Callicore (studio)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Animation, Music video production |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Founder | Laurent Mercier |
| Headquarters | Paris , France |
Key people | Laurent Mercier (Founder), Anaelle Mercier (Producer and production assistant since 2015), Cedric Bernard (Lead animator since 2019) |
| Products | CGI animated music videos |
Callicore is a studio located in Paris that focuses on creating CGI animated music videos. Established in 2000 by Laurent Mercier, the company has developed videos for a variety of musicians, including John Lee Hooker, Jr., The Buzzcocks, Cake, Marky Ramone, Carbon/Silicon, and Arrested Development. The studio gained distinction as a 2009 Webby Award honoree for its visual effects work on Hooker's Blues Ain't Nothin' But a Pimp video.
In 2006, Xavier Semen joined Callicore as producer and principal animator, broadening the studio’s scope in animation and music publishing; he departed in 2014 and was replaced by CG artist Marius Legrand. Then, in 2015, Anaelle Mercier took on the roles of producer and production assistant. Following Legrand’s exit in 2019, Cedric Bernard assumed the position of lead animator.
History and style
Laurent Mercier, born in 1967 and a graduate of the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, founded Callicore as an independent entity to challenge what he perceived as the "cultural dictatorship of the media" exerted by dominant corporations within the music and creative sectors. The studio retains full oversight over every phase of its projects to safeguard its autonomy from major media conglomerates.
An early project with Semen was the animated video for Phantom Rider (2007) by British psychobilly group The Meteors. In the same year, Callicore also crafted a video for punk band The Buzzcocks’ Sound of a Gun, issuing a censored version suitable for broadcast.
The video for John Lee Hooker, Jr.’s Grammy-winning song Blues Ain't Nothin' But a Pimp depicts Hooker as the comic book persona "Bluesman." This production was honored in 2009 as a Webby Award nominee for Special FX/Motion Graphics and served as inspiration for the album’s cover artwork.
In 2008, Callicore produced its inaugural video for Carbon/Silicon, featuring former Clash guitarist Mick Jones and bassist Tony James. The studio followed with videos in 2010 for Arrested Development’s Bloody and Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg track When We Were Angels.
Callicore created the video for Cake’s Long Time in 2011, part of their comeback album Showroom of Compassion. Mercier remarked that the video’s somber mood reflected Cake’s melancholic sound, a sentiment appreciated by lead singer John McCrea, who commended the video’s fluid motion and choreography.
Between 2011 and 2013, Callicore produced videos for artists such as Brian Setzer, Lee Rocker, Eagle-Eye Cherry, and Dr. Feelgood. The studio has maintained ongoing collaborations with John Lee Hooker, Jr., repeatedly featuring the "Bluesman" character in various projects.
Music videography
| Year | Title | Artist | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Sound of a Gun | The Buzzcocks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Phantom Rider | The Meteors | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | I'm a Dead Cat | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | The News | Carbon/Silicon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Blues Ain't Nothin' But a Pimp | John Lee Hooker, Jr. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | Stressed Out | John Lee Hooker, Jr. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | People Want a Change | John Lee Hooker, Jr. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | Vixen | Pete & Charlie | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Venus | We Are the Fury | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Extramarital Affair | John Lee Hooker, Jr. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Bloody | Arrested Development | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | When We Were Angels | Marky Ramone's Blitzkrieg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Never Stop the Hate Train | The Meteors | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | Long Time | Cake | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | Go-Go Godzilla | Brian Setzer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Dear John | John Lee Hooker, Jr. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | He Wants It | Clinic Rodeo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Rockabilly Boogie | 'Lee Rocker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | 'Go Simmer Down' | 'Eagle-Eye Cherry | '- | '2013' | 'Who Do You Love?' | 'Dr. Feelgood | '- | '2014' | 'Wild Child' | 'Lee Rocker | '- | '2014' | 'Gooooooo!' | '- | '2015' | 'The Story of Reverend John Lee Hooker Jr' | 'John Lee Hooker Jr' | '- | '2015' | 'Lottery' | 'Marky Ramone' | '- | '2016' | 'I Want My Beer' | 'Marky Ramone' | '- | '2016' | 'La Vie en Rose' | 'Iggy Pop' | '- | '2016' | 'The Catfish' | 'Popa Chubby' | '- | '2017' | 'That's Alright Mama/Blue Moon' | 'Lee Rocker' | '- | '2017' | 'Don't Blame Me' | 'Marky Ramone' | '- | '2018' | 'Illustrated Man' | 'Johnny Winter'
-' -'2018' -'Chaos Is My Life' -'The Exploited' -' -'2018' -'P*rn* Sl*t' -'The Exploited' -' -'2019' -'Cold Hearted Mama' -'Paul Nelson' -|} Video Game
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