This last spring I was commissioned by visual story teller extraordinaire Phil Mucci of Diabolik, to illustrate the money shot end scene of the tortured main character in the music video “All Those Delicate Cuts” by the band Das Muerte.
Mr. Mucci sent me a couple of stills of the video green screen shoot, and with the use of a light table did a basic sketch of the characters torso and head then, per request, savaged and skinned the victims body. Shredding and peeling back the layers of skin to come up with a visceral image that appears in two shots at the end of the video. One from a distance, when the cops bust into the warehouse to witness the horror and another quick close-up of the the victims gory head. Once I’ve submitted the colored image then Phil goes in and adds his own touches to make it blend in with the layered scene he’s constructed.
I’m quite proud of what I accomplished with this and it was fun paging through anatomy books to make sure the musculature was correct. Body Worlds, a book released by Gunther Van Hagen was the perfect reference companion for muscles and tissue. A source I go back to often.
Phil is great to work with and loves to push the envelope of visual effects with his indelible eye for gritty, psychedelic, beautiful nightmare imagery within his narratives. Phil has a knack for incredibly realized full-on surreal world building, packed with surprise moments of awe.
written, directed, edited and animated by Phil Mucci music written and performed by Das Muerte cinematography by Phil Mucci and Jeff Speed produced by Phil Mucci executive producer Ian Mackay
Starring Brian Rohan as G-Man Jerry Stewart Ian Mackay as Das Muerte and introducing Angel Lin as Mei Tsui with Terry Smith as Busta Capp James Tavare as Jimmy the Goon Deangelo Harding as the Rookie Mat Wright as Officer Downe costume designer Bory Tan seamstress Trang Chu hair and makeup by Christina Guerra model-maker Chris Speed “money shot” horror illustration by Nick “the Hat” Gucker A Diabolik Production