The Uncertain Kingdom
SERVICES
Branding
Identity
Animation
Sound Design
Britain stands on the brink of a tumultuous new decade. Brexit, Climate Change, the rise of the far right, systematic racism and inequality and many more issues besides are now a constant part of our daily news cycle. But given the long lead times and high budgets on feature films, there’s a risk that the filmmaking community could miss out on the chance to engage and comment.
We were commissioned to create the branding for the Uncertain Kingdom project, which provided 20 filmmaking teams with up to £10,000 each to make a short film that would address the momentous changes facing the UK.
It was important not to impose our own perspective onto the project, but to let the films speak for themselves. The final creative provides a positive, non-judgemental introduction, without falling back on clichéd ideas about the British identity. Instead, the different viewpoints of the directors were suggested using overlapping shapes that reveal new horizons that the viewer must move through in sequence.
Changing your perspective and seeing the world through someone else’s eyes is often a discomforting and uneasy experience. Furthermore, we wanted to highlight the very eclectic nature of the films, so the identity includes harsh, sometimes jarring colour combinations and gritty, overlapping type.
As you’d expect for a project so intrinsically linked to film, motion is key to the identity. Animator James Huson worked with us to develop a flashing, glitching, strobe-like animation style that underlines the sense of confusion and alternating perspectives. Brit-award nominated musician George Reid provided the appropriately haunting electronic sound design.
“It has been a joy to work with A Studio of Our Own. Their response to our brief was creative, original, spot-on and we were delighted with the results. The whole process was smooth, efficient and a lot of fun.”
John Jencks/Georgia Goggin/Isabel Freer
Producers, The Uncertain Kingdom