an earlier version of the site. A fairly funny reveal.

***UPDATE #3***
My search for the animator behind the Honbatz TV spots is finally over. And I wish I could say I sleuthed it out - but, in the end, I stumbled on the answer. The animator is Monkmus, the artist behind Kid Koala’s ‘Basin Street Blues’ video. I know Monkmus is an After Effects fan, so I can no longer say with certainty that these spots were animated in Flash, but I’d guess they are. Check out other work by Monkmus over at his Kachew director page.