Looking for the name of this video style

November 18, 2023 4:37 AM

It's paper cut outs/collage but the pieces move, so a person wouldn't just be a block stuck on a background.

Here's an example: Zoot Woman - We Won't Break

Not looking for a more general collage style like this, though it's very nice as well: Moby & Mylène Farmer - Slipping Away (Crier la Vie)

I'm interested in the name of the style and also other music videos that include it. Thanks in advance!

posted by Eyelash to Media & Arts (6 answers total)

Best answer: There are a couple different styles contained in your video example, but I assume you're referring to the movement of the characters. This style is typically known as "cut-out animation," and there are a few references at that link to other music videos containing this style.
posted by Ms. Toad at 5:19 AM on November 18 [1 favorite]

I think the first person to do this, or at least the earliest popular example is Terry Gilliam of Monty Python.
posted by ananci at 5:22 AM on November 18 [1 favorite]

Franz Ferdinand's Take Me Out video might be another example.
posted by synecdoche at 7:11 AM on November 18 [1 favorite]

Best answer: This is Where We Live, The Fourth Estate
Miracle of Flight, Terry Gilliam

Cutout Animation Tutorial This clip has a lot of really nice diverse examples.
posted by effluvia at 7:40 AM on November 18 [1 favorite]

the earliest popular example is Terry Gilliam of Monty Python.

I'd guess he brought this style of animation to the attention of American audiences, but it's hardly his invention. From Ms. Toad's link,

Cutout techniques were relatively often used in animated films until cel animation became the standard method (at least in the United States)

...where I used to hear this style referred to as European animation.
posted by Rash at 11:10 AM on November 18 [1 favorite]

I'm not 100% sure, but in my _opinion_ the Eleanor Rigby segment of the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" movie qualifies
posted by TimHare at 9:37 PM on November 19