SIFA 2022: Behind the RGB Velvet Rope
After months of anticipation, the wrap video for SIFA 2022 has finally dropped and we couldn’t be any prouder of our latest baby.
Celebratory energy on site was off the charts after restrictions for live performances were FINALLY lifted, and we certainly had a blast capturing the visceral highs this year’s festival had to offer!
Empowered with freedom to express ourselves (unabashedly) by the good folks from the Arts House, we sought to heighten these awe-inducing moments with a sprinkle of Arkchetypal Fairy Dust ™.
[Of red, green, blue and everything magical in between]
Ever wonder what goes into this secret sauce of semiotics? Here’s an exclusive peek into the work, behind the scenes of our developmental process!
It all began with the creation of concept animation pieces. Told over 2 distinct acts, they pay homage to the festival’s origins and simultaneously encompass the essence of SIFA 2022: The Anatomy of Performance — Ritual.
[The image that launched a thousand animations — as designed by System Sovereign]
Drawing parallels to the ceremonies, rites and celebrations that define our common human experience, this year’s festival thoroughly examines the notion of Ritual. Within each performance, audiences are further invited to consider the conditions of time, artefact and gesture.
Initially inspired by the imagery of Mondrian and the Bauhaus movement, we spent a good chunk of time condensing the festival’s themes into these distinct yet interlinked 10 second pieces.
[Artefact from the past — Image Credits To: National Archives of Singapore]
As the blue, red and green panels of the key visual reprise the original colours from SIFA’s inaugural edition in 1977, it also made perfect sense to incorporate the wild and restless spirit of that era into our animation in a homage to the festival’s origins.
Concept Animation | Act 1: JOURNEY
Free from linear notions of beginning or end, Journey celebrates the fortitude of those who continue to push forward amidst uncertainty, while doubling as an abstract representation of SIFA’s heritage.
[Symbolic of creative odysseys, disparate red, green, blue blocks intermingle; they combine to form a white monolith signifying convergence at the festival, with performance as a unified entity. Imperfect fringing suggests the uncertain tensions between life & art]
[Playing on the notion of time and repetition across many years, the monolith swivels apart to reveal the interlinked panes ticking in clockwise motion and settles down again]
[Charged with tangible energy, vibrant coloured strips burst out of the white block in a celebratory dance across space & time to form the key visual for SIFA 2022]
Concept Animation | Act 2: PULSE
Exploring the realms of creative energy and consciousness, rigid forms give way to fluid gradients, echoing a sense of unpredictability, liberation and wonder.
[Akin to the pushing and blurring of boundaries in art, the charged monolith reveals its individual RGB components and invites the viewer beneath the surface into a vast inner space flowing with shapeless RGB gradients]
[Alluding to SIFA’s origins, the shifting gradients are enveloped by green, red and blue waves. In a moment of inspiration, these waves are jolted by a spark of raw energy and solidify into the distinctive coloured panels of the key visual]
Upon completion, both master animations served as the basal blocks for the individual show trailers that we subsequently created.
Was your interpretation similar or different to ours? 😉
[Paying off the earlier animations with the eventual performances was integral, so our wrap video naturally kicked off with this sequence from both worlds!]
After introducing the RGB centric visuals with the conceptual animations, we further built upon and expressed this core aesthetic through the consistent use of analogue flourishes across the various videos.
Given the resurgence of all things analogue in popular consciousness, we had to ensure that our choice of effects was appropriate and true to the festival’s artistic identity.
Uniquely situated at the juncture of an unprecedentedly turbulent period, SIFA 2022 offers audiences a welcome return to Ritual through the myriad of distinctive artistic voices ruminating & reclaiming what it means to be human amidst today’s complicated world.
Accompanying this footage, we recontextualized the analogue aesthetic of yesteryear with a digital sheen — with the intent to evoke the sense of bittersweetness that lies between optimistic retrofuturism and the uncertain future true to these times.
[Harking back to the days of VHS rental and grainy pirated VCDs — we swear we were born in the 80s! What kind of memories do you recall? ]
Since the RGB fringing and chromatic aberrations (implying the tension between art and life) feature prominently in the concept animations, we used these & other related effects as a recurring motif to strengthen these implied thematic connections across the videos.
It’s also important that the fairy dust treatment should supplement the onscreen content without drawing attention away. So we duly exercised a touch of restraint during this process.
[Sometimes less is really more!]
If there’s one thing to remember, it’s that unifying the overarching visual style helps to generate curiosity and strong brand recall with audiences — which is typically more than welcome!
[Audiences lapping up the eclectic offerings at SIFA X from up close. With those sweet sweet musical chords finally ringing out loud, you would probably be bouncing too!]
Besides our overall visual aesthetic, a similar degree of intent went into the aural choices that were made.
From the primal chants & pulsating drums that anchor the wrap video to the naturesque organic wonder of Pulse’s boundless sanctuary, we selected and mixed each piece of music to viscerally express the thematic qualities of their respective video.
Now that SIFA 2022 has concluded, we feel exceptionally blessed to have showcased this year’s festival and been immersed in the pertinent perspectives of the plethora of artistic works featured.
Needless to say, it has been quite the enriching journey and we can’t wait to see what SIFA has in store for 2023!
In the meantime, we also can’t wait to hear YOUR story — the one that people really ought to know!
No matter how abstract or conventional that story may be, we are here to help you tell it in the best way possible.
Ready to manifest the video of your dreams into existence? Drop us a line here and don’t stop creating!