Valletta 2018
European Capitals of Culture
Project
Series of Videos
January | 2018
Description
In 2018, Malta’s capital Valletta was chosen to be a part of the European Capitals of Culture, an initiative taken by the European Commission to improve the quality of life, raise awareness and promote local cultures through year-long celebrations. The Maltese government entrusted us with the creation of a promotional video, a video animation for the programme.
Our responsibility included creating a series of videos explaining and exposing the programme to the public. We took the creative direction to feature some of Malta’s astonishing landmarks with custom-created characters and sceneries in a funky, modern art style. The videos showed easily recognisable landmarks such as Tritons' Fountain in a warm and welcoming setting, along with voice-over messages concerning the program.
Official Logo
A minimalist logo was created that carved out the text “Valletta 2018” on a tilted square frame. Crimson as the dominant brand colour was used to compose the logo.
Logo Animation Video
The logo animation was accompanied by a classical music score to provide a sense of anticipation and gravity to the viewer. The graphic elements come together to reveal the logo at the end. The video animation was intended to be used independently or as an intro or outro.
Proposed Animation Concepts
Initially, four main animation concepts were proposed to the client:
- Paper stop-motion animation
- Paper comosition animation
- Multi-exposure animation
- Digital animation
First Video
The first video of the series set a festive tone with fireworks, cheerful characters and vibrant backgrounds. An enthusiastic voice-over was used to explain the event with underlying music to accompany the festive mood of the video.
Screenshots
The main elements of the video are summed up in three frames - fireworks, custom-created characters and sceneries, and the Maltese landmark Tritons' Fountain.
Second Video
The second video of the series provided a prolific view of Valletta’s landscape while zooming in towards the city. Elements from the event such as skeleton and animal hand puppets were featured in the video. Voice-over was used to convey the message to the viewer.
Screenshots
The video begins with the main logo and animated fireworks and later features the hand puppets used in the show.
Third Video
The third video of the series captured the street view of Valletta in colourful festive decorations. The people are seen enjoying the event with their friends, families and pets. The vivid artwork exuded excitement and cheerfulness to the audience.
Screenshots
The video animation starts with the logo and fireworks. The second and third frames portray the festivity of the event.
