Advertising – Brian Krecik

Articles Tagged with: Advertising

Jan

The 2015 Buskirk-Chumley Mix-Off Event

Back in 2015, I was approached by Danielle McClelland from the Buskirk-Chumley theater for an advertising and promotional piece that would help showcase the signature drinks during the contest. I met Danielle at a local art council meeting held hosted by our local city government. She pitched to me the idea real quickly and I was promised more details. Over the next couple weeks I contacted the three bars and the bartenders – Emmie O’Connor from the Malibu Grill, Andrew Wind from the Uptown Cafe and Nick Matio from C3 Bloomington.

Jul

TEDx at Indiana University

This summer has been an interesting one. Besides the huge amount of rain we have been getting here in Indiana I have had the pleasure to work with a fantastic group of students at Indiana University. Earlier this year I was approached with a challenge – to create a series of art imagery for an organization that was setting up under the TEDx branding. Because of licensing there were hoops that they had to navigate to get agreement from the University. Many of their problems centered around the use of IU or Indiana Universities name in their branding as it infringed on the name of the University. Fortunately the The first wife of IU, Michael McRobbie’s wife, Laurie Burns, stepped in and helped smooth over any concerns.

Once I had the blessing of licensing the next step was understanding what their expectations were, as simply providing stock art was possible, though I much preferred to have a driven concept to carry through the entire series. Ari Stoner, my liaison with TEDx Indiana University, stated that he loved my landscape imagery and would like me to develop a concept for their website. In addition, he also asked that I create the portraits of the five team members.

As I am working without a large studio I found this later request a bit of a challenge. To solve this I had to find a place where I could set up that was close for everyone and offered space to shoot. I considered perhaps renting studio space or setting up in my my small studio that I occasionally use for portraits. In the end I was able to set up at the Carmichael Center who I have to personally thank for being so accommodating.

As for the art, I took a nudge from what they were looking for – energy and movement. This concept for me translated into by dragging the shutter where possible to show movement through a space and creating a sense of presence. This for me was important for it offered a unique chance to offer the viewer a sense of being present in the image and sensing time moving even though we tend to experience time linearly, moment to moment. The unique chance to see or experience a segment of time as a distinct segment that is lost once it occurs helps to further grow that sense of presence. To prevent redundancy I chose variations on lighting, angles, and was selective as to what image I would include people. What was important here was that I allowed myself the flexibility to evolve the series while keeping the shutter slow.

Having worked around campus in the past I knew this wouldn’t be finished in an hour or a day. Obstacles that I found myself navigating included construction, students working on projects and even construction equipment. In all I estimate the 6 landscape images took between thirty to forty hours to wrap. In the end, what we were left with were a series that met or exceeded the expectations of the client.

For the landscape images I planned a series of five images. A sixth image that was planned had to be abandoned due to construction. Trees that were recently planted, and newly lampposts that transected the horizontal plane split the scene into too many distracting planes that took away from what was once a very unique water sculpture in front of the School of Music. Instead, I opted to use stock photography for the school of music image that I had composed several years earlier.

I do have to comment that sometimes the best intentions can go awry. With the case of the music school the updated landscaping effectively hid the main feature in front of the school – the fountain. This was a huge disappointment as the morning light was gorgeous and the clouds in the background were phenomenal. This is an example of where sometimes one simply needs to walk away. Seen above (in order) are IU’s Sample Gates, Kelly School of Business, Auditorium, Franklin Hall, IMU Student Union, IMU Biddle Hotel, and School of Music.

For the series of five images, seen to the right, I wanted to approach this series with lighting from the side using grids to prevent light spill. This allowed me the ability to balance the shadow and highlight’s in such a way as to provide good separation from the background and enhance the depth of field. For my main key lighting I used a five foot hexagonal soft box to create soft lighting that wrapped around the subjects. Pictured, from left to right, is Ben Brattain, Daniel Morgan, Alex Peacock, Ari Stoner, and Dmitry Simakov.

Nov

A Night to remember: An advertising shoot at the Crazy Horse Restaurant

A Night at the Crazy Horse Restaurant

The results of a photo shoot from The Crazy Horse that ran in Bloom Magazine’s Distinctly Bloomington and is running in this next years edition of Visit Bloomington. All of this was done in part due to the wonderfully gracious and beautiful Crazy Horse ladies that tend bar and help manage this fine organization and the wonderfully talented Patrick Siney that pulled the advertisement together.

This was a fantastic chance to work directly with the staff on site while the bar was still open. While there, my assistant and I had to set up soft boxes, strobes, meter the lights, and work over the din of a game that was on at the time all while our gracious models were served free drinks. The shoot itself started off with the food so that we could have this arranged before we started in with our models.

It was a tough shoot to pull together as we were in a dimly lit room with little room to navigate. At times I had considered photographing and simply layering the image but in the end I am glad that we worked the shots the way we did. The warm glow of the copper bar really adds a unique color to the image that draws the eyes.

Off in the wings were the managers and servers that were watching while I and Patrick discussed how the food looked and arranged the scene, first with a drink infused with basil, next came the beer. In the end it was a blast creating still life images with another artist as the push/pull from our own creative perspectives really added volumes to the final work.

Exceptional food, one of the largest choices of beer in Bloomington, an impressive selection of alcohol, and service that simply can’t be beat. Why wouldn’t you want to hang out and grab a bite to eat at the Crazy Horse Emporium.

Apr

Portraits: Philanthropy at IU and other updates

What has been happening…

This past year has been an interesting year. I held a charity event this past summer that was held at A Summerhouse Inn here in Bloomington where I and the owners of the Inn raised money for Stepping Stones. (Stepping Stones is a transitional housing and supportive services for youth, ages 16-20, here in Bloomington, IN.) In addition to this event where I worked to compose portraits for graduates and their families, I also held a free portrait session at Mathers Museum at Indiana University for IU’s Theater, Drama, and Contemporary Dance students. I have also kept busy with various assignments at Bloom Magazine and Visit Bloomington and my fine art thesis project titled, “Hidden in Plain Sight”. All of this and more I will begin to discuss over the coming months as I update and share content with you – my readers and visitors.

Now that Indiana’s cold snowy months are behind us I can finally shed the countless layers of clothing that I wore to stay warm. To each and everyone I extend a wish for a fabulous Spring. While I am still busy with the aforementioned projects I still look forward to the chance to working with students and families from Indianapolis and Bloomington. Over the coming weeks I will start to share some of my projects and update my website portfolio with new work.

In the meantime, if you or someone you know needs images for their business or you would like to update your portrait contact me to set up a free consultation.

Warmly,

Brian Krecik

Samples of portraits…

Following are just a few of the images that came out of the portrait session for IU’s Department of Theater, Drama, and Contemporary Dance. Included is a portrait of Nemanja Ostoich, a PhD. Candidate at the Jacob School of Performing arts and whose studies in Spanish Classical guitar is a pleasure to enjoy.

Kaleb Rich-Harris by Brian Krecik

Maya Ferrario by Brian Krecik

Kelsey Carlisle by Brian Krecik

Nemanja Ostoich by Brian Krecik

Apr

Actor Rate Sheet for Print Work

Remember, print work is not just for models. This rate sheet will give you an idea of the work available to performers with acting comp cards. This information is provided by www.IndependentModeling.com.

~ ACTOR RATE SHEET FOR PRINT WORK~

Definitions here cover model job types as defined by a primary market such as New York. These are suggested rates, and it is up to the company and the model to agree upon a rate for the job. Please use these rates as a guideline of the different scales of pay between types of modeling work. With the changes going on in the modeling industry, these definitions and rates are by no means set in stone. Use our interpretation as a guideline only, as the model job type definitions and rates may be different from market to market. These definitions and rates are common knowledge in large markets such as New York City and secondary markets such as Miami.

Commercial Print

Commercial print model have an “average person” look that consumers can relate to. A lot of commercial print work is used for printed ads and other forms of advertisement.

$75.00 to $150.00 per hour.

Day rate $400.00 to $950.00

Advertising/ Product Print

Essentially the same as commercial print, using a “real person” look, but featuring a product or line of products.

$100.00 to $200.00 an hour and up.

Day rate $500.00 to $1,200.00 and up.

Swimwear/ Bikini Modeling Print

Models who model swimwear must be in great shape. Because this is specialized it commands higher rates. Think twice about doing this for free, as the potential to exploit you is there and you are worth more than nothing.

$500.00 to $2,500

Full Figure/ Plus Size Print

This is a rapidly growing area of modeling, as advertisers have realized that there is a big demand for models that the average consumer size 10 and over can relate to. If you are a plus size model, look into this. Plus size print modeling is normally catalog and commercial print, but can apply to editorial and other kinds of print, too.

$100.00 to $200.00 an hour.

Day rate $500.00 to $1,000.00

Parts (hands, feet, teeth, etc)

Very specialized modeling, the demand is not too high, so the jobs demand high rates as parts models must take extreme precautions to protect their assets. For example, a hand model would avoid doing dishes and any harsh work with their hands, and some wear gloves to make sure that their hands are in prime condition.

$300.00 to $500.00 per hour.

Day rate $1,000.00 to $10,000.00

Ethnic Modeling

If you are a minority such as Hispanic, African American, or Asian, this type of modeling does not pay more, but the market is growing, and it presents more opportunities for the independent model. Demographics of a market will be a large factor to determine your marketability as a model.

Standard Rates.

Fit Modeling

Fit models work with designers and model their clothes for them. This kind of work is common in large markets and fashion capitals. This kind of modeling requires patience and endurance, as there are long periods of standing as garments are adjusted on the model. Fit modeling is a great way to get your foot in the door for other types of modeling, however, as you will get a chance to get to know the designer.

$150.00 per hour and up.

Promotional Modeling

Promotional modeling is the lowest paying modeling job, with rates below that of even editorial print. Models are hired by night clubs and companies like alcoholic beverage brewers to work events. Many models make a living doing this, as a day rate over $100.00 is common. Promotional models usually do not need the skills and qualifications that trade show and convention model do.

$12.00 to $30.00 per hour, for at least four hours.

Day rate $100.00 to $200.00

Trade Show Modeling

A lot like promotional modeling, but usually manning a booth at a trade show and requiring models with good people skills. For promotional models, the “next level”.

Day rate $200.00 to $500.00

Convention Modeling

These are “trade shows” that require refined, trained models to do presentations and promote the company, usually from a large booth or exhibit area that the company has set up. Models with acting experience, a mastery of more than one language, and the ability to use presentation aids such as ear pieces, radio transceivers, Teleprompters, video projectors, computers, and laser pointers are cut out for this work. The pay is great, but so is the responsibility. As you can see, the education requirements and the skills needed are way above that of a promotion model or a trade show model, and these models often have years of specialized training, trade show experience, and college degrees. These models have to be approachable, smart, and witty, as well as have a professional business look. The top level of event modeling. These jobs are often offered in large markets.

Day rate $1,000.00 to $4,000.00