Hunky Dory

When we are in harmony with the beauty of nature, and the moon is as round as a banjo, that's when you know everything is hunky dory.

2024, 6 minutes, 4320 index cards

Hunky Dory - Written, Mixed & Performed by Béla Fleck

for My Bluegrass Heart (Renew Records/BMG)
And featuring Stuart Duncan, Jerry Douglas, David Grisman, Mark Schatz, Edgar Meyer, & Tony Trischka. Recorded by Richard Battaglia; Mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound

Scroll down or click here for EPK.

Screenings and Awards

"While you may be able to watch this film on your phone, tablet or laptop, there is no substitute for seeing these little drawings projected on a large movie screen where the subtle details, textures and transformations can be truly appreciated!"

"These four thousand, three hundred and twenty hand-drawn frames of musical joy are guaranteed to convince you that, for at least six minutes and two seconds, everything is indeed hunky dory."

Woods Hole Film Festival, 2024

"The artwork here is really great and superbly tells the tale of nature vs. industry."

~Dances With Films, 2024

"Thanks for this film which is an animation short, so classical but hard worked in its technical fundamentals. The music is fit and the imaginative animal transitions are well done. We appreciate the work of a solitary filmmaker specially and you had the gentleness of noticing a particular element of you film that is related with our poster of this year (the windmills). We appreciate this kind of pieces, which are more difficult to create than the eyes of the general publc could see,
You are part from this season program.
Well done!"

Hell Chess Festival, Spain

EPK

Synopsis

Hunky Dory juxtaposes scenes of animal life with images of human existence, observing the quirky and unexpected ways in which we are similar. The meticulously hand-drawn animation is a visual smorgasbord, moving and morphing in perfect time to the banjo music of Béla Fleck and his bandmates in My Bluegrass Heart.

(click poster image for larger version)

Facts

Film Stills

(click image for full 1920x1080 resolution)

Short Clips for Promotion

Director's Statement

This film is my visual interpretation of the song "Hunky Dory" by Béla Fleck . My animation is pure "flip-book" style; all of the drawings are done by hand on 3x5 inch index cards. There are 12 drawings for each second of film, and each drawing is complete - there are no separate layers, and there is no computer animation. Each of the 4320 drawings is used just once - much like a flip-book, there are no repeats or cycles. My process begins with a very rough storyboard. I align these sketches with the wave form of the music track, then fill out the details and make changes as I go along. This leaves room for spontaneity and improvisation, both of which are important elements in music as well as art.

Director's Bio

Northern California based artist Steven Vander Meer (b. 1963) is an animator, graphic artist and avid home brewer. He was born and raised in LeMars, Iowa, and grew up working in the family bakery before attending the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, earning a BFA in 1985. He is an internationally known animator, having won several best animation and best music video awards at prestigious film festivals; his films have been screened at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. He is a 2014 recipient of the Victor Thomas Jacoby Award. Vander Meer's films span almost three decades and have screened at numerous top-tier film festivals including Sundance, Slamdance, Raindance, Annecy International Animation Festival, Melbourne International Animation Festival, Thomas Edison Film Festival (formerly Black Maria), Cinequest and Palm Springs International Shortfest.

(Click headshot image for a larger, printable version.)