Below is a large-format video intro card that I made for Movie Monday, a weekly lunch activity of my studio team at an e-commerce agency. Our senior designer would pick a different team member to do an intro to the movie each week. I was selected to intro the Abstract episode on Es Devlin, a designer “known for creating large-scale performative sculptures and environments that fuse music, language, and light.” I had unknowingly seen her work a year before at a Lady Gaga concert.
I had two hours to make something.
I make a quick mood board and a production plan. I want to use Ez’s method of light shaping somehow, but I have to be very primitive and lo-fi about it.
Mood board
I lay out her name and print it. To make a stencil, I put my print over the top of a black piece of paper and cut out the letters with a razor. Then I recruit my friend Tyler (product photographer) to help. He sets up a light against a black curtain. While he is doing that, I hammer out a super quick sketch of a light bulb in illustrator and set up a photoshop artboard to layout the composition.
Back with Tyler, I see he has some good images. He wants to refine, but I say no because I have about thirty minutes until show time. I point to a picture on his camera’’s LCD and say, “that one!” He drops it. I place it on the artboard. Jordan from IT is running the video for us. I ask him what format he needs, quickly export, and I email it.
I get a few compliments on the intro slide. I act like it’s no big deal.