Jeremy Hollister is a NYC Director and Designer whose work has been featured worldwide. The
work that you have probably seen of his includes idents for MTV2, the US Sci Fi Channel, ESPN and the MTV Movie Awards packaging. He was also featured
in ResFest in 1999 and 2001.
What is your background in graphic design?
My academic background is in Political Science; I entered into design later on. I was studying post-modern
and contemporary political theory and became very interested in media theory — how powerful media was as a means of disseminating ideas and the ramifications
of this power, and how the control of media is a phenomenal tool for both the government and corporations. I became interested in subversive groups such as
EBN (Emergency Broadcast Network) and the way that they recontexualize news footage and commercials. My Political Science professors where cool enough to
let me create visually animated essays rather than writing typical term papers. It was also at this point that I began developing my visual aesthetic as a
means of catching the viewers’ attention with my ideas.
How did you break into motion design?
After doing animations for Political Science courses and then spending a year studying virtual reality environments
in Chicago I moved to New York where I worked as an intern at Manhattan Transfer, now R!OT Manhattan. I learned Discreet’s Inferno at night when I could get time
on the machines. It was important for me to be able to understand how motion works, by being able to utilize the equipment. Once you know how they work, you can
manipulate them and explore a greater number of design/animation options and understand better how live action can be integrated. It’s also an environment where
there are lots of very creative and talented people to learn with. I was lucky to have connected with several exciting creative teams at Sci FI and MTV, who
allowed me to work on some really interesting projects.
How does motion work differ for you, from graphic or print design, as far as getting what’s in
your head onto film? Is it easier?
I seem to think in motion these days. When I am conceptualizing I tend to develop the idea first, followed by
how the elements will interact and move, and lastly the styling and look. For me it is important to try to reinvent my process on each project, either
through a new way of animating or by shooting in a fresh way. In print work the approach and challenges are different and this keeps me working on coming
up with new solutions. Still imagery has to have a long lasting impact, but for me there is an inherent movement, the movement of your eyes as you look at
the work. A difficulty with television work is that spots are played on high rotation on the channel, so they need to have a sense of existing more than
just for those 10-15 seconds. A good solution is to create a feeling that you are just capturing a moment, something like a snapshot. A goal of mine is
to create enough of an interest that each time you see it you notice something new that you may have missed the first time.
What’s the creative process you go through with a client like MTV when asked to create an indent for them?
In the case of the MTV2 idents, my clients were interested in working with animated camouflage. My brief was to
do something that related to this theme while also expanding the theme. The idea of hiding imagery within the camo rather than using the camo to hide an object
became the theme in one ident. I was happy with this spot in that it makes you want to see more; it’s kind of a tease. So the process is really hearing what
the client wants, and figuring out an approach that is not only suitable but also trying to form an unusual approach.
The soundtracks for your work seem really well thought out. Is this part of the process you
structure ideas on or work out ahead of time?
My projects tend to develop in very close collaboration with the musicians. I consider the input of a sound
designer to be tantamount to the visuals of the work. Many times I’ll develop an idea having the audio the most mentally specific aspect from
the beginning.
What other directors get you inspired?
There are so many…to name a few: The Coen Brothers, Chris Cunningham, the Snorri Brothers, Christopher Nolan, Mathieu Kassovitz,
Alan Pakula, Michel Gondry, Mike Mills, Spike Jonze, Andrei Tarkovsky, Stanley Kubrick, Francis
Ford Coppola… |
