Hi folks!

Figured it was time I dropped something down in terms of animation, so now I'll tell you a quick story about how I accidentally ended up working on a music video for a BDSM Gothic Rock Band without even realizing it.

There is a local site that I use to look for animation gigs, and it's how I've gotten the extra scratch to pay for songs and art commissions here on Newgrounds. This time though, the job posting was really vague, so I had applied before getting any real details about what they were after.

Shortly afterwards in the same week, I was told that they liked my style and wanted to work with me.

So before long we get into a phone conversation, and since this was going to be their first video, I tried to be helpful and started detailing the kind of work that would go into it and the rough process from storyboards to finished product. The brass tacks essentially.

It was during this time that I formally agreed to make the music video animatic before hearing the song, and lo and behold it was a 'Gothic BDSM' song about mutual consent and respecting limits in regards to pain. Who'd have thunk? :P

Being caught off guard, I started listening to the song and tried to find out what kind of wiggle room I had with the interpretation of lyrics. Trying to be funny as opposed to overtly sexual (I belong to a lot of SFW animation pages and I like being able to share my work around everywhere), I pitched the idea of Vib (the male vocalist) being invited to DV8's (the female vocalist) Mansion for a BDSM date, but it turns out she is a Vampire and has far more extreme tastes than he is used to.

The Band thought my idea was worth pursuing so I worked on a script and some crude early designs, and a little while later it was approved and I was given the half-payment and the green light to start working away.

They weren't rolling in dough, as most small local bands aren't, so we came to the arrangement that I would work on their animatic until it was all done, with the clause that I could take as long as I wanted.

So over the course of several months, I kept sharing progress chunks and passed a few emails around. Client feedback is valuable because it's better to ask them what they want when you aren't sure, rather than to draw it and find out after all that hard work that don't like it. :P

By talking to them again and listening to their overall vision for the song, I revised the ending of the music video so that it was thematically consistent with the rest of the song than the (in my opinion) funnier but otherwise too absurd version I had in mind. After messing around with a few other ideas of the same vein, I came up with an idea we all found funny and then after a few power animation sessions I was all done. :)

A few emails later and we metaphorically shook hands and the project was wrapped up. I got paid, the band had their animatic and now they are looking around for people to fully animate their song based on the work I've already done.

Overall they were very pleasant clients and I now get to say I worked on a music video. haha

Didn't make big bucks doing this, but in this particular circumstance I'm not concerned. It was a very amusing project to work on, especially considering the fact that they were expecting the video to be slightly lewd, but I convinced them to make it funny instead. It's definitely a story I can tell now, in fact, I'm doing it right now! :P

Sometimes deals like working for cheap but over a longer period of time are alright if you're looking for something to push your skills and/or idea generation/problem solving, otherwise I'd say stick to your guns and to not to sell your skills short. Always do you research and ask questions before saying yes. (Knowing is half the battle!)

I shared the in-progress works a lot on the Chutney Island Discord Server, so if you were there you would've caught some early glimpses...but hey! You can all see it now in it's full glory.

Just a friendly warning though, the video does have some flashing/strobing lights, so if you are sensitive to that sort of thing or have a history of seizures, I'd pass this video up.

All that said...ENJOY! :D

(or don't, I ain't gonna force ya)

'Switch' Music Video Animatic - Rated T For Teen