Pink Floyd - Brain Damage (Animation Competition Entry) Dedicated to Syd Barret #TDSOTM50

Pink Floyd’s music has woven its way through our entire lives, leaving an indelible mark on our consciousness, perspectives, and lifestyle. The notes we heard in our childhood have become ingrained in our unconsciousness, making their music an anthem for our existence. In challenging times, when hope seemed elusive, Pink Floyd’s music has consistently offered solace and served as a guiding light. Nastassja and I have both navigated through difficult periods in our lives, and during these mental struggles, Pink Floyd’s music has been a constant companion, extending a helping hand when nothing else could. The band’s creation holds immense significance for us, and the emotions it evokes are priceless. The opportunity to give back arose with the announcement of this competition. Upon hearing Nick Mason introduce the competition, our interest was piqued immediately. We knew that if we were to participate, we had to give our best—pushing our abilities to the maximum and beyond. The driving force behind our initiative was the mysterious story of Syd Barrett appearing at Abbey Road Studios long after his departure from the group. During the recording sessions for their ninth album, “Wish You Were Here,“ in 1975, Barrett visited Pink Floyd for unknown mystical reasons. He attended the Abbey Road session unannounced, witnessing the band working on the final mix of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,“ a song dedicated to him. The profound impact of this unexpected appearance of Syd added depth and soul to the album. This mystical event inspired our choice of the song “Brain Damage“ from the album “Dark Side of the Moon“ for our animation video. The song, dedicated to Syd and his mental health struggles, we think serves also as kind of the axis of the entire concept album, leading to the final song, “Eclipse.“ Probably, all fans know who Syd Barrett was and what he did for the band and for the whole rock ’n’ roll music, but perhaps not many people are aware that Syd was an amazing artist. Painting was as important in his creative life as music. When we discovered the paintings of Syd they inspired us to use his style as the main style of animation of our video. We are grateful to for allowing us to use his artworks in our video, bringing his inner feelings and worldview to life. The foundation of our video’s dramaturgy is based on the chronological moods and ideas of each song from “Dark Side of the Moon.“ Starting with “Speak to Me,“ depicting birth, and concluding with “Eclipse,“ symbolizing the passage from birth to death. Hand-drawn messages inspired by the album’s snippets and Syd’s drawing style flicker across the images. Time, one of the central themes of the album, allowed us to transcend the boundaries and showcase not only “Dark Side of the Moon“ but also references from other Pink Floyd albums. Our video incorporates elements from “Piper at the gates of dawn”, “Animals,“ “Wish You Were Here,“ and “The Wall.“ Also a reference to the band’s first single “Arnold Layne”. In our video, we aimed to represent the concept of the album’s cover by metaphorically placing Syd at the place of a triangle. Here, he becomes a metaphysical catalyst, transforming white light into a rainbow. The animation style, meticulously crafted by Nastassja, draws inspiration from Syd Barrett’s artworks and the mood set by Spanish painter Francisco Goya. Over 2000 hand-drawn frames at 12 frames per second were created in Procreate, animated in After Effects, and edited in Adobe Premiere Pro, capturing the essence of Pink Floyd’s timeless music and Syd Barrett’s artistic brilliance. Rati Dabrundashvili - Director Nastassja Nikitina - Artist @Nastassja_nikitina