Liquid Light Digital puts its stamp on dancehall...does animation for videos

Close to the start of the present millennium, Wayne Marshall and Vybz Kartel were relative newcomers in one Alliance and had a song to celebrate the age named (what else?) New Millennium.

Done for producer Don Corleon, the song was remarkable for its introduction of a highly lyrical Kartel ("See me inna me Karl Kani/Wid a bottle a tall Canei/Tough, a lie?"). But the video was notable for its computer animation scenes, which were blended with the accustomed performance shots.

So, after Kartel does the first verse, Wayne Marshall is introduced in the chorus ("This a new millennium an' different tings a gwaan/Marshall an' Kartel a go create a storm"), balancing on the roof of a train travelling at high speed on a monorail. Kartel soon pulls up beside the train on a very fast motorcycle and, close to the end of the video, a futuristic aircraft is featured in the video.

The monorail, motorcycle and aircraft scenes were done by Liquid Light Digital, run by the sibling team of Amanda and Adrian Lopez. Although music videos are a small part of Liquid Light's operations, which are heavily focused on the production of commercials and also interacts with overseas production teams on Jamaican projects, they can claim a pioneering role in integrating animation and the actual performers.

About five years after New Millennium, Liquid Light Digital also did the animation for Mavado's 2008 So Special. Half a decade on the calendar is closer to a millennium in computer time and Adrian, who does the animation, said he was able to do much more with the vastly improved equipment.

"With So Special, we could do things a lot more complex," he said.

For New Millennium, director Ras Kassa "came to us and he asked us to execute a modern sci-fi look ... . At that time, computing power was not like what it is now. We could not build an entire city like So Special". There are also extensive car scenes in So Special, and in one scene a high-speed elevator descends between high-rise buildings.

Liquid Light Digital also did the music video for David M's Lest We Forget.

Amanda points out that while it may seem expensive to do a video with animation, "it can be cost-effective to shoot against green screen. You don't have to worry about set and make-up and all that".

Liquid Light Digital has also done music video work that does not involve extensive animation, including shooting Gnarls Barkley's Going On in downtown Kingston and Mavado's Last Night/Gullyside in Cassava Piece, Lil' X directing the latter.

Amanda said that despite tough public personae, the artistes Liquid Light Digital has interacted with are "quite congenial and easy to work with".

They work with popular performers in another format; Liquid Light Digital's online portfolio shows an advertisement for Victoria Mutual Building Society with Alaine, as well as work for Digicel with Cameal Davis. Liquid Light also did the very popular 'I am Jamaican' ads for Bigga Soft Drinks.

Adrian's short, Roots, won Most Outstanding Animation at the Animae Caribe Animation Festival, held in Trinidad and Tobago. And the online portfolio indicates work for a number of overseas entities, including Disney, BBC, NBC, CNN and Sony Ericsson.

Amanda said they would like to do more music video work "because we see a lot of opportunities there". However, there is a crucial sticking point. "We still have the problem with budget," she said.