Van Coke Kartel glo glad nie in sprokies nie
7 Jan 2010
Van Coke Kartel recently released their first single, Voor Ons Stof Word, from album Skop Skiet en Donner along with an awesome, awesome music video, so awesome it makes me feel all tingly inside. The video combines shots of the band performing amongst some beautiful animation created by Louis Minnaar, Creative Visual Design. Taking inspiration from the lyrics “ek glo glad nie in sprokies nie” (I don't believe in fairy tales) the video shows the band playing and interacting with elements of different fairy tales and ultimately creates a narrative for the song as a whole.
“As with the music on Skop Skiet en Donner, the video for Voor Ons Stof Word sees Van Coke Cartel taking an exciting creative leap from their previous work. Voor Ons Stof Word was directed by Louis Minnaar and is the band's first-ever animated music video, where vivid imagination and cutting-edge art direction sets the band in a magical fantasy world.”
Van Coke Kartel press release.
And a magical fantasy landscape it most certainly is, Francois ,Wynand and newest member of Van Coke Kartel, Peach van Pletzen of Yesterday's Pupil fame, play in a magical animated world of scary looking beasties, hot air balloons and sea monsters.
Here's what director Louis Minnaar has to say about the concept and process of creating this video.
"The track "voor ons stof word", was interpreted to be something of a dying man's last minute plea for new life. That desperation for something alive and magical is what fueled the entire production. The line "ek glo glad nie in sprokies nie" was what led the video into something mythical and fantastical. As this album is something different for the band (in terms of what they have done musically in the past), the idea was to mix two very different constructs - the idea of a no bullshit rock band mixed in with a playful, childish dream world where mythical beasts rule- and in doing that creating something out of the ordinary that would alter the perception of the band.
I'd say that it was overall a pretty challenging video to make (as we know that Vancoke Kartel has a specific vibe to it). Incorporating the playful fantastical bits into the rock and roll style of the band turned out to be harder than I initially thought.
What made the process work was the performances by the band members. If someone knows how to react to a camera it makes the whole production so much more dynamic. Francois, Wynand and PH van Pletzen (drums) brought the necessary vibe to the screen that allowed the interaction between live footage and computer generated elements to be so much more exciting."
