Inside the NXT Gen Lab: A Behind the Scenes look at Innovation in Media Production
We’re thrilled to kick off the release series from our PANEURAMA NXT GEN Innovation Lab with a standout animated short, Lullaby!
This emotional journey was brought to life by five incredibly talented artists, who took on the challenge of storytelling with a theme set by Friends of the Earth Europe: “Degrowth.”
Over two intensive weeks, 24 young professionals and participants of the PANEURAMA NXT GEN Lab dove into learning, planning, production, and polishing, building their narratives from the ground up. They worked through every stage of production to bring their concepts to life, incorporating technical skills and new perspectives, while manifesting all this through their crafts. The five creators behind Lullaby – Dan Franke, Axel Mounier, Stéphane Lebrasseur, Remy Sandvej, and Joy Verheijen – rose to the challenge and delivered a beautifully crafted piece with a powerful message.
Lullaby: A Vision of Hope and Reflection
At the heart of Lullaby is a message that calls for introspection and care: “Tend the future, not the flames.” Through a 2D-stylized 3D world, the piece plays with colours, light, sound, and expressive animation to create an experience that begins with warmth, moves through an intense moment of wailing anxiety, and ends on a hopeful note. The team began their creative journey in Quill, a VR illustration and animation tool, and brought their world into Unreal Engine to refine and polish with striking visuals.
The themes and visuals of Lullaby encourage viewers to reflect on the impact of their actions, and they resonate strongly with the “degrowth” theme. It’s a piece that asks us to look forward with a sense of responsibility and care, touching on the anxiety many feel about our environmental future while also inspiring hope that positive change is possible.
A Celebration of Teamwork and Innovation
Creating a film like Lullaby in just two weeks is no small feat. From story development to asset creation, each team member brought a unique perspective and expertise, navigating the technical and creative challenges that came with the project. This short but intensive time frame helped these young professionals to push their own boundaries, learn from each other, and grow as a team, ultimately producing work that is both visually compelling and thought-provoking.
What’s Next in the PANEURAMA NXT GEN Innovation Lab Release Series
We’re immensely proud of the work our participants have put into this project, and we hope you enjoy Lullaby as much as we do. Over the coming days, we’ll be releasing more productions from the PANEURAMA NXT GEN Lab, each one themed with “degrowth”, but still unique and inspired by the diverse voices in the program.
A huge thank you to our Innovation Lab participants, mentors, partners, and the amazing team at Breda University of Applied Sciences for making the NXT GEN Lab an unforgettable experience!
