RES Features: RES 10
Psyop
Words: Sandy Hunter
Psyop, a New York-based animation and design studio named for the military jargon for mind control, steers consumer urges via TV commercials using a concise credo: persuade, change, influence. Founded over dinner in 2000 by a cadre of friends (who all happen to have broadcast design pedigrees), Psyop's five creative partners are Marco Spier, Eben Mears, Marie Hyon, Kylie Matulick and Todd Mueller. While they consistently generate clutter-busting motion graphics and animation for blue chip clients such as VW, Intel and ESPN, Psyop's members often co-op the tools of their trade to produce more personal and thoughtful projects.
"Clients ask us to influence the public, and we understand that very clearly," says Mueller, "but we are coming up with an extension of the company that plays with ways of discussing sociological issues in a candy-coated way." In an attempt to meld the vernacular of advertising with veiled political irony, Psyop glazes Chomsky-style politics with the sort of kid-luring animation normally reserved for Saturday morning breakfast cereal spots.
In June, Psyop plans to move from its storefront location on East 11th Street to a gallery/studio, where new branding pieces and artwork, both from the partners and other NYC artists, will be on display. Such non-commercial gigs, along with music videos (like an animated tag clip for Company Flow) and motion graphics (the sexy beach romp Come for Brazil), help fuel the Psy-operatives with fresh concepts and visuals which in turn feed the creativity that marks their commercial work. Drawing on audience participation and statistics, Psyop delivered "information graphics people," or generic animated humans, as show packaging for the 2000 VH1 My Music Awards, for example. And using "ghetto motion capture" (acting out motion on video and using the footage as an animation reference), they created simple but recognizably living characters capable of conveying narrative ideas. Volkswagen and Starbucks soon sought out similar executions; Psyop had created the latest trendy ad "look."
"The industry is very mimetic," muses Mueller. "A look is established and whether it's a blue-green transfer or animated characters, it's picked up by people in the agency or broadcast world because it is fresh, original and appropriately represents the product they are working with."
Psyop has since animated incredibly realistic b-boys for Lugz and urban, stencil rodents for Merrell, so there is no fear of getting locked into the dreaded advertising pigeonhole. They already design some of the best branding on-air, but it's Psyop's personal projects that truly soar.
