Legende van de DrakenStier
033 COUNTDOWN 2024
“Countdown033 - The Legend of the Dragon Bull”, a New years projection event, posed several artistic challenges as an animator. Thanks to great communication, time for visual research, and close collaboration with the programmer/director Isaak Hofland, composer Arend Bruijn, and video mapper Martin Brons, these challenges were able to be met with a bang.
The Legend
For the New Year's projection project “Countdown033” in Amersfoort, I was approached by Isaak Hofland, the creator of the “Legend of the Dragon Bull”. This legend draws inspiration from Amersfoort's patron saint, George and the Dragon, weaving it together with a well known Amersfoort artwork by local artist Thijs Trompert. His striking iron bull that stands as a powerful symbol in the city. The project culminated in a symbolic procession at the year's end. As the city prepared to usher in the new year, George’s dragon and the Iron bull traverse Amersfoort's historic streets and at the stroke of midnight, with a burst of light and sound, they merged. Transforming into the unified Dragon Bull, a guardian destined to protect Amersfoort for another year till the next. This visual event not only celebrated the city's heritage, but also offered a hopeful vision for the future, blending historic legend with contemporary artistic expression.
Projection & Team
Projecting the visuals in Amersfoort was challenging. We had to map video onto the Lieve Vrouwetoren, which is super tall and thin. Getting the images to fit right and look good on those uneven surfaces was a real puzzle. My job, along with the director, was to keep the show exciting and moving, especially leading up to the countdown. And we had to do it all while staying within the limits of the buildings we were projecting on. It was a constant challenge to make sure the projection looked seamless, and that the audience was engaged from start to finish. Keeping everyone on the same page was super important for the Amersfoort Dragon Bull project. We had a team with all sorts of skills, and if we didn't talk to each other, things could go wrong fast. For instance, if the animator sent the wrong video files to the video mapper, or if the animation didn't line up with the music, we'd have a mess. Basically, when we weren't talking, it meant delays and extra costs. And nobody wants that.
Music
Arend Bruijn, a talented composer, was also approached for this project and had the same enthusiasm as me. Working with him was a great experience. We bounced ideas off each other, storyboarding and composing at the same time. Every time I came up with a new storyboard idea, he'd create these awesome demo tracks that gave me a solid base to build the visuals on. And vice versa. (Usually with animation, music comes after. But with the scope of this project, I believed his music should have the initial impact.) His music, a mix of big orchestral sounds with great uses of the bells, really fit the mythical vibe of the Dragon Bull story. The visuals and music just clicked and I am very happy with the results.
NEWS
Because of the size of the event throughout the city, of course it got a lot of news outlet. It was also the first time I made it in the newspapers. A small highlight I liked to share.
Visuals
Getting the look right was a big deal for the Amersfoort Dragon Bull project. I really wanted to make sure Amersfoort was instantly recognizable, even with the dragon and that famous Amersfoort bull mixed in. It was tricky! So, I really dug into Amersfoort's history and design to see what made it visually unique. The idea was to create something that looked good and told the story, something both kids and adults would enjoy. It couldn't be too childish for the grown-ups, or too spooky for the little ones. Finding that sweet spot was definitely a challenge, but it was important to get it right for everyone.