Showcase | Norwich City Hall Lions

Challenge

A short animated film was required to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Norwich City Hall. The film highlights how the City Hall has been a building where citizens of Norwich come together in moments of celebration or sorrow.

Solution

The completed movie features the bronze lions that front the City Hall coming to life and reminiscing about their 70 years outside the building.

The two lions - named George and Elizabeth after the King and Queen who opened the building in 1938 - jump off their pedestals and talk about the history of Norwich since then. They introduce images and films of events in the last 70 years in the area, incorporating archive material from Archant publications and the East Anglian Film Archive.

With voice recordings provided by Helen Mc Dermott and Tom Kay of Radio Norwich the movie illustrates how Virtual Past models can be developed to integrate other media to provide a rich and compelling story.

Result

Richard Balls, City Hall Communications manager, said: "I am delighted with the movie; it provides us with a new way to communicate some important history about one of our city's most iconic buildings."