This Is What Happened When 7 Animators Tried to Make a Video for the Same Song

Seven different worlds dance to one tune in the 30 Seconds of Sound, a case study documenting the different ways humans think about music. Composer Simon Pyke charged seven young animators to visualize a short composition designed to be an “engaging piece with a feeling of narrative for people to respond to.” Each animation is just 30 seconds long, but Pyke—well-practiced at crafting animation-friendly compositions for MTV, his own company Freefarm, and his brother Matt Pyke’s group, Universal Everything—weaves a tapestries of moods and tempos for the artists to work with. “I intentionally tried to use sounds which weren’t overly prescriptive to leave things open to interpretation,” Pyke tells The Creators Project.

The fourth edition of 30 Seconds of Sound dropped last month, bringing together animators including Peter Clark (previously) and Jason Drew (previously). Clark interpreted Pyke’s arrangement by visualizing Earth’s scientists picking up the sound of two black holes devouring one another 1.4 billion years ago. Mixing a combination of NASA public models, photogrammetry of circuit boards, and a 2001: A Space Odyssey-inspired tunnel effect, Clark gives the 30 seconds of sound an etherial, otherworldly characterization. The behind-the-scenes video, dropped last week, is almost as trippy as the animation itself.

Drew similarly sets his short in space, envisioning the refueling of futuristic spacecraft, but other concepts include enchanted forests, digital art galleries, and abstract forms, all reacting to the same harmonies. Pyke’s declared mission with 30 Seconds of Sound is to “[explore] the power of sound on the imagination.” Explore away in the animations below.

Glen Maguire

30 Seconds / Edition Four / Glen Maguire from Freefarm – Sound Design & Music on Vimeo.

Peter Clark

30 Seconds / Edition Four / Peter Clark from Freefarm – Sound Design & Music on Vimeo.

Jason Drew

30 Seconds / Edition Four / Jason Drew from Freefarm – Sound Design & Music on Vimeo.

Kay Tennemann

30 Seconds / Edition Four / Kay Tennemann from Freefarm – Sound Design & Music on Vimeo.

Chris Friesen

30 Seconds / Edition Four / Chris Friesen from Freefarm – Sound Design & Music on Vimeo.

Morumotto

30 Seconds / Edition Four / Morumotto from Freefarm – Sound Design & Music on Vimeo.

Francisco Fabrega

30 Seconds / Edition Four / Francisco Fabrega from Freefarm – Sound Design & Music on Vimeo.

See all four editions of 30 Seconds of Sound on Simon Pyke’s website.

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A Flock Of Fire Dances Across The Screen In Universal Everything’s Primal Creation: Planet

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