James Houston

The virus manifests itself in the form of the colour black, which contrasts against the boring white clinical environments that it infects. The campaign is untitled.  It is held together by a concept and aesthetic alone.

It uses the viral property of self-replicating cells to alter the experience of a range of dull environments. In this example, the unseen virus replicates a disheartened office worker. He multiplies and creates a primal and liberating audio composition, thus rejecting the office and embracing creativity. The virus can not be seen although its effects are clearly visible. 

The virus infects all of the MTV owned channels (including VH1 and TMF) and works as a drip campaign: as a feature video is played on one channel (in example the office scene), the main infected person creeps over onto the other channels - popping up in music videos, adverts or other content. These unexplained cameo appearances would tease and intrigue the viewer, and only when they see the main feature is everything revealed.

A brief set by Steve Rigley & Jo Petty asked to create a Cultural Guide to the United Kingdom.

This video highlights cultural icons that one would traditionally consider to be associated with the UK. Their true origins are revealed. The objects are portrayed in heavily stylised vector drawings, as to highlight their apparent familiarity to UK residents.

This film has a tone of instructional kid’s TV: an immigration relations officer for the police told me that the children in immigrant families learn to integrate much quicker than the adults, and thus act as a conduit to the parents. This format also delivers the information in a way which isn’t patronising.

Instead of being aimed at immigrants or migrant workers, this is a ‘cultural guide’ for every citizen of the United Kingdom; explaining that the UK has prospered as an effect foreign input.

This film is through to the semi-finals of the Adobe Design Achievement Awards. Fingers crossed.