Take That’s Sweet July uses several visual languages across one music video. Directed by Vaughan Arnell and created with artist-led VFX studio Rohtau, the production blends traditional hand-crafted animation with AI-assisted workflows.
The team drew from animated music-video and comic-book traditions, developing four visual styles that evolve through the film. Artists across Europe contributed ink, comic-book, collage and tactile paper-inspired sections, with compositing used to bring the different treatments together.
A hybrid creative workflow
The production offers an example of AI being introduced as part of an existing creative pipeline rather than replacing the visual authorship of artists.
- Mixed media: Illustration, animation and compositing work together.
- AI assistance: AI supports parts of the production workflow.
- Artist-led design: The visual language and final craft remain controlled by specialist artists.
Zgian takeaway: A practical middle ground for AI in creative production is emerging: AI can assist the pipeline while artists remain responsible for visual design, direction and final quality.