Songwriter, 'instrument tinkerer', sound manipulator and video maker Andy Martin, aka Handymartian, has just released the definitive festive song of 2020, which urges us to have A Careful Christmas this year.
It's a one-off, singalong Covid-19 Christmas tune with cute stop-frame animation written, performed and animated all by Andy himself. It's obviously reflective of the times we're currently experiencing, but it's charming, cheerful, and funny. We wouldn't expect anything less from the South Yorkshire creative who has been making things move since 2001.
"I wrote a Christmas song in response to the pandemic and social distancing rules and created an animated character to sing it, bringing a bit of joy to the proceedings," Andy tells Creative Boom. "It's kind of a music video or short film."
A Careful Christmas is a mix of stop-motion, which Andy shot in his studio in Harrogate, and 2D animation on top, crafted in Photoshop and Procreate then "comped together" in After Effects. "As well as the plasticine character, I raided the Christmas decorations before we put them up in the house for the props – the Rudolf is my dog Peggy's squeaky toy)," adds Andy.
You can actually grab a copy of Andy Martin's A Careful Christmas over on Bandcamp.com. The album includes high-quality MP3, FLAC and more. To find out more about Handymartian, visit handymartian.com.
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