2020
The Lighthouse Keeper
Sam Smith
Music Video
‘The Lighthouse Keeper’ directed by Sam Smith tells a renewed yet classic story of a sailor returning from the solitude of the sea to the warmth and safety of home at Christmas.
Concept
This heartwarming tale about love and home reminds us of classic children’s books- picturesque and resonating yet simple. With this in mind, we wanted to create Sam Smith’s narrative as if it were a picture book come to life.
Process
To make this story feel human and intimate, we focused on making our illustration style very hand-drawn, jittery and imperfect with simple, minimal compositions in charcoal or pencil. The first half of the story would be drawn in black and white sequences to emulate the loneliness and cold weather of being alone at sea. As the narrative progresses, moments of colour begin to appear and these vignettes open up to larger scenes, filling up the emptiness of the screen.