Interview: Nick Cinelli of Studio Linguini on creating Ghostemane's AI Music Video

Studio Linguini: http://studiolinguini.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/studiolinguini

Instagram: https://instagram.com/studiolinguini

Stream AI by Ghostemane: https://ghostemane.ffm.to/a__i

Ghostemane just released a new music video for "AI" from his upcoming album Anti-Icon coming out on October 21st! This animated/stop motion video was created by Studio Linguini and Venturia Animation and portrays a unique and detailed style that expresses the new single through captivating visuals. I got to chat with Nick Cinelli, founder of Studio Linguini, about his process behind making the "AI" music video!

Interview by Yising Kao

Congrats on the release of your music video you created for "AI" by Ghostemane! What was the inspiration behind it and what was your collaborative process like?

It was really a collaboration with Jon Tanners and Eric Whitney (a.k.a. Ghostemane). Jon had an idea of something coming out of the TV, an idea that has resonated with me for a while. We banged some thoughts back and forth, ended up throwing in some murder hornets, and framed it in the Fleischer Bros animation style - a style Eric really likes. What came out took a bit of finesse, and eventually turned to this video. Beyond the development, working with Harry on puppets, Miryam on design, and Alice on props was a dream. I have worked with them all before, and we really have a good collaborative language at this point. I trust them all to get the concept, and deliver something 'on brand' but with their respective personal flare.

I admire how the music video combines 2D animation with stop motion and VFX - it looks phenomenal and very meticulous! What made you and your team want to go in this creative direction?

Similar to the above, Eric really like the old style cartoony animations. That stuff is all out of copyright at this point, and while it is cool and useable (and in fact matches his music quite well), we decided to make something a bit more bespoke. We trusted Venturia Animation to deliver the Felischer style of animation from start to finish. Developing the characters and taking it through animation. They understood the idea quite well, and were very up for collaborating on something a bit more 'wild.' We couldn't be more pleased with the outcome.

What are some of the challenges you went through while making this music video and how did you overcome them? What was your favorite part of making the video?

Time was really the kicker. We were pretty crunched, so for about 2 months it was quite a push. Luckily for us, we had already created a more 'international' workflow, so the coronavirus didn't really affect us much. Miryam is based in London, as is Alice, and Harry is down in Bristol. Venturia is based out of Bogota, Colombia and we're here in Los Angeles. So, we just maintained thorough communication throughout, and piece by piece all the moving parts started to come together. I would say my favorite part of the video was getting the 2d bits in from Venturia. I have a stop motion background, and love the craft of puppets and miniature sets, but because I don't know 2D as well, it still has the 'magic' of animation. It's something I could never achieve by myself, so I'm just in awe watching it.

A lot of people view practicing stop motion as a skill that requires a large amount of patience. What's your perspective on this when shooting a project?

I actually disagree. I think it is very tedious and requires a fine attention to detail, but in fact not patience. I equate patience to waiting in line at the DMV, or comfortably killing time on a flight or bus, or not losing your cool when your children are kicking and screaming. None of those apply so much here - it is slow, but there is always something happening. It's actually a very active process that involves continuous attention and work.

The landscape of the music industry has been changing due to the pandemic - do you think more artists will lean more towards creating animated projects?

That's the hope! It seems to have already quite a bit. The irony is that since animation takes so long to make, everyone had this thought months ago as the film shoots all got shut down. It is only now after the projects were incubated and are getting released, that we're seeing actually how much it has moved.

What upcoming projects can your supporters look forward to? A couple more music videos are in the works, and hopefully a short film coming soon as well!

Music Video Credits:

Created/Produced by Studio Linguini: @studio_linguini Nick Cinelli (Director/Animator) Jenny Shaughnessy (Producer) Venturia Animation Studios (2D Animation): @venturia.animation Miryam Jacomini (Production Design) : @miryamjdesign Harry Richardson (Puppets) : @harry_f_richardson Alice Simonato (Props) : @alicesimonato Ysabel King (Lead Compositor) : @toowo Concept by Jon Tanners (@jontanners) and Nick Cinelli (@galactic.nicolas)