Silent Streams
Animated Short Treatment.
This idea is based on the inspirational writings of Colin Wilson.
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-outsider-colin-wilson/1101968435
“A moment of vision. The bombardment of the 'self' with emotions and sensations like so many shooting stars, makes the visionary realise that his interior being is more like a mill race. He is struck forcibly by the kinetic nature of the world itself.”
This work aims to explore the search for deeper meaning in our daily lives. It encourages us to look beyond the ordinary and delve into the greater possibilities within us. Humanity is capable of thought, love, empathy, and imagination—relative wonders that we too often take for granted. This idea is at the very core of this visual study: looking at the kinetic nature of the world and the kinetic nature of our own existence.
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Creative / Design. Produced in 2023.
Final frames.
Animated Short Treatment - Process / Thoughts.
The dynamic processes of nature between water air and land are incredibly inspiring to me. To see the process of nature unfolding on that scale created a perfect visual metaphor for the deeper universal processes I was trying to convey. I have spent several years photographing cloud and sea formations, so I used these as a foundation for my initial sketches.
I find writing is an invaluable process when exploring creative potential. This piece was written as a rough sketch to express the cinematic tone that I felt was appropriate.
Streets disappear
As far as I can see
Everything I remember
Into a white Sky
And I fly
Forming perfect patterns
Around black hurricanes
Silent Streams
Avalanche
Within us
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Initial design, story, and photographic studies.
FISHERMAN
Animated Short Treatment.
This idea is inspired by the writings of mid-twentieth century psychologist Carl Jung and the study of the shadow. His work has a deep insight into how we define ourselves and our identities, that we need to be aware of both our strengths and our flaws and learn to accept every part of ourselves. Everyone harbours their own demons. The darkest part of our minds makes up some of the most important parts of our identities. However, for the majority of our lives, we repress the darkest things that deeply define us.
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Creative / Design. Produced in 2022.
Final frames.
Animated Short Treatment - Process / Thoughts.
I strived to create designs that captured a deliberate disconnection in the character, this was meant to convey a sense of inner conflict, juxtaposed with a deeper internal longing. The high contrast black-and-white colour theme, paired with hard shadows, struck me as a potent visual representation of conflicting opposites in action. The compositional language for "Fisherman" would involve using extreme contrast in shot selection to enhance the sense of conflict. Avoiding using medium-based compositions as much as possible, I would transition from extremely wide shots to close-ups. This approach to shot selection would convey the protagonist's weakness and lack of control whilst fostering a deep emotional connection with the audience in the close-up.
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Initial design and story studies.
MILE HIGH CATHEDRAL
Animated Short Concept Visual.
Mile High Cathedral represents an unconscious society being ruled by an elite living in delusion. All sense of perspective has been lost. The Mile High Cathedral continues relentlessly to spread itself across the surrounding landscape destroying everything in its path. Power and control are the absolute priority of the ruling power. The Mile High Cathedral governs in the hands of ideologue (destiny), rather than taking responsible actions and accountability. It doesn't matter what the effects are. Destiny must reveal itself.
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Creative / Design. Produced in 2023.
Final concept visual.
Initial design studies.
BINARY EXIST
Title Sequence Treatment.
I started thinking about Binary Exist in 2015, an idea which revolved around the concept of general artificial intelligence. The inspiration for this idea came from various Al-themed stories that had captured my imagination over the years. I envisioned an AGI in a humanoid body that had been in complete physical isolation would suddenly be thrust into the world of humanity. I wondered about its journey and how it would interact with the world. Would its vast knowledge create unique perspectives and give it a deeper understanding beyond human experience? Could a silicon-based life form connect deeply with the physical world, or would it be locked into a very specific narrow field of experiences? Would it simply be pure intelligence without conscious experience? How would it perceive people and all life on Earth? Would it long for connection to others, or would it see the earth and all its life forms as one deeper larger system? I imagined the character would embark on a pilgrimage of observations on Earth. However, the story has a darker tone as the character is also in danger and is being hunted. Although I never had the time to fully develop the idea, I did work on a treatment for the title sequence. I envisioned representing the creative process of a mind through the journey of a sphere or spheres in a bio-mechanical environment. This would symbolize the external journey of the protagonist and its curiosity during the experiences, culminating in a visually contrasting style that hinted at the unknown possible repercussions of that superintelligent mind in the world of modern man.
I had this quote from Andrei Tarkovsky in mind while thinking about the general outline for the protagonist’s character.
An endless system of spheres, each one perfect and contained within itself. One may complement or contradict another, but in no circumstances can they cancel each other out; on the contrary, they enrich one another, and accumulate to form an all-embracing sphere that grows out into infinity.
Andrei Tarkovsky
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Creative / Design. Produced in 2021.
Final frames.
Title Sequence Treatment - Process / Thoughts.
I envisioned the title sequence to be set in a world featuring an abstract cellular structure merged with a subtle mechanical framework. The title sequence would start with bold, saturated colours and then transition suddenly to a stark, black-and-white digitally distorted representation of the AGI's body, conveying the idea that all complexity could be reduced to a binary decision of kill or be killed, or "Binary Exist," if such a situation were to arise. I was exploring ways to visually represent Telekinesis, as the AGI developed, I thought it could evolve to manipulate the physical world in ways beyond human capability. During my initial designs, I also explored visualizing the AGI in some sort of dream-like state. Would the dreams have a symmetrical geometric quality to them, or would there be a storm of noisy images? The shot compositions would start on wide shots with the sphere being extremely small in it’s environment, but as the sequence progresses we quite rapidly see the scale reverse, and the sphere takes over almost the entire frame, and then we cut to a central composition of the AGI closeup.
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Initial design studies and alternate design options.
BMW. DARK ENERGY
Commercial Treatment.
The creative concept for this project draws inspiration from the theory of Dark Energy. We use Dark Energy as a metaphor for the power and mystery behind the car. To create an experience where the car materializes through a series of captivating visual transitions from the imagined Dark Energy. The concept is driven by the idea of "hunting for the dark matter," with the sequence unfolding to convey the sense of discovering this mysterious force, losing sight of it, and then rediscovering it in a different place.
Dark Energy. A mysterious agent is pushing the universe apart. The dark influences the universe.
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Creative / Design. Produced in 2019.
Final frames.
Commercial Treatment - Process / Thoughts.
One of the larger challenges of the concept was how to portray the dark matter dimension. I wanted to create a blend of organic and geometrical forms that would captivate the audience. In some shots, the car and the environment would seem almost inseparable, while in others they would be clearly distinguishable. The texture of the landscape needed to be familiar yet move mysteriously and uniquely. I envisioned angular geometric patterns forming within seemingly organic materials, like rock, snow, and water, similar to the motion of iron filings in a magnetic field. To design the dark matter as an independent entity, I drew inspiration from cosmological background noise signatures, graphical waveform patterns, and photographs I had taken during coastal storms. For shot selection, I aimed for central, symmetrical compositions in the key transition shots to convey a sense of controlled order. I wanted to avoid the dark matter looking too random; it needed to convey a sense of intelligence in forming the car.
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Initial design and photography studies.
FROZEN IN LIGHT
Concept Art.
I am deeply inspired by science, particularly the work of physicist David Bohm. He coined the phrase "matter is frozen in light," based on the idea that matter is not just made up of small billiard balls made of a hard material moving in an orbit, but more of a vibratory pattern in matter fields. Light is always in motion, but the energy of light can be trapped and localized in matter. The following concept art is a visual study of this fascinating theory.
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Creative / Design. Produced in 2022.
Final frames.
Concept Art - Process / Thoughts.
The process for this project was very exploratory. I deliberately avoided conventional references and found myself working with sketches that were sometimes perplexing. My goal was to find beauty in the design with a sense of deep cosmic order, but also to be unfamiliar enough to convey something new. The process of doing this without falling into a sci-fi cliche was a challenge. I relied on keeping the compositional framework of the designs very simple whilst allowing for a great deal of variety in colour, light and texture.
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Initial design studies.
BBC. Mars COLONY
Docu-series.
I was fortunate to collaborate with the BBC on designing a visual depiction of a thriving colony on Mars set in the mid-22nd century. Mars has always captivated my imagination, and I've been fascinated by the potential for human habitation on the Red Planet ever since I was a child. My goal was to create a portrayal that balanced realism with a sense of futuristic elegance, offering a glimpse into what life could be like on Mars.
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Art Direction / Design. Produced in 2018.
Final frames.
Docu-series - Process / Thoughts.
I wanted to depict how the colony had successfully colonized Mars, to show that living there was now about pleasure and exploration, rather than survival and isolation. The technology would be far more advanced than that of the early 21st century, with elegant and sophisticated designs for the vehicles, suits, and colony structures. I envisioned the Martian colony structures having their own unique cultural language, quite different from what you would find on Earth. I enjoyed using spheres and circles for areas of habitation and life-preserving technology, while the vehicles had very sleek angular designs. During my initial design process, I explored many different landscapes of Mars. It was a fascinating study, all giving their unique sense of wonder. I thought it would be interesting to see how Mars could be captured on film in the Martian golden hour, I decided for most of the shots to use a long lens, then in post, exposing the camera value range of light to either mostly show information in the lights or the darks, not both simultaneously, allowing for very simple silhouetted shapes and forms in the frame. This gave the shots a sense of drama and romanticism, which I felt worked perfectly for the overall visual theme.
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Initial design studies and process.
Helmet UI design concepts.
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Audemars Piguet RD2
Commercial.
I collaborated with the extremely talented Silent Studios and the Electric Theatre Collective to visualise Audemars Piguet’s RD2-type watch. The direction for the idea was based on the watch forming within an event horizon.
Working with these talented directors, on a science/science fiction-themed project was a real dream for me.
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Design. Produced in 2017.
Final frames.
Commercial - Process / Thoughts.
The concept behind my vision of the world beyond the event horizon was inspired by the idea that everything which passes through the event horizon still exists but in the form of data, it felt like a beautiful visual theme to explore with objects emerging out of pure data. This idea and specific directions to use a triptych in a museum or gallery setting within the event horizon dimension was a fascinating combination. Passing through the event horizon and finding oneself in a gallery/museum space of architectural perfection and beauty, was akin to a kind of digital transcendence. This visual idea felt like it reflected the beauty and precision of the RD2 watch perfectly. I felt the world of the event horizon would be both clinical and synthetic, but it would also have a contrasting element of organic rock-like texture when experiencing the shifting data rifts of the event horizon.
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Design studies.
Production frames.
FOALS. LIFE IS YOURS
Live Concert Visuals.
I had the privilege of being invited to contribute to The Foals' "Life Is Yours" tour. Specifically, I was responsible for designing the live visuals to accompany the songs "Exits" and "Providence."
The overall thematic direction of the "Life Is Yours" album was centred around floral designs, which inspired my approach. I referred to my unique interpretation of the brief as "digital floral abstraction," aiming to bring a digital, yet organic, representation of the floral theme to life through my visual designs.
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Design. Produced in 2022.
Final frames.
PlayStation
VR worlds
Concept Art.
PlayStation was leading the way in revolutionizing the VR gaming experience. I was thrilled to be invited to contribute to the design of VR Worlds, immersing myself in the process of conceptualizing a design language for this groundbreaking virtual reality platform.
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Design. Produced in 2017.
Final frames.
Design studies.