Stella Launch Filming Part 1

So.. we came across a link asking us whether we wanted to take part in the filming of a new Stella Artois campaign, naturally we said yes and were intrigued to learn more but found there was little to no information apart from the dates we were to attend and that we must wait for further instructions. We went along to the first location, on the specified date 05.07.11, knowing only the address and title of the evening 'The Party'..

On arrival we received Jacques business card which gave us free drinks to enjoy whilst walking around exploring the set. The venue was completely furnished and decorated like a house with draws to look in and rooms to find. The crowd consisted of actors and completely confused bewildered members of the public like us! A little while after first arriving Jacques had us all hide and jump out and say surprise to girlfriend/ character Cecile, then the party continued with loud music, interaction from the actors and more exploring on our part..

The evening was all quite bizarre but highly entertaining, we left wanting more and feeling apart of something exciting. We are now completely intrigued with what is in store for us at the next evening.

To be continued...

The best excuse ever

We are big advocates of doing good with our advertising. If you can make someones life better while doing what you love, hurrah! We thought we would share this video showing an idea from the Argentinian beer company Norte who have made drinking their beer a really good thing!

Men from the North of Argentina needed a good excuse to go to the bar to drink beer with their friends. They needed the best excuse ever. For each Norte beer a man drank at the bar, the brand allotted one minute of good deeds. A Norte team was in charge of the work. They put counters in the street with the accrued minutes, and the good deeds could be followed on the Internet.

This explains it all...

We should definitely get something like this over here. With the amount of alcohol the design industries alone drink we could transform London!! Awesome idea :)

D&AD New Blood

A few weeks back we helped out at D&AD New Blood.

Our role was to 'transport' people from the venue site on Brick Lane to an agency who was hosting an event. Our two agencies were The Partners and AKQA (where we were on placement at the time). We were meant to walk the groups but as both agencies were are in Farringdon (a 45 min walk) and the groups were 25 and 50+ people, we opted for the tube. However, this was still an epic mission and one we would not be rushing to do again. How primary teachers take a group of 35, 6-11 year old on a day trip is beyond us. Anyway, we digress, The events were both great and we learnt a lot from some very interesting Creative Directors. D&AD asked us to do a write up of each event so if you want to learn more read on...

So you’ve completed your degree, partied away the last of your student loan and pulled together a portfolio.. what the hell do you do next?

Luckily Jack Renwick, creative director at The Partners, is here to help.

After hunting down enough seats for the 50+ attendees, she began her enthusiastic, inspirational and truthful talk entitled ‘Help. I’m a designer’. There was no glossing over what would be involved on your path to becoming a designer. She told it straight: “If you love design, go for it, it is amazing. But if design isn’t your main passion, don’t get into this industry”.

This may sound a little cutthroat and heartless but it was far from that. From experience it is exactly what you need to hear in the crossover from university into the industry. It is hard and there will be times when you feel like giving up. However as Jack pointed out, everyone has these thoughts (you are not alone!) but when you see your work published or made, all those feelings are worth it.

Jack also talked through her personal loves and hates, thrills and fears and this gave a human insight rather than the usual agency stance. It was great to hear someone in her position rationalizing the hard times in a grounded way. “Of course I still get scared and panic.. everyone does”. Another nice point she touched on was the need to find an agency that you feel you fit into. “Don’t just focus on a name, choose somewhere you feel you can grow and somewhere where you get on with the people. A placement is not just a case of an agency testing you, you are testing out the agency”.

The talk then progressed to describing some of The Partners work before a Q&A session with two recent graduates who had been employed at the agency. With two completely different routes into their roles, it was another nod to the fact that if you really want this, you can do it. It was a great opportunity for the group to ask those burning questions and get three different points of view. The atmosphere between the team was great and Jack well and truly squashed the intimidating and unapproachable creative director stereotype. It was clear The Partners nurture their staff and always push for more and that this, in turn, helps them produce their outstanding work.

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AKQA’s underlying message is ‘The future inspires us. We work to inspire’. Staying true to this, Chris May, associate creative director, delivered a sharp, visual and stimulating talk. He began by taking the intimate group of twenty through the agency’s approach to work. He explained how they “specialize in anything with a screen”, producing work within ecommerce, service design, interactive, content and interface.

Chris talked through some case studies of AKQA’s most successful and well-known work such as Nike Training Club, the Nigella Lawson App, Heineken Star Player, Fiat Eco-Drive. Each of these was shown through an informative and concise film that showed the idea in all its’ glory.

It was immediately clear that AKQA truly are a digital agency with technology at the heart. Innovation is one of their core values and was a word that popped up frequently in the talk. Unlike the usual use of a so-called ‘buzz word’, there was truth here. They produce world firsts that use emerging technologies in an interesting and original way. And if the technology does not already exist, they create it themselves, in house.

Bridging the gap between the Technological Architects and the Creatives, AKQA have a team called CRD (Creative Research & Development). These developers have an appreciation for design and experience, physics and motion alongside a deep understanding of the technical issues. It is the collaboration and sharing of knowledge between all these teams that keep AKQA at the forefront of the industry. As Chris pointed out they work with high-end clients and have held accounts for over 10 years, so their processes are obviously working.

For those that had just graduated the talk was a great introduction to a digital agency. As most of the group had come from more traditional advertising courses it highlighted many previously unknown differences about the digital industry. A creative at AKQA can mean many things and Laura Bartlett, another host of the event, explained what they look for in a new-employee. “It is very role specific and I recommend you decide your discipline as early as possible”, an important insight for those just starting out.

The group was also given the chance to have a one-on-one portfolio review with an associate creative director. AKQA made this as beneficial as possible by pairing each attendee with an ACD that matched their direction in the industry. The feedback on the review sessions was excellent, with everyone saying they learnt so much in only 15 mins. In fact the entire afternoon at AKQA got a great response and the group left with a positive attitude and a thirst for what the digital industry had to offer them.

Cooking (Birthday) Tuesdays

This was a particularly special cooking Tuesday, in honour of our fabulousy yummy Mum (London mum not Northern mum!). We did some research into recipes we hadn't made before, as usual, which resulted in a 3 course Vietnamese/ Thai Fusion themed birthday dinner! We made friends with the fishmongers who helped with providing the white and brown crabmeat, advising us on the best white fish for a curry, Red Snapper as it doesn't flake or disintegrate and king prawns for the spring rolls.

On arrival we served our guests with strawberry mojitos to cool off in the evening heat, while everyone had a chance to catch up..& gave us an excuse to run around frantically trying to finish wrapping presents as we got far to preoccupied by the menu!

I must say the Vietnamese spring rolls were a definite highlight as we have wanted to make them for a while but kept putting it off thinking they were too complicated. They were in fact super easy and fun to make, especially the plastic rice paper that you melt in warm water - hours of fun! We are thinking they will also be a quick simple idea for lunches to take to work.

The rest of the evening rolled on with a green fish and crab meat curry, a mango, passionfruit, creme fraiche & ice cream smoothie pudding (recipe below) and lots of bubbles to celebrate such a wonderful lady. There was also a cake mainly to accommodate the candles as we thought no one would have room for anymore food.. but we were wrong and this was completely polished off too! All in all it was a very successful evening but most importantly the birthday girl enjoyed it!

Fat Freddy's Drop at Brixton Academy

It was so special to see the boys on stage again, even though not that much time has past since the last show one does forget just how awesome they are live. The only thing that makes a Freddy's gig that much better is it is always one big family affair, you get to catch up with friends you don't usually get to see living in London but somehow everyone finds a common ground within the Freddy's sound and all make it to their show. To find out more click here.

One thing we have learnt in our lives so far is that inspiration comes from anywhere and everywhere. We never know what idea is going to come next or where a brief may take us but we do know that if we don't experience as much and as varied things as we can we will have bland concepts and stale thoughts. From baking a cake to watching live music, everything you do ends up inspiring something else.

Barclaycard Viral Shoot

This campaign was to promote Barclaycards contactless mobile payment service, which allows shoppers to make purchases of up to £15 by swiping their handsets over the card readers at participating stores. Shot in locations around West London, the viral depicts a spoof history of money and features the voice of thespian actor Brian Blessed and includes a short cameo from Amy Childs (The Only Way Is Essex) who we might add was very entertaining and definitely lived up to everyones expectations! Being on a shoot is great as you experience first hand how much work and man power goes into putting together even the shortest of films. This gives perspective during the creative process and helps us think about the logistics of an idea.

It's back!!

As you may have been able to tell we have got the hang of this 'working' and are finally managing to find time to blog again. Because it is Tuesday and we got away at a reasonable hour.. Here is Cooking Tuesday back in all its glory. What was on the menu today?

Deep-Fried Courgette Flowers

This is something completely new and different for us. Anna has a vegetable patch in the garden and the most flourishing plants are the courgettes, producing lots of delicious (if a little small) offerings. With all the rain we have been having the veg has had a second burst of growth and the bright yellow flowers on the courgette plants have been catching our eyes. We heard that these could be cooked, although neither of us has tasted, let alone cooked them before.

So we searched for a recipe then, in true AK fashion, adapted it to the point that it was hardly recognisable. Most of the recipes suggested stuffing the flowers first, or adding Parmesan to the batter. We went for the cheese-batter option, however made do with a small lump of cheddar we found in the fridge.

We whisked up a quick batter (none of this fancy soda and ice cold water) and got our oil nice and hot. It's pretty simple really, place a flower in the batter, take it out and place it into the very hot oil, wait about 4 mins and hey presto a yummy, flowery snack.

If you have never tired a deep-fried courgette flower we recommend you do. They are delicious! The crispy batter against the soft inner makes a great mix of textures. Just add a little salt and they are perfect on their own as an exciting starter.

Press.Pause.Play

We recommend you watch this film: PressPausePlay.

Before we continue.. here is the trailer

So what's it all about? Well in a nutshell it is a documentary film about hope, fear and digital culture.

The digital revolution of the last decade has unleashed creativity and talent of people in an unprecedented way, unleashing unlimited creative opportunites.

But does democratized culture mean better art, film, music and literature or is true talent instead flooded and drowned in the vast digital ocean of mass culture? Is it cultural democracy or mediocrity?

This is the question addressed by PressPausePlay, a documentary film containing interviews with some of the world’s most influential creators of the digital era.

We were introduced to this film at a private screening while we were on placement at AKQA. They were kind enough to invite us along on our first day and as well as a great opportunity to meet the people in the office it was also great to find out about this film. Although digital 'advertising' isn't a main focus of the film it was interesting to look at the changing face of digital and how new capabilities are opening up the world. We don't want to give too much away because we truly recommend you go and watch it yourself. We had little to no idea what we were about to watch and it was a great way to come at it.

We were also given the chance to meet Philip, one of the producers of the film, from the Swedish creative agency House of Radon. We got lots on insights into the background and making of the film, such as who declined the offer of being in it and how, after hundreds of emails, one finally got passed the PA and got Moby on board. He also told us that to fit in with the theme of the film it is available to stream on PirateBay and that after the official launch they would be releasing a better version, also for free. After spending so many hours of their free time they just want to get it out to the world and let people see their baby.

The film does not come to a conclusion about whether these digital capabilities are an aid or hinder to creativity. But that was never the point. It is a snapshot of our era and a discussion of this uncertain, digital, time we are living in. What's coming next? Well thats the fun part, and that's why we are emerging ourselves in the digital industry. "It is easier to create the future than predict it" Alan Kay ;)

SheSays Creative Directors Dinner

This evening was definitely a highlight for AKcreates due to its foundation in encouraging and inspiring females into creative roles. For five years now SheSays has been running free mentorship and networking events to over 3000 women in the creative business in order to see more women at the top of the game. We were placed with two ladies from AMV and a third who owns her own design agency. To say they were inspiring, awesome individuals would definitely be an understatement. As the invite read 'Come eat a super pizza feast, and drink five of the UK’s top creative talents under the table at Super Pizza; in an intimate and conversational setting', the evening definitely lived up to its word in more ways one. It was like catching up with long lost friends and when it came to the time you could move on to another table we were all having so much fun we ended up sticking together and looking through Luiza's holiday snaps from the AMV villa in Cannes. One of the themes coming out of the photos was the art of stage fighting, which we proceeded in trying to master with the help of Neville Brody and his son, due to the skilful persuasion tactics of Toria (pictured top right).

The evening not only inspired us and made us feel less of a minority, within a predominately male industry, it reminded us to have a good laugh every now and then. If you don't enjoy what you do, what are you doing it for? You really do only get one life, so make sure you have some fun living it. Oh and the other important lesson we learnt on the night was women in advertising rule..

A special thanks to Amy, Toria and Luiza for being top 'top' females!

Caant Skinny Cubs

Whilst a Cannes Young Lion might well garner you with respect from your peers, a Cannt Skinny Cub gets recognition from creative directors that you stick the hard work in when needed.

AKcreates came across Skinny Cubs on the Caant website and after reading the above we decided to go along, have a crack at it, meet some like minded people, hopefully make some contacts and have yet another beer (this industry does like its beer!). The evening was hosted by Soup and Skive and consisted of a live brief, live music, drinks and Creative Directors ready to look at your book or just have a friendly chat.

We very nearly slipped off after the briefing to crack on and try and get that big idea but decided to mingle and at least get one person to give us some feedback on our work, what did we have to loose! We talked to a bunch of young creative people and even got one guy who is currently at Saatchi to do a drawing for us for one of our on going self initiated projects, he was absolutely hilarious and gave us some great insights into the thinking of a Frenchman.

A man marked with the 'red cub badge' (Established industry figure) became available so we walked over and asked if he wouldn't mind checking out our work. He turned out to be a very down-to-earth, cool, like minded dude and it felt more like a casual chat than a potential job interview. He was very enthusiastic about our work which was super encouraging but even more exciting when he asked if we would like a placement at his company. He turned out to be one of the founding members of Soup who was hosting the evening and invited us to check out the offices and have a meeting with the other big wigs at Soup, so we headed off at 11pm to make some cakes and went in the following day to seal the deal on our new home after we finished our current placement at AKQA.

Glasto'11

Music is food for the soul, we couldn't imagine a world without it and since one half of AKcreates worked in live music, festivals have been a regular haunt of ours for the past decade. There is nothing like them, the atmosphere, the people, as soon as you pass those gates all your worries are left behind and you enter a world of unknown, excitement & the knowledge that the next 48 hours or so will be with you for the rest of your life.

The other evening I found myself in conversation with an elderly, well educated gentleman. I tried to keep up with the typical adult discussions such as politics, world affairs, etc but my glass of wine got the better of me and I started quizzing him on his love for music. The change of topic lightened the mood and I was lucky enough to hear tales from his youth, attending gigs, meeting musicians and going to as many festivals as he could, including one very fond memory he had of lying on the grass at Knebworth in the 70s with a bottle of Jack.. etc! under the stars with all his friends and the smile on his face was priceless. It's times like this that confirm these experiences are indispensable.

The sheer size of Glastonbury is mind blowing and at 180,000 capacity it may as well be called Glasto city. This fact made it all the more exciting to see one of our friends grace the stage, not once but twice over the weekend. Dels (see previous blog) is a very talented artist and he clearly loved every minute of his time up there.. 2011 Wow Stage, 2013 Pyramid Stage!