ABSTRACT
Beginning with an overview of the harmonious relationship between the animated film medium and the music video as both an effective marketing tool and work of art in its own right, this section of the book explores various independent, music-oriented animation projects and their respective development stages and production processes. Rumpus Animation and Count Skylarkin’s collaboration Dub of a Preacherman highlights the benefits of such a creative partnership in terms of mutual exposure, while in Going Solo prolific online content producer Jonti Picking elaborates on the ways in which musical projects can engage wider audiences, as demonstrated by the positive reception of his viral shorts Narwhals, Magic Trevor, Kenya and the animated musical outfit Savlonic. From Scratch examines the case study of Garrett Michael Davis and Kirsten Lepore’s Story from North America as an example of a film built around an original composition and the ways in which music itself can inform a project’s visual or economic approach. Playing with the Majors explores animator Bill Plympton’s propensity toward the music video format and how his independent sensibilities have been harnessed as a marketable commodity for major label artists.
