Designing for the Big Screen.

I was handed the holy grail of motion design briefs: carte blanche with actual real-world exposure. Which is why, if you wander into the Prince Charles Cinema right now, you’ll see my artwork lighting up the big screen before every feature.

Let’s wind the reel back a little. When a friend asked me to create a 60s animation to promote his film quiz at London’s most beloved picture house, I jumped at the chance.

A mood-board I compiled for the project.

So where do you start when you’re given complete creative freedom? Chaos, usually. But in this case, the answer was obvious: tap into the visual language the PCC has been championing for years – that gloriously scrappy, old-school grindhouse aesthetic. It also happened to coincide with me experimenting with C4D and Redshift’s new cel-shader materials. A style emerged somewhere between nostalgia and late-night render sessions.

Unlike the vintage film reels that once rattled through projectors in cinemas like this, there was nothing rough about the process.

A still frame from the animation

A storyboard and animatic were signed off quickly, and then I was left alone (the best kind of supervision). I spent most lunchtimes hunched over my laptop in a Soho burrito joint, head down, mild salsa stains optional. A few weeks later, the piece was finished.

No notes. A rare, beautiful unicorn moment. The final mix was mastered in 5.1 surround sound, so no matter where you sit, it hits just right.

I’m ridiculously proud of this little project. And the best part? Other than this shameless plug, I don’t actually need to promote it. It’s been collab’d with the Prince Charles Cinema’s social accounts and plays in and around the venue all day, every day – just like Kuato from Total Recall, I'm a part of the cinema now.

For a place that still champions independent cinema, it feels fitting that it’s also championing independent creatives along with it.