New York-based design and animation studio Click 3X recently launched Haunt, a division that specializes in cutting-edge motion design for music videos, virals, and installations.
Through the years, Click 3X has cultivated partnerships with both directors and artists, uniting to create visually powerful music video projects-the launch of Haunt, which will be headed by lead VFX artist Mark Szumski, is indicative of this collection of work.
The group’s latest project, now showcased on the Haunt site, is the highly-acclaimed music video for ‘I Decided’ by Solange Knowles-the first major release from Beyonce’s younger sister.
Click recognizes that these types of stylistic works require a distinct, intensively collaborative approach and a commitment to this unique visual style led to the development, and ultimate launch of the new division.
In addition to the recent work with Solange, Haunt’s rapidly expanding body of work has fused innovative directors including Timothy Saccenti, Floria Sigismondi, Georgie Greville (until recently with MTV) and Epoch’s Matt Lenski with successful artists such as Jamie Lidell, Zero7, Mark Ronson, and Fallout Boy.
Their latest historic visual voyage ‘I Decided’, is the video for the first single off Solange’s new album, ‘SoL-AngeL and The Hadley St. Dreams’, set to be released in August. With the help of Haunt’s artists and VFX talent, Solange is transported across a kaleidoscopic journey through the decades in a fantastical montage of politics and pop culture.
In the foreground of a flurry of multi-colored newsreels, iconic symbols, bright lights, and glitter, Solange performs in the styles of the times-vintage clothing, hairstyles and dances included. Haunt artists worked with director Melina of RSA to create the series of intricate and imaginative media environments.
On working with Szumski, Melina muses, “Since the piece jumps through different decades it was important that the style of the artwork and visuals mirrored the artistic trends of that era, incorporating the political aspects of the archival footage while maintaining the pop feel of the song.
Not only was the artwork informed by the decades, but so was the look of the actual film–the 80s filled with video footage and television static while the 70s portion had a more grainy feel, like it was 16mm. Overall, it was a tremendously difficult balance to capture, but Mark consistently was able to develop new looks that were all equally as amazing as the ones before.”
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