Lamento: hypnotisingly surreal music video

'Lamento', a dance music track by Barcelona-based producer John Talabot, has proved extremely popular over the summer, particularly in Europe – and it’s also inspired French motion designer Joshua Catalano to put together an exclusive music video.

"I wanted to make a video where the camera is moving in an infinite landscape," he explains - and indeed, the short, with its ever-changing angular landscapes reacting to the music, is hypnotisingly like a surreal travelogue. Cel-shaded forms erupt, morph and mingle seamlessly throughout the musical promo, while a simple and sparing colour scheme ensures visual noise is kept to a minimum.

Catalano created the video in Cinema 4D, cutting together various sequences with the help of Thinking Particles to produce the effects, then edited it in Premiere and added finishing touches with After Effects CS6. "It took me one month to finish the video, although I wasn’t working on it every day," he says.

Live visuals

His previous work has included shorts for Nespresso and Samsung, as well as more experimental work in the vein of 'Lamento', such as his live visuals for Beat Torrent events in France.

As a personal project this is a strictly unofficial addition to the track - so has the maestro John Talabot himself commented on it as yet? "Well, I've sent him a message on Facebook," says Catalano. "He hasn't responded at the moment..."

This showcase was originally published in Computer Arts issue 205.

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Have you seen any stunning animated music videos? Let us know in the comment box below!