MADVILLAIN - ALL CAPS
DOOM & Madlib's Madvillain video "All Caps" was animated
and directed by James Reitano for TFU Studios. The video appears on Madvillain's
"Madvillainy" enhanced CD.
Interview with the director
Stones Throw: How did the project of this video begin?
James Reitano: I spoke with PB Wolf and suggested an
animated video for Madlib. I had always wished I could of done one for
the Quasimoto LP. I think he's one of the most creative producers to come
around since Prince Paul so I was hoping there was chance to do something
for one of his upcoming projects. For some reason, I had those old comic
book-related tv cartoons from the 60's in mind, the ones by Grant-Ray-Lawrence
studios. They just moved the characters across the backgrounds, and had
limited movement. (Ghostface used sound bites from those cartoons on his
Cuban Linx and Supreme Clientele LP's.)
Any involvement with the artists on this theme?
MF DOOM's artwork referenced old 60's comic book stuff, so Wolf had suggested
Madvillain's "Money Folder", and later gave me "All Caps"
to use for the video. I showed Wolf and Otis some old tapes of those cartoons
and then I called DOOM. He knew exactly what I wanted to do, and was really
into it. We agreed to re-invent his character, rather than pirate any
already existing characters. We talked about trenchcoats, fedora hats
and CIA looking guys. We had a great conversation. Doom is a huge Jack
Kirby fan, so I tried my best to reference that era in comics which happens
to be my favorite stuff too.
From there, the production of the song is really what influenced the
video. The music was so cinematic that I knew right off the bat, "this
part needs a cliff-chase, this part needs a revelation of sorts,"
and really just wrote it around those ideas. The concept for the story
was simple in that of a DJ and an MC. Doom being the monster, the frontman,
and Madlib working behind the scenes (in a metal case to be more precise).
How was the animation done?
It was put together using old fashioned pen and paper, then scanned in,
and composited it all in different programs. About 900-1000 different
drawings went into this one.
There's some split-second details in here that couldn't be found
without the help of a slow-motion DVD, like the letters page and everything
in the ads. Any hidden messages to look for?
That's the advantage to animation, considering you're dealing with everything
a frame at a time. There's a Bozo Meko reference in there, Afrika Bambaataa
and Afrika Islam's first release on vinyl. There's also a Haliburton reference,
and Peanut Butter Wolf's last name is snuck in there as well. Also, one
of the thugs is the rookie–he ends up in a body cast toward the
end.
See more work at: www.thunderfromunder.com
Madvillain: www.stonesthrow.com/madvillain |
