A narrative music video, Alien Scars tells the story of a boy and his childhood pal and of finding comfort through a powerful memory.

Creative team

Writer/producer/music: Adam Halstrom
Director/animator: Martyna Koleniec

Filmmaker’s statement

This film is a collaboration between myself and animator/director Martyna Koleniec.

The song Alien Scars was just released on my solo EP, Brainwashed Proper Citizens: Anomalies. For the video, I wanted to use traditional animation to tell the story in a way that would inspire the viewer’s imagination. I spent a few months pondering the concept and searching for a stop-motion animator with a unique and quirky style.

As soon as I came across Martyna’s work, I pitched my idea for a collaboration and she was instantly on board. We spent a few weeks on script revisions and storyboards, then Martyna went to work on set/prop/puppet construction and animating. The animation process took about a month.

I couldn’t be happier with how the project turned out. At its core the song is about personal struggle and coming to terms with things we can’t control. The video takes this idea and shows us how one person managed to overcome that struggle. – Adam Halstrom

About Martyna Koleniec

Martyna Koleniec is an independent stop-motion animator, character designer and photographer based in Warsaw, Poland. In 2017, she graduated from Clay Animation’s Stop Motion Animation course in Valencia, Spain and now continues her passion for building scenographies, designing puppets and storytelling.

Martyna is currently experimenting with different textures and perfecting her unique ‘creepy-cute’ style.