Rhett & Link: T-Shirt War!
Posted by Rebekah Cook on
"Internetainment" celebs Rhett & Link are known for their comedic sketches, quirky music videos, and epic exploration of randomness. Here they teamed up with fellow Youtubers Joe Penna and Billy Reid to create a stop-motion T-shirt battle—and it's a blast to watch. (Literally)
T-SHIRT WAR! - Rhett & Link
Teamwork sparkles in the creative collaboration for this brilliant animated piece. Verbal sound effects compound the comedy. Rhett & Link personalities paired with hundreds of custom-ordered T-shirts construct a tale of friendly pranks that escalate from popping balloons, to egg-smashing, to setting someone on fire! Despite the hazards, friendship (and foolishness) wins out in the end.
Months of planning went into the concept and design of the T-shirt logo sequences. Each frame was digitally drawn by Billy and approved by the team, then the batch was sent out to be printed. During filming, Rhett and/or Link had to change into the correct shirt for each progression of a plot twist.
Imagine if you were one of the actors in this scene.... Even keeping your feet planted between shirt changes, it would be beyond difficult to maintain visual continuity for each nuanced expression. How was this accomplished?
Enter the dual camera system! Billy's laptop was placed right below Joe's still camera, facing the actors. He grabbed a picture from the laptop camera every time Joe snapped an official frame for the film. This gave an onion-skin "mirror" for the talent to match their own positions along the way. You can see some of this process in action during the Behind The Scenes video below (around 1:19).