When you first start planning an animated music video, you might expect that your main tools would be the humble pen and paper of time gone by. But, OK Go, an American rock band originally from Chicago are known for their alternative videos. Instead of doing what everyone else would have, they looked for other means to animate. Namely: toast and a laser cutter.
A few hundred out-of-date loaves and 3000 pieces of toast later and here’s what they made:
The precision of the laser was perfect for this project. It meant that the pictures laser engraved onto each slice of toast could be lined up perfectly for the video to flow seamlessly. After a while, you forget that you’re watching a stop-motion animation as you focus on the images. Only the changing shape of each slice of bread and the varying degrees of what we might call ‘toastiness’ is a clue to what is really happening.
We particularly enjoyed watching the laser engraved people crossing from one slice of toast to another. It really shows how with a bit of computer aided design and thorough planning, the laser can be put to all sorts of creative uses!
