Valley of the Moon

I had the honor of being asked by Siljeholm-Christophersen to be head of animation on a Jordanian / Norwegian co-production. Is is called “Valley of the Moon” and is a stage production fusing contemporary dance, video and a story for kids. It is made using many of the same techniques as “Snik og Snok”, but this time also incorporating the floor as a surface to project video onto. “Valley of the Moon” is a story about freedom. A boy loves his pony so much that he keeps it prisoner. Luckily a few kata birds inspire him to change his mind.

It was great being back in the NCCA in Amman again, this time having even more responsibility. The animation team consisted four young animation students from the SAE institute and me. Their names are Farrah Jaber, Ala Saffouri, Wajood Al-nabulsi and Ahmad Atta. Working with them was a very special experience. I learned a lot about dynamics, culture and different perspectives on life. Even though we were quite different, we managed to have a good and friendly atmosphere, discipline and a lot of laughs.

The challenge was to make animations of birds that would be able to connect with what was happening on stage. Several times the actors onstage would jump into the screen and be magically converted into animated birds. We drew birds for four weeks straight! I also made a sequence that fused animation and live action video in a greenscreen studio. It was pretty looney and you can see it here:

Valley of the Moon premiered at The Royal Cultural Centre, Amman, Jordan 21 february 2013. We were all invited to see the show and greet the princess!

Photographs by Hanan Khalif