Comments on: Gunnar Strøm - The Two Golden Ages of Animated Music Video http://journal.animationstudies.org/2008/02/06/gunnar-strm-the-two-golden-ages-of-animated-music-video/ Peer-reviewed Online Journal for Animation History and Theory Sat, 13 Mar 2010 01:33:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/ By: Jim Blashfield http://journal.animationstudies.org/2008/02/06/gunnar-strm-the-two-golden-ages-of-animated-music-video/#comment-2320 Jim Blashfield Thu, 17 Dec 2009 06:38:30 +0000 http://journal.animationstudies.org/2008/02/06/gunnar-strm-the-two-golden-ages-of-animated-music-video/#comment-2320 Thank you for including my work in your interesting article! Best, Jim Blashfield Thank you for including my work in your interesting article!
Best,
Jim Blashfield

]]> By: Lars http://journal.animationstudies.org/2008/02/06/gunnar-strm-the-two-golden-ages-of-animated-music-video/#comment-2072 Lars Thu, 04 Jun 2009 02:10:37 +0000 http://journal.animationstudies.org/2008/02/06/gunnar-strm-the-two-golden-ages-of-animated-music-video/#comment-2072 Jeg forstår ikkje heilt prestisjetapet på 90-tallet. Det var da MTV startet å kreditere regissører. Det var jo vel også da Gondry blomstret og lagde mesteparten av videoane sine og dette samtidig med Jonze, Fincher og Williams som alle har et prestisjestempel i mv-sammenheng. Men er enig i at det burde vært flere animasjoner i videoene fra denne tiden. Lars Jeg forstår ikkje heilt prestisjetapet på 90-tallet. Det var da MTV startet å kreditere regissører. Det var jo vel også da Gondry blomstret og lagde mesteparten av videoane sine og dette samtidig med Jonze, Fincher og Williams som alle har et prestisjestempel i mv-sammenheng. Men er enig i at det burde vært flere animasjoner i videoene fra denne tiden. Lars

]]> By: i wanna be a cowboy music video animated version http://journal.animationstudies.org/2008/02/06/gunnar-strm-the-two-golden-ages-of-animated-music-video/#comment-1674 i wanna be a cowboy music video animated version Sun, 04 May 2008 00:41:01 +0000 http://journal.animationstudies.org/2008/02/06/gunnar-strm-the-two-golden-ages-of-animated-music-video/#comment-1674 [...] videos was almost ..... John??s ???Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy,??? which was ...http://journal.animationstudies.org/2008/02/06/gunnar-strm-the-two-golden-ages-of-animated-music-vid...Internet Archive Search: reviewer:"raoulduke"Disc One - Set One 01. house music &ampgt Let's Have A [...] [...] videos was almost ….. John??s ???Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy,??? which was …http://journal.animationstudies.org/2008/02/06/gunnar-strm-the-two-golden-ages-of-animated-music-vid…Internet Archive Search: reviewer:”raoulduke”Disc One - Set One 01. house music &ampgt Let’s Have A [...]

]]> By: Chris Padilla http://journal.animationstudies.org/2008/02/06/gunnar-strm-the-two-golden-ages-of-animated-music-video/#comment-1546 Chris Padilla Tue, 04 Mar 2008 21:57:06 +0000 http://journal.animationstudies.org/2008/02/06/gunnar-strm-the-two-golden-ages-of-animated-music-video/#comment-1546 I enjoyed your essay. If you should ever decide to expand your effort to a book then I would highly suggest that you spend a little more time with your coverage of the 1970s – the era before "the music video" came to be – as there were several prominent short animated films made during this period. In 1972 British director/animator, Ian Emes, made the short film “French Windows,” set to Pink Floyd’s “One of These Days.” This short film can be seen at: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZoVWHZuftnw Upon Pink Floyd seeing "French Windows they commissioned Emes to create new animation for their song “Time,” which was featured in Pink Floyd’s famous 1974 “Dark Side of the Moon” concert tour. And you can view a clip of it at: http://youtube.com/watch?v=oOS37cutEGo&feature=related After receiving accolades for his animation for Pink Floyd, other big names in the rock community in Britain commissioned Emes to create animation based on their songs. Roger Daltrey’s “Heart’s Right” can be viewed at http://youtube.com/watch?v=MKueSIeey7Q; Linda McCartney also commissioned Emes to create the surreal and abstract “The Oriental Nightfish,” which can be viewed at http://youtube.com/watch?v=prH0Y4ex_m0 Not available on You Tube is the animation Emes created that was based on the work of MC Escher for Mike Oldfield’s “Platinum” concert tour. The record company also commissioned Emes to create an animated television commercial to promote the album. This commercial had a beautiful science-fiction oriented look. Perhaps it will be available one day on Emes' website: http://ianemes.com/animationpsychedelic.html Two other commercials that appeared on American television was one for Elton John’s “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy,” which was based on the cover art of his album of the same title. Another commercial that appeared was for the female group, Heart. Another note about the 1970s is the short film Cat Stevens' produced based on the painting he created for the cover art of his Moonshadow” album, which he featured in his concert tours as well: http://youtube.com/watch?v=qdP_3GAUvjY Before the 1970s ended, Pink Floyd also commissioned Gerald Scarffe to design and produce animation based on their "Wish You Were Here" concert tour, which would later lead to their collaboration on "The Wall" animation. In 1977 35mm versions of both Cat Stevens' "Moonshadow" and Ian Emes' "French Windows" short films were shown in movie theaters in the USA as part of an anthology of animation shorts in Fantastic Animation Festival, which I produced. I enjoyed your essay. If you should ever decide to expand your effort to a book then I would highly suggest that you spend a little more time with your coverage of the 1970s – the era before “the music video” came to be – as there were several prominent short animated films made during this period.

In 1972 British director/animator, Ian Emes, made the short film “French Windows,” set to Pink Floyd’s “One of These Days.” This short film can be seen at: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZoVWHZuftnw

Upon Pink Floyd seeing “French Windows they commissioned Emes to create new animation for their song “Time,” which was featured in Pink Floyd’s famous 1974 “Dark Side of the Moon” concert tour. And you can view a clip of it at: http://youtube.com/watch?v=oOS37cutEGo&feature=related

After receiving accolades for his animation for Pink Floyd, other big names in the rock community in Britain commissioned Emes to create animation based on their songs. Roger Daltrey’s “Heart’s Right” can be viewed at http://youtube.com/watch?v=MKueSIeey7Q;

Linda McCartney also commissioned Emes to create the surreal and abstract “The Oriental Nightfish,” which can be viewed at http://youtube.com/watch?v=prH0Y4ex_m0

Not available on You Tube is the animation Emes created that was based on the work of MC Escher for Mike Oldfield’s “Platinum” concert tour. The record company also commissioned Emes to create an animated television commercial to promote the album. This commercial had a beautiful science-fiction oriented look. Perhaps it will be available one day on Emes’ website: http://ianemes.com/animationpsychedelic.html

Two other commercials that appeared on American television was one for Elton John’s “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy,” which was based on the cover art of his album of the same title. Another commercial that appeared was for the female group, Heart.

Another note about the 1970s is the short film Cat Stevens’ produced based on the painting he created for the cover art of his Moonshadow” album, which he featured in his concert tours as well: http://youtube.com/watch?v=qdP_3GAUvjY

Before the 1970s ended, Pink Floyd also commissioned Gerald Scarffe to design and produce animation based on their “Wish You Were Here” concert tour, which would later lead to their collaboration on “The Wall” animation.

In 1977 35mm versions of both Cat Stevens’ “Moonshadow” and Ian Emes’ “French Windows” short films were shown in movie theaters in the USA as part of an anthology of animation shorts in Fantastic Animation Festival, which I produced.

]]> By: Carol MacGillivray http://journal.animationstudies.org/2008/02/06/gunnar-strm-the-two-golden-ages-of-animated-music-video/#comment-1530 Carol MacGillivray Sat, 16 Feb 2008 17:18:35 +0000 http://journal.animationstudies.org/2008/02/06/gunnar-strm-the-two-golden-ages-of-animated-music-video/#comment-1530 Hi Gunnar, It is fascinating to read a study of an era I lived and worked through alongside many of the directors and animators you mention. Could I just mention the two big hits made by Giblets in 1986 and 1987. Namely The Housemartin’s launch single ‘Happy Hour’ and Jackie Wilson’s ‘Reet Petite’ which was number one at Christmas in the UK in 1987? There are some very pertinent reasons for mentioning these: On a vested level, as one quarter of Giblets, I find it interesting that such a popular (admittedly not very well made) animation as Reet Petite (and I have the gold disc on my loo wall to prove it) has been stricken from the record books. I would also like to offer a different perspective on the way things worked during this ‘golden’ era. In 1980’s Animation was often used to lend charisma to artists who were new to performing by ‘breaking’ them with popular directors or techniques – this would guarantee broadcast of the new single/artist on children’s television (this is before MTV) and so ensure a wide audience was reached. In these cases the record company and the directors/animators worked together on the track with little to no input from the recording artist, apart from deciding who to go with from the initial pitch. This despite the fact that finance for the music video was nearly always drawn from the artist’s side. As an artist became more established, collaborative relationships sprang up. Of course in the cases of Jackie Wilson and Nina Simone, (or indeed the other unmentioned and cynical hit, ‘Star-trekkin’’) it was not that the performers lacked charisma, but that they were entirely absent, hence the chances of collaboration were zero. You may think this is a blip in your golden age, but it was a significant one, with at least six top-ten hits if you include the two follow up mixed media narrative-led Jackie Wilson songs, ‘Sweetest Feeling’ and ‘Higher and Higher’. So, just for the record: Reet Petite was a speculative music video made in my mother’s attic. The track was chosen by Giblets because we liked it and I could easily edit out a whole verse. The video was shot in five days and without a playback monitor, and the material was real potter’s clay (inspired by Svankmajer’s work), as I recall we did not even have an armature for the full body shots. The record company (Passion Music) saw the video, and liked it, so they re-released the song. I made more money betting it would reach no 1 at Christmas than through the contract with Passion Music. (Aardman’s excellent Nina Simone animation was made in response to Reet Petite but it did not do nearly so well in the charts.) If you would like me trawl my memories for more, please feel free to contact me. Hi Gunnar,
It is fascinating to read a study of an era I lived and worked through alongside many of the directors and animators you mention. Could I just mention the two big hits made by Giblets in 1986 and 1987. Namely The Housemartin’s launch single ‘Happy Hour’ and Jackie Wilson’s ‘Reet Petite’ which was number one at Christmas in the UK in 1987? There are some very pertinent reasons for mentioning these: On a vested level, as one quarter of Giblets, I find it interesting that such a popular (admittedly not very well made) animation as Reet Petite (and I have the gold disc on my loo wall to prove it) has been stricken from the record books. I would also like to offer a different perspective on the way things worked during this ‘golden’ era. In 1980’s Animation was often used to lend charisma to artists who were new to performing by ‘breaking’ them with popular directors or techniques – this would guarantee broadcast of the new single/artist on children’s television (this is before MTV) and so ensure a wide audience was reached. In these cases the record company and the directors/animators worked together on the track with little to no input from the recording artist, apart from deciding who to go with from the initial pitch. This despite the fact that finance for the music video was nearly always drawn from the artist’s side. As an artist became more established, collaborative relationships sprang up. Of course in the cases of Jackie Wilson and Nina Simone, (or indeed the other unmentioned and cynical hit, ‘Star-trekkin’’) it was not that the performers lacked charisma, but that they were entirely absent, hence the chances of collaboration were zero. You may think this is a blip in your golden age, but it was a significant one, with at least six top-ten hits if you include the two follow up mixed media narrative-led Jackie Wilson songs, ‘Sweetest Feeling’ and ‘Higher and Higher’.
So, just for the record: Reet Petite was a speculative music video made in my mother’s attic. The track was chosen by Giblets because we liked it and I could easily edit out a whole verse. The video was shot in five days and without a playback monitor, and the material was real potter’s clay (inspired by Svankmajer’s work), as I recall we did not even have an armature for the full body shots. The record company (Passion Music) saw the video, and liked it, so they re-released the song. I made more money betting it would reach no 1 at Christmas than through the contract with Passion Music. (Aardman’s excellent Nina Simone animation was made in response to Reet Petite but it did not do nearly so well in the charts.) If you would like me trawl my memories for more, please feel free to contact me.

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