Agency of None employs protest tactics and projection mapping for Sandi Thom’s new single video

Further texture was added in Aftereffects, as the studio wanted to avoid the clean image often achieved through kinetic type or motion design work. “This was a protest song, and the methods of protest are often quick and messy, so we wanted to get that feel into this,” says McLeod.

Creative design studio Agency of None has designed the official music video for Sandi Thom’s controversial new single Revolution Anthem (Festival of the Oppressed), which takes the form of a projection-mapped motion graphics piece that focuses on the symbolism and lyrics of the song.

The anthem was written for those struggling under unjust systems who are tired of how the world has treated them. It is full of powerful messaging and layers of meaning, which Agency of None drew inspiration from.

While the studio has worked in the music industry before, this is the first music video they have produced. According to Agency of None director and designer Ryan McLeod, the brief was short and open for interpretation, but the team’s biggest challenge was “establishing an approach that could be delivered within a tight timeframe”.

Once this was established, the next step was finding a suitable physical location to film. “As luck would have it, there is a shopping centre come creative space called the Keiller Centre, which we are quite familiar with and is close to our studio”, says McLeod.

“They had just cleared and whited out a space in there that we could use – it was ideal, and we covered the floor to complete the aesthetic we wanted to achieve.”

Adding a textural quality

Since the song is about standing up and making voices heard, the lyrics formed the core of the visual narrative. One route could’ve been to create a digital motion graphics piece; however, Agency of None opted to use more analogue techniques, such as projecting into a physical space.

McLeod explains how this brought “a textural quality” and allowed them to “really emphasise the aesthetic links to diy handmade protest banners and posters”. Then, as the camera pans back at around 2:30, the viewer’s perception changes, and they’re transported back into an empty room.

Further texture was added in Aftereffects, as the studio wanted to avoid the clean image often achieved through kinetic type or motion design work. “This was a protest song, and the methods of protest are often quick and messy, so we wanted to get that feel into this,” says McLeod.