photography

Inspiration: District 9 Viral Marketing Campaign

District 9 Ad Campaign

Posted by Sherrie Thai of Shaire Productions.

The ad campaign for District 9 is reminiscent of the viral marketing of the Dark Knight and Watchmen with (on and offline) banners in various cities, reminding people to keep watch for subversive activity. There is an alternative website promoting the film–D-9–involving the Multinational United (MNU). Though the viral marketing isn’t as extensive as The Dark Knight’s, the inclusion of an alien language on the fictional blog site MPU Spreads Lies is a nice touch. The interactivity between the brand and audience strengthens the brand popularity and creates a compelling dialogue.

Photos: The Crucible Fire Arts Festival

“Fishbug” by Rebecca Anders
Fish Bug

“Epiphany” by Dan Das Man & Karen Cusolito
Fire Girl

Fire Dancer from “The Rootabaga Opera” by Dan Cantrell
Rootabaga Opera

“Fire Vortex” by Nate Smith
Fire Vortex

Fire Poi performance by Amber Garrett
Silhouette

“Twilight Anima Rising’ by Mardi Storm
Unicorn

Masks

Posted by Sherrie Thai of Shaire Productions.

Here are some of my photos from The Crucible’s Fire Art Festival where fire and imagination reign free. More info is available on The Crucible’s site.

Artwork: Piano Woman

Piano Woman

Piano Woman is a mixed media illustration inspired by feathery headdresses, Cirque de Soleil, and pianos (my first love). The initial base for the girl was a candid photo I took from a few years back.

Inspiration: Henri Cartier-Bresson, Master Street Photographer and Photojournalist

Henri Bresson photo

Posted by Sherrie Thai of Shaire Productions.

I’ve been studying Henri Cartier-Bresson’s photos quite a bit lately. According to Wikipedia, he’s known as a “father of modern photojournalism”. With roots as a Surrealist photographer (illustrator and painter), he became a master of candid/street photography. I like the fact that his photos had roots in classic composition (golden means), yet were spontaneous and narrative at the same time. He was able to capture the essence of the moment and subject. Bresson was well-sought-after to cover historical moments as China’s changing of the guard to Ghandi’s funeral, but I most admire his ability to capture powerful moments in everyday life.

Artwork: Flying Monkeys of Oz

Flying Monkeys of Oz

Flying Monkeys of Oz Initial Drawing

Posted by Sherrie Thai of Shaire Productions.

I had the opportunity to catch Wicked last week–a visually compelling musical with a solid story–an interesting parallel to the classic L. Frank Baum’s “Wizard of Oz.” The Flying Monkeys stood out to me as compelling subjects, so I viewed the original 1939 Judy Garland movie and lesser known adaptations: “Tin Man” and the “The Wiz” with the late Michael Jackson.

My version explores the displacement of the creatures. The Flying Monkeys are an unnatural evolution–torn between worlds, but expelling fear in their path. The glow from the Emerald City lights the sky. Like many of my fine art illustrations, the coloring was added through a variety of Photoshop layers after the graphite drawing was scanned. The fur was a bit challenging as there was quite a few layers of subtracting/adding graphite through the kneaded eraser and pencil.

Wicked Poster