Sassy new Sasha CD cover
A closer look at the creative genius behind Sasha Martinengo's new CD cover artwork
Relishing the chance to flex their creative muscles, the creative agency Free the Orange is proud to be the mastermind behind the striking CD cover artwork on Sasha Martinengo's latest Essential Hit Picks 3compilation album.
Taking a bold new approach that was dramatically different to the previous two album covers, Free the Orange set their sights on allowing the beautiful Durban-based model, Genna-wae Webster, literally to interact with the Sasha Martinengo brand during the photo shoot. The end result - a striking, Eighties-inspired image of Webster physically writing out Sasha's name in bright neon lights using a photographic technique called "light graffiti" - is every bit the hit as the tracks that make up the album.
"The whole idea was to have a local girl on the cover, photographed here in South Africa, and not just an image taken form a stock library with added effects," explains Free the Orange resident photographer, Laura Jane, of Laura Jane Photography.
In order to replicate the lighting one would find in a dance club, the team (including a very enthusiastic Sasha Martinengo himself) used various different light sources and glow sticks to "paint" Webster, as well as a strobe light to freeze the image during the last few seconds of each 30-second exposure. The tricky part of using the technique of light graffiti is that one is working in a pitch-black studio and only sees the end result once the 30-second exposure finishes. It is a game of trial, error and intuition, but when it works, it really works, as Sasha's new CD cover so beautifully proves.
Martinengo, who says that the final album cover more than exceeded his expectations, has posted a copy of the album cover on his Twitter page and already received a barrage of positive comments and "wows" from his fans.
"The album cover is nothing like the previous album covers," he says. "It's got a retro but modern feel to it, and it really stands out. I was so excited to be at the photo shoot, because this album is very close to my heart, and when they needed a few hands to help create the colour and lighting effects I just jumped right in!"
MD of Free the Orange, Steven Hall, possibly enjoyed the shoot even more than Martinengo, largely because of the way in which the shoot allowed the company to really live up to its name and "free the orange".
"What was amazing about the shoot was that a lot of the creativity was very spontaneous and in the moment," he explains. "We were trying different things, and in doing so we came up with some cool ideas, that is something you cannot force. As a process, it's 'Freeing the Orange'. It's about letting that flow of energy happen then and there." (Click here to watch behind the scenes footage.)
Free the Orange has a long history of working within the music industry under their "MUZIK" division, in terms of designing the artwork, creating TV commercials and, more recently, making music videos. They are a creative force to be reckoned with, especially when tasked with briefs that allow the team to play with a concept and let the free flow of ideas drive the project forward.
No comments:
Post a Comment