News

Video: Playmobil Pop

• 13th Feb 2012

The German video director who brought Joy Division back to life in a Playmobil animation, earning more than 600,000 YouTube viewers, has struck again. Last year, the internet came alive with talk of the legendary band’s 1979 TV performance of Transmission being performed by the toy figures.

Following success with his plastic versions of Ian Curtis and the acclaimed Factory Records band, Leipzig based film maker D.O. Roth has returned to music videos by working with Manchester band, The Slow Readers Club. Using the same arduous production process as before, Roth has made Playmobil versions of the band to perform in a perfectly observed, stop frame animation – complete with audience participation.

Building a miniature stage set in his apartment, Roth has painstakingly recreated the band’s performance of new single ‘Feet On Fire’ by watching footage of the Manchester four-piece and recreating their every move. The end result of 100 hours hard work is a cute interpretation of the group’s otherwise brooding appearances, amazingly captured without ever meeting the band.

Roth says: “Over half a million people saw my Joy Division video and I got a great reaction, so it was great to work with a current band in the same way. The Slow Readers Club guitarist Kurt (Starkie) got in touch and we went from there. He sent me a description of the bands’ style, how they looked and how they dressed. With the information that he sent me I searched for the fitting miniatures and instruments and started to put them together.”

Assembling the figures in the band's likeness, Roth produces the Playmobil videos on his own, using the traditional process of moving the figures millimetre by millimetre, frame by frame, until he has a perfectly flowing performance. The band have expressed their personal delight with the end result, and working with a film maker of growing legend.

Kurt Starkie, who shares the band with vocalist brother Aaron, drummer Neil Turvin and bassist James Ryan, said: “We are all big fans of Joy Division and thought Dirk’s video was brilliant, we also thought the Playmobil angle would be a great fit with The Slow Readers Club, so we tracked Dirk down and sent him the Feet on Fire. Lucky for us he loved the track, and we couldn't be more pleased with the end result.”

Roth, who moved to the East German city to experience its growing cultural scene, is continuing to develop his work as a filmmaker and artist, having taught himself the disciplines of film making and photography. Slow Readers Club release Feet on Fire on Monday 2nd April 2012.