Client: Edinburgh Tattoo
Creative Director: Michael Braithwaite
Studio: Kate Dawkins Studio
Role: Art Director/ Lead Animator
Location: Edinburgh Castle
Running for over 70 years it was an exciting time to work on the Tattoo. The plan for this years event had always been to bring a new level of storytelling and technology. The CD - Michael Braithwaite, Lighting - Woodroffe Basset, Technical - Creative Technology and us at KDS doing projection were all new to a historically military operation. With fresh lights, projectors and creative direction we set about to respectfully expand and build upon something steeped in tradition.
Edinburgh Tattoo 2O22
Production
With a tricky projection surface it was crucial to have a full understanding of what we were up against. Our workflow was from 3D into After effects where we could preview our work live on a model of the castle. With such an uneven (geometry and colour) surface we went the extra step of fully projection mapping the castle onto the model to really understand colour and stretching implications from every viewing angle.
The fun stuff came with the LED platforms that where wheeled out for two of the performances! So we also had to take those into consideration.
La Banda Monumental
Some times you just can’t help yourself and this was one of them. After seeing early rehearsals we got a sense for the progression of the performance. 6 songs, each introducing new performers so you start small and finish full. Time was limited on this section and it was a live performance (other sections running to timecode) so I had to be smart how this one played out.
I created loops for each section, each one in turn getting progressively more complex and bombastic. The Wall saw progression in the flowers and butterflies where the Gatehouse added incrementing levels of animation to the design I did.
The flowers were simple in look but I wanted some interest and got obsessed with the idea of them infinitely blooming as they moved towards camera. A satisfyingly flexible build in C4D allowed me to make several variations and render quickly to then make loops in After Effects.
Techno Pipes
Techno bagpipes, a musical niche none of us were prepared for! High BPM and all energy we needed to create something big, brash and fun. We had some bold reference but it’s only when we came across the concept of ‘Finding Tartan’ that we could visualise a journey/story for the audience. Starting with single colour blocks we progress through to slices which in-turn go full dazzle. From there with the middle 8 we went full 3D turning the world on its head and completely reshape the castle. The final section is the culmination and refinement of everything prior as we dress the castle in an bright yellow, and blue tartan. All this and which was then mirrored on the platforms which, along with lighting, did a fantastic job of bringing everything together in the vast space and creating something spectacular!
