Introduction
Leonin, artist mixing classical and electro, wanted for the early summer 2022 a video for his track Horny. The global imagery and universe was designed by Olivier Bonhomme, an independent illustrator based in Montpellier. He produced about fifteen plates for the clip in a surrealistic universe, and asked us to animate it.
Considering the deadlines, we asked for simple and light animations, to give a little life to each boards. Nevertheless, the very singular universe motivated us to do more. Our problem was then to know how to transpose this artistic direction to the animation, and especially how to be effective considering the time allocated.
Process
The speech is simple: a man walks endlessly in a world which becomes more and more surreal, with objects scrolling in depth. Olivier Bonhomme being an illustrator, he creates in 2D.
The first challenge is to create this depth for the scrolling. The most reliable technique is to use a 3D software, but it is necessary to be able to adapt the illustrative style.
The second problem is that there are elements that have a greater impact in a traditional animation, such as smoke effects or the peeling of a banana.
Finally, there is a floral fresco called Nefertiti in the last third of the clip, which is so full of detail that is easier to animate on computer.
So we reproduced and unified this illustrative style with 3 working approaches that are very different. Here are some examples of the process.
Scrolling World
The basis of the clip is this long forward walk, with this vast scrolling desert. The main difficulty is to have something in motion, with scrolling textures on the ground, to achieve a depth effect while having a 2D treatment, and to be able to insert 2D objects (like the character) and 3D objects with physics (the sheets of paper).
For this we used the Sketch and Toon engine of Cinema4D, setting it to find the same style of drawing as the illustrator. For the flying papers, we created rows of soft bodies whose wind simulation is triggered just behind the camera. The more we progress in the animation, the more elements are provided.
Finally, to remain faithful to the original illustration, we worked on the colors and the background in compositing. This allowed us to really mix the 3D animation with flat colors.
Once this base was built and validated, we were able to adapt all its parameters to more complex objects such as trees.
Welcome to the jungle
The introduction starts on a view filled with exotic trees, before opening on the 1st scene like a theater curtain. As the trees were not provided separately, we had to either animate them from a block or recreate them, which we decided to do to have more flexibility in the staging, but also to give them more life.
To achieve this, we used Taiao from Insydium. It is a very versatile procedural generator of plants and trees. We were able to reproduce the same models as the original composition.
Then comes the staging. The first proposal we made was to have a camera racing through a dense jungle, before arriving on this man from behind who is smoking. Although very dynamic, it wasn’t theatrical enough. We took it at its primary level, and moved the trees to the sides like a curtain, for a more dramatic and intense opening to the scene.
Aquatic overpopulation
A school of fish is not just a bunch of fish: their movements are more complex than it seems. Like birds, they attract each other to stay in a group and protect themselves from attacks, but as soon as they get too close, they push each other away to make space. Computer scientist Craig Reynolds has recreated the rules for simulations based on a study by Wayne Potts.
Insydium’s X-Particles lets you apply these rules, while following a path and adding predators. We modeled the fish, to avoid having that slice-of-paper feel if they’re from the front, added a tail flap, and added them to a dozen particle systems.
To stay consistent with the music, we added the cut of ibises frantically shaking their heads.
Traditional Animation
To find adapted solutions to save time is good, nevertheless on some cases, the work by hand, more tedious, is the only way to have a good result.
Once integrated in the 3D world (the mouth or the banana), or in the 2D compo (the smoke of the rocket or the cigarette), they must be precise and fluid to match the rest.
Nefertiti
This very dense and provided graphic element intervenes during a calmer passage, before the explosive final. So we needed an animation that was dense but at the same time voluptuous. We used the same techniques as with the Maisons du Monde floral animations, namely Duik Bassel’s FK Overlap.
It’s about creating a structure for our plants, then animating them with a shift. This gives a much more organic result, and gives much more dynamics and life without having to exaggerate the movements.
Conclusion
It was a real pleasure to work on this clip. Obviously, we would have liked to have more time to push some animations further, but we are extremely proud of the result for 2 weeks of production. A big thanks to Raphaël Coqblin and Olivier Bonhomme for trusting us.
