Kong Studio animates the historical style for "The secrets of the museum"
In new works from British animation house Kong Studio, viewers discover the stories of two intriguing cultural objects as part of the series Secrets of the museum of the BBC. Created in collaboration with the Open University's Broadcast & Partnership team, the animated shorts illuminate us on the mysterious "Tipu's Tiger"- a mechanical animal holding a working musical organ - and on the iconic evening coat"The Black Sheep”By Balenciaga.
Secrets of the Museum examines the artifacts held in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The two animated shorts coincide with the new series of the popular OU / BBC co-production, which premiered in 2020. On the TV show, experts and conservatives were filmed at work in this treasure trove of the nation's favorite objects, giving new life to fragile wonders and uncovering hidden stories.
Tipu's tiger
Daniel Prothero approached the design and animation of both shorts, drawing inspiration from the history of objects to illustrate the stories of their creation, such as the visual similarities in the architecture of Tipu Sultan's 18th century Indian palaces and Moorish arches. of southern Spain. These features, along with the plants native to each country, served as building blocks for the animations. Prothero juxtaposed the photographic images of the two artifacts with an animated scenario to create a surprising final product. This mixed media approach meant that time could be spent designing the various characters that appear in each animation.
“One of the biggest challenges was creating a large cast of characters, from a matador to colonial soldiers, engineers to flamenco dancers. I was inspired by photographs and paintings made during the two eras. Character animation can take a long time, so we kept the movements subtle and reused the elements wherever possible, ”explains Prothero. “I appreciated more the freedom that the client gave us. We have been entrusted with the development of an original visual style and palette and we have been encouraged every step of the way, inspiring us to push harder ”.
Click to watch “Tipu's Tiger” and “La Mouton Noir” online.
La Mouton Noir
The Open University's association with the BBC has been going on for over 50 years. The foundation of this relationship is the concept of free access to learning for all. Today, their co-productions span television, radio, podcast, and linear and on-demand digital, applying The OU's academic expertise and in-depth research to bring learning to life.
Founded by Bill Elliot and Tom Baker, Kong Studio's team of directors, animators, illustrators and writers offer animation and illustration in a variety of styles, mediums and techniques through entertainment, branded content, online video, explanations, film, print and even more.