Anna Degnbol’s music video for Flunkie is like “napping in the sun and having a weird dream”

“I wanted to create something that was very calm and seemed like it was vibrating softly,” says illustrator and animator Anna Degnbol of the music video she’s created for band Flunkie’s song Collapse Rebuild. “The track has this amazing vibe, where it both exudes vulnerability and intimacy and something super powerful. I wanted to create something safe, like taking a nap in the sun and having a short, weird dream.”

The band gave Anna a totally open brief, asking her to have fun with the track. “It was really motivational to be trusted that much, and it made the project a lot more interesting,” says Anna. Echoing the song’s lyrics, Anna’s animation follows the collapse and rebuilding of elements – some psychical like candles and vases, others more intangible like sleep and the relationship between a girl and a sun man, all in a flittering, fragile-seaming style.

“I think my style reflects that my background is in illustration and graphic design, both in the sense that I am untrained and naive in the way I animate, but also in the sense that I build up my animations in a similar way to when I’m working on comics, focusing a lot on characters and their stories,” says Anna. Drawing all the frames by hand on a light table, Anna then scans, colours and puts sequences together digitally. “I think about the way I build the clips together as if they were panels on a comic, always trying to ensure rhythm and dynamism by switching between close ups, landscapes and character shots.”

Anna only started experimenting with animation last year and has developed her skills from having zero knowledge previously. Though animating each frame by hand is time-consuming, it’s a really great way to develop the portrayal of movement and rhythm. “I love the realisation that you don’t have to be insanely talented or trained to create something that moves. Additionally, the lack of knowledge about animation can also contribute to some cool things,” she finally adds.