PROJECT DETAILS

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the 1976 Olympic Games in Montréal, I was invited by Circo de Bakuza to help create the visuals projected during this historic event which brought together 3,700 young athletes, including athletic heavy-weights: Nadia Comaneci, Bruny Surin, Alexandre Bilodeau and Joannie Rochette.

I designed and animated the intro for the opening ceremony, as well as several psychedelic sequences to compliment the musical performances of Marie Mai, Walk Off The Earth and Ariane Moffatt.

STORYTELLING

In collaboration with Circo de Bakuza’s in-house team, we wanted the opening sequence to explore the chaos and serenity found in creation. This was conceived as a metaphor to depict the peaks and valleys –the emotional, mental and physical journey– that every athlete embarks upon to reach the Olympic stage.

We wanted to build upon the iconic style of the 1976 Games, but also wanted to modernize that graphic aesthetic in order to bring our journey into a more contemporary and thought provoking place. Here are some highlights…

PSYCHEDELIC SEQUENCE

This sequence explored the poetry of the human form through the movements of a contemporary dancer, filmed on location inside the Olympic Stadium. The psychedelic portions helped the festivities transition into party mode!

CREDITS

Big thank you to Circo de Bakuza for inviting to collaborate on this project of a lifetime!

Client: International Olympic Committee
Production Company: Circo de Bakuza
Executive Producer: Amélie Madrid
Animation & Design (principal): George Simeo
Additional Animation: Basile Krasnopolsky
Art Direction: Camille Lasselin