The Bar - RISO animation [2026]

The Bar / De Lat is an experimental 2D animated film of over 2.5 minutes, combining analogue printmaking techniques with self-recorded drum sounds. The film follows a small creature that struggles to meet the expectations it places on itself, and gradually learns to embrace its imperfections.

The project explores the pressure of perfectionism and the constant desire to raise the bar for yourself. Through the combination of handmade processes, rhythm, and animation, I wanted to investigate how mistakes and imperfections can create space for freedom, individuality, and growth.

Story

The main theme of The Bar is that imperfection can be beautiful and meaningful. The story follows a creature, born from a "wrong" note on the (drum-)staff, that thinks it has to be perfect to fit in. During its journey, it discovers that being different, acting freely, and making mistakes are what make it special. By combining images and music, the animation shows that being yourself is more important than being perfect. The drum sounds help express the creature’s emotions and feelings. They also guide the rhythm and mood of the animation. This helps the audience feel the struggle between order and chaos and understand the freedom the creature feels when it learns to accept its imperfections.

Your differences are not a weakness, but part of what makes you unique.

Techniques

The film combines digital animation in Adobe After Effects with analogue printmaking techniques. I created gelliprints by hand and combined them with digital shapes in After Effects to create the animation. I then risograph-printed the animation in seperete frames and refined it by hand using coloured pencils.

Almost 2,000 individual frames were printed, coloured, scanned, and digitally reassembled into the final animation. I deliberately kept the imperfections and inconsistencies of these analogue processes visible, allowing the physical qualities of the materials to become part of the visual language.

The soundtrack consists of drum sounds that I recorded myself. The rhythm and sound work together with the animation to build tension and support the emotional development of the story.

Production

The production process involved constantly moving between analogue and digital techniques. Frames were printed and worked on by hand, then scanned and assembled digitally in After Effects.

I experimented with different animation speeds, switching between 24, 12, and 8 frames per second. I also varied the physical size of the frames throughout the film and switched from relatively smooth paper to rougher recycled paper during the more intense scenes. These changes in rhythm, scale, and texture helped build tension and reflect the creature’s changing emotional state.

Gallery process

Reflection

The project grew out of my own development during four years at art academy. During this period, I became increasingly aware of my perfectionism and my tendency to compare my work with that of others. This shortfilm became a way to explore this personal experience through animation.

The Bar got featured at the St. Joost School of Art & Design Graduation Show in juli 2026 and will be a part of ROOTS film festival The Hague in december 2026.