Julia Deans today releases the visual story of her song The Panic, due for release April 13th. The video can be viewed below.
 
The Panic video was both animated and edited by Greg Page, one of Julia’s long-term collaborators.  The clip is over 6,000 frames of art, which took over two months to create. He had a little help from his 8 year old daughter Peggy, who drew the white puppy at the beginning and end of the clip, and Minnie, their English Bull Staffy cross who enthusiastically posed for all of the drawings.
 
The concept of The Panic video follows a small girl who gets a puppy.  Unlike the usual pet stories, this pupper is not a pet, but a black panic dog that the little girl now owns for life.
 
As she grows up and her awareness of the dog increases, the larger it becomes until eventually, rather than letting it consume her, she takes charge and breaks the big panic dog into smaller manageable pups.
 
Of the clip Greg states: “I deliberately kept it loose and the black and white was a conscious decision to set the story in a dream or memory where colour is scared to go.  The rough scratchy style was me drawing honestly and without worry. I feel the scratchiness is the perfect accompaniment to that kick ass beat and bass line.
 
Julia invested a lot of trust not only that I would complete the clip, but in the concept which grew organically and slowly over time.”
 
Julia filmed herself singing, which was originally meant to be a reference for Greg to animate her movements into the video.  However, he liked the footage so much he simply added that to the frames and The Panic video was born.
 
“I am proud to have made 'The Panic' and felt like Julia gifted me one of the best songs to be inspired by.”
 
Julia says;  "The Panic is about learning to live with our fears & anxieties – with depression. It’s about recognising that all of us harbour these feelings in our own varying forms and, at one time or another, we have to work out how to keep them in check & reign them in before they take over."
 
The New Zealand Music Foundation has a free Wellbeing Service for people involved in the music community. It is a 24/7 online, on the phone & in-person counselling service, open to people in the music industry and those who have concern for their loved ones. The Wellbeing Service is available via 0508MUSICHELP (toll free) and www.nzmusicfoundation.org.nz/wellbeing