Strawberry Swing is an audio-visual delight. An uplifting song by Coldplay, complimented beautifully with a stunning concept by visual artists Shynola. Lyrics and details on the making of after the vid, enjoy!
Some highlights from a Q & A with Shynola below:
Had you had this idea up your sleeves for a while, or was it a direct response to the Strawberry Swing song?
No, we always pitch specifically for the song. That has meant on previous occasions that we have stared at a blank wall for a week and found no inspiration at all. We’ve then had to pass on those projects. But we’d still rather work that way. The work is pointless agony if you’re not inspired. Our hope is that when the video is finished and you’ve watched it, that afterwards when you hear the song you can’t help but think of the video.
What’s the inspiration behind the story in the video?
First and foremost we really wanted it to be nonsensical and almost dream-like. We also knew that the technique itself would also be a lot for the eye to take in. So when we had the idea of a day with a superhero on some weird adventure we chose to frame the journey with a very simple, easy-to-understand narrative: superhero saves girl from baddy. So it’s pretty weird, but makes some sort of sense. I saw the video referred to as “ten-steps-left-of-centre” which we take as a great compliment. I might even get that as a tattoo.
How much did you try to tie the plot in with the Strawberry Swing lyrics and the music?
We never see the point in following lyrics literally. We would be adding nothing. We do however try and capture the feel of the song – what the music suggests to us.
So how did you do it?
Again we had pretty much all of the animation roughly blocked-out beforehand using computers. It was just a matter of taking one frame at a time with our grid for reference. Luckily, you only need to draw or rub out the bits that have moved since the last frame. We also had this cool portable monitor while filming, which showed you a live feed from the camera, blended with the previous take and our pre-vis.
Was that the most time consuming part of the process?
It was all pretty gruelling. The thing that sticks in my mind was when Chris is falling with the umbrella. If you look closely he is lying on a tiny square skateboard we had made. For each frame we had to drag him an inch this way or that to make him swing. There was a lot of sore backs after the shoot. Always bend at the knee. And back up your hard-drive.
Click here to see the entire Q & A with Shynola
Artist – Coldplay
Song – Strawberry Swing
They were sitting
They were sitting in the strawberry swing
Every moment was so precious
They were sitting
They were talking in the strawberry swing
Everybody was for fighting
Wouldn’t wanna waste a thing
Cold, cold water
Bring me round
Now my feet won’t touch the ground
Cold, cold water
What ya say?
It’s such
It’s such a perfect day
It’s such a perfect day
I remember
We were walking up to strawberry swing
I can’t wait ’til the morning
Wouldn’t wanna change a thing
People moving all the time
Inside a perfectly straight line
Don’t you wanna just curve away
When it’s such
When it’s such a perfect day
It’s such a perfect day
ahh…
Now the sky could be blue
I don’t mind
Without you it’s a waste of time
Now the sky could be blue
I don’t mind
Without you it’s a waste of time
Now the sky could be blue
Could be grey
Without you I’m just miles away
Now the sky could be blue
I don’t mind
Without you it’s a waste of time
If you enjoyed this video, you may also like Sour’s Hibi No Neiro music video, another brilliant concept.