“Samurai” Denver Art Museum
Creative Director and Designer: Curt Cooper
Animation and Compositing: Curt Cooper
Audio: Denver Taiko and Coupe Studios
Copywriter: Eric Singer
Project Background
This was a phenomenal collaboration with the Denver Art Museum on their recent, “Samurai” exhibit. Our task was to create a visually engaging piece that would promote the exhibit as well as stay consistent with the culture of the Japanese Samurai. We decided to create several vignettes that allude to the diverse nature of the Samurai and the intricate detail within the armor.
The Art of the Samurai
Samurai are often misunderstood as pure warriors, but they pursue perfection in every aspect of their lives. We wanted to showcase the spiritual and artistic side of their culture as well as the brutal nature and beauty of weaponry. Using several, "frozen moments" the camera explores the many facets of the Samurai way of life. Each Samurai was customized using the 3D software, Maya. The entire spot was rendered using Mental Ray and composited within Adobe After Effects. We were fortunate enough to have the Denver Taiko musicians customize and record several music options at Coupe studios. We would like to thank the Denver Art Museum for the amazing opportunity and creative backing of this project.