About the Film
Cincinnati animator Mark Neeley creates handcrafted, frame-by-frame animated films and music videos that explore the intersection of sound and image. Working with paper, ink, and paint, his distinctive analog style transforms music and storytelling into richly textured visual experiences.
This CliftonFest program features a curated selection of Neeley’s original animated short films alongside music videos created for a diverse range of musicians. Together, the works showcase the artistry and creativity of independent animation while celebrating the expressive possibilities of the handmade medium
About the Artist
Mark Neeley is an animator, designer & journalist from Cincinnati, Ohio. Neeley’s film works are analogue made using paper, ink & paint: frame by frame animation. Short film Fragments(2020) was the winner of the PBS “Reel 13” program and was the recipient of over a dozen international film festival screenings. Pure Animation for Now People (2024), featuring a soundtrack by Mark Mothersbaugh, is currently on the film festival circuit.
Commercial work in the form of music videos and creative advertising are his specialities. He’s worked with musicians such as Beachwood Sparks, Never Young Beach, Allah-Las, Robyn Hitchcock, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Michael Rault, Cara Beth Satalino, Spencer Cullum’s Coin Collection, Bonny Doon, Maston, Gruff Rhys, Lee Baggett.
His illustration work has also been featured in publications such as New York Times and been featured on clothing collaborations with Madewell. As a purveyor of multiple creative projects rooted in the juxtaposition of sound & vision, Neeley is also a contributor for taste-making music & arts publication Aquarium Drunkard and has written for publications like Shindig! magazine and Volume 1 Brooklyn. He has consulted and curated music programming for Dublab, NTS Radio and more.