Uncover Vincent Bilodeau's loopy however sensible animations
“I studied graphic design, which gave me a kick start. Above all, it helped me to structure my work. But I quickly found out that everything I designed or illustrated had to move. I felt that animation gave me the freedom to present everything I imagined, ”said Canadian-based animation director Vincent Bilodeau.
“To perfect my technique, I spent an infinite number of hours in my new little apartment in Montreal. It was me, my computer, a slice of bread and a peanut butter jar. That took six months (and 23 jars of peanut butter). "
Loop from L’eau entres mes doigts
Since these days of desk time and peanut-based snacking, Bilodeau has been able to create animated music videos and surreal shorts. Bilodeau's style, which often uses computer animation, is reminiscent of The Sims mixed with the dancing baby from the 90s, but his way of telling stories through this aesthetic is unique, as is his overall view of the world.
For example, Bilodeau describes his style: “Imagine a purple dolphin surfing the Internet for the first time while illegally pushing his skateboard on a Fruit-O-Long snake that has eaten something super sour. His stomach is upset, but I think he wants more. "
But the confusion, confusion, and downright craziness that you might feel when looking at his work is exactly what he wants. "I like it when the viewer is fascinated and doesn't quite get where he is going," says Bilodeau. "I am happy when people tell me that they have to see it over and over again."
Two of his most recent projects, music videos for Canadian folk and country musician The tracks by P’tit Belliveau, L’eau entre mes doigts and Stand There, perfectly embody this eccentricity.
"It is 2020, there is a global pandemic. People are being forced to stay at home for weeks, months, years? You start thinking about fulfillment, sailing away, leaving everything behind and starting over," says the director the inspiration behind L'eau entre mes doigts. The video follows a strange baby man thing in dungarees that is embarking on a new adventure on his boat, along with all the different characters and animals he meets on the way both brilliant and crazy.
"When I finished the first music video, I found that everyone was trying to connect across all platforms like Zoom or even Tiktok," says Bilodeau. "I thought it would be fun to show this new reality in 3D at my friends' home."
For Stand There, Bilodeau created a compilation of animated FaceTime calls, zoom chats, and Tiktok-like clips with pictures and videos of real houses as the background. His characters are both familiar, but strangely scary, but under the guise of classic lockdown behavior, they feel "normal" pretty quickly.
As you'd expect, Bilodeau's creative process is as puzzling as his work, and he says it can take a while to fully focus on a new project. "I take a bath first and then go skateboarding for a few hours," he says. "Then I take a second bath, ride my bike to the office, disturb all my colleagues, shop online, buy a monkey, notice that I have forgotten my hat in my house, go back, choose between blue and red, follow the rabbit, eating a calzone, thinking about skateboarding, thinking about my monkey, thinking about my monkey skateboarding, going back to the office, starting my computer, receiving a call. I'll meet my friends at the bar in 15 minutes. "
However, when he starts a project, he is fully invested to bring his imagination to life. "They say," Find something you love and you will never work a day in your life again. "I find it difficult to stop working when you do what you love," says Bilodeau. "With animation, there is no limit to what we can create. Look at my dolphin."
Purple dolphin
vincentbilodeau.com