When he’s not making solo animated movies in his home studio, Chronicle cover star Eric Power has become the go-to guy for cutout animation music videos. Dozens of artists have used his distinctive style – sometimes folksy, sometimes menacing, sometimes childlike – to illustrate their songs. Now he picks five of his favorites.
Jeremy Messersmith – “Tatooine”
“Not much more can be said about this one. I feel like Jeremy and I were operating on the same wave length here and everything just gelled.”
Wiretree – “Towards the Sky”
“What I love about this one is the switch up in materials. I had a lot of fun playing with felt and other found objects.”
Gretchen Peters – “Blackbirds”
“This one is a murder ballad done in silhouette animation. It’s my favorite video that uses the technique.”
Northern Bells – “Animal Kingdom”
“I made this during a crazy period of my life after a pretty nasty breakup. Originally the video was going to end with the beating heart simply ceasing altogether, but [my wife] Alicia, whom I had recently started dating, thought it was too heartbreaking, so I gave made it continue beating on. Still pretty dang sad though.”
Jeremy Messersmith – “Monday, You’re Not So Bad”
“I made it two years ago, during November 2016. The election made a strong impact on the direction of the video. The song is from the same guy that I made the ‘Tatooine’ video with. It’s our fourth collaboration.”
For more on Eric Power, read “A Cut Above the Rest,” April 20.
This article appears in April 20 • 2018.
