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STYLING
STYLING
STYLING
SKY HIGH
THE PROCESS
THE TRUTH IS: WE ALL LIVE FOR THE THRILL OF TURNING UP THE VOLUME.
The rush of picking the perfect products, the satisfaction of nailing that application - the length, the volume, the joy of watching our features come alive - it's what keeps us coming back to the mirror, time and time again. For sure, Maybelline is a pillar in the cosmetics aisle. But then, the real magic is in the process - the artistry, the technique, the fling of the wrist.
As RuPaul would say,
"Mascara is the wand,
but you're the wizard."
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I don't know if you designed this idea in a lab just for me, or literally snuck into my brain, but...
I SEE IT. I GET IT.
I LOVE IT WITH MY WHOLE HEART.
From NYU Film to Houston's birth of hardcore rap videos - when I finally hit LA, my first gig was with a beauty company. And immediately, I was the film guy blending in with the beauty world, bringing a love of cinema and science fiction into fashion specs.
That unique, iconic kind of chemistry is the bedrock of what I shoot and has run through my work ever since, from Britney bangers to Bad Blood.
SO WHEN I SAY THIS CONCEPT IS
AMAZING AND RIGHT UP MY ALLEY...
IT'S A HUGE UNDERSTATEMENT.
A LITTLE BIT OF VIBE-SETTING
When Maybelline reaches for the stars, it launches a new era of magic for NYC and beyond.
NEW MAYBELLINE,
NEW NY
This calls for a fierce kind of pink-tinted futurism
— a contemporary vision of the city that sparkles with limitless optimism and incredible style. We'll mark this new era with a Sky High space launch, commanded by the most fabulous earthling alive
R U P A U L
SEEING STARS
RuPaul
Shay
Ellie
And can we talk about the product shots for a sec? We're gonna make the Sky High Mascara look like the crown jewels of the cosmos. Zero-gravity slow-mo, applicator brushes leaving trails of shimmery stardust, mascara tubes orbiting perfectly painted peepers - it's gonna be a visual feast fit for a space goddess.
Sky High
But the real showstoppers? Those lashes, baby. Macro shots so detailed, you'll see every single lash with length and volume. Fluttering fringe that goes on for light-years. And before-and-afters that'll make you fall in love with the transformative power of Sky High.
Texture & Tone
I'm here to take the muscular, sci-fi action energy of 90s tough-guy cinema like Armageddon and SERVE IT as Maybelline's modern and empowering vision for the future of beauty.
This is all about thick, mile-long LASHES, incredible COLOR design, CHARACTERS that drip with style and wit, and HUMOR that lifts everything up till the audience feels like they're floating.
But here's the thing — classic macho filmmaking likes to be cinematic and WIDE AS HELL. On the other hand, beauty loves intimate closeups and full frames. How do we bridge that gap?
Well, my solution is to go even BIGGER and more EPIC. As in, IMAX epic.
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First, let's think about the classic cinematic look, that stretches back to Sergio Leone westerns and up through the Armageddon, Michael Bay look.
It's all about wiiiiide anamorphic lenses with lots of flares, exaggerated motion, and center framing. The issue is that wideness creates *distance* from the subject while limiting the detail and intimacy of closeups — not great for glamour!
Lighting Depth
Now, when I think about the cinematic language of this spot, there's one thing that keeps coming back to me: the power of natural light. Those dappled shapes that dance across a room, the way a beam of sunshine can cut through a space and create a moment of pure, breathtaking beauty.
That's the energy I want to infuse into every frame of this film. I want to use light to create a sense of the dawning of a new age, a new era of fabulousness and fierce individualism.
That light will hit the walls and create sculptural patterns, like the whole room is a work of art that's come to life
We'll use the orange glow to compliment our pink world. Those two colors will tango together creating a depth and complexity.
But, we don't want to overload the senses so we will save it for motivated moments. It'll be a delicate balance, a push and pull of light and hue that'll keep the viewer engaged and entranced.
THINKING
(AND SERVING)
BIGGER
So here's my take: Let's shoot in a totally widescreen, classically 2.35:1 anamorphic style, then FILL THE 16:9 FRAME for our SFX and beauty moments.
We'll freely pop back and forth, packing the spot full of stylish action and character montages, then create IMAX-style moments that give the details of product and people an extra special POP….
This is why beauty and fashion looks favor a full frame that's better for faces. Making these aesthetics meet is the timeless challenge.
First, let's think about the classic cinematic look, that stretches back to Sergio Leone westerns and up through the Armageddon, Michael Bay look.
It's all about wiiiiide anamorphic lenses with lots of flares, exaggerated motion, and center framing. The issue is that wideness creates *distance* from the subject while limiting the detail and intimacy of closeups — not great for glamour!
First, let's think about the classic cinematic look, that stretches back to Sergio Leone westerns and up through the Armageddon, Michael Bay look.
It's all about wiiiiide anamorphic lenses with lots of flares, exaggerated motion, and center framing. The issue is that wideness creates *distance* from the subject while limiting the detail and intimacy of closeups — not great for glamour!
First, let's think about the classic cinematic look, that stretches back to Sergio Leone westerns and up through the Armageddon, Michael Bay look.It's all about wiiiiide anamorphic lenses with lots of flares, exaggerated motion, and center framing. The issue is that wideness creates *distance* from the subject while limiting the detail and intimacy of closeups — not great for glamour!
While I’d love to have Ru call up Chris Nolan and demand to use his 250lb IMAX camera, we don’t actually need to go there.
So here's my take: Let's shoot in a totally widescreen, classically 2.35:1 anamorphic style, then FILL THE 16:9 FRAME for our SFX and beauty moments.
We'll freely pop back and forth, packing the spot full of stylish action and character montages, then create IMAX-style moments that give the details of product and people an extra special POP….
This is why beauty and fashion looks favor a full frame that's better for faces. Making these aesthetics meet is the timeless challenge.
But now, "cinematic" means something different to audiences. For the last decade, the cutting-edge, epic way to see a movie has been in IMAX. Our most iconic films have not only embraced the possibilities of more square frames, but they've trained audiences to see RATIO CHANGES as a cue for EPIC CINEMA. Services like Disney+ have even added these ratio changes to the home streaming experience.
OUR APPROACH
While I'd love to have Ru call up Chris Nolan and demand to use his 250lb IMAX camera, we don't actually need to go there.
This is why beauty and fashion looks favor a full frame that's better for faces. Making these aesthetics meet is the timeless challenge.
But now, "cinematic" means something different to audiences. For the last decade, the cutting-edge, epic way to see a movie has been in IMAX. Our most iconic films have not only embraced the possibilities of more square frames, but they've trained audiences to see RATIO CHANGES as a cue for EPIC CINEMA. Services like Disney+ have even added these ratio changes to the home streaming experience.
So here's my take: Let's shoot in a totally widescreen, classically 2.35:1 anamorphic style, then FILL THE 16:9 FRAME for our SFX and beauty moments.
We'll freely pop back and forth, packing the spot full of stylish action and character montages, then create IMAX-style moments that give the details of product and people an extra special POP….
16x9 close up beauty
anamorphic wide shots
16x9 macro shots
MISSION
CONTROL
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Location Scout
This NASA-style NYC will feel realistic, but heightened in a fashionable way as technology, space suits, and the SKY HIGH products are all rendered in various shades of pink. Viewers' eyes will always be drawn to the fun, the bold, and the fabulousness of any given moment.
PRODUCT &
PINKNESS
Art Direction & Style
Your deck is full of a great pink take on NY, which is itself centered by an Avenger's-style MAYBELLINE TOWER (that I'm really, really going to enjoy designing with you).
This subtle, shimmery opalescent hue will be the starting point for all color in the spot.
We're not going for monochrome — rather highly curated, with sophisticated gradation of pink tones and luminosity. We'll also push contrast with graphic use of both black and white accents in our backgrounds, ensuring every look and skin tone pops.
concept art
concept art
