CREATIVE RIOT: BRAND FILM PROCESS
So how do you portray the story of a company who celebrates originality, challenges the status quo, and pushes the limits of their own creativity?
It sounds like quite the task, right? I can't even tell you the amount of excitement I felt when I received the e-mail from Creative Riot and learned more about who these artists are and what they stand for. Let's just say they are the kind of clients that inspire me to discover new ways to tell stories and reach beyond my own ability (i.e. DREAM clients).
After a few meetings and e-mails back and forth, we agreed that the approach to the Creative Riot brand film would be bringing this phrase to life: Creating the Riot. The after-math of a late night creation party - one that is fun, intriguing, edgy, and approachable. Let's just say Casey and Lindsay threw in "Banks" and "Beyonce" in their questionnaire. WHATTT. YES.
So I got to work! I developed a storyboard around the following:
Props that represent "creating": scissors, mood boards, magazine tear outs, paint, pencils - ALL to be painted in complete black or white to stay consistent with the Creative Riot identity
Scenes that represent "fun and approachable": dancing, collaborating, brainstorming, and interactions with the camera
Post-Effects: Mirroring, double exposures, speed, and other elements to represent Creative Riot's motto of "design gone rogue"
Once I developed the vision for their story (one of my favorite parts in this process), I started putting together my team. I had a second camera operator/assisting DP (Ovi Balc) to help me with specific shots that I'd either never done before, or film when I needed to focus on directing Casey and Lindsay. I used the brilliant Fawn DeViney as the art director and prop stylist, and the equally brilliant post-effects editor Mark Gabriel. Incredibly thankful for this team (including my hard working studio manager, Brooke!).
Day of filming... this is my PLAYGROUND. I always have a vision, but I don't always know exactly how it's going to take form until we jump in and create. I believe in being extremely prepared so that your ideas have that place to take shape. For example, I knew that I wanted Lindsay and Casey to portray this sense of "fun" and "party" - so I came up with activities for them to do in front of the camera (on the spot!), like - "make up your own handshake." Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, and sometimes something else happens unexpectedly that worked even better. This same thing happens to me during the editing phase. I have to go through the footage, sit with it, walk away from it, and find the song that connects it all together. Ultimately, this is where the vision has to translate. It all comes together to be told to the world the way my clients and I dreamed and hoped it would.
With that said... here's the final film!
