Featuring Jelly Roll, the Snoop Dogg, video helmed by Dave Meyers, Dr. Dre, and Death Row Records blends mixed-media with gen AI.
Psyop has teamed with studio partner Temple Caché to create a surrealistic music video for Snoop Dogg’s single, “Last Dance with Mary Jane,” based on the song by Tom Petty. The project, which blends handcrafted art and generative AI technology, is directed by Dave Meyers, Dr. Dre, and Death Row Records.
The video features Snoop and guest artist Jelly Roll, with screen cameos by B-Real, Method Man, Redman, and Wiz Khalifa. The track incorporates Petty’s vocals and harmonica by permission of his family, and with Petty’s own endorsement to sample the song before his passing in 2017.
“We immediately knew this was going to be something special – ambitious, experimental, and unlike anything seen before in a music video or otherwise,” said Temple Caché co-founder and director Marion Castéra.
The semi-autobiographical story, centers on Snoop Dogg’s lifelong relationship with cannabis, is an exploration of personal choice, social injustice, racial disparities, and the struggles of growing up in America’s inner cities. The story follows Snoop as he flies into a surreal world and experiences growing up again, recapturing his different looks throughout his life and career, before ending the video back in a doctor’s office with a blunt decision.
“While the project was ambitious, it was a collaboration like no other,” added producer Joe Maggiore. “Being able to partner with Dre, Snoop and Dave to create a visual style that hasn’t been done is exactly the type of project we live for at Psyop.”
Production began with an exploratory phase before a live-action greenscreen shoot with Snoop, Dre, and Jelly Roll. Not wanting to be tied a single technique, they blended live-action and AI, as well as 2D, 3D, collage, and motion design.
While proprietary AI software and other AI programs were used to ideate characters and shape landscapes, none of the scenes were completely AI-generated.
“Storytelling requires nuance, from facial expressions to body movements, and AI has yet to master nuance,” said Psyop’s Head of Studio Partnerships Andrew Linsk. “To achieve subtle details and ensure consistency across shots, each frame was touched by human artists – reanimated, composited and layered manually.”
“This mix of new technology and traditional craftsmanship became the essence of the video’s identity,” explained Temple Caché co-founder and director Kelzang Ravach. “The process was a deep dive into experimentation. We had to tinker constantly with the surreal aesthetic to achieve the right visual identity, making sure it felt handcrafted and authentic to ensure the story remained clear and cohesive.”
Check out the music video now:
Source: Psyop
Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologist—L'Wren brings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.
