When one thinks of Romania, they often think Transylvania or Dracula.  Well, I wasn’t quite sure what to think or expect when I was told that I would be heading to Bucharest and helping out with a large Daktronics LED installation at the Cocor Luxury Store.  The displays installed are the second largest in Europe, so no pressure. 

My first trip was in late September/early October 2008, and I worked with the client to develop creative concepts to be produced for the December 1^st unveiling.  Given the language and cultural barriers, I quickly learned that visual exampleswere the best way to communicate with the folks at Cocor. 

After heading back to the States to pow wow with our production staff and manage the projects to completion, I returned to Bucharest in mid-November and delivered the final content.  I also met with Cocor’s advertisers to explain the difference between LED content production and broadcast and print production, as well as discuss creative ideas for ads.

Finally December 1st arrived and all of the hard work and hours spent on this project paid off as Cocor held an unveiling of Cocor Channel, their name for the LED displays (and their very own Vimeo account).  The crowd response was overwhelming.  There was applause after every treatment, with especially loud cheers after the Romanian flag and Bucharest/Romanian history animations played.  You should have seen the amount of people taking pictures and all of the press and news cameras - heck, CNN was there!  After the event, there was a lovely reception at the Intercontinental Hotel.  The Daktronics representatives and I were approached frequently by those wanting to congratulate us on the amazing job on the displays and the content.  Keyframe is continuing a working relationship with Cocor and their advertisers, and the Daktronics displays are already attracting a lot of positive attention (read more about the partnership here and be sure to head on over to our Vimeo account and watch a few of the treatments we created, including the one above).

This was not only an amazing experience because of the project’s size and complexity, but also because of the cultural experiences.  With help from my friends at Cocor, I learned how to recognize certain words, especially at restaurants where a mistake could be catastrophic.  “Pui” is chicken, which was my safety food.  I also learned that carbonated water is not a favorite of mine, but is the standard there.  So, “apa plata”, or still water, was added to my vocabulary.

My second trip was over Thanksgiving.  They obviously don’t celebrate the holiday.  However, Dan Barbulescu, the Chairman of the Board, and the other wonderful folks at Cocor entertained me and other Daktronics folks at an Austrian restaurant that day so that we wouldn’t miss out on a big feast.  We had AMAZING schnitzel, potatoes, chicken, bread, sour soup, and the Romanian specialty, plum brandy (which, PS, is some of the strongest stuff I have ever encountered in my life and warms you up instantaneously). 

The architecture in Bucharest and surrounding areas is quite fascinating.  Styles from Baroque, to Rococo, to French and Italian Renaissance, to traditional Romanian architecture (wooden churches, Byzantine styles, etc.) can be found, and Russian influences are also apparent.  I was also fortunate enough to take in a symphonic concert at the Romanian Athenaeum(a gorgeous building designed by French architect Albert Galleron, opened in 1888). 

I am truly grateful for taking part in this project, and I can’t wait to see when Cocor Luxury Store officially opens for business in 2009!  And to those of you who took the time to read this…Mult’umesc!

(Post by Stef Manning)