The group, The brief

The Creative Challenge

Comedy, Rebirth, Rags to Riches, Tragedy, The Quest, Overcoming the Monster, Voyage and Return – these seven plot archetypes can be seen at work everywhere, from global news stories to the smallest interaction (see Christopher Booker’s The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories for a better idea of what these archetypes involve).

Pick three of the seven archetypes and create a static or moving image for each one that tells a story from the modern world. Look to unexpected places, find the dramatic in the seemingly banal, the emotion and humanity that underlies the routine of our daily lives. In a fast-moving, digital world, having the time and space to unfold a story is a luxury not often available. How do you distil the essence of it down to something that can be captured in a single moment?

Initially, I wanted to work on the desperados campaign, but had trouble when it came to finding someone to work with as no one went to that table. Therefore I chose to sit at the shutter stock table, as I had previously read over the brief and liked the sound of it. We ended up forming a team of 4, made up of 3 illustrators, myself, Ian and Chay and one animator, Joe.  And so it began.