state of mind (remix)
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the brief
state of mind (remix) was a different kind of ask. darryl had an a cappella reimagining of the track by a vocalist in paris, and rather than a straightforward lyric video, he wanted something more adventurous. the direction evolved through our conversations into an avant-garde animated piece, no lyrics, no narrative, just pure visual music. three weeks from greenlight to delivery.
the results
"Our most recent collaboration, a reimagined a cappella version of State Of Mind, was inspired by Alfie’s creative direction. His concept led us toward an avant-garde, Andy Warhol-influenced aesthetic that stands out as one of the most engaging pieces in our catalog—quickly generating views, likes, shares, and strong audience retention. Alfie is consistently responsive, highly creative, and delivers a complete package—including video and social media assets ready for rollout. He’s collaborative, adaptable, and never hesitant to step outside his comfort zone to elevate the work." - Darryl Scotti
the approach
i'd been building on the original state of mind animation, so the starting point was taking that palette and pushing it further. the treatment drew from two complementary ideas: bold, flat geometric shapes and liquid organic morphing, compositions that breathe and shift with the track rather than illustrating it. darryl brought the warhol reference into the conversation and it clicked immediately. that four-panel, pop-art sensibility gave the abstract direction a framework without making it literal.
the work
fully animated in after effects across three weeks. styleframes developed and signed off in week one before any animation began, with the coming soon pre-promo asset delivered in the same window. full animation build in week two, rough cut review, then colour grade, revisions and full asset delivery by week three. alongside the 3:25 master: three vertical social cutdowns, two spotify canvas loops, coming soon and out now animated loops, and carousel stills.
reflection
this one came out well. working without lyrics or narrative meant the motion design had to carry everything, which pushed me further than the lyric video work had. the styleframe process was the right call, getting sign-off on the visual direction before building anything saved a lot of potential back-and-forth later.
