Dennis Hopper's America in the 1960's

We stumbled upon this Tashen Books Dennis Hopper tribute and had to share.
Not just a talented actor, Filmmaker and artist, Dennis was also a photographer and documented the "real" 1960's America.

Viscious Sebastien Navigates International Waters

Luscious International’s director Sebastien has just finished directing Amnesty International’s latest TVC and the first one ever shot in Australia.

Spearheaded by marketing and communications company gHO Sydney,Creative Director Renee Murray chose Luscious International’s Director Sebastien to bring this hard-hitting and confrontational TVC to life.

Bringing the topical issue of Asylum Seekers into the spotlight, Sebastien collaborated with both Amnesty and gHO In order to deliver credibility and sincerity to the TVC.

Crucial to this TVC was getting the right performance from the actors. Sebastien actually started his career in Los Angeles as an actor. Given his personal hands on acting experience, Sebastien has a unique sensibility to the acting process and as a result draws out genuine and captivating performances.

Murray explained “the performances were so important to this shoot and I honestly don’t feel we would have got near the performances we got without Sebastien. With his experience in acting he was able to pull the best out of our
actors”

Sebastien explains, “it was a challenge bringing in real refugees for the casting and hearing their stories and having to make them revisit their pain for the performance, although this was beneficial for me as a director to understand the complex nature of this topic and how best to portray it on screen”.

Sebastien explains, “Although I like all styles and look to balance my work, I’m definitely drawn to darker themes and concepts. I find the stakes are higher in those types of scripts, which often makes for a better story”.

To see Sebastien’s latest reel or meet him – please contact Luscious on 9326 3400 or talk2us@luscious.com.au

EVENT - ART + AFFORDABILITY?!

Yes - art does come with a cost - usually time, sweat and money. And not necessarily in that order.

This weekend Sydney-siders can enjoy the work of up and coming artists for a small price at Sydney's Affordable Art Fair.

Showcasing artwork from Australia's most promising artists at the Royal Hall of Industries, Moore Park all weekend.

Head on down and turn that frown upside down:) - tickets $20 at the door

EVENT - Young Bloods - Hot Not Next

Sam Bryant's Big W World

Viscious born director Sam Bryant just completed a colourful and vibrant TVC for Big W through Luscious International.

Launching this week, Sam worked together with IdeaWorks’ Louise Mahoney, Sam explains “I wanted to capture the Big W message – LIVE BIG FOR LESS by creating a world that was visually big in spirit”.

The background artwork was created by award winning Melbourne artist Merryn Trevethan. Bryant was inspired by Trevethan’s artworks which depict the real world in a colourful, stylised and playful way. Sam brought Merryn along as part of the team to help bring this Big W world to life.

This unique and distinctive looking Big W re-branding, will be played out across all media, catalogues and in store.

To see Sam’s latest reel or meet the man himself please contact Luscious Marketing Director Teall Barnes on 02 9326 3400 or teall@luscious.com.au

Come on summer... quit frontin

Photo - Ant

Viscious on Branded Content

Marketing Director Teall Barnes discusses how branded content across differing channels is changing traditional production companies.

Digital technology has changed the state of play. Although this does not mean the television commercial is redundant. Instead it actually means it is more important then ever before. With more platforms to view content – it is increasingly important to get your brands commercial message right.

As Australian production companies scramble to produce more stories across more screens unfortunately not enough planning and collaboration is implemented.

We have clients come to us wanting viral campaigns. What people forget is just because a campaign is syndicated online does not make it viral. It has to be a good idea, integrate humor or intrigue and ideally offer interaction for it to be propelled into the viral realm.

Audiences today are clever – they see through branding jargon and expect intimate and targeted messages. Niche communities are popping up all over the web. It is the duty of good media planners and strategists to locate these audiences, research their needs and deliver relevant messages. Then it is the production company’s duty to develop and exploit these avenues for engagement to maximize brand representation and produce impactful messages with relevance to the clients needs.

The main issue facing the industry today is effective planning. With new and exciting channels for communication opening up everyday – the role of the planner has never been more crucial. The importance of reaching fragmented audiences in niche areas is crucial to the longevity and success of any marketing campaign. Also brands must remember that they do not have to be everywhere in order to achieve ROI. Not every product or service requires a microsite, iphone ap, twitter feed and TVC. The choices are vast but this doesn’t mean your commercial message should be diluted. Certain channels suit certain brands. Only the brands that maintain good planning and brand integrity will succeed.

Marketing Director - Teall Barnes