Listening to Kenny G is a documentary feature film, and part of the series Music Box, conceived by Bill Simmons for HBO Max. We were tasked by director Penny Lane to produce a myriad of design to serve several different purposes:
To provide stylistic cohesion to a multi-format piece
To fill in story gaps for which there was no footage or archival material
To make complicated story concepts illustrative and engaging
In some cases, to simply ‘goose up’ existing material
Official trailer below. Continue down for case study.
MOTION DESIGN CASE STUDY
Opening Titles
Penny Lane sent us a wealth of beautifully shot b-roll plates showcasing some vintage tech… and this was the 90s, so that means a blend of CDs, CD players, jewel cases, vinyl, stereo head units, speakers, you name it!
When she said she wanted the titles to be on a CD within a 5-disc changer, we tried a variety of styles, and eventually landed on handwriting with marker - stylistically living in the world of the ‘mix CD’. Penny latched onto the idea enthusiastically, and even scanned her own handwriting into what would become the main titles for the show.
Pat Metheny Screed
Amongst many others, famed jazz guitarist Pat Metheny reviled Kenny G’s work, so much so, that he wrote a public screed detailing his ENTIRE opinion of the art, and the artist. To put it mildly… it was not positive.
The screed circulated across the 1990’s internet in the only way possible back then - chain email. This segment is our attempt to capture, visually and viscerally, the harsh effect Metheny’s words had.
Using stock footage of CRT computer monitors, we composited vintage email clients onto the screen. Through animation, we simulated the user experience of sending and receiving chain emails, and created a CRT stylized version of the text of the screed to punch in on for impact (pun intended).
Album Stacks
One of our tasks was to concept an interesting way to show a bar graph communicating Kenny G’s growing album sales over time. Our first exploration wound up being chosen - using 3D animation to create literal stacking piles of albums to both showcase album covers, and represent growth on the bar graph.
Focus Group Data
During the rise of Smooth Jazz, it was common for radio associations to have focus groups give feedback on their content. These focus groups were given remote controls with a dial to turn up if they liked something, down if they didn’t.
Composited into stock footage, we executed a concept of what such research data might look like in line graph format, on era specific monitors.
The Opera House
Early on, Penny told us of one of the mysteries of this movie - how we were going to (with limited time and budget) present a pivotal moment where Kenny Gorelick became ‘The G Man”… for which there was no footage.
As the story goes, as if from the gods themselves, an ethereal spotlight shone on young Kenny as he put his lips to his soprano sax and blew a note… and held it for 10 minutes. A standing ovation later, a legend was born.
We concepted this graphic sequence as a visual aid, and to capture the tongue in cheek nature of this ‘epic’ moment.
Social Media
Time has passed since the golden era of Smooth Jazz. In his truly indefatigable fashion, Kenny took himself to school and learned the ins and outs of social media as a way to figure out how to connect with his modern audience.
Our task was to create a simple yet dynamic animation showcasing his work in this area.
Newspapers & Charts
Throughout the movie, there are loads of references to contemporaneous news about Kenny G, and his impact on music. Some of these are illustrated as articles, some as charts and other data.
Our task was to showcase it in a simple, subtly stylized and interesting way.
Lower Thirds
Lower thirds were designed to mimic the look of a classic Billboard Chart - a recurring theme in Kenny G’s story. It’s a minimalistic look that looked at the same time, stylized and neutral.
Late Night Memes
Anyone who lived through the late 80s and early 90s knows that Kenny G’s music, while successful and loved… was also reviled. Late night comics and cartoon shows alike poked fun at this idea.
Our task was to, in a similar fashion to the social media section, showcase some ‘poking fun’ internet memes interwoven with late night jokes.