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To create my storyboard I employed the help of an Artist and Illustrator to bring my ideas to life. We sat down and went over each scene carefully illustrating each idea to represent what I wanted to create. After we were done I sat down myself and added in directions, notes and annotations so that if I was to give this to a videographer he would understand my vision. I also put in notes for the VFX artist and sent off the storyboards for him to look at, give me a quote and tell me what he would need from us to create it. (VFX friendly filming techniques)

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Tom Cowles is my VFX artist that I am in discussion with about executing my vision.

https://vimeo.com/tomcowles/2018

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Hey! You've stumbled across my 2018 vfx reel.
For more detail on VFX Supervision/Compositing roles please contact;
film@tomcowles.com

Full credits on my personal website.

website: tomcowles.com
twitter: @LowComet

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Hey! You've stumbled across my 2018 vfx reel. For more detail on VFX Supervision/Compositing roles please contact; film@tomcowles.com Full credits on my personal website. website: tomcowles.com twitter: @LowComet

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After our briefing I have taken the time to evaluate my options and decide that I want to pursue a fashion film for my final FMP. I have started researching inspiration looking into previous fashion films and films that interest me through their colour schemes and structures to help create a strong idea for a film that showcases my skills.

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This week has been about completing my Major Project research and tying up any loose ends, I have also been working on condensing this process pitch down into a 3 minute video for presentation at the end of the term.

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This was a simple render to experiment and create an idea for an interactive poster.

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I would like to explore this more in depth over the course of the next term to create an elaborate 3D AR poster or something similar in which the poster comes alive to create an interactive element.

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This is a mockup of what the poster would look like on location to give an idea of where this poster would be placed. I do want to think about new innovative ways this poster could be shared but as a basic reaching the general public this is one route. Other ideas could include VR and holograms or a poster that when viewed through specific glasses (google glass type) or a phone it comes to life.

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For my concept I will direct and produce an art house fashion film for the high-end clothing brand Kenzo under the French holding multinational corporation and conglomerate specializing in luxury goods, LVMH. The focus of my final major project will embody a 7-10 minute fashion film. Additionally I will produce a photography campaign shot by myself and a concept launch event to unveil the campaign. This will take the form of an experiential retail concept designed to engage consumers with the short film and increase the return from audiovisual retail campaigns.

The photoshoot will act as the promotional content for the short film. These stills will be taken at the same time as the film is being recorded and represent the same transcendent storyline as the film. These will be shot predominantly using analogue techniques as I feel it gives a specific depth that is not matched by digital. If I am creating a period film it is only fitting that I use the techniques of the periods.

The Film

The fashion film will be shot by a team I select myself that is capable of us- ing the necessary equipment required to produce this campaign. I will direct and produce the film myself from start to fin- ish. My personal goal for the film is to try my hand at a more high end professional production to elevate my career into the luxury market as well as taking on different roals to push myself to new heights.

Creatively I want to create a film that stands out against the crowd and gen- erates interest. I plan on mixing the use of analogue and digital techniques as well as mixing a range of different eras into one film creating a strong narrative and visual aesthetic that emobdies the Kenzo brand ethos of ‘West meets East’, additionally I want to incorporate my own creative ethos of old meets new. The film will embody a storyline that trascendes time and space in a 7 minute story that blends ‘Mishima, A Life in Four Chapters’ and ‘Breakfast at Tiffanys’ with ‘La Haine’ and ‘Moonlight’.

The selected images would be used for billboards, flyposting and maga- zine advertising to promote the event and brand.

The challenge of this concept will be turning England into period Japan and 1920’s Paris. This is where location will be everything. I will have to take part in thorough location scouts and work with parisian architecture to evoke the correct emotion in the short film. A couple of locations spring to mind when thinking of locations, Kyoto Japanese Gardens in Holland Park and the Cafe De Paris. The film will be inclusive and represent the values of the modern era establishing Kenzo’s social image with their consumer base.

The Photoshoot

My part in this entire campaign will be that of photographer, director, pro- ducer, creative director and event planner.

My project will run in line with social issues being representative of LG- BTQ and POC however I dont want the film to be overly political in its output as I feel putting personal feelings into this kind of work is often not beneficial. As much as I have my own feelings and opinions I want this film to be positive, representative and inclusive, touching on issues without coming across as aggressive and political in nature, I want to use all different types of people from wider society inluding people of disability.

Equipment will range from RED cameras to Super 8 film and drones, and a mixture of digital and medium format film photos. It will be edited between Pre- miere Pro and Davinci resolve for cutting and colour grading and After Effects for any SFX.

Platforms will involve Instagram for primary research as an advertising tool and a place to advertise the film and still images. Other platforms could be Tik Tok for a short trailer and facebook however facebook is aimed at an older generation.

The Launch Event (Concept)

The launch event will be where the return is seen. This will take place as a series of nights at a specified location. The launch night will be in inspired by a Gala, invite only exclusive to LVMH partners and high profile individuals to see a private viewing of the film and exhibition with live music acts. Press will also be invited to cov- er the event. I intend for this to be similar to an opening night of a movie, an attempt to drive traffic towards the short film cre- ating more of a feature out of it. The fol- lowing nights will be ticketed to the public. Rather than having an experiential retail campaign I want to create an experience.

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I created this concept poster and name to build an advertising campaign and image around the film. I chose Wings of a Butterfly because the shapes on his back resemble that of wings, angel or butterfly. Butterflies are also delicate and beautiful but their wings are powerful and start major world events (figuratively) The tattoo on his back is a drawing of the opening of the seven seals from biblical texts.

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I tried a warmer more golden aesthetic for the poster but felt it didn't offer the right impact or aesthetic and preferred the cooler colours with the pinks and blues

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I found that I was finding it difficult to find the necessary information I needed about the different lighting techniques that I would need to use to light some of the scenes in my film in the way that I wanted to. Because of this I decided the only way I was going to be able to achieve this is by gaining first hand experience. This week I decided to get a Job working at Sunbeam Studios in Ladbroke Grove just down the road from my flat as a Studio Assistant working in professional high end sets. Not only does this give me valuable studio experience and experience with lighting but it allows me to make use of the studios free of charge which elevates my professional practice into a higher market.

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https://vimeo.com/653644497

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For my initial idea I wanted to bring Kenzo back to its roots and use ancient Japan and period Paris as locations for my film. This highlighted one huge issue. I live in 2021 England and we are in the middle of a pandemic... this hugely limited my options. I decided to attempt a photoshoot in a Japanese garden to see if this is possible.

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Instantly an issue I came up against was tourists. People love to go to a Japanese Garden and this meant angles and imagery was extremely limited. Another issue was due to it being limited I could only do close shots and was unable to take any wide shots. This meant that actually making it look like you were in a Japanese garden was extremely difficult as there was little to no context. I decided to try superimposing a Japanese backdrop instead, potentially looking at greenscreen as an idea. This was the outcome.

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Whilst I like the effect of this outcome I felt I was straying from the aesthetic of the film that I wanted to create which is beautiful and real rather than heavy VFX. I did try one more idea though. I looked into 3D logos over the tops of the images

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Ive found that I really don't like this aesthetic and where my project is going, I am going to take my project back to its roots and start fresh to create something that I am happy with and that represents me in the way that I want to be perceived. There are still elements that I want to keep, I like the idea of using a 3D logo somewhere in my film but I am removing the brand element. I still like the idea of the 4 story lines but I will reimagine what these 4 story lines are.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fLKcHu-LJo

GOOD KID MA A d City by Kahlil Joseph

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good kid, mA A d city Short Film | Kendrick Lamar

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4ITEP21cWQ

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b87B7zyucgI

Prada - Wes Anderson

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PRADA presents "CASTELLO CAVALCANTI" by Wes Anderson

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NJj12tJzqc

Moonlight by Barry Jenkins - Cinematography structure and direction

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdXQmhrbuCY

Kenzo SS14 by Kahlil Joseph

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KENZO SS14 "Dawn in Luxor" by Kahlil Joseph

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Kenzo - Music is my Mistress - Kahlil Joseph

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Kenzo - Music is my Mistress - Kahlil Joseph

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https://www.facebook.com/kenzoparis/videos/kenzo-music-is-my-mistress-a-film-by-kahlil-joseph/10154678739179681/

Music Is My Mistress - Kahlil Joseph

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KENZO "Music is my Mistress", a film by Kahlil Joseph | Discover “Music Is My Mistress”, the new KENZO film directed by Kahlil Joseph starring Tracee Ellis Ross, Jesse Williams, Kelsey Lu and Ish from Shabazz... | By KENZO | Facebook

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Discover “Music Is My Mistress”, the new KENZO film directed by Kahlil Joseph starring Tracee Ellis Ross, Jesse Williams, Kelsey Lu and Ish from Shabazz...

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Puma X Maison Kitsune short fashion film for 18 Montrose

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Puma X Maison Kitsune short fashion film for 18 Montrose

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I was commissioned by Puma to create a short 40 second fashion film for the Puma X Maison Kitsune collection to go in the 18 Montrose Kings Cross store. I took this opportunity to create an artistic fashion film. I was very limited with my planning time, props and locations as I was only given a short turn around and no real moodboard or budget. I just wanted to take the opportunity to create something slightly more artistic and interesting with a personal touch using different aspect ratios and colour grades and explore how this alters the feel and mood of the film much like Barry Jenkins and Khalil Joseph do in their films.