One aspect of animation I'm really interested in is animated music videos. I like the way they have to narrate a story in correlation with the lyrics being sung as it gives you a base to work off and allows you to develop your ideas quickly and effectively as you can work with timing and so forth. Chez Zar creates the animation and visual effects for Tool, a band that I'm interested in at the moment. Tool's genre could be specified as rock, often using strange rhythms such as six over eight and seven over eight which often leads to confusion from an unfamiliar audience. The animated backgrounds usually pulsate along with the rhythm which is nice, with often psychedelic colours and patterns, creepy characters and strange effects.
To illustrate the work I have been inspired by, here is a clip of some Zar's work in musical action!
Tool - Schism (the above clip) features mainly visual effects as it is made to look like reality is distorted. I prefer more of his other animations for Tool. Zar has also worked on films such as Hellboy (I and II), The Ring, and Planet of The Apes. His love for horror-based art and the supernatural began at an early age. His parents were very supportive and allowed his work to flourish which led him to become very successful. His love of exploring emotionally distressing subjects, odd-looking beings and otherworldly scenarios allowed him to stand out as an artist. His website is incredibly interesting: www.chetzar.com
Vicarious, another by Tool and Zar, is personally my favourite music video that he has worked on for Tool. It's fascinating to watch as it is so bizarre and strange. He seems to have a fixation with parasites, illness and eyes which I find all too weird, yet all too amazing. His work is something you simply can't take your own eyes off as the content is just to abnormal.
Zar uses both stop-motion animation and CGI to create the animation Tool's music videos.
He approaches character design through his own art style and uses this to create interesting and often abstract and psychedelic narrative to accompany Tool's music. He often begins by making a scenario completely unrecognisable to the audience in a rather baffling manner by revealing usually all the characters in the opening scene. Considering the shock-factor of the characters (grotesque features, disproportionate limbs, odd colour choice, and a genuine feeling that they are meant to toy with your mind), you feel as though everything has been revealed you all at once yet with still no knowledge of the narrative as the characters start by behaving in a strange manner which is oddly appealing as you are encouraged to watch and discover their intentions. Slowly but surely, Zar reveals the motives of the characters which usually have hidden meanings and messages entwined. You feel slightly enlightened by watching his animations, almost as if he's shared a secret about the world with you through his beloved, unconventional characters.
Zar's way of storytelling interests me as it his often weird animations and artwork feature plenty of subliminal meanings that can't usually be immediately seen by the naked eye. His narratives involve some form of unpicking and due to his covert way of planting ideas in your head, he can get away with expressing himself more and sharing his insight of the world without it being obvious to such organisations (the government) the band is singing about.
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