Title:

Super Express Cartridge Visualizer

Role:

Art director, Producer, Illustrator, Animator

Description:

I created this visualizer for musical artist umamifunk's SUPER EXPRESS album. This work is a collaboration between musical artist umamifunk, musical artist boxboys, illustrator Alice Wang. The concept is to have an ambient image of looking out a train window and have each song depicted in its own distinctive space. The visualizer was published via game boy advance cartridge by @oasisltdrecords. This full "Super Express" visual album split into 8 ROMs and housed on a single Multi-ROM GBA cartridge with a brand new transparent black colorway.

To begin, I carefully storyboarded each of the tracks and developed sketches using a combination of traditional media and Procreate. These initial concepts served as the foundation for the composition that each of the eleven unique tracks and scenes blend into each other.

With the sketches in hand, we turned to Adobe Photoshop to separate all of the moving components of each drawing. This allowed us to more precisely control each element of the composition, ensuring that every beat and rhythm of the music was represented by a visual element that mimicked its intensity and energy.

Finally, I brought all of the separate elements together in Adobe After Effects, expertly composing them into a seamless and visually stunning final product. By combining video clips of riding the NYC transit system, drawings of surreal landscapes, and short gif animations of abstract movements, I was able to create a work that truly embodies the spirit and energy of the music.

Perhaps most striking of all is the way in which the visual elements interact with the soundscape of the music. By using the beats of the drum as inspiration for our visual choices, and incorporating the sound of the background whirring into train tracks, the video creates an immersive experience for the viewer to enjoy the music.