Pick of the Month – August: Edith Piaf (Said It Better Than Me) by Joseph Wallace

Edith Piaf (Said It Better Than Me) by Joseph Wallace

BAFTA nominated animation director Joseph Wallace has created a cinematic new stop motion
music video for the legendary American pop band, Sparks. ‘Edith Piaf (Said It Better Than Me)’
is the latest single to be released from the band’s new album ‘Hippopotamus’, out 8th
September on BMG.

The video, which features the band (Californian brothers Ron and Russell Mael) immortalized in
puppet form, was made in only six weeks and is brought to life with Joseph’s recognisable blend of wiry puppets, cardboard sets and painted backgrounds. Pairing his visually arresting animation with Sparks’ musically uplifting, yet lyrically melancholic track, Joseph has created a stunning Parisian world in which Ron and Russell find themselves in pursuit of something beyond their grasp.

Directors Notes

“I didn’t want to illustrate the song too literally as the lyrics were fairly clear and the sentiment was really strong for me, so I tried to create a metaphor that would almost visually score the music and hopefully enhance the meaning of the song. I’ve always had a great fondness for Paris and Parisian culture after having studied and worked there, so the video was a chance to explore that world and create something surreal and intriguing in which Ron and Russell could adventure. The brothers really trusted my vision for the piece and consequently gave me a great amount of creative freedom which meant I could create something as detailed and as synthesized with the music as possible in the time I had.”