YIPPIE KI YAY YO
CASE STUDY
Artist: Brandon Bing
Music Video
Director & Producer
Brandon is a passionate country musician and storyteller with a strong point of view: You gotta stay true to yourself! "Yippee ki yay yo" is a sprawling western about a boy with dreams of becoming a cowboy, despite not having what it takes to be one of them.
With a global pandemic restricting in-person interaction, Brandon needed a way to reach and resonate with his audience in new creative ways -his first animated production- while delivering a universal message of determination and the pursuit of dreams. 
This initial concept became the foundation upon which I built a detailed narrative that captured the essence of the Wild West, collaborating effectively with the remote 16 artists team to ensure everyone understood Brandon's vision and expected quality work.
To ensure we were on the right path along the way we set weekly 30-minute meetings with Brandon, so we could take a look at the progress made and get feedback from him. This process went smoothly from our first call to final render, going through the following stages:
1. Development: Getting a clear understanding of Brandon's vision, focusing on storytelling and stylistic direction (aesthetics and animation style), providing a visual guide for the final look and feel of the music video. 

2. Pre-Production: The storyboard serves as the blueprint, allowing us to estimate workload. Animatics add timing details like scene and action durations to visualize pacing. We also define the visual style of the characters and their environments.

3. Production: Each shot goes through 3 animation iterations for refinement before final approval. Approved shots are cleaned-up (digital ink) and colored (digital paint).

4. Post-Production: seamlessly combining animation, backgrounds, and other assets to create a cohesive final product. Digital effects may be used to enhance the visuals.
In order to maintaining viewer engagement throughout a 5.5 minutes song, we aimed for a dynamic visual storytelling pace, keeping balance between contemplative scenes with stunning art and expressive character animation.
While the song itself maintained a slower tempo, the animation incorporated moments of contrasting speed and action. This could involve quick cuts, dynamic camera movements during key moments, or even short, fast-paced flashbacks within the narrative.
We incorporated subtle layers of meaning and symbolism within the visuals. This encouraged viewers to actively engage with the video, searching for deeper meaning and anticipating upcoming events.
By strategically utilizing these techniques, we aimed to create a visually compelling experience that complemented the song's tempo and kept viewers engaged throughout the "Yippee ki yay yo" music video.
No western is complete without an exciting array of challenges:
Tempo: We faced the task of keeping the audience captivated throughout the video, harmonizing the visuals with the rhythm to ensure an entrancing experience from start to finish.
Remote Collaboration: Managing a 16-person remote team required clear communication strategies to keep everyone aligned on the same page. Slack became our virtual office and syncsketch our go-to revision platform. 
The "dirty" look: beckoned for an extraordinary level of detail, as we aimed to bring the essence of cowboys' comics to life in motion.
These challenges, while formidable, became the catalysts for innovation and creativity 
Our Yippee ki yay, yo! music video helped Brandon to connect with audiences beyond his followers, delivering a powerful message during difficult times, resulting in:
+ 13K organic views on YouTube: 7 times more than his previous video for the live-action acoustic version.
+ Increased his monthly listeners on Spotify by 23% during the following 2 months after the release.
+ 3% increase in Brandon's Bangtail Whisky inquiries - product placement on our music video.
Today, "Yippee ki yay yo" is one of Brandon's top 5 performing videos on his YouTube channel.
"Working with Doncel was a great experience. From the very beginning, Diego quickly understood the message I wanted to spread. Their and the visual style and vision for the video perfectly complemented the song's nature. Clear communication throughout the project kept me involved and confident in the direction of the video."
- Brandon Bing
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CREDITS

Executive Producer: Brandon Bing
Songwriter: Brandon Bing

Produced & Directed by Doncel
Production Manager: Laura Moncada
Storyboard & Storyline
Doncel

Art Direction
Trashy pero cool

Background Design
Douglas de la Hoz - Diego Díaz
Trashy pero Cool

Character Design
Mateo Aguirre
Character Layout
Fredy Buitrago

Animation Direction
Doncel

Animation Team
David López - Mauricio Vargas
Laura Moncada - Jonathan Muñoz

Ink & Paint Direction
Luisa Galvis

Ink & Paint Team
Ingrid Solano - Jonathan Muñoz - Juna Klim Paru
Alfredo Guzmán - Luisa Galvis
Composite
Jeferson Vargas
Andrea Sánchez Guerrero

Titles Design
Mamanché