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[ Graphical: Channel4 Homepage ]
In the 1960s and 70s loads of pop groups turned up as animated versions of themselves, from the Beatles and the Jackson 5 to the Osmonds and the Archies. Just recently there has been a renaissance of the animated music promo, with Robbie Williams' Let Love Be Your Energy, directed by Olly Reed and Coldplay's Don't Panic, directed by Tim Hope, both produced out of Passion Pictures. Passion are also responsible for the animation work on the all-animated persona of one of the night's featured bands Gorillaz, created by Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn, and animated by Jamie and Pete Candeland. Passion is one of several London animation studios whose innovative work in commercials, and roster of talented young directors have attracted commissions from a variety of bands.
As the Toon Commandments hip hop Rules make clear, the trend for mixing genres, appropriating imagery in a magpie-like fashion from popular culture, ironic quotation and crazy juxtaposition is as strong an influence in animation as it is in the world of Hip Hop, with animators drawing on comic books, Japanese manga, graffiti and a whole host of other sources for their inspiration.
Freedom of expression
One leading light is Run Wrake, based at the Bermuda Shorts studio. For U2's PopMart tour, Wrake's mastery of collage combines his distinctive animation and visual style with imagery from 60s pop icons Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. Since emerging on the scene with his film Jukebox, made through the C4/Animate! scheme, Wrake has enjoyed an ongoing creative collaboration with Howie B for whom he has made several promos. Wrake says his work was inspired by the hip hop and sampling culture emerging in music in 86/87. 'It made sense to me to juxtapose looped animation with looped beats and sound, in an attempt to create something somewhere between music and film. Since then I have continued to try and develop this time-based collage both commercially and with personal projects.'
A common feeling for rhythm and timing binds the two media, but the close connections probably have as much to do with the fact that many pop musicians start off at art college - take the Super Furry Animals who asked their former college mates to make animated promos for their records.
For animators the attraction of promos is that, depending on the rapport they establish with the musician or band, there is often far more creative input. Freed from the editorial control of short film funders or the prescriptive concept and soundtrack or commercials, the animation can be far more about the feel of the music than mere illustration of a set of lyrics. And you get to meet bands you admire!
Belzebu have been much in demand for promos in the three years since they set up after college. From their notoriously explicit n to x video and through work with Moby, they have devised innovative ways of juxtaposing new technologies with traditional techniques. The London-based trio - Susi Wilkinson, Hotessa Laurence and Filipe Alcada - were recently invited to discuss their work at a Hong Kong conference on 'UK Digital Vision'. For the future the group wants to bring these same skills to the making of their own personal short films.
| Hip Hop Animation | |
| First Commandment. | Remix it |
| Second Commandment. | Wax lyrical |
| Third Commandment. | DIY |
| Fourth Commandment. | Go East |
| Fifth Commandment. | Respect |
Best of British | Sci-fi
| Japan | Blaxploitation
| Outrageous | Music
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