Converse x Moncler
I would like to extend my gratitude for the opportunity to take this project on. As a skateboarder and visual artist, this commercial is the perfect marriage between the two of my greatest passions. The aesthetic approach will be bold, tasteful, and elevated, with an homage to both the luxury and elegance of Moncler and the urban, gritty, and raw nature that is the Converse and Fragment.
Aesthetic
Words that come to mind are bold, graphic, contrasted. Shadow play and strong horizontal lines will be emphasized to string imagery together and create a seamless integration between the two polarizing worlds. Overall, we will be taking a more cinematic approach towards filming our skater and urban environment. We will be putting an emphasis on deep shadows and rich colors to enhance the imagery to an elevated state. We will play with perspective and reflection, filming through windows and marble to produce abstract, painterly moments. In addition, we will be working with scale, using various lenses: fisheye, wide, and telephoto to make the subject and product look and feel magnificent and grand.
We have a unique opportunity on our hands. There is a dichotomy between the fashion world and skate culture. I want to be respectful of where both industries come from on top of representing both equally. In order to do this, my plan is to take two approaches while filming on location. The first approach is to keep the imagery crisp, bold, and graphic in respect to the Moncler brand, with split-screen moments in mind. Secondly, I intend to shoot imagery that is handheld and loose, similar to street photography - paying homage to the aesthetic of skate culture. With this great catalog of imagery from our two-day shoot, I will be able to merge the two within the edit, finding connections between the two approaches through similar compositional elements, connection in color, as well as camera movement. In color correction, we will be able to add film grain to the footage to give it all a raw, gritty texture. We will also convert some footage to black and white, giving some moments a film-noir feel.
Approach
On Location
We will source stock imagery of various mountainscapes, and find the right urban location or cityscape that have correlations in light play, shadows, and elements that interact. We will be able to line up the footage on location using screen grabs from our mountain footage, overlaying that imagery over the urban landscape in real-time while shooting on location. We will be taking a guerilla-style approach, working with a small crew to work more efficiently. Various B-roll will be shot during the day to integrate more ambiance into the edit, we will be experimenting with handheld + slow-motion shots on top of capturing the texture of the city and detail shots of each shoe.
* Locations are dependant on the skateboarder’s preference, location scout photos and shot list TBD
In Studio
In order for us to achieve a similar rotation and shadow reveal for each shoe, we’re going to be using the technology of a Sisu Robotic Arm. This will enable us to have a near-perfect rotation for each shoe, giving us little to no room for error when aligning the shoes with a split-screen in post-production.
Product Photography
It’s all about keeping it clean and minimal for the product photography. Products will be positioned on top of walls or ledges with sky in the background, taking up 2/3 of the composition. We will be using a reflector to add a soft fill light on the product, making the shoes pop. Colors will be vivid, treatment will be natural, portraying an elevated effortless attitude that is true to skate culture.
*Photography will be shot in tandem with our two days of shooting motion. Locations are still TBD based on the location scout.
Editing Style
The editing style will be elegant, with room for action. In addition to the split screen moments, fast-paced cuts of b-roll will enhance the films tempo, breaking up the stationary split screenshots with action, momentum, and explosive energy.
*Note that the final product will be in color, not black and white.
*Still images are only placeholders - there will be video footage of skateboarding.
SHOT LIST
Shot of Skater pushing down a dramatically lit alleyway
Close up shots of each shoe on a skateboard
Wide-angle shot skating over stairs
Bird’s eye view of Ryan skating through the street with deep shadows
Film skater through window for reflection and abstraction
Tying shoe on a fire hydrant
Skater doing a wallride, entire frame is the wall*
Close up of shoe during wall ride*
Fisheye, close up of shoe on skateboard
Fisheye of skater holding shoes
Fisheye of skater skating an obstacle
Shot of Skater pushing through Los Angeles Riverbank
Stationary shot of skater doing a flat ground trick*
Stationary shot of skater riding a hand rail*
*intended for split-screen segments for the edit
Location Ideas
Music
Energetic, with elements of electronica, breakbeats, and drum and bass. Always maintaining a solid rhythm and beat, which always pairs nicely with skateboarding. We will be working with a musician directly to emulate a sound we all agree on.