THE TAKEOVER
The Takeover is an interactive live experience designed for Heineken International. A system that hands the crowd democratic control over the DJ with every raised bottle a vote, every vote a signal, every signal reshaping the night in real time.
“Awarded the Best Creative & Innovation prize. Recognised for the best idea, for originality and creativity in reaching dedicated business objectives.”
when the crowd takes over the DJ
Every person in the venue receives a merch device fitted to their Heineken bottle: red & green, activated at the push of a button. During voting moments, two tracks appear on a panoramic LED screen that splits the room: one half red, one half green. The crowd raises its bottles. A camera reads the light. The winning track enters seamlessly: mixed live, in real time, with sync video and lights without interruption.
Van Leer conceived the complete design of this installation and led the content production; building a live architecture in which music, crowd behavior, screen graphics, and light show operate as a single responsive organism, run from one laptop. The result was not a gimmick bolted onto an existing event format. It was a new kind of live experience and democratic nightlive experiment: one where participation is the show, and the audience's collective choice reshapes the party as it unfolds.
The project was rolled out across Heineken music events internationally and subsequently offered across multiple global markets, winning three EuBea Awards including Best Creative & Innovation, beating over 270 international entries.
“Notable for its unique strategy in being both an integrated part of the show and also a key entertaining feature of the night; effective in driving on-site sales and event attendance.”
credits
| Concept & Creative Direction | |
| Concept | Massive Music |
| Design Direction | Ruben Van Leer |
| Animation | |
| Animators | Mourad Bahrouch, Manuel Rodrigues, Yonni de Haar, Jeff Beukema, Martin Boverhof, Ruben Van Leer |
| Studio | Boompje Studio |
| Technology | |
| Technical Development | Showsync |
| Interactive System | Wearable voting devices, accelerometer tracking, Ableton live integration |
| Production | |
| Executive Producer | Massive Music |
| Creative Producer | Ruben Van Leer (Westframe) |
| Music Supervision | Tommy Zee |
| Account Director | Luc van Stiphout |
| Account Manager | Ebony Tuasela |
| Agency & Client | |
| Client | Heineken International |
| Global Sponsorship Manager | Roeslan Danoekoesoemo |
filmmaker & media-artist
