Childish Gambino’s “Feels Like Summer”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1B9Fk_SgI0
One use of animation I have always appreciated is the use of it to accompany music videos, or having an animated music video as opposed to a live action one. This style of music video has become much more prevalent recently as the animation industry and outside interest in it develops. Childish Gambino released a music video for his single, Feels Like Summer on September 2nd of 2018, and the music video features a stylized version of himself walking down a street, while stylized versions of varias well known rappers and entertainers are seen in the video as well as it progresses. One of the reasons that I appreciate this video is that it focuses heavily on character design as to accurately depict the celebrities being featured in it, which is a field of animation that I personally am interested in. Although the stylization is wonderful, I did find the animation to be stiff at certain times, such as 2:49 when four characters are dancing. In contrast, there are moments where the animation is incredibly fluid such as 3:10, where two characters are skateboarding down a street and the animator focuses on their movement through the space as well as how they are reacting with those conditions, (e.g. one character’s hair blowing in the wind). This difference in animation leads me to believe that the project was done by more than one animator, which also leaves this video as a good example of collaborative projects within animation.
Childish Gambino has become well known for controversial videos within recent months, and this video is no different. The video follows a narrative of having Childish Gambino be an observer to the interactions and controversies within the black entertainment industry, and therefore carries a hefty message. I appreciate the choice to animate this video because it adds a level of innocence to the message being conveyed, even though the video clearly has very poignant statements about certain celebrities that it subtly gets across.
