Dancing on Air

With Snow White model Marge Champion at the press 
conference for "Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs: 
The Creation of a Classic" at Norman Rockwell Museum, 
June 7, 2013. Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Creation of a Classic is a hit! We had a successful opening last weekend, and our Enchanted Evening Gala was enjoyed by all who attended. I was asked to help out with an auction held during the event− as a performer, it made me conscious of how to speak effectively from the diaphragm, and in an engaging way in order to entice potential bidders. There is an art to this public speaking thing, for sure... but I did alright.

One person who seems to have mastered the skill is Marge Champion, the famed dancer/choreographer who also served as the live reference model for Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. She was our guest of honor during our gala event, and also joined us for a well-attended press preview to talk about her experience working on the groundbreaking film. I was impressed by her energy and spark, and her words were often inspiring (hope I'm like this when I reach 93). During the gala, Sarah I and took the dance floor and so did Marge... I must admit, there was a part of me that wanted to impress the award-winning performer with my own dancing ability (here's a little video my co-worker filmed of us; you can also see Marge Champion waltzing away in the background).  

During my last post I mentioned my planned interview with the Berkshire program Well Talk Radio about the exhibition. I thought it turned out well... here is a link to the segment, where you can also hear portions of my April interview with Marge Champion. And... without further delay, here is a very quick clip I put together from that same interview... I hope to put a longer piece together when I can find the time... right?

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Creation of a Classic will be on view through October 27, 2013 at Norman Rockwell Museum.

Related Links:

"'Snow White' in the Press," Norman Rockwell Museum website

Enchanted Evening Gala photos (includes shots taken by your's truly), Norman Rockwell Museum Facebook page

Media Monitoring

Hey, for those who like to keep track, let me be your media monitoring service....

The Spoken Word Almanac Project will be performing their year-end show this weekend at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York City, Friday through Sunday, starting at 7 p.m. Some of the media design featured was created by yours truly earlier in the year... 

Or if you find yourself in the New England area, catch a movie at the Triplex or Beacon movie theaters, and you'll see a flashy new promo I created.

Either way, it's a chance to see my video and design work on a big screen... and I'm not talking about that billboard this time!

Related Links: 

www.nuyorican.org

www.thebeaconcinema.com

Back On The Boards!

I have some more vacation time to use before the end of the year, so I took the day off from work... but that doesn't mean I wasn't busy! More on that in a sec...

I did check into my work email during the day, and discovered that the Museum's new holiday billboards are up... and if you see them around the Berkshires, you may recognize a couple dedicated do-gooders!

Yep, that's me in the Spidey suit, along with my web-slinging nephew Ben! The Museum wanted to promote our latest exhibition (Heroes & Villains: The Comic Book Art of Alex Ross), but we were having a heck of a time trying to get the copyright holders of Ross' artwork to agree to let us showcase his art on a promotion of that size... but me, I had no problem (they don't call me a wallcrawler for nuthin'!). 

Seriously, it's pretty cool... I'll have to take a better picture once I get back to the Berkshires (and find the locations of these displays). 

Minor earth, major sky...! Celebrating my "A-ha" moment at WEXT's
studios in Troy, NY. Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

Continuing my bid to be called the new "king of all media," I returned to radio station WEXT's studios today to finally record my tribute show on 

A-ha. Actually, it was a re-record... I had already given it a shot a couple years ago at the request of Program Director Chris Wienk, but it was decided to put it on hold... in the meantime, the band retired (2010), briefly reunited to perform during a memorial concert for the victims of that tragic shooting in Norway last year, and on a more joyous occasion... were actually knighted by their home country last month during a ceremony held in Oslo to honor the 30th anniversary of their founding and contributions to Norwegian culture... the least I could do was re-record my tribute, and pull out all the stops!

I'm happy with how the recording session went... I thought my delivery was even stronger than the MyExit show I recorded a few months back. Radio production assistant Katie G was wonderful as usual, and was encouraging during my hour-plus, reading my prepared notes. Now I just have to wait for her to produce it... I prepared a couple discs full of music and editing background themes, and she has my notes... make her job a little easier. There's a chance it might air before the end of the year, otherwise early next... hopefully. So cross fingers and Morten Harket's leather wristbands that it will finally see "the living daylights"... soon! 

I'm ending the day by continuing to organize our new home. We are supposed to host a night of Hanukkah for our family, but I'd feel better if we could straighten it up a bit more... having said that, we lit our own candles earlier... not a bad day at all today!

Related Link:

http://exit977.org

Lending a Voice

Today was quite interesting... and busy. I started by giving a live, in-studio interview to WAMC, our local NPR station, about the Alex Ross exhibition. The artist himself joined us via phone from Chicago as we talked about his work and the show. I was quite happy with the way it turned out... hopefully my enthusiasm translated well on the radio. You can hear for yourself on the show archive on The Roundtable's website. 

Immediately following the segment, the exhibition curator and I drove up the street to the local comic shop... of course! I dropped off some more promotional materials, and we looked around a bit. Everyone seems very excited about the exhibition, and is planning their costumes to wear...

From there I caught a quick bite at my favorite Indian food buffet, and then drove back to Hudson, where I still haven't changed my mailing address. I was waiting until today, Election Day, to avoid any last-minute snafus. It was painless... we had fill-in ballots that reminded me of grade school, and I had no wait at all. I even ran into some of my family's friends... there was something a little sad about the idea that this would probably be my last time voting in the area. 

Afterwards, I hit downtown Hudson,dropping off more posters about the Ross exhibit--it was a nice surprise to hear about others who were aware of the exhibit... more excitement.

I'm back home now, and Sarah is off at a election results party with some of our friends. I decided to stay put and try to get some more work done on my exhibition video... time is running out. Here and there I'm checking in on results, but the election still seems too close to tell. 

I did, however, wake up this morning to learn the results of a different kind of election held today in Norway... yes, my musical idols, A-ha, were awarded the Royal Order of St. Olav, the Norwegian equivalent of being knighted, by their King Harald. All three members were on-hand during a special ceremony in Oslo, where they received St. Olavs Orden (and a standing ovation), for their quite impressive contributions to Norwegian music. Hear, hear! 

So, not a bad day for this blue-eyed soul brother...

Related Links:

The American Presidency Project

"'Heroes & Villains: The Comic Book Art of Alex Ross' at The Norman Rockwell Museum," The Roundtable, November 6, 2012

"A-ha members awarded royal Order of St Olav," newsinenglish.no, November 6, 2012

"A-ha hedret med St. Olav," sa.no (Norwegian), November 6, 2012

Burning Up

Alex Ross, "Marvels #1" cover, 1994, courtesy of the artist,
HUMAN TORCH ™ & © 2012 Marvel and Subs.

I'm back at work in the Berkshires today, trying to get further ahead on a video I am creating for the exhibition, Heroes & Villains: The Comic Book Art of Alex Ross. These HD files clobbered my home computer last week, so I had no choice but to come in on my day off... sigh... guess it's time to invest in some more memory, so I can keep my video production going into the modern age...

I must say, it's also a little challenging to be doing this kind of work while managing regular Museum and exhibition promotion... the exhibit opens this Saturday, November 10, so it's going to be an insanely busy week... and that's not even counting the election!

Speaking of Election Day, I'm taking some time out this Tuesday, November 6, to stop by WAMC, the Albany-based NPR station, to again appear as a guest on The Roundtable. I will be speaking live with host Joe Donahue during the 11 a.m. hour about the Alex Ross exhibit, with the artist on the line from Chicago (hope he remembers the time difference!). It should be fun, and a topic I feel most confident talking about. 

The image attached to this blog entry is a painting of The Human Torch from Ross' 1994 breakthrough, Marvels. This was the book that introduced me to the artist's work... I still find it extraordinary! You can read a bit more about the artist's work in today's Springfield Republican-- they have a beautiful, full-color preview on the exhibition, which includes some words from Alex Ross and yours truly!

Ok... promo done, back to the video... 

Related Link:

"Comic book art of Alex Ross to be showcased at Norman Rockwell Museum," The Springfield Republican, November 4, 2012

Hero-isms

Spent the day at work preparing for our upcoming exhibition, Heroes and Villains: The Comic Book Art of Alex Ross. The artwork looks great, and it sounds like Ross had the same comic book cornerstones as I did growing up: creating his own books, being glued to the TV to the animated and live action superhero shows (no better Hulk!). I think it explains something of the realistic approach he has taken with his art. Here is a clip I found of the artist talking about his work:

The rest of the day was spent setting things up for a radio segment about our upcoming Girl Scouts Festival Day. The more I learn about the organization, I can see why it is responsible for influencing many of our real-life heroes. "Once a girl scout, always a girl scout..." one of the council representatives tells me. Yeah, I can see it with my wife-- shazam!

Good Relations

I started the day off by doing another radio interview (in the words of my co-worker, "you're famous again!"). This one was for Jazz FM, a radio station based in the UK... yup, Anglophile that I am, I can cross another item off my bucket list. Actually, this station is devoted to jazz, as its name suggests... I just hope that my interview is slated next to Miles and Coltrane... not Kenny G. The representative was part of a so-called FAM group, which the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism puts together. Basically, groups of journalists travel throughout the state to learn about the various cultural attractions. I gave them the low-down on Norman Rockwell and Howard Pyle...

Rockwell and Pyle side-by-side
From "Howard Pyle: American Master Rediscovered."
Photo by Jeremy Clowe for Norman Rockwell Museum.

The new exhibition looks great, and has received some favorable press. Here is a short article I wrote for the Berkshire Visitors Bureau that describes, in part, Rockwell's admiration for the Golden Age illustrator's work. It is rather fun to see his 1959 painting Family Tree on view next to Pyle's classic pirate illustrations.

Sarah and I missed the opening, but it looks like people had fun... dressed up as swashbucklers and shaking their pirate booty on the dance floor. The truth is that I have dressed up as a pirate on a couple of occasions... just for the fun of it... arrrgh!!!

"Howard Pyle: American Master Rediscovered."
Photo by Jeremy Clowe for Norman Rockwell Museum.

So I am busy trying to attract press for the exhibition, which can be a creative exercise in itself. Last week I represented the Museum during an event called Celebrate the Berkshires, put on by the Berkshire Visitors Bureau. It was a good opportunity to network and learn what the other cultural organizations are doing. 

I have to say I have the utmost respect for what Mass MoCA is involved with... they just seem so forward-thinking, and after hearing their Director speak, that is no accident. Joe Thompson was on-hand to present the Berkshire Trendsetter Award to Jacob's Pillow, another great cultural organization, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year. The dance organization does wonderful work, and just announced their outdoor performance schedule. Sarah and I love heading up to Becket... into the woods... to see live dance. Jacob's Pillow and Mass MoCA are absolutely deserving of the accolades they receive for all of their quality programming. The Rockwell Museum has some fine exhibitions as well, and we were also nominated for a couple Trendsetter Awards, including "Public Relations," which made me think I'm doing something right.

And so, the summer season begin...

Related Link:

Berkshire Visitors Bureau article on Howard Pyle exhibition

Tasty Designs

Yesterday I spent some time sketching in my sketchbook− something I haven't done nearly enough of lately. I put on Bombay Bicycle Club's latest album and just let my mind wander... it felt good. There was a purpose though− I was working out ideas for a logo for my independent business as a video producer/artist/all-around Renaissance man. It was something I have been considering for awhile, but finally embarked on after an assignment for my graphic design class.

©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

As I mentioned in a post last week, it was difficult to just jump into logo design on the computer, trying to navigate Illustrator and choose a suitable font. Sketching out some ideas felt more natural to me... I used to doodle all the time, and this was very much in that vein. Somewhere along the way you can get sort of hung up on everything being perfect, and I think that's where I have faced the biggest challenge to my natural instinct to draw.

Logos are sort of different. I could just relax, and not worry about anything being too perfect, clever, or final. It was good fun to just brainstorm... I just need to allow myself to do it− take time to do it. I only really went online to look up some ideas that had been used before for videographers and filmmakers, and on a couple sites dedicated to logos: www.logopond.com had some fun stuff.

So I'm trying to play off the name Blue-Eyed Soul Productions− I guess that's my new "company name" (I was using jcloweproductions for awhile, but I'm not sure that's so original... only chosen because a lot of my friends had been calling me JClo-- you know, that's me... Jeremy on the block... yo). There were a few reasons to choose Blue-Eyed Soul... firstly because of my sparkling blue eyes (at least that's what my girl says), and second because it plays off the idea of soulful music and culture− sort of an attitude I aspire to... honest, deep, classic.

Careful about that foot-long deal...
Design by www.tshirtbordello.com

Hey, speaking of class, I thought this logo parody was hilarious. I just found it last night. It's funny, because I was talking with my instructor at the end of class last week about how lame the Subway logo is. Yeah, I get it... the arrows... this way for subs, right... but there are better logo designs that actually make me hungry. I mean, I like Subway, but the logo is sort of like the food I guess− nothing really out of the ordinary.

Design by Louise Fili.
All rights reserved.

One of my classmates did a report the other week on the graphic designer Louise Fili, who does a lot of work for food companies. She brings sort of an old-fashioned (in a good way), Art Deco, Italian/French sensibility to her work. I don't remember eating any of the products displayed on her website, but because of her design, they all appear high quality and like they would be quite tasty.

The Mermaid Oyster Bar. Design by Louise Fili.
All rights reserved.

Chipotle poster design by Invisible Creature.
www.invisiblecreature.com/All rights reserved. 

Another example is the restaurant chain Chipotle. I have never stepped foot in one of these eateries, but a couple of their "farm to table" designs have been catching my eye lately. I think I would be inclined to stop in for a bite if I was in the area. Hey, if it works for Willie Nelson... 

It's funny what good design can do. Now if I can only make my work appear just as appetizing to clients and the general public...

Video Gone Viral

Following up on yesterday's post: I realize that I have already made the jump into online video promotions. This video was created specifically for a site called Tourism Cares, a non-profit organization based in the travel industry, with a mission to preserve the travel experience for future generations. They have a program called "Save Our Sites," which is supporting Norman Rockwell Museum's conservation efforts. Kind of a unique idea: you can go directly to their site and make a donation, which will be used to help preserve seven of Rockwell's original drawings, which are in need of repair.*

Hopefully the message here was clear, and interested people in helping out the Museum's efforts. I created the video in such a way that it could be used to attract other donations, and so we have also used it on the Museum's website and Facebook pages. So there you go... viral!

Visit Tourism Cares' "Save This Sites" website: http://www.tourismcares.org/save-our-sites

*I have created a couple videos that demonstrate art conservation-- I'll have to share them at a later date!

The Art of Promotion

Confession: part of the reason for this blog is a little shameless self-promotion.

There... I said it... in case you hadn't already guessed!

Come see NRM's new exhibition or the monkey gets it.

There certainly are many more options available than when I started college, studying illustration and graphic design. Back then I guess the ultimate exposure would be on television. The pinnacle: a spot aired during The Super Bowl. Well, that's still considered a touchdown, with companies devoting countless hours, dollars, and energy coming up with creative ideas that people will be talking about the next week or, in some cases, years (think Apple's 1984 Macintosh commercial). Today, creative promotions are just a click away on your iPad, and I wonder if even Steve Jobs could have predicted that one?

Working in the communications/marketing department of a major museum, I have been involved with many different efforts over the years to attract people's attention. From print ads, press releases, radio spots, billboards, and web-- I have had a hand in it all, but I'm still most fond of creating TV commercials, which make use of my skills as a filmmaker.

Nothing but blue skies: with "Rio" director Carlos
Saldanha, at Norman Rockwell Museum.

This past year I returned to the TV medium, helping to develop spots for two of Norman Rockwell Museum's summer exhibitions: "Ice Age" to the Digital Age: The 3D Animation Art of Blue Sky Studios, and It's a Dog's Life: Norman Rockwell Paints Man's Best Friend. "Ice Age" to the Digital Age took a look at the work of Blue Sky Studios, one of the world's leading digital animation companies. Known for such blockbuster films as the Ice Age series, Robots, and Rio, the company is based in Greenwich, Connecticut, and I had the pleasure of visiting the studios' headquarters, in order to prepare for the exhibition.

In the months leading up to the opening, I was offered the chance to create a special movie trailer, which would coincide with the opening of the studio's latest film, Rio. What fun! I decided to play off of the movie's Brazilian theme, and incorporate a catchy latin beat. I always love working with music, and after quite a bit of searching, found a peppy, royalty-free track. Next, I sorted through promotional images we had been provided by Blue Sky, including character sketches, models, and final 3D animation stills, all ultimately represented in the exhibition. After a bit of editing, here is what I came up with:

When I attended the opening weekend of Rio at the Beacon Cinema in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, it was a real rush to see this run on a huge movie screen in a darkened theater! I must admit that I went back several times to see it... good thing that I also loved the movie.

The trailer was such a big hit that we decided to use it for a TV spot to be co-produced by Time Warner Cable Media Sales. We made a trek to their offices in Albany, New York, and I must say that I was envious of their facilities. It was decided to add a voice-over and additional graphics for clarity. Personally, I'm not sure it was all that necessary, since I think the visuals and music worked on their own. We presented Time Warner with a script, and they found us a pleasant narrator. Here is the spot which ran throughout the course of the exhibition, on Time Warner Cable stations in the Capital Region, Hudson Valley, and Western Massachusetts:

I like the line "from sketch to screen"-- I'm pretty sure that was my idea. You'll see that I did modify some of the images in this version as well. I actually re-edited the movie trailer to reflect the visual changes, and it ran throughout the fall during other feature-length movies shown at the Triplex (thankfully, without the narration)! We also created a spot for It's a Dog's Life, an exhibition featuring Norman Rockwell's many illustrations of man's best friend. I didn't have as much time to devote to this project as the Blue Sky trailer, but I sent Time Warner a simple script and edit, incorporating some of the images found in the exhibition. Here is what they came up with:

Again, a clever play on words: "the dog days of summer"-- I couldn't resist. I would have changed the graphics up a bit, but overall the spot came out alright. Time Warner found the music, and once again provided us a with a good narrator-- these elements are so important, and I know we looked at several different options before deciding on the final choices.

So where do we go from here? I guess the future looks promising for online promotions, utilizing web graphics and video to come up with dazzling spots that companies hope will go viral. Although I started my study in graphic design, I have had the nagging feeling for many years that I need to look into resuming my training in that area. Part of my game plan for 2012 is to finally take some more design courses. Who knows, next year you might be seeing more of my work online, or better yet... during The Super Bowl!