Seraphine Noir - Verdigris (Official Music Video)
I was lucky enough to direct and animate a music video for Seraphine Noir. The piercing electric jazz and soulful energy really spoke to me, and crafted this story about an estranged child and their mother while fighting the elements of the sky.
It started with a look that felt more geometric and silhouette based. Since the production schedule was tight, it needed to be fast and dirty, but also look elegant to match the music. The styleframes were very close to the final product.
What made it quicker to iterate was to use 3D minimally. Although it was used to animate the main character and the camera, the renders were very barebones and lightweight, so it took no time to render.
Most of the final look came from the compositing done in after effects. Gradients were really difficult to get right in 3D, and so doing it in post was the obvious choice.
Most of the final look came from the compositing done in after effects. Gradients were really difficult to get right in 3D, and so doing it in post was the obvious choice.
The workflow became more akin to a 2D animation pipeline: I treated the renders as if they were cleaned up layers for me to add shadows and color in comp.
This made things go really fast, and also made a very unique look. It walked the line between NPR rendering and pure compositing.
This made things go really fast, and also made a very unique look. It walked the line between NPR rendering and pure compositing.
Although it was simple to animate the heavy action scenes, there are more delicate scenes which needed subtlety. It was surprisingly easy with a character with a blank face.
By just turning the head up or down, left or right, you can hint at a certain emotion, and with the context of the scene, it brings the emotion forward.
By just turning the head up or down, left or right, you can hint at a certain emotion, and with the context of the scene, it brings the emotion forward.
Thanks for sticking around! Thank you to Seraphine Noir for letting me direct the video. I had an absolute blast.
