Episode of Off the Air
"
Dan Deacon: U.S.A.
"
|
---|
|
![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/ea/Dan_Deacon_U.S.A..jpg/220px-Dan_Deacon_U.S.A..jpg) |
Directed by
| Dave Hughes
|
---|
Produced by
|
- Jason DeMarco
- Chris Hartley
|
---|
Featured music
| Dan Deacon
|
---|
Cinematography by
| Alan Steadman
(for
Stone Mountain Ghillie Suits
)
|
---|
Editing by
|
- Dave Hughes
- Cody DeMatteis
(graphics)
|
---|
Original air date
| July 6, 2013
(
2013-07-06
)
|
---|
Running time
| 22 minutes
|
---|
|
- Cody DeMatteis in
Stone Mountain Ghillie Suits
- Zach White in
Stone Mountain Ghillie Suits
|
List of episodes
|
"
Dan Deacon: U.S.A.
" (also known as the "
Dan Deacon Special
"
[1]
) is the first animated television special of the American
anthology series
Off the Air
. The special was edited and directed by creator and executive producer
Dave Hughes
. The episode incorporates surreal footage of landscapes in the United States, with music by
Dan Deacon
from the album
America
. The special was commissioned by
Williams Street Records
as part of the Adult Swim 2013 Singles Program. The episode coincided with the release of another track by Deacon entitled "Why Am I on This Cloud?", featuring samples from other Adult Swim programming.
Promoted as a "one-time airing" by members of the production staff, the episode premiered on
Adult Swim
on July 6, 2013. The special was viewed by 962,000 viewers and received a 0.8 rating among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. The episode received positive critical reception from
music journalist
websites for its
psychedelic
visuals and uses of American iconography.
Synopsis
[
edit
]
The episode features music by
Dan Deacon
(pictured)
from the album
America
.
Similar to other episodes of
Off the Air
, the episode is presented without explanation or narration as a showcase of surreal animations,
viral internet videos
,
archival footage
and
morphing psychedelic imagery
, arranged around a single loose theme and blended without pause into a single continuous presentation. Excluding its
closing credits
, the special features the last four tracks from the album
America
by
Dan Deacon
(referred to as the "'U.S.A.' suite"
[2]
). The episode incorporates the following works, which center on landscapes in the United States:
- El hombre y la Tierra
excerpt
- Radical Updates
by Andrew Benson
- Cityscape Chicago
by Eric Hines
- Space Station footage provided by Image Science and Analysis Laboratory at the
NASA
John Space Center
- Groosland
by
Dutch National Ballet
[a]
- CGI
space objects by Adam Bruneau
- American Harvest
provided by
Prelinger Archives
- Head On
by Lior Ben Horin
- Murmuration
by Liberty Smith and Sophie Windsor Clive
- Cy's Sunrise Lefts
by Cyrus Sutton and Korduroy.tv
- Moonwalk
performance by Dean Potter
[b]
- Primavera Concert Footage
by Tom Bingham, Gill Austin, Jonathan Rej, and Jeff Crocker
- Stone Mountain Ghillie Suits
; cinematography by Alan Steadman, featuring Cody DeMatteis and Zach White
- Additional
stock footage
provided by
iStock
and
Pond5
Production
[
edit
]
The episode was produced by
Williams Street Records
as part of the
Adult Swim 2013 Singles Program
.
[3]
Director and editor
Dave Hughes
had previously collaborated with Deacon in 2008 for his song "Okie Dokie" from the album
Spiderman of the Rings
.
[4]
The short film
Head On
by Lior Ben Horin was featured in the a previous episode of the series entitled "Color". According to Hughes, the special was commissioned to coincide with the release of Deacon's track for the compilation album.
[5]
Deacon's track was released on William Street Record's website on June 26, 2013; entitled "Why Am I on This Cloud?", the song features
samples
from other Adult Swim programming.
[6]
Despite the special's national focus, the episode culls works from artists worldwide.
[7]
Hughes, along with associate producer Cody DeMatteis, utilized
Adobe After Effects
for some aspects of post-production editing.
[8]
The special makes extensive use of
compression artifacts
for artistic effect, namely "
datamoshing
", where two videos are interleaved so intermediate frames are interpolated from two separate sources.
[9]
The technique referred to as "photo stacking", in which
time-lapse photographs
are composited on top of one another,
[10]
was also utilized for the NASA John Space Center footage.
[11]
: 86?87
Broadcast and reception
[
edit
]
"Dan Deacon: U.S.A." aired on July 6, 2013 on Cartoon Network's late-night programming block,
Adult Swim
. Promoted as a "one-time airing" by members of the production staff,
[12]
the episode was broadcast as part of DVR Theater at 4 a.m.; former episodes of the series aired in the 4 a.m. timeslot preceding the premiere of the special as well. The special was viewed by 962,000 viewers and received a 0.8
Nielsen rating
in the 18?49 demographic.
[13]
The episode was previously released onto Adult Swim's website on July 1, 2013;
[14]
it was published on Adult Swim's official YouTube channel on July 3.
[7]
Critical reception was positive, especially from
music journalist
websites, who praised its
psychedelic
visuals and uses of American iconography.
Consequence of Sound
'
s Michael Roffman compared the scenic visuals to
Koyaanisqatsi
and
2001: A Space Odyssey
.
[15]
Exclaim!
magazine's Alex Hudson called the special accompanied by the soundtrack "ambitious and shapeshifting", but described some of the CGI featured as "corny".
[16]
Jamie Milton of
This Is Fake DIY
described the episode as a "bold slice of national pride, beloved to the landscapes that inspired the making of the excitable producer's latest album". In his review, he compared it to the theory of "
Broken Britain
" in the United Kingdom, stating between the special and "a 20 minute documentary about 'Broken Britain', you know which one you should go for."
[17]
An article by
Fact
magazine described the episode as a compilation of "eye-popping scenes."
[18]
Nancy Hoang of
CMJ
praised the episode's visuals, highlighting the incorporation of the short film
Murmuration
by Liberty Smith and Sophie Windsor Clive.
[19]
Chris Martins of
Spin
magazine enjoyed the colorful and
psychedelic
visuals. He found the episode appealing to
stoner
culture, ending his review stating that the special is "tailor-made for late nights in haze-filled dorm rooms."
[20]
Tom Breihan of
Stereogum
reviewed the special positively, calling the episode an "oddly patriotic work that pulls in all sorts of American iconography".
[21]
Rachel Haas of
Paste
magazine praised the special being released close to
Independence Day
, stating "this suite would possibly soundtrack the coolest, weirdest
fireworks show
ever."
[22]
Leor Galil of the
Chicago Reader
featured the video for his "12 O'Clock Track", praising Hughes' manipulation of
Cityscape Chicago
by cinematographer Eric Hines. However, given the tracks' length, he argued the episode would best be enjoyed "through a nice pair of speakers at a barbecue instead of spending that time with your eyes affixed to a computer screen."
[23]
Explanatory notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Footage provided by Poorhouse International, Ltd.
- ^
Cinematography by Reel Walter Productions, Ltd.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"
Off the Air
episodes"
.
TV Guide
. CBS Interactive. Archived from
the original
on December 20, 2014
. Retrieved
December 19,
2014
.
- ^
"Watch the Dan Deacon 'U.S.A.' suite video and more"
(Press release). Domino Recording Company. July 2, 2013.
Archived
from the original on August 5, 2014
. Retrieved
January 10,
2014
.
- ^
"Adult Swim Summer Singles Program Returns with a Free 15-Track Digital Compilation of Never-Before-Released Songs"
.
The Futon Critic
(Press release). Futon Media. June 10, 2013.
Archived
from the original on January 11, 2014
. Retrieved
January 10,
2014
.
- ^
Stosuy, Brandon (April 8, 2008).
"New Dan Deacon Video ? 'Okie Dokie'
"
.
Stereogum
. Spin Media.
Archived
from the original on September 5, 2014
. Retrieved
January 17,
2014
.
- ^
Hughes, Dave (July 1, 2013).
"
'Dan Deacon: U.S.A.'
"
. Vimeo. See description.
Archived
from the original on October 27, 2014
. Retrieved
January 10,
2014
.
- ^
Minsker, Evan (June 27, 2013).
"Listen: Dan Deacon: 'Why Am I on This Cloud?', From Adult Swim Singles Series"
. Pitchfork Media.
Archived
from the original on September 4, 2014
. Retrieved
January 10,
2014
.
- ^
a
b
Pelly, Jenn (July 3, 2013).
"Watch Dan Deacon's 22-Minute 'U.S.A.' Video"
. Pitchfork Media.
Archived
from the original on September 6, 2014
. Retrieved
January 10,
2014
.
- ^
DeMatteis, Cody (July 9, 2013).
"Dan Deacon/
Off The Air
'U.S.A.' Video"
. Taking Tiger Mountain.
Archived
from the original on December 9, 2013
. Retrieved
January 10,
2014
.
- ^
Liu, Denise (September 3, 2013).
"11 Pieces of Eerie Glitch Art"
.
Mashable
.
Archived
from the original on October 6, 2014
. Retrieved
February 10,
2014
.
- ^
Zhang, Michael (November 10, 2012).
"Photo Stacking Technique Makes Clouds Look Like Brush Strokes in the Sky"
.
PetaPixel
.
Archived
from the original on December 5, 2014
. Retrieved
May 23,
2014
.
- ^
McManus, Austin (June 2014). "Dave Hughes".
Juxtapoz
.
21
(161). High Speed Productions: 82?89.
- ^
"(untitled)"
. Facebook. July 5, 2013
. Retrieved
January 10,
2014
.
- ^
Pucci, Douglas (July 10, 2013).
"Adult Swim Weekly Ratings Scorecard (July 1?7, 2013)"
.
TV Media Insights
. Cross MediaWorks. Archived from
the original
on May 27, 2024
. Retrieved
January 10,
2014
.
- ^
"
2013 Adult Swim Singles
"
. Adult Swim. Turner Broadcasting System. Archived from
the original
on November 14, 2014
. Retrieved
January 12,
2014
.
- ^
Roffman, Michael (July 2, 2013).
"Watch Dan Deacon's 22-minute video odyssey for America's 'USA Suite'
"
.
Consequence of Sound
. Townsquare Music.
Archived
from the original on September 5, 2014
. Retrieved
February 9,
2014
.
- ^
Hudson, Alex (July 2, 2013).
"Dan Deacon "U.S.A. Suite" (video)"
.
Exclaim!
. Archived from
the original
on February 14, 2014
. Retrieved
February 9,
2014
.
- ^
Milton, Jamie (July 3, 2013).
"Watch: Dan Deacon Unveils 22-Minute Video For 'U.S.A'
"
.
This Is Fake DIY
.
Archived
from the original on March 6, 2016
. Retrieved
February 9,
2014
.
- ^
"Dan Deacon unveils a 22-minute psychedelic video voyage to accompany 'U.S.A.' suite"
.
Fact
. The Vinyl Factory. July 3, 2013.
Archived
from the original on January 11, 2014
. Retrieved
January 10,
2014
.
- ^
Hoang, Nancy (July 3, 2013).
"Watch: Dan Deacon's 22-Minute Adventure of a Music Video For 'U.S.A.'
"
. CMJ.
Archived
from the original on March 31, 2015
. Retrieved
January 10,
2014
.
- ^
Martins, Chris (July 3, 2013).
"Dan Deacon and Adult Swim Deliver Bong-Bait in 'U.S.A' Short Film"
.
Spin
. Spin Media.
Archived
from the original on September 24, 2015
. Retrieved
January 10,
2014
.
- ^
Breihan, Tom (July 3, 2013).
"Dan Deacon ? 'U.S.A.' Suite Video"
.
Stereogum
. Spin Media.
Archived
from the original on March 27, 2014
. Retrieved
January 10,
2014
.
- ^
Haas, Rachel (July 3, 2013).
"Watch the Video for Dan Deacon's 'U.S.A.' Suite"
.
Paste
. Paste Media Group.
Archived
from the original on April 1, 2015
. Retrieved
January 12,
2014
.
- ^
Galil, Leor (July 4, 2013).
"12 O'Clock Track: Celebrate Independence Day with Dan Deacon's 'U.S.A.' suite"
.
Chicago Reader
. Wrapports.
Archived
from the original on September 11, 2015
. Retrieved
January 10,
2014
.
External links
[
edit
]