Animation Director Kate Isobel Scott Wins Pink Floyd 50th Anniversary Competition

Director Kate Isobel Scott’s handcrafted stop-motion masterpiece has been selected as the winner of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon 50th Anniversary Animation Competition for the track Money.

Spring 2023, saw Pink Floyd’s drummer Nick Mason invite animators and directors from the world over to enter the competition. Entrants could choose to create music videos for any of the 10 songs that make up the iconic 1973 album. This spring, the nine-person judging panel including Mason himself, Cartoonist Gerald Scarfe, Monty Python animator Terry Gilliam, and Director of ‘Minions’ and ‘Despicable Me 3’ Kyle Balda selected Kate’s film from over 900 entries. Her winning entry is now the official music video for one of the band’s most celebrated tracks.

Kate’s winning entry, a six and a half minute film for the song Money was shot almost entirely in stop-motion with hand-crafted claymation characters and painted hand-built sets.

Kate quite literally ‘made’ a lot of money creating the video: 200 foam coins decorated with acrylic paint and clay detailing as well as ten pigs and an entire bank branch!

The animation director, painter and illustrator lives in Melbourne where she runs her animation studio Snotmotion with artist/filmmaker Jordy van den Nieuwendijk whom she collaborated with for this project. Her work, a playful mix of 2D & 3D artworks and stop-motion animation use a mix of mediums including paint, claymation and embroidery. 

In a world where CG and particularly AI are fast developing, it’s reassuring to see her tactile craft-driven work being celebrated and awarded. Working from her own in house studio, with her very own thumbprint often visible across her plasticine creations, she reclaims plasticine, cardboard and wood structures from every shoot to ensure each project uses recycled materials. A pioneer for handmade, green, zero emission animation!

Kate has worked with a wide portfolio of clients. Amazon Music for Doja Cat, Off White, Libresse, Gymshark and Stella McCartney Kids and now adds one of the world’s greatest rock bands to her repertoire. 

Kate said of the film and her approach, “Although this project was a lot of work, it was very rewarding watching my characters come to life like magic. I’ve always been amazed by the iconic visuals and animations within the world of Pink Floyd, and I’m beyond excited that my animation is now a tiny part of their incredible universe.”

Helen Parker, Kate’s agent, exec producer and founder of Everyone Agency said, “Kate’s unrivalled imagination continuously inspires me, this project being testament to that! It is a true privilege to represent such a uniquely talented, craft-driven and innovative artist.”   

Kate Isobel Scott is based in Melbourne and is signed to Everyone Agency globally.