Dreamland
We were approached by The SpringHill Company to produce a series of vignettes for CNN's documentary "Dreamland: The Burning of Black Wall Street." We poured our hearts into this project: from concept to design to cel animating everything within a 3-month timeline.
Our team and partners’ shared passion around this powerful story came through, landing with audiences and ultimately earning us an Emmy for Outstanding Graphic Design and Art Direction.
Emmy-award winner: outstanding graphic design and art direction
Bringing once buried history back to life
Dreamland tells the story of Greenwood in Tulsa—an area historically known as “Black Wall Street”—and the brutal massacre that happened there.
The creative challenge was balancing documentary director Salima Koroma’s vision of a bright, thriving, vibrant community before, and the brutality and destruction during and after the massacre. The subject matter required thoughtfulness and sensitivity, with attention paid to historical accuracy when few records existed.
We dove deep into journals, interviews, newspaper reports, and any other account we could find from those who survived the massacre. From these recollections, we were able to create a representation of the dream of black prosperity in 1921 Tulsa.
A fog of memory
From storyboards, to color concepts, we carefully reconstructed the community of Greenwood. We aimed to show the event through the fog of memory—silky clouds of dust and blurred edges frame the shots. Shades of periwinkle and plum showcase lighter times, when dark midnight and purple tones create a feeling of a living nightmare.
Technical effects made the dream that much more real
We expertly blended 2D and 3D techniques, as well as a cinematic approach to camera motion to bring each frame to life.
Every frame a painting
We treated every frame of this 12 minute piece as considered compositions. This created an emotional, captivating, and moving feeling that helped honor and tell the story of Greenwood.
“Thank you for letting me dream big with the animation—Meister, who understood I wanted beautiful periwinkles and fuscia's to tell this story about black people.”
Salima KoromaDirector
Emmy
Director Salima accepting the Emmy for Outstanding Graphic Design and Art Direction