Kong Studio Joins Forces with Alex Iwobi and SPK ABOUT IT for Animated Music Video
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Animation Studio on a Roll
Despite 12 months of intensive work on a series and feature films, ambitious animation studio Kong Studio is not ready to slow down, finishing the year with their first animated music video.
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A Surprise Collaboration
UK-based animation studio Kong Studio teams with SPK ABOUT IT and professional footballer Alex Iwobi to create an animated music video for ‘Don’t Shoot!’.
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The Unexpected Call
Working on two upcoming animated half-hour specials for the BBC, Kong Studio’s Executive Producer Emma Burch was surprised by an unrelated call from SPK ABOUT IT, leading to the music video collaboration.
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Debut Music Video
The first music video project of Kong Studio is the result of a chance phone call, demonstrating the studio’s willingness to explore new challenges.
Hot Take:
It looks like our pals at Kong Studio have some serious hustle! After a year spent elbow-deep in feature films and TV specials (apparently, sleep is overrated), they’re now diving into the music scene. They didn’t just dip their toes in, oh no! They’re bringing the heat with SPK ABOUT IT and footballer Alex Iwobi for an animated music extravaganza – ‘Don’t Shoot!’ I can already see the Kong team just casually answering calls in the middle of major projects, I mean, who doesn’t love a bit of adventure and unpredictability in their work life, right? Can’t wait to see this creation. So, here’s to Kong studio: The masters of animation who, it seems, never sleep and constantly surprise us!
What’s next for an animation studio after a year of intense, long-format series and feature work projects? Wrapping up the year with a pioneering music video creation!
In the blooming month of November 2023, Kong Studio was wrapping up two animated half-hour specials for the BBC when a call from SPK ABOUT IT Founder Emmanuelle Nwaohai came through.
The task at hand? Inject fun and creativity into a unique music video for football stars such as Alex Iwobi from Fulham FC and the Nigerian national team.
‘Don’t Shoot’ is a humorous stab at city hip hop cliches. The title looks at ‘shooting’ footballs instead of firearms with an upbeat and playful tone. Coordinating a film shoot with football stars and musician Medy Elito proved tricky, so an animated solution was proposed.
Alex and Emmanuelle came up with the idea of animating the football stars. As avid gamers, they suggested placing the players in their own game.
-Emmanuelle Nwaohai, SPK
Implementing local references from their hometown, Newham, East London, and retro classic games, we came up with an idea for an interactive London-based game, offering hidden gems for viewers.
-Tom Baker (Co-Founder, Kong)
The collaboration was confirmed, and the creation of this unique retro arcade game-inspired video was underway. The target? Releasing it for Alex Iwobi’s triumphant return from the Africa Cup of Nations in February.
We had just finished a massive year-long project, and then started working on ‘Don’t Shoot’ almost immediately. We felt an instant connection with SPK, and Alex was a great client. We hope this is the first of many collaborations with SPK and Alex.
-Bill Elliott (Co-Founder, Kong)
The project was challenging due to the tight timeline, but it was a pleasure to work on from start to finish. Emmanuel respected and understood the animation production stages, and following Alex and Nigeria’s journey through AFCON was thrilling.
-Emma Burch, Executive Producer
The video’s release was delayed to avoid disrupting Alex and Chuba’s football season. Now, with the season concluded, the team is excited to unveil the video and release the track. Its nostalgic charm, light-hearted humour, and gamer athlete stars staying true to themselves, all point to this being another Kong Studio trademark.
Original article: https://www.skwigly.co.uk/kong-studio-dont-shoot/