Alex and the Pirates

Group members: Zoe, Lindsey, Stephanie and myself

Assignment: To create a work of art in which all members of a group participate and use their unique talents.

Once assigned to my group, I knew instantly what we should do:  a print ad for a shoe company. This would combine Zoe’s graphic design abilities and showcase Lindsey’s and Stephanie’s dance skills as the models. I would perform the duties of producer and art director.  Because our group had talented dancers as models, I intended to inject a feeling of motion into the shoot and eventual ad.

The product to be sold in the ad would be shoes and I needed to find a company that had a visually interesting line of shoes.  I approached Cydwoq (pronounced sidewalk), an LA based company that makes handmade leather shoes.  I chose Cydwoq because I wear their shoes and I am impressed with their offbeat artistic designs. They have developed a niche following and saw this ad as a way to reach the youth market.

The next step was to find a location that matched the style of the shoes and that would allow for the dance motion I wanted for the ad. The shoes are architecturally inspired so the location was very important. I have a friend who has a cool penthouse in a downtown skyscraper. He thought it would be a fun idea so he agreed to let us shoot.

 I am a photographer and originally wanted to take the pictures myself, but ultimately asked my friend Jessica Janos to shoot the ad.  I discussed with Jessica the style and concept of the ad, and we came up with a way to execute my vision. I wanted to show everyone respect and to embrace their contributions and opinions.

We are now in the final stage which is the photo shopping of the appropriate images. Zoe is the master of this.  We are collaborating on the look of the ads.  A key decision will be where to put the Cydwoq logos.  Potentially it will be an online ad.  It will be great to see the finished product.

Over all, I wanted to create a shoot that utilized all my group’s expertise and artistic talents. It was important to me to create a work of art that had purpose and substance and could be used as a calling card for possible job opportunities in the future.

I either have Prof. Feagin to thank or I am got lucky to be paired up with my pirates who inspired me.  Thank you Zoe, Lindsey and Stephanie.