<img src="https://comicvibe.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/sencka-C4-91-5.png” alt=”senckađ”>
EDITION→
Global
•
USA
•
UK
•
AUNZ
•
CANADA
•
IRELAND
•
FRANCE
•
GERMANY
•
ASIA
•
EUROPE
•
LATAM
•
MEA
Edition : InternationalLanguage : English
HOME
NEWS
CREATIVE LIBRARY
IMMORTAL AWARDS
MEMBER COMPANIES
PEOPLE
JOBS
How LBB WorksPlans & PricingEditorial Toolkit
news
NEWS
CREATIVE LIBRARY
IMMORTAL AWARDS
MEMBER COMPANIES
PEOPLE
JOBS
Login or Register
Creative in association withLittle Black Book
Take That’s ‘Sweet July’ Travels Through 4 Decades of Comic-Book Art
lbbonline.com
0
LIKE
ADD TO COLLECTION
07/08/2026
Share
Music video from Merman’s Vaughan Arnell and Rohtau combines AI-assisted workflows with handcrafted animation to create a mixed-media journey inspired by comic books and iconic music videos
Merman teamed up with director Vaughan Arnell and Rohtau to create the animation for Take That’s ‘Sweet July’, blending AI-assisted tools with handcrafted animation techniques to produce a richly textured mixed-media music video.
Inspired in part by Peter Gabriel’s ‘Sledgehammer’ and a-ha’s ‘Take On Me’ videos and drawing on four decades of comic-book art – from 1980s classics through to contemporary work – the team settled on four distinct visual styles to carry the film from ink to full colour across its runtime. Rather than relying on automated stylisation, Rohtau assembled a team of specialist artists to hand-process the footage frame by frame in After Effects, ensuring the result reads as genuine animation rather than a filter effect.
“We wanted this to feel handmade, not like a Photoshop plugin,” said Jordi Bares, creative director at Rohtau. “Every frame was worked by hand to make sure the styles enhanced the performances rather than sitting on top of them.”
Because the band are so recognisable, it was essential that each style supported their features rather than overpowering them, and that the transitions felt natural. Working live from camera DIT feeds, with laptops connected to Rohtau’s cloud pipeline on set, the team was able to test how framing and lighting affected the line art in real time, in constant dialogue with the DIT, director, and director of photography. Some of the most exciting moments came from happy accidents – including the large studio doors opening to cast beautiful shadows that translated into rich line-art textures across the floor.
Once in the studio, with the edit in place, the film was broken into distinct story beats and assigned to the right artist. Sébastien, the French comic-book specialist, handled the water-ink, darker ink, and colour comic-book sections, maintaining both the timeline and the visual flow. Zed, based in Hungary, brought his expertise in textured, gritty comic book imagery and added depth through his After Effects skills, while Linus in Switzerland drew on his background in comic books, collage, paper craft, and stop-motion to help shape the more tactile, layered sections. Across the project, there was extensive AI experimentation and
After Effects manipulation to keep the animation alive while ensuring it supported the performance rather than competing with it. Vaughan’s openness to play, explore, and guide the film with confidence helped create an environment in which the team could flourish creatively, resulting in a complex but highly readable and visually inventive piece – a dream scenario, and a dream team.
Vaughan Arnell said, “The video was inspired by the iconic videos of INXS and A-Ha, but we wanted to reinterpret that style through a contemporary AI lens. Rohtau were incredible at bringing the idea to life. We had three artists from across Europe each creating different sections of the film, all coordinated by Jordi, so it became this really collaborative process. There were hand-drawn sketches, illustrations and paint elements, all blended with different AI platforms. It ended up feeling like a real fusion of traditional and modern mixed-media techniques and we were so happy how it all worked out.”
Creative in association withLittle Black Book
More News from Merman Branded (UK)
Dancer and Choreographer Parris Goebel Joins Merman05/08/2026
Sharon Horgan on Building Merman, Backing New Voices, and Trusting Your Gut08/06/2026
Merman Adds Award-Winning Director James Griffiths to Roster11/05/2026
ALL THEIR NEWS
Work from Merman Branded (UK)
Sweet JulyTake That
07/08/2026
Janesbury’sSainsbury’s
28/07/2026
TomatoesSainsbury’s
28/07/2026
ALL THEIR WORK
SUBSCRIBE TO LBB’S newsletterEnter your email
FOLLOW US
Events
DPA + SLA (+ US Add.)
MyLBB Score
About Us
Contact
Editorial Toolkit
Help & FAQ
Privacy Policy
Main Terms & Conditions
Newsletters
Create your own LBB icons
How it works
Plans & Pricing
LBB’s Global Sponsor
