Dogs in Sunglasses

Diesel asked us to promote their new range of sunglasses, so we put them on some dogs and filmed them. We had our reasons though – there are 4 hero styles in the new range, each is designed for a different type of lifestyle, we thought it would be a bit cheesy to show these lifestyles with humans, so … dogs then. This project is part of our work to help shift Diesel’s brand to be more female orientated and a higher quality experience, so with this in mind the video was shot with all the production values of a high end fashion shoot, including a sweet Phantom camera shooting at speeds of up to 2,000 fps for maximum water droplet and fur flowing action.

 








 

So our stars didn’t have to stand around on set for too long (they told us the Doberman would savage us if we laughed at it, his sister is an attack dog), we used stunt dogs to set-up the lights, they were my favourite dogs.

 


 

The old “never work with kids or animals” thing seemed to be a bit of a myth, when working with human actors there’s a lot more explaining and directing and sobbing between takes – with dogs it’s all about the frankfurters.

Diesel Sunamatic

 

A Facebook app to promote Diesel’s new sunglasses range. They have 4 hero styles in the range, all with very different styles and designed for different lifestyles – our app lets you preview how each of the sunglasses would style your summer by taking any photo you upload to Facebook, and making a styled copy of it in your own ‘Sunamatic’ photo album. We’re using lots of effects like adding a multiple exposure of an older photo, which are randomised each time, so like taking a roll of film into the chemist you never really know how they’re going to turn out. Check back in every now and then to see how your summer is being styled, and if you don’t like it, try on a different style of shades. You also use the app to manually style older photos or re-style and new ones.

 

sunamatic.diesel.com

 

 

 

Diesel Eyewear SS12 Microsite

 

A microsite to showcase Diesel’s new spring/summer 2012 collection of eyewear (or”sunglasses”). To fit with Diesel’s new more feminine high quality brand values we gave the site a very elegant and contemporary feel while still keep it as minimal and easy to browse as possible.  All the glasses for each gender as visible on one page, in all colour variations, to allow you to browse them all as if they were laid out in a store in front of you.

diesel.com/eyewear

 

 

 

 

All The Time In The World

We directed this short film back in 2008 and finished editing it in 2010. It was written by a friend of ours, Richard Johnson, and is all about what would happen if a great discovery lands in the lap of somebody who doesn’t know what to do with it. Starring another good friend of ours, the comedian, writer and actor Neil Edmond, and co-starring Rosemary Smith.

 

It picked up third place in The Science Fiction + Fantasy Short Film Festival 2011 (part of The Seattle International Film Festival), and the EMP Museum in Seattle are now screening the film daily on the largest indoor LED screen in America… which is kind of amazing.

 

We shot it in our garage with the help of many people including:

  • Colin Butler bought all his camera gear and was our director of photography
  • Paul Parsons was an extremely patient sound man (it seems a summer weekend is a popular time to get the lawnmower out)
  • Nathan McLaughlin spend an incredible amount of time and talent on the make-up for the end scene
  • Andrew Barnabas made it all sound great with his sound mixing
  • The Boob was our voice of reason during the editing












 

more photos here.

 

MSTV – Monster Supplies Shopping Channel

We made this little video for the Monster Supplies Store working with excellent Terry Saunders who wrote and performed as both heads of the 2 headed presenter. It’s a short excerpt from the Monster Supplies shopping channel, viewed by many bored monster security guards working the day shift, or insomniac vampires.

Harry Potter Tour Preview


 

Well aren’t we the lucky ones? We managed to find ourselves invited to a personal preview tour of the Harry Potter exhibit at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, London, about a month before it opens to the public. Our excellent tour guide was Craig Hanna, Chief Creative Officer of Thinkwell, the amazing guys and gals behind the attraction (also home to our pal Dave). They’re in soft open mode at the moment, which means they’re running the whole thing for preview guests to help test everything and make sure nobody dies before the real audiences turn up.

 

 

The experience isn’t quite what you’d expect judging by how the Harry Potter world has been re-created over the pond in Orlando. Here it’s a slightly more mature approach, and rather than telling the story as if all the magic is real, they are telling you the real story of how the films are made. So rather than entering the real Hogwarts, you explore the actual Hogwarts film sets and the rest of the Harry Potter world.

 

 

The place is full of genuinely amazing props and sets, the likes of which you really don’t see so much in films now-a-days. Anybody with a just a passing interest of the craft of film making would be wide eyed at the good old forced perspective corridors, extremely detailed machines and literally piles of animatronic monsters.

 

 

The big thing that makes this place special though is the stories of how these people, and especially the kids, have grown up and pretty much lived at the studio for over 10 years making the films – you get a real feel for the passion and pride that goes into the production coming out of such a close knit (and rather large) film making family.

 

 

The whole thing is just huge, we can’t mention it all here, but the highlights have to be the Grand Hall in all it’s glory, the stunningly huge Hogwarts model used in all the films, and of course the Butter Beer, which is not of this world, but we’re very glad it’s paying us a visit. Go book yourself some tickets.

 


 

One really nice touch is in the very last room of the tour. The room is stuffed from floor to ceiling of wand boxes. Every box carries the name of every single person that worked on the 8 films. There’s no order, no heirachy, they’re all smashed together in one big family. There’s a guy in there with a memory like Rainman who can point out any name you wish… with his wand.

 

 

… and Thanks again to Craig from Thinkwell for the tour. What a dude.

 

More photos here.