Interview with Heather Colbert, Director and Animator of Ori Dagan's Jazzy Nat King Cole Homage "Bibimbap"

A stop motion iteration of Toronto-based jazz musician Ori Dagan straightens his glossy red bowtie and straightens his hat – the kind that jazz icon Nat King Cole often wore – as he taps his foot to the beat of a lively and blissful piano. Then, looking directly into the camera, he raises an eyebrow and begins to sing.

“He downed a sweet Bellini in the hometown of Fellini. He ordered fresh linguine with pancetta and rapini. But nothing could ever compare to Bib…im…bap,” Dagan reminisces happily in his rich baritone as the delicacies actualize out of midair, a glass of Bellini appearing in his hand and a pile of linguine raining down on him from above in Bristol-based stop motion animator Heather Colbert’s Bimimbap.

The Ori Dagan puppet in the midst of being rained on by prop linguine. Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.

Bibimbap is Heather Colbert’s outstanding contribution to Toronto-based Ori Dagan’s “visual jazz album” for his album “Nathaniel: A Tribute to Nat King Cole,” for which Dagan collaborated with many filmmakers and animators to create music videos for each of the songs on the album. You can watch all of these videos by going to Dagan’s YouTube channel.

Heather Colbert is an illustrator as well as a stop motion, digital 2D, and hand-drawn animator based in Bristol. She graduated in 2016 with a degree in Illustration and Animation from the Cambridge School of Art, where she completed her thesis project and her excellent first stop motion film, Courage to Make a Fool.

The materials for the prop pancetta created by Heather Colbert. Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.

Bibimbap is Heather’s most recent release, a project which she directed and animated and fabricated all of the puppets and sets. The film’s compositing was done by animator Teren Large.

Heather’s Bibimbap was the Official Selection of Arthouse Asia 2018 and the Honourable Mention at the Asia South East Short Film Festival, 2017, and it was also nominated for Best Animated Music Video at the Paris International Music Video Underground Festival, 2017.

The final version of the prop pancetta created by Heather Colbert. Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.

I recently had the chance to talk with Heather about her work on Bibimbap. In our interview, Heather discusses her creative process, the technical process behind creating the deliciously crafted world of Bibimbap, and her involvement with Joseph Wallace’s music video for Spark’s Edith Piaf (Said It Better Than Me). You can read the interview below in full.

The front of the test armature for the Ori Dagan puppet created by Heather Colbert. Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.

The back of the test armature for the Ori Dagan puppet created by Heather Colbert. Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.

A.H. Uriah: In doing the research for this interview, it became quickly apparent to me that your sketchbook looks to be a huge part of your creative process, regardless of the final medium of your project (stop motion, 2D animation, puppet fabrication, or finished illustration). In your video presentation of your sketchbook for your short film Malala, I was fascinated by your varying use of technique (storyboards, caricatures, life-drawings, abstract illustration, and what look to be mood-boards) and medium (watercolor, pastels, pencil, cut-out pictures, pen, etc.). Can you tell us a little bit about your use of sketchbooks? How long have you kept a sketchbook on hand and where does it come into your creative process?

Heather Colbert: I came to animation through illustration, and I have only recently realised, from talking with other animators, that this has quite an impact on how I make animations. I think it’s where my enjoyment in very fine detail and research has come from. Doodling in my sketchbook is how I pass the time (when I have time to pass!). I got into the habit of using a sketchbook in my foundation course at Bristol School of Art, but the tutors in the illustration part of my degree really cemented it as a tool in our practice; we were encouraged to use them not only to generate ideas but also to work through problems in our projects. I had a tendency to be precious about only including ‘good’ work, but using it in this way at uni helped me realise the advantage of making mistakes and trying everything in the sketchbook, to create better solutions. For example, drawing Malala again and again, finding the recognisable elements that would create a simplified character. Trying out various styles, changing the medium, the colour scheme I saw in my brain when I listened to her powerful words, all this experimentation helped me refine the idea, and find the portrayal I wanted to animate.

A Super Sculpey sculpture for the Ori Dagan puppet created and sculpted by Heather Colbert. Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.

The final (unpainted) head, toro, and bowtie of the Ori Dagan puppet created by Heather Colbert. Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.

I got into the habit of using a sketchbook in my foundation course at Bristol School of Art, but the tutors in the illustration part of my degree really cemented it as a tool in our practice; we were encouraged to use them not only to generate ideas but also to work through problems in our projects. I had a tendency to be precious about only including ‘good’ work, but using it in this way at uni helped me realise the advantage of making mistakes and trying everything in the sketchbook, to create better solutions.

A.H.: Let’s talk a little bit about Bibimbap. How did you get involved in this project and where did your work on it begin?

HC: I had been working for the wonderful theatre director, Matthew Taylor – painting the walls of an Egyptian-themed ‘escape room’ with gods, patterns and hieroglyphics. Matthew kindly introduced me to Virpi Kettu, an animator working in Skipton, Yorkshire. When the Bibimbap project came along and the fee was below her threshold, she suggested I pitch for it. “Bibimbap” is one of the songs on Ori Dagan’s visual album ‘Nathanial: A Tribute to Nat King Cole’. Ori and his producer Leonardo Dell’Anno were unerringly positive to work with.

Cork and wire materials used to create the Ori Dagan puppet's hands by Heather Colbert. Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.

Each of the individual pieces to the Ori Dagan puppet, created and painted by Heather Colbert. Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.

A.H.: I was quite impressed in Bibimbap by your creative ingenuity in transposing the lyrics and tone of the “Bibimbap” song to your stop motion music video. Can you tell us about your creative process on the idea behind the video?

HC: Thank you very much! This was my very first professional animation job so I was a little stumped to begin with; but I listened to the track over and over again, watching what happened in my head. Ori gave me a few parameters – I always find some limitations useful, because it gives a foundation to build up from. He wanted a character of himself to feature, wearing the type of hat Nat King Cole often wore; some sort of animated food, and for it to have a bright, fun and joyful feel. Other than that, he left everything else up to me, which I know is a pretty golden experience for a first job! After he said yes to my pitch, I made a rough animatic in TVPaint, and started experimenting with materials for the puppet and food props.

The armature for the shrimp character engineered by Heather Colbert. Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.

The finished shrimp puppet, created by Heather Colbert. Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.

It’s the textures that excite me about stop-motion; the way you can create a tactile world. I had recently seen some of the PEZ animations at the Cardiff Independent Film Festival, where they invented a whole material language for their props. In Bibimbap I saw the opportunity to play with this kind of visual language.

The Ori Dagan and shrimp puppet in the midst of being animated (animated and created by Heather Colbert). Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.

The shrimp puppet being animated by Heather Colbert. Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.

So I thought very carefully about the translation of each food. The egg, for example, had to have some shine, and be very flexible, but also needed to look hand-made. In the end I used cream patterned silk and a fabric button that I covered in yellow sequins.

Prop rice being painted by Heather Colbert. Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.

The finished prop bowl of rice made by Heather Colbert. Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert. 

Ori gave me a few parameters – I always find some limitations useful, because it gives a foundation to build up from. He wanted a character of himself to feature, wearing the type of hat Nat King Cole often wore; some sort of animated food, and for it to have a bright, fun and joyful feel. 

The Ori Dagan puppet in the midst of being animated by Heather Colbert. Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.

A.H.: Something else that really impressed me in Bibimbap was your excellent timing of the visuals and characters to the song – virtually everything moves in perfect rhythm to the music, which is quite a tremendous feat. One of your techniques in accomplishing this, one of the things that you do in this film that’s particularly interesting to me is your utilization of the technique where you hold off on animating the facial expressions of your main character (including your main character’s mouth and eyebrows) until post-production, where you then animate digital 2D expressions and composite them onto your finished character animation. What went into the technical side of the project and how did you go about bringing the film to life, specifically in relation to timing the animation to the music? Also, how did you decide to use a mixed-medium approach to bring the music video to fruition?

HC: Timing: at that stage I hadn’t worked out how to animate simultaneously in Dragon Frame with music! So for Bibimbap I used a stopwatch to time each line in the lyrics, or musical phrase, and mapped out the animation and gestures to match with them. Listening like this helped me pick out moments with the beat, and I would try to use these accents in the music to choreograph puppet Ori’s gestures and facial expressions, or to guide how the Bibimbap ingredients would move.

The prop ladder created by Heather Colbert. Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.

The model stage-light created by Heather Colbert. Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.

The 2D expressions were through necessity. I had just under 3 months from pitch to delivery, so speed and simplicity were paramount. (Although after drawing thousands of eyebrows wiggling around, I realised that this plan was not so simple!) I would have loved to make the expressions real, but it was just about the amount of time and resources I had. I drew the mouth shapes and eyebrows in TVPaint, subtly changing the position, angle or focus of the features so that they did not feel entirely ‘stuck on’.

"Bibimbap" storyboards by Heather Colbert. Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.

Timing: at that stage I hadn’t worked out how to animate simultaneously in Dragon Frame with music! So for Bibimbap I used a stopwatch to time each line in the lyrics, or musical phrase, and mapped out the animation and gestures to match with them. Listening like this helped me pick out moments with the beat, and I would try to use these accents in the music to choreograph puppet Ori’s gestures and facial expressions, or to guide how the Bibimbap ingredients would move.

"Bibimbap" storyboards and task list by Heather Colbert near the end of production. Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.

The compositing was done by my friend, Teren Brandy Large. She made it possible, in very tricky circumstances, for the various fabric foods I had animated to be jumping into the Bibimbap bowl.

The prop spoons created by Heather Colbert. Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.

The finished, painted prop spoons created by Heather Colbert. Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.

The incorporation of 2D animation felt quite natural to me, as I had used both methods and combined them during my degree. I wanted to use it this time to enhance the magic of stop-motion. Because of the process, it can be very similar to the effects used in the first early films; where they used simple cuts and pauses in the filming to summon up demons, or make things disappear. I liked the freedom it gave for Ori to become a bit of a magician; conjuring Coronas, Bellinis and shrimps out of thin air! The 2D became an extension of that idea that anything was possible for Ori.

The material background being dyed by Heather Colbert. Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.

Finished background and set created by Heather Colbert. Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.

The incorporation of 2D animation felt quite natural to me, as I had used both methods and combined them during my degree. I wanted to use it this time to enhance the magic of stop-motion. Because of the process, it can be very similar to the effects used in the first early films; where they used simple cuts and pauses in the filming to summon up demons, or make things disappear.

A.H.: Can you tell us a little bit about your work on Edith Piaf (Said It Better Than Me)? I understand that you were the designer and fabricator of the chairs and tables seen in the café as well as of the theater, which you co-created with Mary Murphy.

HC: I only had a few days in that amazing studio, as I was just about to start filming Bibimbap, but I could not pass up the chance to work for Joseph Wallace! It was incredible to be even just a small part of his team, and I learnt so much from the experience. Joseph is brilliant at communicating exactly what he wants you to build. So I didn’t design them; my job was to create what Joseph had in his mind, using the reference images he had hung around the studio. I constructed the tables and chairs, the bar, the part where the stage floorboards turn into the cafe floor, and the cardboard foundation of the stage. With so little time, it was all about being quick and efficient; I found it so exciting to work in this way, as it challenged my tendency to spend hours over tiny details. I did manage to sneak in a little bit of detail in the ‘relief’ on the top of the proscenium arch, on my last day!

"Bibimbap" set in the midst of being animated by Heather Colbert. Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.

Unfortunately I didn’t get to work alongside Mary that time, as it was like a tag team, but I knew her a little already, and she was so generous to me when I was working on Bibimbap. She was in the process of moving the animation department at UWE over to their new building, but she still made time to meet me to offer very valuable advice, and to lend me equipment I couldn’t afford to buy for my first video. She is truly amazing.

Talking with the other animators and listening to just a handful of the amazing things Joseph has achieved really inspired me; I thought I might actually be able to be someone who makes the films, on this hand-made scale.

The Ori Dagan puppet and the prop linguine being animated by Heather Colbert. Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.

I was then lucky enough to get a place on the stop-motion workshop run by Joseph Wallace and Péter Vács in Budapest (at Primanima Festival) a couple of months later. I learnt so much in those 4 days, and it was an extraordinary opportunity to get to know and work alongside people from so many different countries and from such a variety of backgrounds.

The Ori Dagan puppet arms in the midst of being animated by Heather Colbert. Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.

With so little time, it was all about being quick and efficient; I found it so exciting to work in this way, as it challenged my tendency to spend hours over tiny details.

The Ori Dagan puppet being animated by Heather Colbert. Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.

Talking with the other animators and listening to just a handful of the amazing things Joseph has achieved really inspired me; I thought I might actually be able to be someone who makes the films, on this hand-made scale.

A.H.: Do you have any projects you’re working on currently that you can tell our readers about?

HC: Yes I do, I have two more music videos. I made a hand-drawn experimental video for an instrumental track ‘Konnichiwa’ by Matthew Evens in just over 2 weeks, (practising the pace of working I saw in Joseph’s studio) and at the moment I am finishing up a new stop-motion video for Mark Nevin. ‘Dolly said No to Elvis’ (on his new EP) is an amazing true story of self-confidence and self-belief. Basically it turns into a battle between Dolly Parton and Elvis’ manager, who was known as ‘The Colonel’. I have pushed myself to be more ambitious with this video; playing with scale and style of characters, as well as applying what I learnt from Joseph and Peter’s workshop; animating bigger actions, more diverse emotions, and creating different atmospheres with lighting.

Heather Colbert on the set of "Bibimbap." Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.

You can learn more about Heather Colbert and you can see more of her work by visiting her Vimeo, Instagram (where you can also find many, many more behind-the-scenes photos from Bibimbap), and website.

If you’re interested in learning more about Ori Dagan and exploring more of his work, you can do so by visiting his website, Twitter, Instagram, iTunes, and Facebook.

You can stream and buy Dagan’s album “Nathaniel: A Tribute to Nat King Cole” which includes the track “Bibimbap” on iTunes and Spotify. You can also view his entire “visual jazz album” for the project by visiting his YouTube.

You can watch Bibimbap by going here.

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"Bibimbap" character created by Heather Colbert. Photo courtesy of Heather Colbert.