This is the animated story of how a journeyman guitarist achieved guitar-hero status by embracing the technological innovation of his time: the wah-wah pedal.
Our projects with our friends at Tilapia Film are always a highlight, and this one was no exception. The goal was to help college students understand the importance of embracing new technology—but instead of relying on obvious modern examples like computers or AI, the educators took a much more inspired approach. They looked backward, using a deceptively simple piece of musical technology to make the point.
Through the lens of the wah-wah pedal, the video contrasts two musicians from the same era. One rejected the new technology and faded into relative obscurity. The other embraced it—and went on to become one of the most influential and celebrated guitarists of all time. At the request of our client, we are intentionally not spelling out his full name, but the references are clear from the imagery and the title itself.
Creative Brief
From a creative standpoint, it was critical that the entire piece felt authentic to its time period. That direction quickly led us to a pen-and-ink illustration style, similar to other work we’ve done for the client.
One of the key creative challenges was restraint. We needed to avoid telegraphing who Jimmy James would eventually become, while also ensuring that his face remained consistent from the beginning of the film through the final reveal. The transformation needed to be conveyed through expression, performance, and—most importantly—color.
Color became a storytelling device. For most of the piece, the visuals remain largely black and white, with only subtle color accents. As the wah-wah pedal unlocks new creative possibilities, color is gradually introduced. Even then, the palette was intentionally limited. The directors were adamant that any colors used feel true to the late 1960s and could plausibly have been reproduced using the printing technologies available to bands of that era. That constraint required us to significantly simplify and refine our color schemes.
Below are a few early design explorations alongside the final direction chosen by the directors.
Animation
It was important that the animation itself felt handcrafted, so all of the animation was done traditionally—hand-drawn, frame-by-frame. Since this is the most time-intensive and costly approach to 2D animation, and the budget was limited, we animated much of the piece on fours. That choice reduced the overall frame count while preserving the organic, illustrative feel the creative brief called for.
To further reinforce the time period, we added subtle film noise during the final composite. The result is a piece that feels tactile, analog, and rooted in its era—both visually and thematically.
Let’s Talk
If you are looking for a studio that offers personalized, white-glove service and knows how to deliver high-quality animation efficiently, we would love to talk. At Pipsqueak Animation, we pride ourselves on providing exceptional value and a collaborative production experience from start to finish.
Feel free to get in touch to discuss your next animation project.
