Matt Frodsham Interview – Making Do The Math
Matt Frodsham is a motion designer, who recently completed a fantastic music video for the band “Less Than Jake” and their track Do The Math. We asked Matt a few questions about the video, and about animation…
Hi, Matt can you introduce yourself to our readers and tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m a motion designer, I grew up somewhere near Manchester UK and I’m currently based in Berlin, Germany. My work is usually based in 3D but when I get the opportunity I enjoy experimenting with 2D, or exploring how one can inform the other. I try to balance the commercial projects with art and short films, and I also like to keep one foot in the punk community.
How did the opportunity to work alongside “Less Than Jake” come about?
I’ve been working on a few projects over the last few years with Vinnie (their drummer and lyricist) so it’s kind of been a long time coming. Schedules finally lined up with a new album being released and me being able to afford the time to animate a music video.
How did the ideas for the music video visuals come about ?
The jumping off point visually was these old drive-in commercials, that’s why there’s a hefty amount of anthropomorphic fast food! Of course the inspiration pool extends much further than that, drawing from many classic cartoons and films. The song deals with the scary subject of time ticking away while you’re trying to make sense of life; at the end of the day there are only a few things that really matter. Putting the sentimental factors aside, I asked the band members to give me a list of the things that mattered to them most, so there’s an explanation behind most of the weird and wonderful appearances throughout the video.
Can you tell us a bit about the process of making the video?
I spend almost all day every day working in 3D, so although I wanted a flat look, it just made sense to do the bulk of the work that way. I worked back into a large amount of frames directly in photoshop so there is a decent chunk of ‘traditional’ animation in there as well. There is a fairly in-depth behind the scenes look here: http://www.mattfrodsham.com/making-do-the-math
What’s been the most challenging aspect?
Time, what else!? Aside from some pre-production and experiments the project ran just over a month start to finish.
Have you always wanted to work in animation?
Considering how much I loved cartoons, animated films and video games as a kid it’s surprising how long it took me to realise that I could do it at all, never mind for a living. It wasn’t until the first year of my graphic design course in my early twenties did I find out about these digital tools where I could animate my work. I come from a totally non-traditional back ground so I’m constantly playing catch up with real animators!
Where do you find is the best place to come up with ideas?
I live in Berlin so there’s a lot of nice places I like to go and sit with a sketchbook. For example I live 5 minutes from Mauerpark so that’s my usual spot.
What projects will you be working on next?
I’m working on a couple commercial projects that are behind closed doors for the time being, as well as a collaborative art project with a great photographer.
What words of advice would you give to aspiring animators?
Make work that you enjoy, then try and figure out how to make it within a sensible time. I’m constantly working on both those things.
What was your earliest memory of animation?
Old Disney films, probably the first one I remember is Dumbo (no prizes for spotting the pink elephants references in this video!). The VHS copy I had featured those even older Merry Melodies or Silly Symphonies where the animation was set to music. Those cartoons were also a big influence on this.
Jake is a Researcher and Interactive developer at Wonky Films and the face behind all of Show Me The Animation’s online platforms and website. So if it breaks he’s probably to blame! Aside from running the SMTA online, Jake make’s interactive things for Wonky Films.
