It takes a while for me to get to the point on this talk, but as always, it’s an interesting story. I don’t get into any technical details about green screening, just the inspiration behind going in this direction. The footage for the video was easy to shoot, and I had a good idea of which shots I needed, and had more than enough to complete the video. Most of the work was tied to getting the right animation look and feel, done while editing and in post. In a nutshell: The music video was super cheap to make, It was an exercise in having fun with low budget FX, sleight of hand, camera trickery, and shenanigans.
I love animation. When I was a kid, there were a bunch of movies that heavily influenced me. One was Heavy Metal, the other were the animated versions of The Hobbit, and the Lord of the Rings. I remember both used old WWII footage and they animated on time of the film, frame by frame. The aesthetic is amazing, and reminds me of those films. Another big part of my childhood were comic books. I loved the Ghost Rider and Sgt. Rock. By the time the X-Men came around I was already too old. All this was way before Dreamworks or Toy Story. We had Saturday morning cartoons, and arcades.
Think of the new Official “Space Cowboy” video as a part of a series, a progression toward an aesthetic I fee in love with years ago. It all started with the band NHC, they came out with an album, began to tour, and put out an amazing music video. I wish I got to see this band live, while the great Taylor Hawkins was still alive.
Taylor was such a legend, this video is one of the best music videos ever made.
This music video (Devil That You Know) sent me into mental spirals, I must’ve watched it 1000 times when it first came out. I loved it immediately, and showed it to my friend Chad (huge Jane’s fan) and we both just instantly freaked. Since this video came out I felt compelled to make something like it. It was created by one of my favorite music video people of all time is Liam Lynch, same one who wrote and performed this awesome gem
Love that song. One of my favorite songs of that era. Back to the making of the video, here is my first attempt to make a green screen type video after being inspired by the work of Liam Lynch.
New Day Dawn by the Ram
A few years later, I got all gussied up in my nudie suit, Mexican wrestling mask, and cowboy boots to make the next installment of green screen goodness. You can’t see in the surf footage, but I’m laughing my ass off on the surf board. My buddy just ate it in the tube and I was able to poach the remainder of his wave. You could hear me laughing all the way across the weed field next store to the surf ranch.
It’s a Saturday Night by the Ram
The new video takes a significant departure from the videos above. The entire video was made to look as if I rented a space suit and a space ship and shot a video in outer space as an homage to the original Planet of the Apes with Charlton Heston.
Space Cowboy by the Ram
The aesthetic filters used, is right out of Liam Lynch’s toolbox. I love the way he uses filters to make the video look like comic book art. It’s an amazing look, one of my favorite employments of this was the Sin City movies that came out a few years back. Amazing.
Here is the final video in all of its glory, I hope you like it. I certainly had more than enough fun making the video and syncing it to music. Till next time.
Related stories tied to the September 27, “Space Cowboy” release:
Live Performance of the Song (First Time We Played It Live)
Space Cowboy: Design Behind the Music
About the Ram:
Mark "The Ram" O'Donnell is an independent American composer, producer, filmmaker, multi-instrumental performer, designer, and visual artist based out of Carlsbad, California. He performs original, surf-inspired rock-and-roll music on the West Coast.
For more information about the Ram and his music, go to www.TheRamMusic.com
To view the song on all streaming platforms:
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/theram2/space-cowboy
The Ram: Art, Music, Saltwater, & Snow is a reader-supported subscription based publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Space Cowboy: Making the Official Video