A sense of fragmented surrealness. Daddy by Coldplay

21/12/2019. [MUSIC-VIDEO] by Åsa Lucander
metalocus, ANTONIO M. GARCÍA

British band Coldplay released their new single titled ‘Daddy’, the fifth track from the double-album, Everyday Life. A music video with puppetry and a live action ocean made from cling film are combined with 2D animation.

The full length five-minute video is directed by Bristol-based animation studio Aardman's Åsa Lucander, the video tells the story of a girl lost at sea alone in a rowing boat and sailing towards the unknown.

Rendering. Daddy by Coldplay

Here is a page from my thumbnail storyboard she created for the original pitch

The big whale head and the girl

Dan Williamson with Production Manager Tamsin Clay Bee who made sure they all stayed on track, on time and in line with the vision they were after

Coldplay. Our Saturday music video. (Official Music Video). METALOCUS MUSIC PROJECT .

Åsa Lucander, has a background in illustration and animation, said, “It was such an honour to direct this video for Coldplay... I wanted to capture the nature of dreams and memories – a sense of fragmented surrealness, while keeping the relationship simple with the girl, the sea, and the characters she meets along the way.” She combined the different animation styles so she could create a dream-like atmosphere to match the song. “Åsa and her team have done an incredible job in bringing the story to life,” said Phil Harvey, Coldplay’s Creative Director.

It is an emotional journey, and I guess you could read it in many ways. The sea becomes a metaphor for what stands between the girl and her father – a threat, a sense of danger of the unknown and what she has lost.

This film is about a girl not only longing for her father, but also about a girl that has been forced to seek new shores.

The director used a mixed media approach for the film, and revealed that animating the ocean was the biggest challenge, because she wanted to film a physical model rather than rendering the landscape digitally. To imitate the water's surface, the team layered strips of cling film on top of each other across a three-metre-wide square frame to create the impression of waves.

"I really wanted it to be manipulated on camera – something tactile and hand made," she explained.

A montage using mainly live action puppetry together with digitally painted sets and 2D animations to create a tapestry of styles that symbolises the girl’s memories of her dad.

She wanted to capture the handmade feel of the puppets, and the teamed up with the great puppeteers at Brunskill & Grimes, (Andy Brunskill, Jim Grimes and Katie Williams) who made and puppeteered the puppets.

It’s always a magical process when you get to see your characters in 3 dimensions. They become just that much more real. It’s an intricate process where every detail had to be thought of, from what material the girl’s hair was made of, to the stitched hem of her jeans and how worn her life jacket should be to the painted texture of her face. We were under immense pressure in terms of schedule, so the puppets needed to be built very quickly, only to be finished just minutes before the camera started rolling. Quite a challenge, but we got there in the end!

Åsa Lucander

Project credits.-

Director.- Åsa Lucander
Producer.- Rob Franklin
Production manager.- Tamsin Clay Bee
Production assistant.- Annie Wire
Storyboard artist.- Henry St Leger
Production design.- Åsa Lucander, Marc Moynihan
Set design.- Helen Javes
Set dressers.- Rachel Bennett & Sophie Marsh
Carpenter.- Thomas Sewell
Puppets.- Brunskill & Grimes
DOP.- Simon Jacobs
First AD.- Lisa Butler
Gaffer.- Nat Sale
Electrician.- Damien Gray
Camera assistant.- Adam Cook
Puppeteers.- Andy Brunskill, Jimmy Grimes, Katie Williams
Effects animator.- Timon Dowdeswell
2D animator.- Henrique Barone
Comp supervisor.- Bram Ttwheam
Matte painter.- Marc Moynihan
Compositors.- Andre Brandt, Chuen Tsang, Vlad Iliescu, Mark Pinheiro, Jordanne Richards, Jake Short, Chris Hawkes, Doris Rastinger
Colourist.- Bram Ttwheam
Tracklay & soundmix.- Will Davies
Editor.- Dan Williamson
Runner.- Christopher Box