A winter jacket maybe?

I've been messing about with the idea of making a slip case for the proper vinyl packaging to go in but i wanted to make it in a slightly contractitory style to the old englsih feel, i wanted to include a eliment that highlighted the bands dancy more current discoy edge aswell. so i thought a slip cover would be the best way to do this. I also want to use some different print finishes. on the front i want the lowslungcityskyline bit to be in a spot varnish (not black like shown) so its more visible and readble when it catches the light. then on the front and back where it says HAUNTS i want them to be cut out of the paper so it just shows through to the packaging undernieth......... capiesche? All this will be pinted on a very silky matt finished stock, thats very tactile and soft so it should set off the spot varnish nicely. But yeah if i could get anyones feed back on any of this it would be grand cause it all has to go to print really soon...... like yesterday. so anny amendment would be rad! cheers people keep it breezey.xxx

Single Art Work

yo so i gotta do some work on the pantone colour selection for the red but at the moment the vinyl cover is lookling like so.......

lights camera action 2

the second day of filming was all shot ina barn with a set competly made by us. it was pretty hectic and o ake all over, but was worth it. behind the camera ismy friend tim fox.

lights camera action

Yeah so started shooting the, its been a two day shoot, first day back int he photography studio we shot the promo shots in, but this time we were just using the white background as we need the room for longer and we had to pay this time so £130 for the day, so as we want the video to match up with the single art work we are shooting one day on set and one on the white background which will then be filled in red like the artwork. further explanation will follow, but right now its late and i just want to get the photos up. There is only a couple of photos from the day in the studio because i actually forgot my camera so a friend took a few on his phone... these are them.

front covers

HHMMMMMMMMM not sure sure how much i liked these roughs. but the basic gist is based upon... for those old enought o remeber... the Tv show Randal and Hopkirk deaceased. A cross betweenthat and then also some of the older horror thrillers. Somehting that sits uneasy but is fairly plain and strip down, that is more about the suspence and what is not in the picture than it is about the actually items within the compisition.... this will need more thought. I think the 1st is my favourite

28th May is the single release

On the 28th of May "Another Label" plan to release a 500 copy limited edition run of vinyls of "Low slung city skyline" which is good news..... but means i need to have the artwork for it done like yesterday... hmmmmm made this pic which i like, but its ot in keeping with the photos taken on the set.... now im torn!

photoshoot 2

Ok so we did another photo shoot, the idea was to basically recreate the first one but with the right members in the shot and also just to slightly refrain the set, make it more consistant. i think we achieved it, although depending on what the pics are for they might be treated differently. but these are for use for anything packaging wise and also any press or promotional material....... enjoy




this is just a pic fromt he first shoot so you can see how the set was built and put together....

T Shirts and merchandise

When on the road in a band that is still waiting for the gold disc (I.e one that so far has sold f**k all records) one of the best ways of toping up the pitifull payments you get is from selling T shirts........... Haunts need T shirts. Managers said they need to be cool so do whatever we want and they will pay for it and we keep all the money on the road, although will have to pay it back one day........ "stick with me sonny Jim and I'll show you the world" errrm yeah anyway so im thinking about designs. we don't really want anything that is datable to a certain press campaign or release, t shirts should be separate so its basically just do something fun and cool that will stand out against the merch of the other bands. i liked the idea of zebras, maybe as a all over print or something I'm not sure. but would be pretty sweet to do something where the band name is a bit more subtle. cause wearing band t shirts isn't always super cool, yet we want super cool people to wear ours... if you get me? well whatever, i need two designs here is a draft of the first.......

ok so Lets back up a bit.....

ok so iFirst off i just started messing about brainstorming visual looks ideas and logos, this is a few of the bits and bobs i came up with.this is a Photo from the first photoshoot i did for the band back in december, its all shot in photography studio and the walls are a set we built and papered in the studio. all art direction and styling was done by me (not bigging myself up, just clearing it up) only problem with this shoot is that it was taken before we had a finished line up so we borrowed a bass player (the guy at the back) from another band. the pics served their promtional purpose very well but they had to be reshot now withthe proper line up in.

Haunts

Ok so i have finally gotten round to making a blog. i don't like blogs very much, but im going to try and back date it a little bit to show the progress so far. Heres the deal:

Indie Rock band Haunts (www.myspace.com/hauntslondon)have a very strong identity behind the music. Its a very theatrical concept... In short all the songs are set in London, but its another version of London, think if Tim Burton was building 1940s war torn London in a Gotham city stylee and you might be somewhere close to the haunts vision. Basically its all a bit depressing doom and gloom. Its based with a group of people who maybe were once rich but gambled and drunk all their families money and possessions away, now they're trying to keep up appearances, cover up the cracks in the walls pretending everything is fine whilst continuing to live each day like its your last. It is a blueprint to a desperate yet defiant community not worried if they live or die, not wanting to go out but doing it because they feel obliged, 1 in 10 nights is a good one..... tonight might be that one. All this said its not nessisarily set in the past, there are many other more modern influences, and all in all its a mish mash styles musically and visually, but all the songs are set in this senario.

Aside from this theatrical approach it is also very important for the band that they maintain 100% creative output. Everything from the band is overseen, All recording are done in their own studio self produced all art work comes from them, all everything is completely kept in house to such a extent that they prefer not just being a band but maybe more as a creative collective that wish to span as many genres and formats as possible. Ok so thats the bands vibe out the way.. now For my final major project i propose to take care of all the bands art work and visual output for the opening campaign. This involves working on artwork for cd and record packaging, I will be working devising the look and concept of the video, and tying it all together with various forms of online representations. Then depending on the success of the first campaign possibly start working on the second single as well.

Haunts first single is a track called " Low Slung City Skyline" (the demo version is on the myspace page) It is due for release on the 28th of may via "Another Label" records and has outside funders investing in the project....which is handy for me. The job is the bands introduction into the public domain. All the projects do come with a budget in the interest of getting the best possible results as the quality and finish of the final output is of paramount importance.

I should probably also add that I am in the band myself. Whilst this is harder to be objective, but in a way puts me in a good position as i know exactly where the band is coming from. All output i create hast to be approve firstly by the rest of the band, then by the "Grand union" the management company, then by label.Its going to be a challenge. watch this space and we will see if i can rise to it......

Lots of love
Alex
xxxxxx