The Shortest Song
Music Video for the Bootsy Collins Foundation.
Finding the Style
While working as an animator on the King Records Revival Project under the Bootsy Collins Foundation, I was tasked with making a 25 second animation to accompany The Shortest Song, music and vocals by Michael Adamshick and lyrics by Bruce Weil.
I was inspired by the gesture drawings of Pablo Picasso, and aimed to create the illusion that the character is being drawn before the viewer’s eyes. I began with style sketches to determine how to best communicate a complex human form in a few lines.
Style Frame
This style frame created in Adobe Illustrator depicts the character writing The Shortest Song. Black textured lines on white simulate a pencil gesture drawing. The character was left bald and given a simple outfit to leave them “genderless” and lipless to emphasize their writing. Features like fingers were simplified to fit a gesture drawing.
Storyboard of animation
Final Animation
with music
