Powerglove is 16 Bits of Awesome in 'Batman' Video
When videogame-themed metal quartet Powerglove set out to create a video for their latest single "Batman," they decided to go with digital animation... but not the kind you've come to expect nowadays. No, we're talking serious old-school here: 16-bit, side-scrolling video game graphics straight out of the early '90s. Just so you know, Batman himself doesn't actually appear in the video... but the band does, manifested as "sprite" images that battle the baddies and bosses with the unstoppable power of rock 'n' roll. Hit the jump to viddy the clip, and learn more about how the video was designed...
"In typical Powerglove fashion, we did things a little differently," explained guitarist Chris Marchiel, who worked closely with director David Brodsky to create the animation. "After shooting our green screen performance footage, we captured tons of 'sprite' images of ourselves in the style of Mortal Kombat, then processed those into full sets of 16-bit action moves. Then, instead of just animating those, I programmed several video game fight scenarios with the band as playable characters and recorded takes of me playing through the mini games. The result is a combination of green screen performance in original 16 bit environments, traditional sprite based animation and recorded gaming sequences, and the end result is silly, unique and just plain fun."
Just like the video, Powerglove's album Saturday Morning Apocalypse is a wild and crazy blast from the past, with each song dedicated to themes from beloved shows like Pokémon, Transformers, The Simpsons, Inspector Gadget, Winnie the Pooh, Johnny Quest and The Flintstones, plus movies like Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas, and superheroes like X-Men and (of course) Batman.
If you want to see Powerglove do their thing live, they're currently on the "Summer Slaughter" tour with The Black Dahlia Murder, Six Feet Under, Whitechapel and Dying Fetus. Check out the tour's official Facebook page for venue and ticket info... but before you go, press play and FIGHT!
