In the last few years, most of the audiovisual content we see on television, platforms, social media, etc., is determined by the so-called algorithms, which seem to know what people like before they know it themselves.

According to John Lumgair, Christian director and co-founder of Quirky Motion, a British audiovisual company that produces videos, podcasts, ads, films, animation and documentaries, “Big Tech has reduced us to code, and we are dancing to their algorithms”.

But Lumgair and his team, who have worked for BBC, Channel 4, Disney, Amazon, and Netflix, think “it is time, time to stop complaining, time for something fresh and time to look forward”.

That is why they have created Jazz Cow, an animated sitcom featuring Jazz, “a cartoon cow modelled on Humphrey Bogart, who walks around playing the saxophone and doing crazy missions with his bickering oddball friends”.

Resist the algorithm

Jazz Cow takes place in Poppworld, where Jazz “reluctantly leads a group of artists, poets and misfits in resisting Dr Popp’s technocratic world of algorithms and fake filters”.

Dr Popp is the villain and has hired Bash890, an app that claims to deliver people exactly what they want at the moment they think they feel they want it, but in reality he is controlling all they do.

He also wants to franchise the artisanal bakers, street vendors, fringe theatre, and second bookshops.

Jazz and his band are the resistance, their mission is to preserve the good, such as “slow food, low tech, reading books and having actual conversations, and exchanging ideas and views with real people”; and to “fight fire with jazz, because music is not content, it’s music”.

Evangelical Focus talked with John Lumgair about the project.

Question. How do you come up with the idea of Jazz Cow?

Answer. A group of us were laughing about how in superhero films the main character has some bad encounter with a creature i.e. a spider and they are transformed into someone with a 'save the world time power'. But why does it have to be that way? What does it have to be those kinds of attributes?

Someone suggested a cow, and then the superhero ability to play Jazz came up. Of course, the moment of 'inspiration' is immediate but the refining of an idea and thinking about it takes longer.

Q. What do you hope your viewers will experience?

A. First and foremost I hope it is a good laugh, but with meaning. Our goal is to fall into a 'Simpsons' kind of slot, delivering a thoughtful social satire with a big heart and a positive message, steering clear of the more cynical nihilistic aspects often associated with more recent animations.

We envision the 20-minute pilot serving as a compelling proof of concept to pave the way for an entire series.

Q. What is it like to be a believer in the cartoon industry?

A. Animation is probably the most friendly area of the film industry for Christians. It tends to attract people with a passion for creation and who are a bit "geeky" (I mean that positively), who want to bring ideas to life.

It is such a magical medium that I feel that animators are still a bit more open and not as hard or cynical. There are a few Christians in leading positions like the Bancroft brothers, or Nick Park.

I also think there is a “we are in this together” thing, as very few people in animation earn a lot of money. Most animators work hard because of their love for storytelling rather than monetary gain. But it is also very easy for animation to become an idol to give it every hour.

To be launched on Kickstarter

Lumgair explains on the Jazz Cow website that they are “open to conversations with broadcasters and commissioners”, but “we are building this from the grassroots up and want to create a show that audiences will love, so we are starting with the Kickstarter”.

Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative projects. Everything from films, games, and music to art, design, and technology. Anyone interested in the project can help, by signing up to their newsletter; sharing it this with people who might like it, and supporting it on Kickstarter when they go live, on 1 May.