The Dreamcatcher Awards
The Dreamcatcher Charitable Foundation started in 2004 with the vision of listening to and empowering the next generation of Indigenous youth. Today, through the contributions and shared vision of our Dreamcatcher supporters and partners, we are empowered to increase our positive impact on more youth and Indigenous communities across Ontario.
I’ve been lucky to have the opportunity to work as the motion graphics lead on the last three years of the Dreamcatcher awards gala, creating everything from presenter and award cue screens to the looping stage background.
Motion Graphics and Event Screens
I have been responsible for all of the graphics for this event dating back to the 2022 iteration of the gala. The process involved a lot of communication back and forth between the organizers, film team and sponsors. I was involved in the filming of the signature corn husk dolls and was able to take that motif and apply it to several video screens that accompanied the presentations. This included bio screens, lower thirds and the dynamic background screens for presenters and award recipients.
What I Learned
I learned a lot about the nature of working in events and the short turnarounds that are sometimes necessary when venues or clients need to pivot from the original scope. Each year I create a few more contingencies to cover the issues and complications that come with live events. I designed early for various aspect ratios, resolutions and runtimes that ended up being needed for separate displays. This taught me proactivity have been asked to create at least one or two aesthetics each year that force me to adapt and learn on the fly, and these methods have streamlined the way I work on future jobs.
I’m quite proud of the work I’ve done so far on these and look forward to the next year of dreamcatcher.