Tucson talent rocks. Evidence includes funky trash cans on Fourth Avenue, mosaics on highway overpasses and now an animated music video produced by Tucson’s own Eric Heithaus with art by yours truly, Ryn Gargulinski.
Please enjoy watching “Everyone I Know Needs Love” as much as we enjoyed creating it.
Main character Dollie is a cartoon I drew years ago, inspired by Quint’s line in “Jaws” about a shark’s eyes being like a doll’s eyes.* Doggy is my standard dog image that resembles my dog Phoebe yet also works to embody every dog in the world.
This is my first illustrated animation project and one on a long list of Eric’s successful music – and other – productions.
The only other time my artwork has moved around on its own was during a horrific nightmare where all creatures in my house and backyard started attacking me.
It is much more pleasant when such critters are captured in a little box on the screen.
Thanks! Eric for working with me and coming up with this idea while vacationing on a San Diego beach. The video, all told and in between day jobs, took about a year to complete.
I’m posting the full press release that goes with the video below, which gives you more on the story and where we’re both coming from.
P.S. If you cannot tell from the video, we are both avid animal lovers. The partnership mentioned at the beginning of the clip, “Sawyer and Mr. Angel Association,” is named after our dogs.
PRESS RELEASE:
PIGS ARE PEOPLE, TOO
Animal abuse, haters and worldly woes quashed in debut cartoon video
Animal abuse leads to people abuse – we don’t need a rocket scientist to tell us that. We don’t need a rocket scientist to come up with a way to stop it, either. We just need a wacky artist working with a creative music video producer to come up with a funky, fanciful story of two cartoon characters bent on saving the world.
Oh, yeah – we also need a bomb.
The story
Haters are everywhere – and our heroic cartoon duo of Dollie and Doggie make it their mission to stop it. The sweet team starts off thrown in a garbage can, from whence they scamper only to witness a litany of animal abuses. Horses pureed to pulp in a glue factory. Pigs slaughtered for sausage. A puppy mill. The animal abuse works as an analogy for the people abuse, maltreatment and general hatred that saturates the world at large. The video’s song, “Everyone I Know Needs Love,” offers a hint of the solution in store.
The cartoon video collaboration
Dollie and Doggie star in the video, a project born from the twisted collaboration between two Tucsonans. Producer Eric Heithaus worked on the music and animation end of the project. He produced the catchy “Everyone I Know Needs Love” song with pianist Sly Slipetsky and vocalist Angel Diamond, as well as toiled long hours making a stuffed pig fly. Artist Ryn Gargulinski worked equally as hard creating a cast of cartoon characters that always seem to look like they just got hit by a truck. We think it must be one of her trademarks.
The producer
Tucsonans Eric Heithaus and his wife, Amy, are the masterminds behind Heithaus Productions. While their company has produced everything from documentaries to news and features, it is now focusing on music videos. Eric’s music video production tops competitors as he not only produces the video portion, but he’s a talented music producer. His successes include Tucson’s colorful and creative street musician Black Man Clay, vocalist Laura Ward and his band Children of Gods. More at www.heithaus-productions.com
The artist
Ryn Gargulinski, Tucson resident, Michigan native and longtime New Yorker, has her own list of successes and talents. Writing and art have long topped the list, but this video marks her premiere animated project. Other credits include two illustrated humor books: “Bony Yoga” and “Rats Incredible,” both published by Conari, dozens of news and feature articles, a weekly column and myriad artwork published in a variety of newspapers and journals from New York City to India. Her current gigs include writing four blogs for TucsonCitizen.com and her art business of RYNdustries. More at www.rynrules.com and www.rynski.etsy.com
WATCH the video on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-oVcJf-yCI at Heithaus Productions at http://heithaus-productions.com/everyone-i-know-needs-love/ or on Rynski’s Blogski.
Contact producer Eric Heithaus at ericheithaus@hotmail.com and Ryn at rynski@tucsoncitizen.com
*Quint’s doll’s eyes quote: “And, you know, the thing about a shark… he’s got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll’s eyes. When he comes at ya, doesn’t seem to be living… until he bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white and then… ah then you hear that terrible high-pitched screamin’. The ocean turns red, and despite all the poundin’ and the hollerin’, they all come in and they… rip you to pieces.”
[tnipoll]
What do you think?
Are you a fan of music videos? Of cartoons?
Is is just me or are today’s cartoons quite lame compared to the cool ones we used to get?
P.S. A cashier at Best Buy yesterday looked confused when I mentioned “The Flintstones.”
