Dragon Lord - fairy animation

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

On October 29, 2020, the animated film "Lord of the Dragons" will be released on Russian screens, and we cannot wait to see this fascinating story in cinemas. We will tell you how the cartoon "Dragon Rider" was filmed, what will hook you in the plot and how such wonderful characters were created.

Animation: not at all like a feature film

The character designs and fantasy worlds of Dragonlord are the brainchild of Tomer Yeshed's fantasy. Work on any animated picture begins with visualization: all characters appear on paper voiceless and motionless. The character of the characters is manifested in movements, in gait, in the timbre of the voice and in the jokes spoken.

“The most difficult thing in working on an animated film is to maintain objectivity,” says the director. - The filming process takes a lot of time. We change over the years, but the project remains unchanged. It is necessary to adhere to the original concept. You have to fight with yourself. Moreover, every project starts somewhere. But in the case of Dragonlord, I was very lucky - I had the original source."

“The fundamental difference between feature films and animated films is that the editing of cartoons begins before 'shooting,'” Jeshed continues. - For any feature film, a script is first written. Then the director, actors and voice-over team gather on the set. After that, the editor gets down to business, who sorts and edits the footage. The work on an animated film begins with the fact that we think carefully about what scenes we need. Then we expose the frames. This process is critical to the entire film.”

The director has to adhere to the so-called "conceptual skeleton" - to observe the general tone of the film over a long time interval, making sure that the work will be done with the highest quality in the time allotted for this and taking into account all restrictions.

“This is also not an easy task,” says Yeshed. - Initially, we focus only on the plot, sequential chain of events and character design. Over time, I have to take on the duties of a supervisor who monitors all the nuances of the production process, and this is not an easy task."

Five companies specializing in computer animation worked on the film:

• Rise Pictures;
• Cyborn;
• Able & Baker;
• BigHugFX;
• Lumatic Animation.

The starting point was the animatic - a voiced storyboard. Rise Pictures created the 3D set, lighting and rendering of the film with BigHug FX. Cyborn was responsible for attaching the characters, and subsequently the animation of the characters was taken over by the studios Able & Baker, Rise Pictures and Lumatic.

“We basically split the film and gave different companies tasks for a certain number of minutes,” says Mueller. - Tomer, with the help of a special program, could follow the creative process in real time, comment and evaluate the results. It was a very painstaking job."

Epic music for an epic adventure

How much the audience will be imbued with the story and whether they will worry about the characters, is determined not only by the voices of the voice actors. Sound volume and quality, as well as background music, play an important role.

“The film's soundtrack is phenomenal,” Christoph Müller enthusiastically asserts. “Stefan Maria Schneider did an excellent job with his creative task.” Music perfectly complemented the film, on the shooting of which $ 200 million was spent.

At one time, Schneider wrote the music for the directorial debut of Franca Potente "Dig the Belladonna" and worked with John Powell on the soundtrack for the film "How to Train Your Dragon". This time he again had a chance to work with a large orchestra.

“Music emphasizes the epic nature of the story and makes the story even more interesting and engaging,” says Müller. "When the sound matches the picture, when it is perfectly mixed, the audience has the feeling that they are watching a great movie."

Tomer Yesched is very fond of Schneider's work.

“I have already worked with Stefan on various projects,” says the director, “and I was very happy that he agreed to take on the musical accompaniment of the movie“Dragon Lord”. The material was perfect for him. He knows how to create musical themes that remain in the memory for a long time and perfectly complement the traditional family cinema”.

Yeshed describes Schneider as a music enthusiast who can always pinpoint the strengths of any film.

“Stefan comes as close to the border of permissible as possible, and sometimes crosses that border,” Yesched admires. “This is exactly the approach we needed for this film.”

The soundtrack had to be as epic as the story itself.

“We started composing music in parallel with the animation work,” the director recalls. - Thus, the soundtrack changed, harmoniously adjusting to certain pictures and events of the film. I could take the most active part in the work on the music. This is very important for me, because in principle I love music, and especially the process of composing soundtracks."

Thanks to the mutual understanding between the director and composer, the work on the soundtrack was a joy for both.

“We have known each other for a long time and we know how to create together, - explains Tomer Yeshed, - so the work was arguing. We sat in the studio, watched the scene, picked up the instruments and started playing something. A melody gradually appeared. Everything happened intuitively."

The director and composer also came up with something unusual for the film's ending song - producer Christoph Müller brought in German singer and songwriter Niko Santos to work on it.

“Viewers will return home impressed by the film they saw,” Mueller is convinced. "It was extremely important for us to finish the film with a song specially written and sung for this."

The producer is especially proud that the song was performed by one of the most recognizable German singers, whom you often hear on the radio.

"The song will charge you with a positive, so that you will leave the cinema in a good mood, you will certainly want to tell your friends about the picture."

A wonderful adventure: sincere and kind

Christoph Müller and Tomer Yesched are convinced that Dragon Lord will be a fun ride for the whole family. “I think the picture has everything for this,” says the producer. Yeshed believes that a well-balanced relationship of carefully crafted characters and an interesting plot with a powerful message bring success to an animated film. The film should not only please the eye, but also be thought-provoking.

“This is an epic adventure with sparkling humor, beautiful music and all the other ingredients of a good film,” continues the producer. "I think Dragonlord will not only bring a lot of joy to the audience, but also spark heated discussions about the events of the film."

Christoph Müller took over the production of the film after the first storyboard and the draft animatic were ready. Nevertheless, he has the right to be proud of the results achieved.

“In animation, everything rests on voice acting and music,” the producer is convinced. - If the voice acting disappoints, if the accent is unconvincing, if the dialogues are boring or the music does not correspond to what is happening on the screen, no colorful animation, whatever you originally intended, will play no role. Everything has to fit together. The long road to excellence is through trial, error and fixes. Does the timbre suit this character? Maybe it should be higher or lower? Does the music fit the scene? How can a soundtrack affect a character's behavior? Will it overload the young viewers? Each scene had to be carefully thought out, taking into account the various nuances."

Tomer Yeshed stresses that Dragon Lord is a film for everyone:

“Many animated films are aimed exclusively at young people. However, American studios also produce animated films that are intended for a wider audience, for viewers who value a good story and good design. Some of the paintings I personally can characterize as genuine works of art and I hope that "Lord of the Dragons" will take its rightful place in their list. We put our souls and hearts into this film, and I want to believe that the audience will feel it. Children should like the picture, because it tells about important things in a humorous and adventurous manner. That said, adults will also appreciate the film, because it also raises more serious topics. In short, I hope everyone will like our work. We have invested so much in it that we have the right to count on it."

Characters (edit)

Fire-baby

Young silver dragon. Together with his fellow tribesmen, he hides from people in a valley hidden from prying eyes. The Fire-Lying has a good heart, he is adorable and loves to listen to the stories told by the dragon elder Sedo-Tooth. By the decision of the leader of the dragon tribe, it is strictly forbidden to breathe fire and fly.

It is extremely difficult for an adventure-thirsty Fire-Baby to come to terms with these prohibitions. He has a best friend - a hot-tempered kobold girl Ryzhik. When people find themselves dangerously close to the valley, Fire Snout and Ginger go in search of the legendary refuge of dragons - the Edge of Heaven.

Ryzhik

A small, daring kobold girl, Firedeep's best friend. Exceptional flair helps her to anticipate dangers and warn the Fire-breathing about them. She will do everything to protect her friend. Ginger doesn't like people as a species. She is not at all impressed by the friendship of the Firefly with the upstart Ben, who calls himself the lord of the dragons and is tied to them in search of the Edge of Heaven.

Ben

Ben lives alone in an abandoned warehouse in a big city. He is smart and intelligent and tries not to miss a single chance that fate gives him. Accidentally meeting Firefly and Ginger, he decides to keep them company in an exciting adventure and does not undertake to dissuade Firefighter that he is the lord of dragons.

Goldthorn

A dragon-like creature created by an alchemist that hunts dragons. Goldthorn is cruel, bloodthirsty and has swallowed not only many dragons, but also his own creator. As the dragons hide in their hideout, Goldthorn is bored in his castle in the company of the servant of the Sproutler, who diligently pleases and amuses him.

When the monster learns about Firefly and his friends, the hunter's instinct awakens in him. Goldthorn tries to track down and capture the trinity on the way to Heaven's Edge.

Beardless

A gloomy stone gnome who lives in the company of Triborod and Stonemord in the forest near the castle of Goldthorn. Beardless tells Goldthorn about a silver dragon that has appeared near the castle, and awakens a hunting instinct in him. The gnome feels that his time has come. He decides to help Goldthorn track down Firefly and his friends.

Subisha Gulap

A dragon scholar with a wealth of knowledge about dragons and many legends. Firefly and his friends turn to her for help in their search for Heaven's End. She talks about the prophecy, about Goldthorn and how he is so dangerous.

Deepak

A little crazy, but very hospitable Indian. He is married to dragon student Subish Gulap. If Subisha wants to share her knowledge, Deepak constantly interrupts her, offering guests a snack. He has no idea how much he irritates others.

Twig

A homunculus created by the same alchemist who created Goldthorn. The branch loyally serves the Goldenthorn and strives with all its might not to be eaten. He comes up with the most amazing tricks for this, up to the fact that he publishes Zlatoship's profile on a dating site.

Goldthorn tells the servant to follow the Fire-Cat to find out where the Land of Heaven is. Vethok is caught spying, after which he betrays his master and begins to help Firefly and his friends in the battle with Goldthorn.

Now is the time to watch the cartoon "Dragon Lord" (2020) to plunge into the world of childhood and make friends with the characters of the new saga.