The making of the Art Mail film: Behind the scenes with Art Practice

Art Mail is Winsor & Newton’s biggest ever campaign and a global celebration of watercolour. We wanted to launch with a film that not only inspires artists to take part but explains the functional steps to entry and conveys the idea of movement through postcard artworks travelling across the globe. We challenged Art Practice with creating a film that does all the above. We went behind the scenes on the video shoot and spoke to the Director Arthur Andre about how they interpreted the brief.

Tell us about Art Practice

Art Practice is an independent creators’ studio, dedicated to realising extraordinary, craft-focused work through makers’ expertise.

How did you approach the Art Mail film and who worked on it?

Our studio approach felt perfectly suited to the Art Mail campaign. Mike and Jim, Art Practice’s founders and I worked together on the ideation from the very beginning. We took a pragmatic approach, considering how we could execute the project in a practical way, starting with a concept and ultimately bringing it to life.

Working directly with Winsor & Newton for a second time allowed us to build on the relationship that began with the film, ‘Full Spectrum’ by Daniel Eatock and Maria Lax. Through this project, we developed a strong level of trust with the brand that gave us the freedom to imagine another original concept for this campaign.

We brought together a close circle of collaborators: DTS Studio and Elliott Lowe (DoP), Work Editorial, Jean-Gabriel Becker for the music, String and Tins for sound design and our sister VFX studio, Time Based Arts. Shooting with a small crew made the film feel personal and allowed everyone to influence the final image. It was very hands-on!

How did you respond to the brief?

We loved the idea of movement itself being central to our approach and inherent to the film. It foregrounded the message, ‘Let Your Art Travel’. We wanted to take the viewer on a simple journey, echoing the movement and travel of the postcards themselves. We really liked this simple metaphor - witnessing the journey of the postcards from the artist’s desk to the wall of the gallery.

At the same time, there was a requirement to include the campaign messaging, both literally and visually. The film needed to carry both meaning and feeling, so we aimed to create a balance that retained the spirit of ‘Full Spectrum’, the last film we partnered on, while delivering on the communication and call to action that was key to the campaign. It had to feel positive and inviting.

What were the challenges?

Essentially, we wanted to achieve as much as possible in camera, built and captured in real life, without relying on visual effects. Craft is at the core of what we do, and equally it’s central to Winsor & Newton, so it was important to capture a tactile, warm quality to the film. We wanted the viewer to feel the materials and to capture the ‘magic’ for real.

We worked with a high-speed camera in a controlled studio space, blowing the postcards with fans, which as you can imagine, can become pretty erratic quite quickly. There was a lot of experimentation and multiple resets to achieve that sense of effortless movement and flow.

We used in-camera techniques, wires and small rigs to create a rising and falling feeling that felt natural yet purposeful. The desk itself was built and shot as a suspended element hung vertically, where we used gravity to fly the cards through the frame in the opening shot.

Finally, of course, there was the challenge of sourcing the postcards themselves. We needed both volume and variety for the film to feel universal and to convey the scale of the campaign. We reached out to friends, artists and collaborators and gathered more than 400 original works in just two weeks prior to the shoot.

What was the most surprising aspect?

Receiving postcards in the mail every day! I knew I would enjoy it, but I didn’t expect to be so touched by it. It was amazing to see people expressing themselves on a postcard without words. Sending you a bit of creativity, something personal, and trusting you with it on the receiving end. It ended up feeling like opening little gifts!

The sound was another surprise. We had a clear idea of how we wanted it to be. Playful and upbeat but working with Jean-Gabriel Becker and String and Tins, it developed to become a very joyful and original accompaniment.

How does this compare to previous Art Practice projects?

Both films were only made possible due to the faith and trust that Holly Shires (Global Head of Creative) and the team at Winsor & Newton afforded us. They gave us the freedom to workshop different approaches in order to find the best solution. Collaborating in this way gave us unique insights and allowed us to feel closely connected to the campaign as well as the people behind it. It created the kind of space that allows unique ideas like these to get made.

Tell us about the exhibition

We thought it would be fitting to put on a small exhibition at our Curtain Road gallery in London to coincide with the release of the film and the launch of the campaign.

We wanted to celebrate these brilliant, original works of art, and to contextualise them in a gallery space as an extension of the film itself.

We came up with the idea of vertically suspending the art directed desk in the window of the gallery. It’s a nod to the artist Daniel Spoerri, and it enhances the playful quality of the film. Nothing too serious, but still carefully crafted. Showcasing it like this was a way to celebrate and reveal the craft behind the making of the film.

The desk itself will be exhibited, alongside a display of the postcards from 2nd - 12th April.

Want to take part in Art Mail?

To take part in Art Mail, collect your free postcard pack with any Winsor & Newton Watercolour purchase. Available on winsornewton.com and from participating retailers.

Find out more about the campaign here.

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