Gloomy alternative rockers, Wild Beasts, have teamed up with Jameson Irish Whisky and animator, Mattis Dovier to create a unique GIF-Novel. With digital design courtesy of M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment, the online novel is part of The Jameson Works, an initiative that has seen the Irish Whisky brand teaming up with artists and craftsmen from all walks of life to create modern, original projects, which are facilitated through bursaries. According to their website, The Jameson Works is “About the (creative) process as much as the finished product, sharing the knowledge and telling the stories of how the work is made.”
Wild Beasts, have teamed up with Jameson and animator, Mattis Dovier to create a unique GIF-Novel
The Kendal-based indie rock quartet, who released their fourth, critically acclaimed (and first top 10) album, “Present Tense” earlier this year, came on board with Dovier back in September, when they set out a three-month plan for the project, which responded to a one word brief set by the Jameson Works; “Storytelling.” The result has been a powerful set of GIF animations, which are set to, and visualise the stories of two unreleased Wild Beasts tracks, “Soft Future,” and “Blood Knowledge.” The primary influences behind the art-style are broad, but include Japanese manga, science fiction and retro pixel-art, all of which Dovier and the band were already fans of.
The GIF-Novel, which is sequenced like a comic strip, tells two stories that users can switch between at will
The GIF-Novel, which is sequenced like a comic strip, tells two stories that users can switch between at will using the space bars on their computers or their fingers on their smart devices. The first story, set to “Soft Future,” shows a human experiencing a disturbing futuristic world, whilst “Blood Knowledge” conversely shows a robot experiencing the human world for the first time. The images were designed to reflect the emotions experienced by listeners when they first heard the songs, and are revealed gradually as the soundtrack unfurls.
The Jameson Works - Wild Beasts x Mattis Dovier: Creating the GIF-Novel
The band didn't simply let Dovier have the songs and then sit back either. Once the storyboards were finalised, they returned to the studio and re-edited the tracks to fit the story progression, responding to the visuals with their music as the visuals do likewise. The two tracks can then both be listened to in full once the experience has played out.
The two tracks can be listened to in full once the experience has played out
When the band, whose 2010 breakthrough album, “Two Dancers” was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, first came across Dovier's work, they knew they had to work with him on the project. They said “With his GIFs he was doing it differently from others,” which is always something they look for when collaborating with someone new. They also “Loved the idea of the comic strip,” and think they’ve managed to achieve something truly “New and innovative with the GIF-novel.” They add that, although the two tracks used in the project didn't make it onto their Present Tense record, the project allowed them to “Rediscover the tracks, take them apart and put them back together again.” They say that “The whole project has been a very important experiment” for them and hope it has been for Dovier too.
The Jameson Works is an initiative that has seen the Irish Whisky brand teaming up with artists and craftsmen from all walks of life
Dave Roberts, deputy marketing director at M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment, adds: “This has been a brilliant project,” that has “Brought together creative and digital talent from across” their agency Group. He believes it represents “An exciting glimpse of the future of storytelling,” and hopes it proves inspiring to others.” Patrick Venning, Marketing Director at Pernod Ricard, Jameson's parent company, adds that “The aim of The Jameson Works campaign is to celebrate the brand’s passion for craftsmanship and the art of storytelling.” He says that “Through this first project with Wild Beasts,” they couldn’t have hoped for a more engaging campaign, “Not only through the beautifully conceived GIF-novel, but also through the illuminating behind-the-scenes content, which documented the making process every step of the way.”
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and struggling musician from Kidderminster in the UK. He first heard the Wild Beasts at Reading Festival in 2010 and has been a little bit in love with them ever since.
