Thankfully for Green Day, and for us, Blink my Brain is doing their part to make the band look cooler than they have since 1994.
To say Ariel Costa is a powerhouse in our industry is an understatement. This year alone he has played an integral role in numerous projects as well as created multiple wildly successful animations through his personal practice, Blink my Brain. “Sins,” linked below, is a perfect testament to what makes Ariel’s work so special.
The collage aesthetic runs deep in the world of motion design. This is in part because of the mixed media nature of our industry but also due to its technical integration into our medium — to put it simply, After Effects just loves to take whatever you throw at it and turn it into something special.
One thing I’ve always been drawn to in Ariel’s work is his way of building upon the old guard collage vibes of our industry while interjecting a bit of a new school approach. Rigs are made, joints are broken and everything moves together in an almost overwhelming and visceral way.
In “Bang Bang” Ariel’s combination of texture and animated backgrounds is especially impressive. The entire music video is set in a loud, graphic abstract world. The subject is never presented in situation, more so over top a series of animated backgrounds — at times more subdued allowing the typography and illustration dominance while at others carrying equal weight as the subject.
“Bang Bang” represents yet another piece of excellent animation from Ariel. In this case, he throws bold colors, texture, typography, graphic forms and expertly rigged characters into a blender to concoct a high-energy melee that pairs perfectly with the music.
You’ll be delighted to know that Ariel was kind enough to release one of his After Effects project files for free download, linked below. Make sure to check it out to see how one of the best in the biz puts together these excellent animations!
Credits
Direction, Design and Animation: Ariel Costa
Produced by: Devin Sarno, Laura Mende