SETTING THE MOOD

Article first published by Little Black Book in October 2018.

Our Creative Director; Jason Dollery draws on his previous experience
client-side to put into context how important this subject is to all parties involved, from film-makers, creatives, to marketing and communication professionals.

What’s the best way to get your creative agency and your project stakeholders creatively aligned early in the project?

Back in 2013 while helping build the 5th fastest growing tech company in the UK it was the question I was asking myself, faced with the unpleasant experience of multiple creative agencies failing to pitch inline with the vision of our MD. It’s a misalignment that represents me, and the marketing team, as much as the agency, so it was (and still is for every creative and client relationship) in our best interest to find a solution.

To get these industry leaders to think along the same creative lines didn’t require the creation of anything new, in fact the opposite was true. We simply took a step back, to a time before mankind’s knowledge of language, and allowed pictures to tell the story.

A collage of pictures referencing elements, which we would like to expand on, has created the infamous Mood Board. As basic as they sound, Mood Boards are one of the most clear and helpful communication tools when starting a new creative campaign, whether that is photography, film or, well, anything creative.

This months insight film follows senior producer Marie-Ann Morrell as she explains how to create and implement a Mood Board for either client or agency and how this crucial element in the development of a recent music video for drum and bass heavyweights, Calyx and Teebee.

Written by Jason Dollery, Creative Director at Sandstorm for Little Black Book’s influencer series.

Jason joined Sandstorm in 2015 after a decade working client-side building and supporting global brands, he now uses his unqiue dual-sided insight to enhance our client’s TV commercials and branded content campaigns.

Email: jason.dollery@sandstormfilms.com