Gangstapus

Song and music video from the Pulpo Paul Movie (inspired by the octopus that predicted 2008 UEFA EuroCup and 2010 FIFA World Cup matches). This music video chronicles what happens when Esteban bets against his own country during the 2008 UEFA finals match between Germany and Spain, while an interdimensional version of Paul from another parallel universe tries to help him.

  • Viktoria Robotika
    Director
    Der Oktopus, MATIC Unity
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Experimental, Music Video, Web / New Media
  • Genres:
    Sci-Fi, Sports, Urban Music
  • Runtime:
    3 minutes 52 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 7, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    200 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Spain
  • Language:
    Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Animation + Video
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Viktoria Robotika
Director Statement

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 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. "Gangstapus" 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 with female vocals recorded on my iPhone. Male vocals were generated using text-to-voice "AI" software (with manual modification in their generation as well as in the mix by a human), which enabled me to overcame language challenges on a limited budget. (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. Illustrated props were uploaded from PNGTREE (paid lifetime subscription). The music video would not have been possible without the following contributors who posted their artistic output royalty-free online (most of them for free) for other content creators to use.

PIXABAY FREE IMAGES & VIDEOS USED:
Dorelys Figueroa / miukia_aki (car wheels): https://pixabay.com/videos/truck-camion-lorry-van-2d-anime-130940/
Brigitte Payne / brigittepayne (green tunnel): https://pixabay.com/videos/tunnel-illusion-geometry-endless-131807/
William McDonald / Exceptional_3D (UFO green screen): https://pixabay.com/videos/space-ship-ufo-alien-51491/
Jamick (road green screen): https://pixabay.com/videos/road-highway-asphalt-green-screen-65198/
Jody Whiteley / jodywhiteley (octopus astronaut): https://pixabay.com/videos/green-screen-funny-alien-octopus-97981/
Genty (asteroid belt): https://pixabay.com/videos/asteroids-belt-field-meteors-9135/
Christian Bodhi / ChristianBodhi (space doors portal): https://pixabay.com/videos/door-space-stars-clouds-sky-gate-52489/
Kherwal Hansda / Zoomee (gold tunnel): https://pixabay.com/videos/galaxy-space-software-global-earth-123308/
Dimitris Christou / gr8effect (neon road): https://pixabay.com/videos/neon-terrain-80-retro-abstract-21368/
Jamick (money green screen): https://pixabay.com/videos/money-currency-falling-money-58760/
Aris Saris / proviewdark (black car green screen): https://pixabay.com/videos/car-wheels-green-screen-chroma-key-92970/
Dorelys Figueroa / miukia_aki (blood green screen): https://pixabay.com/videos/blood-bloodstream-gore-anime-2d-130538/
Khalil Boussetta / boussettakhalil93 (geometric pattern): https://pixabay.com/videos/pentagon-geometry-tunnel-shape-74438/
Mohamed Hassan / mohamed_hassan (underwater rays): https://pixabay.com/videos/sea-ocean-water-waves-under-water-43209/
Jody Whiteley / jodywhiteley (underwater astronaut): https://pixabay.com/videos/astronaut-alien-octopus-creature-123241/
Jamick (soccer ball green screen): https://pixabay.com/videos/ball-footb...
Clker-Free-Vector-Images (Germany flag): https://pixabay.com/vectors/germany-f...
Clker-Free-Vector-Images (Spain flag): https://pixabay.com/vectors/spain-fla...

POND5 FREE (WITH PURCHASE) IMAGES & VIDEOS USED:
davedigitalfx (3D blue scifi planet tunnel)
Powel2097 (circle target HUD)
AwesomeMedia (scifi neon tunnel)
Freezman (scifi cosmic tunnel)
davedigitalfx (3D blue neon hexagons)
shanghaiface (Aurora Borealis)

ADOBE STOCK VIDEOS & IMAGES (PURCHASED LICENSE):
Goldenearring (car radio green screen)
VICTORIA (car interior)
Alessandro (bridge green screen)
Monu (octopus green screen)
Haizon (goal)
Gorodenkoff (red & white teams, areal shot)
Igor Kardasov (octopus in tank)

SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGES (PURCHASED LICENSE):
Zoa.Arts (newspaper template)

LOOPERMAN FREE SOUND LOOP:
https://www.looperman.com/loops/detail/229125/meine-seltsamen-saefte-103bpm-cinematic-soundscapes-loop (underwater sounds in the promo at the end)