Saiman Chow joins Blacklist US

Brooklyn-based Saiman Chow was born and raised in Hong Kong where he spent his early years obsessed with ghosts and reading manga. At the age of 15, he moved to Los Angeles where he studied illustration and design at the Art Center College of Design. Chow's array of interests lead him into various kinds of projects from design, illustration, and animation to directing. In 2008, he co-founded Golden Lucky, a multidisciplinary design studio based in Brooklyn. 

 

“I am interested in using different techniques because I do not want to limit myself to a certain style or material,” says Chow. “I tend to enlist many approaches to add complexity to a piece, which ultimately helps me stay engaged. The history and practice of paintings, illustration and design all interest me, and my aim is to draw on these lexicons to create my work.”

 

Chow has worked on projects for clients such as Adidas, VH1, MTV, Fuel and Nike. His most recent project is the latest in the “Never Hide” series for Ray-Ban via Marcel, Paris and Blacklist, New York. 

 

"We are super excited that Mr. Saiman Chow has decided to join Blacklist,” says Andrew Linsk, Executive Producer, Blacklist. "We love his offbeat sensibility and the idiosyncratic approach that he brings to his projects. His body of work is witty, playful, and irreverent----as is the man himself.  Saiman is a blast to work with, and we think he fits in really well with the rest of the Blacklist roster. We're also especially pleased that he's NYC based, as we have been looking to expand our stateside offering.”

 

The stop-motion spot is based on a print ad Ray-Ban had already created featuring nesting dolls. Loving the concept of the matryoshka dolls, Chow wanted to push it further to create a fun and unique animation with many layers that is surprising to the viewer. 

 

“The layers are made of different materials which help add interest to the animation,” explains Chow. “The components are handmade and it is important for them to convey that tactile sense throughout the piece. As the animation is a short one, only 15 seconds, so we wanted to have the piece be visual feast for the entire time frame.”

 

Chow used a broad range of materials to create the piece. The model's head is made with clay, yarn for the skull and different color paper for the beard. Chow wanted each head within the piece to reflect a distinctive personality and contrast against each other. ”We also used a live chameleon, which was a nice addition against the handmade props,” adds Chow. “The sensibility and timing of the piece was based on the Mondrian styled sunglasses. We wanted the pacing to have a turn of the century, French accordion like feel.”
 

View Saiman Chow’s first spot via Backlist, “Rare Prints” for Ray-Ban: http://vimeo.com/32089756 
View Saiman Chow’s reel: http://www.interdubs.com/r/psyop/?al=4G9Hmv

Saiman Chow’s website:http://www.saimanchow.com/

 

Credits for Ray-Ban:

Client: Ray-Ban

Spot title: Rare Prints

Agency: Marcel, Paris

Creative Director: Sebastien Vacherot

Writer: Sebastian Piacentini

Art Director: Bastien Grisolet
Artwork: La Boca

Account Manager: Shannon Eddy

TV Producer: Cleo Ferenczi

Director: Saiman Chow

Production Company: Blacklist, New York

Executive Producer: Michael Neithardt

Producer: Patrick Gantert

Associate Producer: Sophie Gate

Compositor: Fred Kim

Animation: Studio Nos

Creative Directors: Mathew Amonson, Jeremy Bronson

Producer: John Bega

Stop Motion Director: Mathew Amonson

Animators: Mathew Amonson, Luca Vitale

Model Fabrication: Junko Shimizu, Zack Williams, Mathew Amonson

Music and Sound Design: Antfood

Executive Producer: Sean McGovern

Production Service Company: Wam