http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPYQHQ4-kKo
Director James Frost takes you down the rabbit hole for My Morning Jacket.
“They told me not to smoke drugs, but I never listened…” sings My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James, and the lyric couldn’t be a more fitting introduction to James Frost’s wild, psychedelic trip of a video for “Outta My System”. Frost has become renowned for his technology-infused storytelling: “House of Cards” for Radiohead used real-time 3D recording in lieu of cameras; a DieHard Batteries spot for Y&R saw New Wave icon Gary Numan literally playing “Cars” on cars that were synched to a synthesizer; and Frost’s new prodco, Honey Badger, combines directors and experiential teams.
That taste for technology figures thematically in “Outta My System”, where a 2D-animated MMJ journey down the rabbit hole and through a lair with enough twists and turns that at one point the band’s flying through a planet full of robo-eyes, and, at another, they’re landing among satellites crashing into a desert landscape with rigs that pump oil through mechanized, Egyptian pyramids. And if that wasn’t trippy enough, an animated Zach Galifianakis makes a cameo as an evil wizard, whose cape and hat are somehow made more menacing over his pullover sweater and cargo pants.
Frost worked with animation director Michael Gillette who sketched the environments, which the team variously dubbed ‘Babylon,’ ‘Eye Land’ and ‘Consumer Land’. Frost and editor Nicholas Wayman Harris pieced the images together in a loose narrative and then executed rough moves on the stills, which allowed Gillette the freedom to sketch more scenes and transitions as the story was firmed up. Grant Kolton animated the project in a super-human solo effort over a three-month period.
“I knew I always wanted to create a story that ended up where we began,” Frost says of the video’s surprise, circular ending. “I liked the idea that because we were going into an animated world we could do whatever we wanted.”
CREDITS:
My Morning Jacket “Outta My System”
MMJ Are:
Jim James
Bo Koster
Carl Broemel
Tom Blankenship
Patrick Hallahan
Featuring Zach Galifianakis
As the Wizard
Directed by James Frost
Production Company: Honey Badger
Animation Director & Illustrations by Michael Gillette
Animation by Grant Kolton
Editor: Nicholas Wayman Harris
Executive Producers:
For ATO Records: Sharon Lord
For Honey Badger: John Benson, Gower Frost
Live Action
Producer Sam Khazaeni
Director of Photography James Wall
1st Assistant Camera Lucas Deans
Gaffer Robert Oliva
Key Grip Nick Franchot
Hair & Make Up Monica Alvarez
Production Assistants: Meredith Snider, Patrick Gorman, Justin Reed
Color Timer
Clark Muller @ Incendio, Los Angeles, California
Visual Effects: The Mill
Animation: Gap Sangpattharamatee
Compositing: Gigi Ng, Keith Sullivan, Mark French, Greg Cutler, Ricky Weissman
Colorist: Sal Malfitano
Producer: Boo Wong
About Honey Badger:
Honey Badger is a visually driven, idea-centric, multi-platform production and creative services company.
Honey Badger works across the creative sphere, producing visual content, commercials, music videos, experiential and digital projects with leading ad agencies, international brands, and some of the world’s biggest recording artists.
About My Morning Jacket:
Since their formation in 1998 Louisville, Kentucky’s My Morning Jacket have grown from being one of America’s most promising young bands to one of the world’s most beloved rock bands. From their debut full-length (1999’s The Tennessee Fire) through their Grammy-nominated sixth album (20011’s Circuital) the band has taken risks which each release, always choosing the musically adventurous path.
MMJ also have the rare quality of being as praised for their studio albums as they are for their electrifying live shows. Lauded as one of the best live bands touring today, My Morning Jacket’s live performances take their love classic rock, country, soul and psychedelia and spins it into fresh, life-affirming rock’n’roll and aching, haunting balladry. Complete with Jim James’ transcendent, roaring vocals,complex song structures and soaring guitars, MMJ’s sound is constantly evolving and surpassing fans’ and critics’ expectations.
This reputation has led them to perform on shows like Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show, as well as legendary venues such as Red Rocks & Madison Square Garden. My Morning Jacket’s eclectic reach and captivating shows have brought them to a wide array of festival stages ranging from Bonnaroo, Coachella, and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival among many others.
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