The Process of the Promo Video

The process of creating a three-minute “evergreen” video is both exciting – and painstaking. For the past year, my Studio team and I have worked on realizing a new promotional video that would reflect my current and forthcoming design world. These videos require extensive preparation (once considered short, but in the new age of the super short form video, kind of long!). Like all artwork, that which communicates in a minimal way, is often the most challenging to achieve.

In the first round of the video shooting, we rented a photo studio and conducted my interview there. We shot a lot of “B roll” – footage of the Studio, of my team, my work process around Rome. While the footage was beautiful, the video was not coming together stylistically in the editing stage. We decided to change directors to execute the vision for a super polished yet authentic style.

We collaborated with the up-and-coming videographer Quan Tran and invited the jazz composer Peter Smith to make the filmette’s score. Together, we revisited the soul of the project, brainstormed ideas, scouted locations and coordinated schedules in several time zones. The end result needed to capture my creative process and personality in an engaging and dynamic style. Dariya, the Studio coordinator, was invaluable in organizing all the details, keeping her eye on each detail of the process.

For the take-2, we conducted the central interview of the video in my Studio in Prati, kind of like home. In several film sessions, we covered all aspects of my work, from painting to silk scarves, to the Iconics/Poetics series and micro collages. We also descended onto certain streets of Rome to express the city’s beauty and influence in my world. Each session required my own personal preparation to be filmed – choosing the clothing, doing hair and makeup.

Once the semi-final cut was edited, the video was sent to be scored. I was lucky to have the talented jazz pianist on board – Peter created a beautiful score that perfectly complemented the visuals and accentuated the vibe, tying it all together.

I’m grateful to everyone who worked on the project and made it possible!

View the Behind-the scenes-footage: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl8Al8SjnHB/

View the final video: https://vimeo.com/812489119?share=copy