Tracking Reality and Fantasy: how animated music videos play with the persona and non-persona of artists / bands - Part 2
This is the second of two pieces that combine the analytical and contextual writing of Shaun Magher and James Clarke with a series of first-person accounts and recollections offered by Magher relating to a series of specific case studies that illustrate the article’s area of exploration. To read Part 1, please click here.
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE
Animation director Shaun Magher, who created the video, recalls that “In 1991, I was keen to establish my own animation studio, after recently graduating from the National Film and Television school, and was represented by a new production company, headed up by Fiona Stylianou, called Popata. We were approached by MCA records to look at a new release from Holly Johnson, who had firmly established his solo career beyond the earlier success with Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Holly wanted to develop a fantasy sci-fi adventure for his latest track Across the Universe, where he and his sidekick, Funky his faithful pooch, would traverse the universe. Johnson wanted a mix of “Tintin styling in a Star Trek universe.”
Holly Johnson - Across The Universe
Magher suggested to Johnson that his character in the video would be on a mission or on a hero’s quest in search of a vital artefact or clue: a superman in search of a vital component to fix the universe. Certainly, authorship of the piece was significantly defined by Holly as performer, and Magher recalls “I didn’t see Holly as a superman, more of an adventurer’. On reflection Magher explains “I was very new to working with musical artists, I had no experience of developing the level of mutual trust required to take ownership of the project and was very much led by Holly and his larger-than-life manager, Wolfgang. I spent my honeymoon in Holly’s living room developing the visual style and narrative for the piece – a testament to the commitment of a young hungry director. However, with hindsight, it is clear to me now that the amalgam of the influence of classic science fiction series, Star Trek, and a classic animated character, TinTin created by Belgian artist Hergé (pseudonym of Georges Remi), were not just visual prompts, more so a statement of a young gay icon who understood how influential both sources were on the LGPTQ+ community”.
Science fiction themes have had a profound impact on LGBTQ+ culture, particularly within the realm of music, with artists such as David Bowie, Gavilán Rayna Russom and Janelle Monáe all utilising ‘classic’ science fiction narratives to influence and articulate their musical iconography and celebrate queer identities. Janelle Monáe's creation of the android alter ego, Cindi Mayweather, draws heavily from science fiction narratives, particularly Fritz Lang's Metropolis. Monáe navigates themes of racial and sexual identity within a futuristic context, blending Afrofuturism with queer storytelling. There’s an interesting piece to read here about Monae’s work: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-otherworldly-concept-albums-of-janelle-monae. Then, too, there is Gavilán Rayna Russom's album The Envoy. It is a project that is deeply influenced by Ursula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness, a seminal work in science fiction that explores gender fluidity. https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/gavilan-rayna-russom-the-envoy and through the sci-fi lens, it continues to challenge societal norms and envision alternative realities.
Magher continues to explore the authorship dynamic and animation aesthetics that presented itself in his collaboration with Johnson: “Again, and as with Bono, the dynamic of authorship between ‘star’ and director was a key element of the collaboration, albeit in this case, in the early stages weighed in Johnson’s direction. Holly wanted to appear minimally within the video and I developed the idea of him switching from a 2D animated character into a fully live action version of the character (A Hollygram) when they reach an outer moon, Venus Live, where he is to perform to an audience of alien pod creatures, created by Chris Mendham, fellow National Film and Television school student, specialising in Stop-Motion, that were made from a mixture of Claymation puppets and traditional 2D characters. It was a unique mix, never seen before in a music video. The illusion, however, was dashed when Holly refused to wear the replica Trekkian style costume and decided to wear his full studded leather costume (New York gay club style) and, to my dismay, losing the hook up with 2D and Live. For a director, this continuity was a key element for immersion, however Holly and his management thought otherwise, resulting in a slight breakdown of the essential trust in the making of the music video, and again in reflection, Johnson stamped his gender image within the piece”.
The video showcases a range of stylistic approaches but its narrative throughline was extremely thin, although Holly noted that “It was about being pissed-off with the Planet and wanting to get away” and in the early 90’s, a simple hook was required by artists, management and labels which this treatment fulfilled. As the artist was entering a solo career, a carefully curated approach was vital. Perhaps this is a far cry from the hidden meaning in The Beatles’ Across the Universe. Johnson was very much influenced by the Beatles and commented that “they were very important to me in my journey of music appreciation”.
Magher reflects, “In hindsight, it was unusual for Holly to agree to appear within the video as a live-action segment, as most artists choose the animation route because they do not want to or cannot appear as themselves, for various reasons, but looking back, I am sure Holly wanted to utilise this approach to immortalise himself as this animated character escaping reality, almost a nod to his love of the Beatles, as they did with the Yellow Submarine ”
In the early 90s, technology in postproduction technology was becoming advanced, although by today’s standards, it was bulky and very slow. The whole production was made possible using a new black box compositing tool (Harry) made by Quantel, that allowed all three media threads to be digitally composited. This equipment revolutionised the industry and was astronomically expensive. Magher recollects “Thankfully, we managed to find an excellent postproduction facility in Birmingham, Video Graphics, who agreed to compile all the layers at a vastly reduced rate. It was a marvel to bring all our material together and I have to say a relief, as when planning the piece, I had no idea how to bring it all together. It was a giant leap of faith.”
Technology has always been and will always be a consideration within animation production and in the next exploration, centred on Fluke’s Baby’s Got an Atom Bomb, technology plays an even deeper part within its production, with more accessible tools and processes, embracing 3D. Arguably, the other point of interest and exploration speaking to another perspective on collaboration within the music video format, Fluke offered a dynamic that favoured the idea of a proposed narrative rather than an emphasis on a persona being presented to audiences. As such, Fluke’s engagement with the music promo allowed them to make creative choices that ‘built’ on the example of other artists who arguably favoured something other than showcasing a ‘personal’ performance identity.
**Article published: October 17, 2025**
Biography
Shaun Magher is Course Director BA (Hons) Digital Animation, MA Feature Film Development, and the Lead on the MA Film Academy at Birmingham City University Follow Shaun on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/shaunmagher/
James Clarke is a writer, script reader and educator in HE. He has contributed as a Visiting Lecturer to the MA Feature Film Development course at Birmingham City University. He has also taught on the MA Screenwriting course at London Film School and currently teaches on MA Writing for Script and Screen online course for Falmouth University. Follow James on Instagram at @Jameswriter72.