Enthusiastic crowds greeted the world premiere of nine music videos created by nine leading design studios today in Downtown Los Angeles as part of the "Videophonic" session at the 2012 Promax/BDA Conference. All Videophonic music videos featured music that had not been previously given a music video treatment. The concept was the genesis of Big Machine's Creative Director Steve Petersen who says he, "just wanted a platform to allow traditional rivals an opportunity to collaborate and create something really unique."
LA-based Roger quickly signed on and offered logistical support and help bringing on additional participants. The final list of participants included companies from across the US and one international participant: Big Machine, Roger, Pistolera, Radley, Royale, Space Junk, Wildlife, Third Eye Design and Tennant McKay from South Africa.
Big Machine's Sean Owolo said, "It was exciting to be involved with this many creative minds and see them perfect their craft." All of the participants were free to pursue their creative as they saw fit with the only constraint being that they use a song which had no existing music video.
Each of the studios approached the assignment with a unique point of view resulting in an eclectic mix of styles and technique:
Studio: Big Machine
Song: "I Feel Love" by Donna Summer (BMG mix)
Presenter: Steve Petersen, Creative Director
This live-action video featured body-painted actors animals evading a hunter in a forest. The director, Steve Petersen, explained how the non-specific lyrics in "I Feel Love" allowed for an open-ended interpretation of the song. The director described the video as a heroic, survival-driven love story.
Studio: Roger
Song: "Dancing Machine" by The Jackson Five (Loud N Clear Remix)
Presenter: Terence Lee, Creative Director
This live-action video featured cardboard robots dancing at a high school prom. Terence Lee, Creative Director at Roger, described the video as a homage to '80s flicks such as "16 Candles" and "The Breakfast Club." Roger collaborated with students at Cypress College to create the cardboard robots.
Studio: Pistolera
Song: "Black Sabbath" by Black Sabbath
Presenter: Ryan Bosworth, Director
This live-action video featured a multi-dimensionally dysfunctional couple set in a modern, mostly white futuristic home. Ryan Bosworth, the director, told the audience he was looking to create something with beautiful visuals that had a dark story line.
Studio: Third Eye Design Group
Song: "Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Presenter: Manny Gonzalez, Creative Director
This all-CG video was executed in the style of orthographic projections with clever line-by-line visual interpretations of the song lyrics. Manny Gonzalez, Creative Director at Third Eye Design Group, said he was inspired by all of the 2012 end-of-the-world hysteria.
Studio: Tennant McKay
Song: "In a Landscape" by John Cage
This all-CG video used striking landforms transposed with angular and multi-color design elements in synch with the music to create a surreal video and audio experience.
Studio: Radley
Song "Can't Get Next To You" by The Temptations
Presenter: Kurt Spencer, Creative Director
This hybrid live-action/CG video combined a contemporary version of The Temptations in lyric-inspired situations inter-cut with choreographed dancers. Kurt Spencer, Creative Director at Radley, said his initial interest in The Temptations was formed at an early age when he visited the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit, which featured a display with The Temptations dance steps.
Studio: Royale
Song: "Evil" by Howlin' Wolf
Presenters: Andy Lyon, CG Supervisor and Jonathan Kim, Art Director
This all-CG video featured high contrast white on black "scratch board" imagery set to the lyrics of "Evil" by Howlin' Wolf. Andy Lyon, CG Supervisor at Royale, told the audience that they wanted to create a video that felt more analog than digital.
Studio: Spacejunk
Song: "Bonnie and Clyde" by Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot
Presenters: Jeff Boddy and Mike Beaumont, Creative Directors
This live-action video features the final moments of the outlaw couple Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. Jeff Boddy and Mike Beaumont, Creative Directors at Spacejunk, explained to the audience that their video was inspired by a poem written by Bonnie Parker herself before the couple was shot. The video features ultra high-speed cinematography inter-cut with the footage of Bonnie & Clyde.
Studio: Wildlife
Song: "Give Me Danger" by Iggy and The Stooges
Presenter: Scott Friedman, Creative Director
This all-CG video is a psychedelic trip through space and time. Scott Friedman, Creative Director at Wildlife, told the crowd that video was influenced by the visceral power of Iggy Pop and explores the power of memories and the escape from those memories.
Ken Carlson is the Co-Founder/Creative Director of Big Machine (http://bigmachine.net) in Burbank, CA.