How we made a mixed-media 2D animation and live-action music video.
One of our favourite pieces of 2D animation that we’ve done over the years was made with live-action film director Sameer Patel, music label Magnetic North Melodies and the band Heavyball.
We made this mixed media 2D animation and live-action music video in collaboration with them.
Heavyball and their music
Heavyball is a four-piece London-based “new tone” band influenced by ska and mod.
They made an extraordinary cover version of Bronski Beat’s “Smalltown Boy” and wanted to bring something unexpected to the mix to help it to stand out from the crowd.
We love their sound and their quirky humour. Check them out here
Making an animation and live-action music video. How it all began
It all started in 2015 when Producer Ed Lee from Magnetic North Melodies in Leeds approached us to make the animation. We were excited to take on the challenge!
Sameer Patel is a talented London-based filmmaker who has made numerous music videos and award-winning short films.
Director Sameer Patel carefully shot the live-action sequences leaving a space and clear direction for what he wanted each of the animated characters to do.
The Animation Design Process
Fettle Animation’s Animation Director, Zane Whittingham, was supplied with the film footage and drew the 2D animation on top of the live-action video.
Each of the band members wanted to be represented as a different animal – so he set about designing our 2d animal animated characters.
Johnny was a cat, Matt a dog, Tom a goose and Habs a pig!
Zane Whittingham took aspects of the band members’ personalities to form their 2D animated animal “avatars”.
Making the 2D animation
Zane put the 2D animation together on a transparent layer so that it could be sandwiched back together with the live-action footage in the edit. The guys at Halo Post Production studio did a fabulous job grading all the colours and making the edit sparkle!
The video explores the idea of isolation and how individuals can get trapped and lonely in the mundane realities of the everyday world. Music connects people, brings them together and creates a joyful connection!
New friends!
Edward Lee from Magnetic North Melodies became a good friend.
He visited our Yorkshire animation studio and even made us a special (and very delicious) cake based on the characters in the animation!
We visited the band recording a new single in the studio in Leeds and met up with Sameer Patel in London shortly afterwards.
The music video toured the country for the British Animation Awards Public Choice Awards screenings in 2016.
Heavyball played in the foyer of Regent Street Cinema, especially for the London event!
Our questions
Seven years on from the making of Smalltown Boy, we caught up with film director Sameer Patel, Edward Lee from Magnetic North Melodies and Johnny from Heavyball to hear more about their experience working with us and what they’ve been doing since.
Johnny, Can you give us a quick rundown of who you are and your band Heavyball?
I am Johnny (Bass), along with Matt (singer), Habs (drums), and Frosty (guitar) we are Heavyball. We started in 2012 as a band though Mat, Habs (brothers) and I have been friends since we were kids. We started the band as we were all living in London at the same time and it went from there. We have been lucky to play with bands like the Kaiser Chiefs, Dodgy and The Beat. We have been especially lucky to have been over to Europe many times over the last 10 years and made some great friends and memories.
What was the message you wanted to get across with Smalltown Boy?
Johnny: It is a song that we love as a band. The original theme Jimmy Sommerville created around moving to London to be the person he wanted to be is very powerful and such a universal feeling it really resonates with anyone who has made a significant change in their lives and dared to do something new. We are all telling our own short stories in the video but they are all about the feeling of frustration in our lives and the need to change them.
Jimmy Somerville listened to the Heavyball version of Smalltown Boy and said “Oh my gosh, it’s the best cover version of ‘Smalltown Boy’ I’ve ever heard.”
We’d love to know what Jimmy thought of the music video… Jimmy?
Tell us how the video came about?
Ed: The Smalltown Boy video marks the beginning of my career in filmmaking. As such, Fettle holds a special place in my heart!
My first contact with Fettle was a telephone conversation with Kath while I was on platform 14 of Leeds train station!
I was on my daily commute to Manchester where I was working as a freelance I.T. consultant. Kath had to listen to a stream of consciousness as I tried to describe the project while the sounds of early morning commuters and trains as the soundtrack to the conversation.
I’d been working with Heavyball since 2011, we created a music label for them, I went on tour, drove tour buses, organised gigs, loaded gear in and out of venues, managed their finances, booked them gigs, created merchandise, sold merchandise, printed records and CDs and then in 2015 we started talking about the next single and a music video to accompany it.
We’d chosen a cover of Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat. A song that the band always played in their live set that surprised people given their genre.
I contacted Sameer Patel at Mandala Films to see if he fancied directing another music video for the band. Sameer had already made two music videos for Heavyball.
We were both keen to pitch something different to the band. Although their music was genre-based (ska/indie), we wanted to help define the individuality of their sound via the next music video.
What was your initial idea?”
Ed: The idea for the visuals originates from a quote from Animal Farm by George Orwell. “All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others”
Our initial thoughts were to do some sort of Animal Farm/Watership Down-inspired animation with cats/dogs and somehow work the band members into the video.
Sameer: The band loved the idea and I wrote the following treatment for the video:
“The video will be two great-looking performance setups intercut against four short narrative stories with each member of the band. Each band member will have an avatar animal who we see with the band member and each avatar animal will continue the story. Each band member will sing a part of the track. These stories will also be intercut leading to four parallel stories which culminate at the last performance.
Each story is a metaphor for a situation that one of the band has experienced.
The look will be about the urban UK. Even though it will be dark and gritty we will shoot and grade to give it a real look”
What happened next?
Ed: Given this was my first music video I’m fully prepared for knockbacks so when the phone rang while I was waiting to catch the train to work I was bowled over!
I introduced Kath and Zane to Sameer and from there we were off!
With Fettle’s guidance, Sameer was able to write a more detailed treatment that would shape filming and animation requirements. With Sameer’s guidance, Zane quickly mocked up some concept ideas for the band characters. The wonderful team of Fettle and Sameer took it from there. Between us, we worked to deliver a video that was on time, on budget and spectacular.
From that first conversation onwards Kath was just fantastic. Kath and Zane are the embodiment of professionalism and passion.
Johnny, what was it like working on the project?
Johnny: Sameer is a great director, and he and Ed had a clear vision of what they wanted it to look and feel like. It was strange performing on videos at the best of times but when you are doing actions taking into account animated creatures that aren’t even there it is even more strange!
What was your favourite part of the process?
Johnny: The Fettle team and Sameer got all the band to sit down individually and think about what the song meant to us and if there was any detail that we could pull out and use as the story for our parts of the video. It isn’t often you sit down and reflect on this type of thing so it was good for us to do and gave us insight into each other as a band.
Sameer: My favourite part of the process was how collaborative it all was. When we began the process it was just an idea and it grew and grew. Working with Fettle opened up our options and helped us see what was possible. They were accommodating and brought many ideas to the process.
What did you think of working with Fettle and Kath, Zane & the team?
Johnny: Kath and Zane came to meet us at a recording session and we all got on great so we knew we were in safe hands. The art style is amazing and fitted the look of the band. As a band, we only saw it come together at the end and it was such an exciting moment to see the result. It elevated what we had done previously to a new level and is a project that we will always be very proud of.
Sameer, Why did you want to put animation over your music video for Smalltown Boy?
I think it was Ed who suggested working with animation, but we wanted to do something that we had never done before. Each video for HB was trying to do something different.
What was the message you wanted to get across with the video as a whole?
The ultimate message is that music brings us together, especially in modern times.
Finally, we asked Johnny, “If you could describe Fettle Animation in 3 words, what would they be?”
He replied:
Fun, professional, inspired
We’ll take that!
Ed: I hope we get a chance to work together with Fettle again in the future.
Congratulations to Fettle for being 10 years in business, may there be many more!
Fettle Animation is a multi-award-winning animation studio, serving Leeds, Manchester, London and beyond
Got an animation idea you’d like to discuss?
info@fettleanimation.com
Call us on 01484 846817