Lemonade Shoot

Studio 

The first shoot was in the studio, I had Luke and Kat filming while I directed Ben. It was booked for an evening slot We used a green screen background as I had planned to use different backgrounds including mobile phones/ lemons etc.

I had cut out some 2D lemon heads to hang in the background but ran out of spray paint too close to the shoot to buy anymore so we just took one of the papier-mache heads to use on Ben and me and Luke, whilst Kat filmed using the fish eye lens she got some great shots, which Ben especially liked as they mimicked the Busta Rhymes video which he had hoped it would look like.

The glasses add a touch of Fear and Loathing to his customised lemon outfit... (the hand painted and illustrated shirt and jacket)

Promo shot 

(we really liked the shirt lemon head combo so ended up recording some of this visual).

We ran through the song multiple times, we had variations of Ben singing (we found this more natural than lip syncing just for the purposes of aligning it with the track), some with his bass, lemon heads in the background and interacting with him (even though you're completely blind wearing them!) with jacket/ without... with/without shades... each time running through the track to ensure we had loads of footage, this worked out perfectly as when you're filming you often don't realise slight mistakes like the photographers shadow.

Bedroom Shots

For these shots I wanted a house party setting, people drinking/ smoking/ acting naturally (as much as you can with a lemon on your head) and on their phones, hinting at the reasoning behind the visual symbolism. I wanted the shots to be dark, saturated but with brighter highlights/ spotlights.

Bedroom No 1

I'd instructed them to either be dancing or on their phones (Lemon heads), the shot above had Ben seated on the sofa in-between them but all of these shots had poor lighting/ quality for some reason. The most effective were the fighting heads on the sofa and the beer drinking lemon. 

2nd Bedroom Shots

Before zebra lemon breaks out into dance she does a brilliantly intense head spin which will definitely make the cut, emphasising the creepiness of the lemon heads, their emotionless gaze depersonalising those of us who are absorbed by social media.

Another great shot of the lemons all bopping which will fit perfectly with the chorus, the fish eye lens is a lot crisper here with the proper lighting, many shots without the lights concentrated brightly on the subject(s) looked grainy and I couldn't use them.

Although I love the wide angle fish eye on this shot it just looked strange Ben behind them and he got lost also thanks to the shadows.

Having Ben at the forefront produced some of my favourite shots from both Kat and Luke's shots.

I actually managed to light my cigarette blind which took a few takes... 

Basement 

Some shots the lights were visible so I may not include these although we were thinking of using exposed shots of the studio, so it could be a conscious choice but it may risk looking like a sloppy accident not cropping it out as it's just one light...

Unfortunately Luke could no longer continue filming so I just had Kat using the fisheye lens with the basement shots, however I feel they work perfectly with this, it adds to the eerie bass player looming over you expanding in this slightly disheveled dark room.

As we couldn't tell what was going on inside the heads it proved difficult to match up any kind of dance routine... you'd even unintentionally rotate over time! 

Mural 

Spray painted by Luke (L0k3r)

I planned for the cheesiest intro with the first lyric "lemonade" but Ben couldn't stomach it, it did look horrific and the shot is completely off centre!! 

Luke thought of this shot while we were there, spraying a lemon for me I added a question mark, somebody put a lemon head on me of camera then as the shot pans I look shocked and run away (which was slightly stumbly and terrifying as I cannot see a thing which made it more amusing).

Another spontaneous shot was 'trespassing lemons' (we just went behind the wall then came back for the purpose of the shot...) which was tricky getting us both to move at the same time but we felt it looked more comical appearing one at a time.

Not planning these shots made me consider a looser dedication to my original time frame, after shooting shots we'd realise how much we loved certain shots more than the original idea etc. this helped me loosen up and realise I don't have to necessarily be so consistent with my plan and get anxious about mixing it up, I've never done this before so I can afford to experiment and learn as I go, with the help from my collaborators. 

Street 

This was definitely the most challenging shot to do... I sat in Luke's boot as he slowly drove away while Ben followed us, I tried my hardest to stabilise the camera as did Luke whilst driving, it looked really sweet that the kids are in the shot interested in our filming (we asked parental permission) if we could use these shots. This I envisaged would be the first spoken verse clip.

Originally we were really pleased the sun was shining in Leeds for the whole weekend however with these shots the sun was too low, the shadows of us standing I really liked but felt especially with the car shots they were too contrasted and saturated. It was a shame as this shot below of a lemon head walking past as if it were natural was funny.

The closer shots worked better and Ben really liked how with the slide of the bass, the camera pans out, I like the vibrant red building in the reflection and the clouds.

The final shots we did in Luke's house with the lighting set up as it was getting later in the day, watching them back I feel they'll look really good zoomed in possibly in slow motion so it's more to the beat of the song and just to add a touch more humour, it's a really funny shot but was especially hard to keep the lemons on our heads & the right way round whilst fighting... 

Behind the Scenes

Lemonade music video: Editing

Having finished the shooting I was pretty concerned about my lack of practice in any software other than iMovie when it came to video editing which Luke rightfully laughed at.

So I taught myself how to use Premier Pro which was really quite intuitive and precise (I now realise the thousands of limitations of iMovie).

It's funny how you plan things to such an extent and then almost throw them out the window. Shooting the video alone was such a learning process for me I realised new and innovative ways to incorporate the lemon heads throughout without really sticking to my schedule. Factors such as natural lighting had an impact and some shots couldn't be used, but along the way as we were having so much fun with the heads thought "how about this" as a shot.

Whilst being on my placement as well whilst editing some of this it made me question the need for a rigid plan. I saw their planning documents for the Dyson shoot I attended and they were so much more vague than mine which were second by second. Things are definitely born and developed through trial and error and experimentation!

Feedback 

I managed to finish the editing just before I got back to London for my placement, but now I'm here it would be the perfect opportunity to get some professional feedback from video editors. I showed it to my new friend here Joe who does just that and I was so surprised and thrilled he said it was brilliant and couldn't think of anything that needed changing in terms of the shots etc. but he gave me some really useful tips on how to give it a more professional feel.

Dimensions 

By changing the screen dimensions to 1920x (roughly around) 818 - can be played around with, "whatever looks best". This will give it a more cinematic look as when these dimensions are uploaded to youtube it automatically widens the video , so whilst editing there will be black borders but when it's uploaded it will get rid of them . He specifically said do not add black shapes mimicking this as you'll have way too much black space and they will stay when its lengthened on youtube. 

Colour grading

Learn how to use Lumetri: colour wheels on After Effects can really give it that depth & colour balance. This will be perfect as he mentioned it I could agree noticing some parts due to lighting and the lower quality of the fish eye lens were mis-coloured and a little inconsistent. 

Joe then suggested his personal preferences and go-to settings, explaining it seems to be the perfect balance, but to be careful of skin tones as you can end up looking a little orange if it's too much!

mid tones: more towards the orange 

shadows: more towards the blue

at the end play with the highlight which can help avoiding anyone looking like they're wearing too much tan! It was really insightful and encouraging feedback, I'm going to try out all of these methods. 

---------------

I messaged Ben about these alterations however it was too late by this point as his manager had what we had thought was the "ABSOLUTE FINAL VERSION.MP4" and was sending it off to try and get it released as a premier on a music blog. This would be great exposure for all included, the manager Mick is quite illusive so not sure what blogs he's currently trying for but we're crossing our fingers. I know now for the future however what I can do to give it that professional edge thanks to this feedback but I'm still really pleased with the final version and very chuffed in terms of the editing as Joe said it was great.

Research Project: Hel Top Trump Card

Visual Representations of The Goddess of the Underworld, Hel.

I want to show her in a firey underworld setting, alongside her companion the hound.

As represented in the Thor comic books

Basic Imvu character

Initial design, utilising the same methods of a heavy inner bevel, red eyes 

Putting it into After Effects and visualising it on a smaller phone screen (considering Instagram dimensions as this will be posted as a series), I realise I can't really see the pile of bones too well so I'm going to simplify it to just skulls/ bigger imagery. The lightning I can also remove as I found in After Effects I can add this lightning preset which will be animated, adding to the tacky aesthetic.

This image (in terms of the skulls) was a lot more visible on a smaller scale.

Maintaining a consistency in some areas of design I obviously kep the basis of the card the same, including layout and body text, mirroring those used in old school top trump cards.

Font: Silom 14px 

I found adding duplicate layers of spot lighting enabled me to highlight the forefront of the text with lighter shades, emphasising depth.

I also wanted to maintain fluidity with the header texts to some degree, so used 30px Invasion 2000. I used a different animation to the Mami Wata that was more relevant to the context; for the Mami Wata card I used an effect suited to 'under the sea' vibes whereas with Hel I used the preset '3D Fly down behind camera', I feel this bold movement is a lot more suited to the underworld setting.

Fashion Photography Business Card & Logo

Brief

Design a business card and logo suitable for an Instagram Icon for fashion photography student Jesika Brewer.

I have previously collaborated with Jes on a zine last year, she's an amazing photographer and jumped at the chance to design her business card she needs by tonight, so she can print them in time for London Fashion Week.

Research 

In terms of layout I found the ones that were portrait stood out more, I really like the emphasis with these cards on photography and looking at that from a more abstract stand point playing around with the focal point: the lens.

I found this too obvious and unoriginal, it seems to be too literal, focusing on the camera itself, people want to see what the photographer can actually do with a camera.

Thinking about colours it seems apparent a lot use swatches of colours from main images say on the front of the card and use this for the text or background for the back of the card. This style creates a consistent palette, I feel it looks sleek and minimal.

@berlingraphix uses this, although this isn't a business card it give me inspiration for pinpointing a minimal colour scheme that works well with the photography.

As Jes is a fashion photography student I do want to include at least one image on the card, large on the back I feel will look most professional. Jes suggested two but I feel it's neater and clearer having one full bleed. She specifically said she desired Blackletter typefaces.

Initial Designs 

More experimental typographical layout:

Using typeface Blackletter font Black Forest, as Jes said she preferred "old style type". The digital feel to this typeface I thought tied in with the information particularly well as we all communicate through the internet now; it seemed appropriate to match her modern take on styling.

I felt the use of heavy negative space just looked empty, whereas if it was black it wouldn't look so empty.. more contemporary in fact. Many instagram account I've seen utilise this in their poster art and is fast becoming the must have for layouts.. so I thought I best keep with this contemporary trend, matching Jes' contemporary fashion/ styling & photography.

For @berlingraphix black is an integral part of their design, it's negative space encroaching on designs, adding and subtracting, with bursts of colour.

I showed these to Jes and she confirmed she preferred the bottom row, using the green gradient as a colour reference for the text on the other side of the card, she liked as well giving the photograph room to breath, letting it speak for itself full bleed with no text.

As she originally had said she wanted multiple images on her cards I thought this was an appropriate amount, but it seems more professional just having text on this side. I showed Jes and she preferred the simplicity of the single image also, and noted she didn't like the double text for this reason also.

I then played around with the text on the other side. I thought the diamond shape may add to the blackletter old style aesthetic but Jes preferred it without. Upon reflection it doesn't add anything, perhaps overcomplicates the design and isn't necessary.

Logo for Instagram

Keeping it more simplistic I had the subheading aligned to the left, as the contact information is already experimental so I don't want to overcomplicate the design for the sake of being edgy. 

The lighter text colour is a lot more legible as well than the green.

Using typefaces Helvetica and Blood and Blade

Blood and Blade I felt was an 'androgynous', it has a blocky strong quality to the body of text but when it comes to the decorative ascenders, descenders, ears and so on they're fluid and delicate. The contrasting nature incorporates different styles as does Jes' photograph in terms of colour, composition and styling with the feminine shape to the blazer, with 'masculine' bum bag.

I used the corners of the card for text, much like iconography on playing cards, I thought it would be a playful comparison as the cards become more interactive as people have to turn them in order to read. This is why I chose a neutral, easily legible typeface (Helvetica) for the subtext. 

I used colours swatched from Jes' photographs in order to maintain fluidity in aesthetic. For example the header text is sampled from the model's jacket to bring back the attention the clothing as she is also a stylist.

I really like the contrast between the decorative header text and the information, offering a dimension of professionalism through the information text while the header adds to the playfulness of the layout.

Jes chose the final design which we're both really pleased with, I feel it represents her work in a nutshell, it looks professional and I'm excited to add it to my portfolio.

End of Year Exhibition Branding

Brief

Collaborating with Jess Kat and Monica, come up with exhibition branding for the final year show.

Visual Research I liked

Ideas:

• Jigsaw / puzzle- all different pieces (images/ shapes/ colour) for each course
• Petri dish with half tone textures in each, representative of each course
• Hanging planets representative of diff courses
• Space theme "have you got space for us?" / play on song lyric send us to outer space...
• "One small step..." on adverts / "...One giant leap" Inside exhibition

We went down the 'space route; believing in our tag line 'One small step' as this suggests we are all influential as a new generation of designers. We discussed using imagery of spheres as they could be representative of each course, all connected in some way like planets in the solar system.

Visual Research

Halftone Experiments:

We then went off and experimented with some poster ideas individually:

These were my own initial designs which were a lot more experimental, using digital collage techniques and the surface of the moon, as well as gradient lines, the image of the "one small step" represented with the actual boot imprint on the surface. I like the two on the end of each row best, the top especially hints at a technological revolution as well with the inverted text colours.

These being my favourites:

With this one I used a lot of fashionable design techniques that seem to circulating amongst designers at the moment. I see this trend through graphic and clothing design, the use of neon, particularly green. This also makes sense with our galactic theme and really pops against the black. I also used a crumpled paper texture which is popular in design trends, this also works as it brings together new techniques with a retro feel, as if this is a discarded flyer found in the street on the future, I wanted to give this sense of futuristic work highlighting the fact we are the designers/ artists of the future.

The colour gradient/ thermal references binds together art and science, suggestive there is a science behind art, each brushstroke and concept is calculated.

Similarly the use of neon and inverted colours are a trend, I drew inspiration from the RABARBA exhibition poster, with this graphic almost psychedelic image with it's inverted colours.

Feedback

When showing the group they gave me feedback highlighting it looks too much like a science poster, with all the technical imagery it definitely does focus too heavily on space, less about this as a loose concept. Going round we all really liked Monica's design and decided to go with this as a starting point, it texturally references the moon's surface in a much less obvious way than using photography.

They did like my use of neon and initially we did experiment especially with green, it's particularly trendy throughout design and clothing at the moment which seems fitting for young designers to utilise this.

Playing on the "small step" and fact we're all connected we experimented with some tight kerning but found it illegible and messy, distracting from the calculated concept of things working separately but well together.

As we continued to play around with this shape we found it too complex and difficult to manipulate. It wasn't a clean design, more of a rough image trace that had multiple loose ends etc. We started thinking a more refined simplified version of what we have would be more visually striking, important for visual identity.

We experimented with overlaying the vector we then chose which was taken from a gradient map, which could also be representative of heights we can climb to, how we all support each other and we can only reach the top if he have each other, suggesting each course makes up the map which enables us to reach heights. Accentuating this concept we toyed with the idea of having extending stems, representative of all the different paths we may individually go down, post university. 

We tried using Klein Blue as we studied this in first year, a basis into our understanding of colour theory, something that is universally important in all creative fields.

Trying out more subtle contrasting colours worked really nicely, not so garish and hard on the eyes, also moving further from the 'space aesthetic' so it's more focused on the concept. We all agreed the font Rakesly for the header text was nice and clean, popping with the white yet not distracting too much from the visual.

With this variant we felt it was missing something, we needed another element that would tie the text and imagery together, an extension metaphorically also of the concept, a direction in which students move forwards after they graduate. We also found it a little too dark and the subtext wasn't quite right.

This is the a5 flyer 

We then thought about elongating the text in order to show this metaphorical progression, physically. 

Feedback 

-really clean

-simple but effective design

-like the subtext font, visually ties in with the space theme

-subtle use of colour makes text stand out as well as the logo 

-could somehow link up lettering around exhibition space 

Final Designs & Mock ups 

I made the iPhone mock up with a simple design fluid with all the rest, this time using the number as the extending character, with the text aligned with the numeric. I mocked it up on the @laugraphicdes instagram account.