PIERCE GIBSON
CREATIVE DIRECTION + EXPERIENTIAL DESIGN
“With this collaboration with W magazine, we wanted to push the boundaries of what’s possible in print, while unlocking a new kind of viewing experience through augmented reality. This is an incredibly exciting time to be at the forefront of emerging technology and digital storytelling, and we’re looking forward to further exploring how it can complement and expand the print medium. - Angus Kneale”
The Mill collaborated with Conde Nast’s W Magazine and renowned photographer Steven Klein to create a dynamic augmented reality experience for W’s September 2017 issue.
Featuring Katy Perry in the cover story, the experience demonstrates how the fashion world is embracing augmented reality by launching it in the most important issue of the year, styled by Edward Enninful, now editor-in-chief at British Vogue. In partnership with Klein, The Mill developed an interactive 3D digital portrait of Katy Perry, a series of short cinematic films and W’s AR app ‘Beyond The Page’.
Katya Pavlova, Mill NY Producer comments, “W Magazine introduced us to Steven Klein, an influential fashion director assigned to shoot the W cover for the September issue. Klein had a long-standing vision to create a 3D digital head, consisting of multiple video screens playing various content simultaneously. Here is where The Mill team came in, to help visualize this project in the augmented reality world. It was exciting for us to brainstorm with W and Klein on how to make this issue innovative with The Mill's VFX expertise.”
Angus Kneale, The Mill NY's Chief Creative Officer, comments, “With this collaboration with W magazine, we wanted to push the boundaries of what’s possible in print, while unlocking a new kind of viewing experience through augmented reality. This is an incredibly exciting time to be at the forefront of emerging technology and digital storytelling, and we’re looking forward to further exploring how it can complement and expand the print medium.”
Paris Film Scenes | Katy on Pont Alexandre III bridge
Additional AR Content The AR technology extends beyond the Katy Perry cover story. In addition to Klein’s cover story, The Mill collaborated with photographers Mert and Marcus (Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott), and photographer Collier Schorr, to create additional AR experiences within the pages of the issue.
VFX Creative: The Mill
Art Director: Pierce Gibson
3D Lead Artist: Seon Crawford
3D Artist: Hannah Lee, Weichieh Yu
Design Lead Artist: Pierce Gibson
Design: Steve Kutny
Developer: Fabio Piparo
VFX Production
VFX Production: The Mill
Executive Producer: Alice Oakhill
Producer: Hayley Underwood Norton
Production Coordinator: Min-Wei Lee
For Collier, we’ve built a collage using the final retouched print images in the traditional style of this photographer. For Mert & Marcus, we advised the team on the best way to shoot the models so we can successfully use the film in the AR context.
