Concept: Wise Prayer
Sjava, born Jabulani Hadebe in 1983, is a South African singer, rapper, and actor who hails from the small town of Bergville in KwaZulu-Natal. His artistic journey began early, with him writing music and leading an a cappella group at the tender age of 10. is lyrics delve into personal themes of love, loss, family, and identity, offering a relatable and deeply human experience for listeners.
In "Umcebo," Sjava navigates the intricate fabric of South African society, touching on themes like greed, death, love, wealth, and wisdom. Yet, amidst these societal complexities, a profound narrative of hope and transformative change emerges.
Originally conceived to shed light on economic disparities and labor injustices, the concept for the "Umcebo" music video evolved into a poignant exploration of prayer. This thematic shift underscores the significance of addressing societal issues through a spiritual lens and collective action.
The video serves as a visual prayer, interweaving scenes of struggle and reflection with moments of communal supplication. Sjava, as the embodiment of the people's voice, anchors the narrative, urging viewers to contemplate the interconnectedness of societal challenges and the potential for empowerment and change. Through awareness, empathy, and unified effort, "Umcebo" inspires viewers to actively engage in the pursuit of social awareness and positive transformation
Process
Sketches
Illustrations
Colour pallet
Timeline
The second colour pallet takes place from 45 to 1:15 seconds.
Then finally the first colour pallet take place from 1:15 seconds to 1:30 seconds to finally represent an answered prayer.
Then finally the first colour pallet take place from 1:15 seconds to 1:30 seconds to finally represent an answered prayer.
How it works
This animation has two colour pallets that work together to communicate a “Wise Prayer”
Chorus: The colour pallet is taken from the music video, Album cover and Shembe which is the religion
Verse 1 and verse colour pallet: Is to communicate the hardship experience that the artist says in the song and potrays in the music video.
The first colour pallet which resemble answered prayers
Inspiration
In Shembe there is a use of the colour red and white. I will also look at the colour grading used in the music video and colours used in the album cover. There are tones of cream white, beige, red and orange. I might also put a specific colour to certain words used in the song and this will act as a highlight.
Storyboard
Low fidelity
Low fidelity- Explained
The lyrics starts after 15 seconds which is a chorus and ends after 30 seconds. The chorus is repeated twice until 40 seconds. From 45 seconds is verse 1 until 1minute. From 1:01 to 1:15 is verse two. The artist separated everything for a segment of 15 seconds. The total duration of my lyrical music video is 1:30.
Frame 1: The animation opens with a swirling tornado, forming the shape of an eye. This tornado symbolizes the chaotic and turbulent forces present in the world, echoing the themes of death and the destructive allure of materialism explored in the song.
Frame 2: A close-up of a candle appears, representing prayer amidst the chaos. The candle serves as a beacon of hope and guidance in the darkness, offering solace and reflection.
Frame 3-4: The animation zooms out from the candle, revealing its flickering flame against the backdrop of darkness. However, the planned strokes around the fire, resembling a soul of a human figure, were later removed to prevent distraction from the lyrics.
Frame 5: The beginning of verse 1 and 2 unfolds, depicting an eye opening and shedding a tear. This imagery captures the vulnerability and emotionality of the human experience amidst the chaos of the world.
Frame 6-8: The tear morphs into a clenched fist, symbolizing the misuse of power mentioned in the lyrics: “The power in the hands of a man with no wisdom is dangerous.” This transformation underscores the perilous consequences of unchecked authority.
Frame 8: The fist extinguishes the candle flame, symbolizing the extinguishing of hope and guidance when power is wielded without wisdom. This action serves as a stark reminder of the dangers inherent in the pursuit of power at any cost.
Frame 9: The animation concludes with smoke rising upward from the extinguished candle, symbolizing the end of prayer and the inevitability of death. This visual metaphor encapsulates the transient nature of life and the passage into the unknown, leaving viewers with a sense of contemplation and reflection.
Medium fidelity
Frame 2: The Artists name is introduces 10 seconds in the lyrical music video.
Frame 3: I added clouds that help transition scenes plus it adds more
atmospheric feel.
atmospheric feel.
Frame 4: The word “Webaba” which mean father or higher power, therefore the word will be in bold and large. By this, I will manage to get the viewers attention. This will guarantee that type is the main character. The words ‘Mabecela kuwe’ will smoothly slide in because the song is also gentle
Frame 5: The words will play around the candle in such a way that mimics the sign interpreter (Fortune Madlala) that is in the official music video and lyric music video.
Frame 6: Transition- The cloud move in and out of frame.
Frame 9: The background moves in sync with the lyrics to make it easy for people to read. That is something that the artist has proven to be important to him. He portrays it in the lyric music video.
Frame 10-12: Represent the saying “Your tears won’t be left unheard“. This part give the song an optimist ending to the story as it represents prayers being heard and answered.
This approach will connect listeners to song and relate no matter what their story is. I did this because the has multiple problems that were shown that concern South Africa which is more than what he says on the song.
High fidelity
Chorus 1 and 2
Frame 1-4: introduces the name of the artist and the name of the song: “Sjava - Umcebo”
Time: 0 to 15 seconds
Frame 5: shows a candle which introduces the name of the artist and the name of the song: “Sjava - Umcebo” A close-up of a candle appears, representing prayer amidst the chaos. The candle serves as a beacon of hope and guidance in the darkness, offering solace and reflection.
Frame 6-8: The lyrics are moving around the candle as this song is a prayer.
Frame 9: The clouds at as a transition to the verse
High fidelity
Verse 1 and 2
From Frame 10-15 is verse 1 and 2. Words are animated around the eye and they mimic the sign interpreter’s ( Fortune Madlala) motion and gesture.
Frame 16-18 is an outro
The tear slowly drops down and it loses colour as it turns grey. The eye stays shining in the dark to show that the artist’s wisdom and his trust in the higher power to resort issues that took place in South Africal.
The tear slowly drops down and it loses colour as it turns grey. The eye stays shining in the dark to show that the artist’s wisdom and his trust in the higher power to resort issues that took place in South Africal.
Frame 18
This is the end of the animation when the abstract background moves back to the centre of the frame. And the clouds closing in.
This is the end of the animation when the abstract background moves back to the centre of the frame. And the clouds closing in.
Final Animation
