Tuesday 26 April 2011

Andy Matin and the E4 music idents

Watching tv you come across all sorts of interesting things. Andy Martin created a slightly odd and creative selection of idents for the E4 music channel. Due to my high interest in quirky and music interpretation with animation i have wrote an essay on him for university. Some of his work is shown as followed i hope you enjoy.










all images for Andy Martins Blog see research materials.

E4 Music essay contacting Andy Martin

Looking more into my essay i found more interesting sites:
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Cone, Justin. Motiongrapher. (2008) E4 music ids directed by Andy martin. [Online]




http://motionographer.com/2008/03/08/e4-music-ids-directed-by-andy-martin/ [Accessed 7th April 2011]



Andy Martin (2011) Andy Martin motion graphic designer, animator and illustrator. [Online] http://www.andymartin.info/ [Accessed 2nd April 2011]



Martin, Andy. (2009) Behind the scenes E4 music idents. [Online] September 22nd 2009.



http://www.andymartin.info/blog/?tag=e4 [Accessed 2nd April 2011]




Martin, Andy. (2011) E4 Music Ident. [E-mail] Message to J.Mellor. 12th April 2011.

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I was in comunication with Andy Martin via e-mail wich helped alot here is a snipit of my questions and answers....


Was the music made for the animation or was the animation made for the music?

I made both the music and the animation myself so it was all done in tandem. Where the characters are 'singing' the music was done first and when the characters are out having adventures the sound was done to picture.


How long did production take?

About 3 months.


How many people worked on the idents?

5 animators, an editor, 2 props guys, a camera man, a producer and a runner....and me.


Did you have a clear idea for the character designs?

Yes. I wanted them to look Eastern European. Odd, weird, slightly creapy. They couldn't look cute.


How many did you do?

Characters: 15
Idents: 30


What materials did you use?

Fimo, paint and various found objects for the sets.

How many sets where made?

15 sets and the other 15 indents were shot in locations.


How was footage put together? / Which programs were used?

Edited in Final Cut and animated in After Effects.


Is stop-motion your preference for animating?

Sometimes, it depends on the effect I want to create. I like mix media animations, the use of stop motion with traditional 2D animation with CGI.


How did you find the making of the E4 idents?

Hard work but really rewarding when the result came out.


Any advice for working with music and animation?

Listen to the music carefully and highlight parts that you can enhance with animation. Moments of animation that happen timed up to beats/notes etc are lifted by the two of them synced together. Eg a footstep in time to a beat is much more satisfying than a footstep that isn't.


Any advice for getting into the animation industry?

Get a good showreel together, focus on the type of work you want to make, make it and then send it to the places that you want to work. Make a website and plug your work.
I found e-mailing Andy very helpful so whenever in need i wont hesitate to do it again most animators are happy to answer any questions and i made a good contact in the animation industry.

Ident Animation Essay Research

I am writing an essay on Andy Martins direction and animation design in the E4 music idents produced in 2008. I choose to look at his work as i found the use of music also made by himself was choreographed perfectly with the animation. Interested by the link of sound and motion i decided to investigate his design choices.

Here is a list of the things i have looked at:



Williams, Eliza. (2008) Creative Review Blog: New E4 Music idents. [Online] March 5th 2008. http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2008/march/new-e4-music-idents [Accessed 5th April 2011]




Wells.P. (1998) Understanding Animation. London: Routledge.



Webster.C. (2005) Animation: the Mechanics of motion. London: Focal Press.



Purves.B. (2010) Basics Animation: Stop-motion. Switzerland: AVA Publishing SA



Winder.C. & Dowlatabadi.Z. ((2001) Focal Press Visual Effects & Animation Series: Producing Animation. London: Focal Press.



Furniss.M. (1998) Art in motion: Animation Aesthetics. Australia: John Libbey & Company Pty Ltd.



Wright. J.A. (2005) Focal Press Visual Effects & Animation:Animation Writing & Development, from script to pitch. London Focal Press.