Visualizing a Message

Interview with
Tawd b. Dorenfeld

Stop-motion Animator/Director
Music Video for Serj Tankian
(System of a Down)

"The Unthinking Majority"

A: How did you get involved with the project?
T: I did a music video for another band in his label, Bad Acid Trip from Columbia Records. They liked it so much, they felt I made the perfect match to make a very intense video for Serj Tankian album's teaser, his hook.

A: How did you end up doing what you do?
T: Well, I started doing animated videos years back, during and right after I went to NYU for film and animation. I got my first gigs as an intern for Columbia Records' video commissioner. After graduation, this turned into a professional relationship. The commissioners would have me do projects for their bands, from Branford Marsalis to Good Charlotte and the Offspring. I always dug doing music videos because there was always a chance to do something innovative with the animation and film technique, as opposed to straight character work. One can get very surreal, not only with the content, but with the technique.

A: Why army men?
T: My choice to use miniature army men allowed me to convey a visually child like take on war, but shoot intentionally as one would a Hollywood war picture, where it feels beyond intense and catastrophically real. The materials had to be quick and easy since we only had a limited time. Luckily, we are dealing with a war in a desert where sand is not only aesthetically pleasing, but a great material to keep toy army men steady.

Most of the stuff that I used were generic toys from downtown LA, which I could easily weather and paint in order to get a more realistic look, which was the vision: to make toys feel real. The best thing I found downtown was this oil slime which allowed me to forego any clay oil effort. The slime moves very slowly which means I could animate it frame by frame. I'm sure it's actually horrible for our children.

A: What did you enjoy the most about this project?
T: What I enjoyed most about the project was the political attack. I like to affect people – scaring them into political or social action. When we released the song and the video, Serj also insisted upon releasing a "call to action" of text that would accompany the video. This was a major selling point to me, because it's just not enough nowadays to write a song to mobilize the voters.

A: What was the hardest thing about it?
T: When I am animating on a deadline, anything that slows me down makes things hard for me. In this project, it was waiting for the renders in order to edit the sequence.

There was not much prep time, if none at all, since Serj and his label got to me later than one would expect, because I was getting married. When I returned from my honeymoon, I had a message from my agent and two weeks to finalize the project. With the deadline, I was forced to create a video of epic proportions, solo.

A: Who do you look up to creatively?
T: Visually: Jodoworsky, Chaplin, and Bruce Bickford. The rest are individuals whom I've collaborated with; from Trey Spruance from Mr. Bungle & Secret Chiefs 3 to Nolan Cook from the Residents. Music is my greatest influence. It allows me to fantasize, whereas, watching a movie forces me to watch someone else's fantasy.

A: What are your inspirations and aspirations?
T: I purely just get a kick out of affecting people socially and politically. Without this, I would not have the inspiration to do what I do. Maybe I'd have a different hobby if it was a Utopian society. I might get into Ikebana. Until then, it's just blood, sweat, and tears for me.

A: What do you think a music video director should be aiming for when they design for a song?
T: If there's a story to be told, based on the musician’s musical arrangement and lyrical statements, then a story should be followed. If the music does not lend itself to a story, then it should not be forced into a project to keep the viewer enthralled. I've always found this to be a mistake. It's only the song that matters and the video should reflect what is happening in it. If the video is better than the song, everyone has failed. You can't sell one statement by making a stronger statement of another sort.

A: What do you enjoy about your work?
T: The same as I previously stated, affecting people. Other than that, inanimate objects have always treated me better than others. So whether it is a toy army soldier or an actress delivering my lines, they are both inanimate until I make them move; and that I enjoy. I guess I like to bring things to life.

A: Do you have any projects currently in the works?
T: Currently, Roseanne Barr and I are seeking finance for a feature film that I have scribed, specifically for her as a serious actress. It's a wonderful project, filled to the rim with massive amounts of melting chocolate, love, and fantasy. Our goal is to cast Richard Gere as her sweetheart. You know that's going to be cute. Along with that, my wife and I are putting together a feature length silent film, with Nolan Cook, the guitarist from the famous avant-garde band, The Residents, and our friend, Edan Gillen, who is the 21st century answer to Jerry Lee Lewis. In the mean time, I am always looking for more music video gigs and promoting my latest feature, "The Anna Cabrini Chronicles".

Watch THE UNTHINKING MAJORITY!
Check out Tawd's MySpace page
Find out about his production company, Polymorph Productions