Animation & Motion Design
Michael Cashell
mochi
Mochi is a sweet Japanese snack made from rice dough. Mochitsuki is the traditional method of making mochi. This process involves two large persons beating into the rice dough with a large hammer while the dough is turned and wetted.
“mochi” is an animated music video, created for the song by Darren Faul, which is based around the concepts of rebellion and revolution but more specifically the era of conformity and complacency that people live in before they decide enough is enough.
This concept spawned from the chorus to the song which when translated becomes:
“Pound Pound Pound,
I am mochi after all,
It is not well understood,
It is not well understood”.
The narrative of this piece follows a gelatinous, sentient, humanoid piece of mochi who has been titled “The Mochi Man” as he goes on his daily walk to work. On his way, he sees the city around him transform for the worse as a people fall victim to authorities who promise change for the better but never deliver. As he arrives at work, he is met with his own personal authorities in the form of a hammer which beats him day in and day out, crushing any dreams he has of being free.
For The Mochi Man to achieve these dreams of freedom he will first need to stand up to those who would get in his way and stop the hammer.