Der Oktopus

This project was born from a screenplay that was originally written in 2018 and had reached semi-finalist or finalist status in multiple screenplay contests, but was not going anywhere. Out of concern that the story would not be as relevant after the 2022 Wold Cup, I decided to materialize it into a visual format on my own using whatever creative tools were available and within my limited means. The Pulpo Paul Movie was originally intended to become a sort of rudimentary “animated storyboard” for promoting the screenplay to industry insiders. However, as the characters came to life, their message--that the similarities in how we respond to life’s challenges and rally toward higher causes far outweigh our differences--seemed to demand a broader potential viewership. 

Since music is an important part of most animated features, this project is no different. "Der Oktopus" is an example of the kind of content from the Pulpo Paul Movie, which is being released in episodic format on my non-monetized YouTube channel.
Music was composed using GarageBand; some royalty-free sound effect loops were uploaded from Pixabay or Looperman. Vocals were generated using text-to-voice "AI" software, which enabled me to overcame language challenges on a limited budget. (Please note that manual modification in the source software for emphasis, speed, and pitch was required, and any vocal effects in the mix were likewise manually applied. Would I have preferred actual human voices? Absolutely, and perhaps that will happen one day!)
Animation and editing were done using Adobe Character Animator and Premiere Pro, respectively. The music video would not have been possible without the following contributors who posted their royalty-free artistic output online (most of them for free) for other content creators to use.

PIXABAY FREE ROYALTY-FREE IMAGES & VIDEOS USED:
Abdallah Abdallah / istifada (office laptop): https://pixabay.com/videos/desk-computer-office-youtube-77985/
McZerrill (countdown): https://pixabay.com/videos/timer-countdown-ten-seconds-numbers-68410/
Mohamed Hassan / mohamed_hassan (underwater rays): https://pixabay.com/videos/sea-ocean-water-waves-under-water-43209/
Jody Whiteley / jodywhiteley (octopus astronaut green screen): https://pixabay.com/videos/green-screen-funny-alien-octopus-97981/
Jamick (soccer ball green screen): https://pixabay.com/videos/ball-football-soccer-green-screen-74914/
Amy Z / Prettysleepy (space corridor): https://pixabay.com/videos/corridor-space-outer-space-56481/
Eros Silva / Erosvideos (pyramid alien): https://pixabay.com/videos/pyramid-egypt-portal-103024/
Dimitris Christou /gr8effect (monitor array): https://pixabay.com/videos/array-abstract-background-pattern-21105/
tunnelmotions (blue wormhole): https://pixabay.com/videos/particles-galaxy-wormhole-space-55975/
Amy Z / Prettysleepy (outer space windows): https://pixabay.com/videos/windows-view-3d-station-outpost-19965/
Christian Bodhi / ChristianBodhi (orange tunnel): https://pixabay.com/videos/tunnel-scifi-futuristic-alien-100549/
Dimitris Christou /gr8effect (liquid background): https://pixabay.com/videos/loop-render-background-reflection-22008/
Angelina Popoya /angelanlin (pump cartoon): https://pixabay.com/videos/balloon-pump-3d-record-design-62348/
Clker-Free-Vector-Images (Germany flag): https://pixabay.com/vectors/germany-f...
Clker-Free-Vector-Images (Spain flag): https://pixabay.com/vectors/spain-fla...

ADOBE STOCK VIDEOS & IMAGES (PURCHASED LICENSE/SUBSCRIPTION):
Monu (octopus green screen)
wachiwit (retro days of week)
jiovani (soccer ball deflating)
Igor Kardasov (octopus in tank)

ROYALTY-FREE SOUND EFFECTS/LOOPS USED:
sophiehall 3535 (whoosh sound at beginning) on Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/light-woosh-7119/
Rasputin (underwater sounds at end for promo) on Looperman: https://www.looperman.com/loops/detail/229125/meine-seltsamen-saefte-103bpm-cinematic-soundscapes-loop