Title: Hollow Man
Artist: R.E.M.
Label: Warner Bros. Records
Directors: Gary Thomas, Stefan Woronko
Production Company: Crush, Toronto
Executive Producer: Jo-ann Cook
Producer: Stephanie Pennington
Shot, designed and animated by Crush, Toronto
Watching the work of Toronto-based Crush is refreshing.
They exercise a decidedly straightforward approach to motion graphics
: no 3D (not even 2.5D), no crazy camera moves, no “one long shot” transitions.
Just solid motion with an emphasis on concept and context-sensitive typography.
That was true for their series of Gum Thief animations,
and it’s true for their newest work,
a music video for R.E.M.’s “Hollow Man.”
Crush seems to be channeling the aesthetics of the mid-90s in this one.
Pixelated imagery, intentionally glitched-out transitions and window-based UI metaphors abound.
(I suppose that’s appropriate for a band that I didn’t realize survived the last decade of the 20th century.)
It all feels very earnest and sincere, like a heartbroken missive bashed out on an Amiga 500.