1. Introduction and Proposed Project
Introduction
This paper sets out my project viability study for the four different creative collaborations outlined in the section below. I’ve chosen four projects to give me the broadest experience of collaborating with artists in different creative disciplines. In addition, each project has an optimal output of around 2-3 minutes of video.
Proposed Project
Project 1 – Graphic Artist Showcase
In this project I want to create a video where a graphic artwork is created in real time alongside the music, with the music and artwork evolution complementing each other.
Project 2 – Pub Promotional Video
This project is to create a short trailer-like video with cinematic videography and soothing music to promote a recently opened pub and give potential customers a feel for the pub on social media.
Project 3 – Labyrinth Event Promotion
In this project I want to create social media content for Labyrinth Events (Labyrinth Events, nd), an events company specialising in contemporary dance music, to promote the upcoming series of shows at the Tofte Manor Estate (Tofte Manor, 2025).
Project 4 – Lighting Design Project
This project is to create a pre-visualisation of a time coded lighting show to the track I have created.
Goals
From a project prospective the goal of the project is to create a high quality artefact with an engaging backing track that can be used, in the case of the first three projects, to promote the artist/venue/event on social media and other digital channels, and in the case of the fourth project to create a lighting program which can be used in live performance of the track.
From a personal perspective, I aim to gain insight into another industry’s creative processes and workflows, while developing adaptability through collaboration and openness to experienced perspectives. I also want to better understand how creative decisions are made outside my industry and how they can influence my future work.
Personnel – Direct/Indirect
Project 1 – Graphic Artist Showcase
I will be collaborating with a fellow student from the University of Leeds who is currently studying third year for a BA degree in art.
Project 2 – Pub Promotional Video
For this project I will be collaborating with a publican, the landlord as well as the marketing team and a third party videographer. I will also be working indirectly with the breweries of the pub.
Project 3 – Labyrinth Event Promotion
I will be collaborating with the marketing team at Labyrinth who do all things marketing for the business and the events. As well as this the artists and their teams will be an indirect collaborator as I will use some of their existing material but I won’t be directly working with them.
Project 4 – Lighting Design Project
I will be collaborating with a lighting designer who specialises in lighting and stage design.
2. Methodology and Rationale
Methodology and Rationale
Project 1 – Graphic Artist Showcase
The collaborator has access to the art studios and materials which we can use to carry out the project. For budget reasons we will be using multiple large pieces of paper to contribute to a 2×2 canvas stuck to the wall whilst the track is played in the background to influence creative styles. The recording will be sped up to fit against the length of the track. In terms of production, an iphone on a tripod will be used and footage will be edited within Premier Pro. I have chosen to do this as I don’t want much movement within the video apart from the artist so the consumer focuses on one thing.
Project 2 – Pub Promotional Video
The project will take place when the pub is open and on a day with good weather, so the atmosphere is captured in the best possible way. As the pub is from a personal connection, it is very easy to liaise with them on when is best to do this, even on short notice. The setup will be a mix of a camera on a gimbal and some drone footage, edited in Premier Pro and After Effects.
Project 3 – Labyrinth Event Promotion
For this project, I will be using content from the content archive from past Labyrinth shows at the venue using a mix of Premier Pro and After Effects for editing. I will also be liaising with the marketing team to get constructive feedback from them.
Project 4 – Lighting Design Project
For this project I will be working with a lighting designer and we will create a previsualisation to the track I have created for this using high-end professional software to achieve this.
3. Market Analysis
Market Analysis
None of these projects represent a product in itself which we would be seeking to monetize in a particular market. Rather, in the case of the first three, they are promoting a third party product which has market appeal (see below).
In the case of the fourth, the project is to design and deliver a live experience, so again the concept of market analysis is less irrelevant.
Your Market/Target Audience
Firstly, for the graphic artist showcase, it targets potential art lovers as well as dance music fans who may also be interested in art as well.
Secondly, for the pub promotional video, it’s targeting a largely local audience and hopes to attract a broad range of people from young professionals to retirees into the pub. As well as that, the pub is based in Kings Walden which is mainly a farming community, making that another target audience.
Finally, in terms of Tofte Manor and the lighting project, it is to target contemporary dance music fans who like to go to live performances and live music experiences.
4. Costs and Budgeting
Hypothetical Budget
Project 1 – Graphic Artist Showcase
Materials could cost up to £600. For the studio/workspace it could cost up to £400 (The Middle Floor, nd). Equipment and logistics such as protective gear and transport of art could cost up to £150. The cost for the artist would depend on his or her experience and following. For a student artist, we can likely get this free as they would want the exposure; whereas for an established artist, the creation of a bespoke work could run to many thousands of pounds (The Artists Information Company, 2023) (ARTQUEST, nd).
Project 2 – Pub Promotional Video
For this project, only a videographer would be needed which could cost up to around £1,000 which includes planning, time and editing.
Project 3 – Labyrinth Event Promotion
For this project, like the above, only a videographer would be needed.
Project 4 – Lighting Design Project
For this, it could cost up to £1,200 to hire a lighting designer for concept development, time and programming. We assume that the lighting designer will have the right to utilise third party software tools.
Potential Funding
Potential funding would be from ‘Leeds Cultural Investment Programme’, ‘Leeds Arts Grants’, ‘British Council International Collaboration Grants’ and ‘Arts Council England’. Some of these are open to individuals, whereas others require organisations and must be UK-based. Funding is more-likely approved if there is a clear outcome of the project, it’s feasible and cross-collaboration between industries.
5. Inspiration and Influences
Inspiration and Influences
Project 1 – Graphic Artist Showcase
The first project was inspired by Martin Garrix’s ‘Make Up Your Mind’ (Martin Garrix, 2016) music video where artists created the official artwork to his track, using styles which suited the sonic feel and style of the track.
Project 2 – Pub Promotional Video
The main influence for this project was to create a movie style trailer which captured the feeling and atmosphere of the pub.
Project 3 – Labyrinth Event Promotion
Labyrinth is a growing business continually trying to upscale their events. For the 2026 line up of events at Tofte Manor, they are hosting key international artistic figures. I am particularly influenced by Labyrinth’s use of immersive promotional videos, which combine cinematic videography and carefully curated music to create the sensation of physically being present at the event.
Project 4 – Lighting Design Project
Having worked at Labyrinth Events for over the past year, I have been fortunate to meet people who are industry leaders in event production who I have been inspired by for many years. With some knowledge in lighting and show design, I have taken much inspiration from companies such as HighScream (High Scream, nd) and figures such as Gabriel Fraboni (Grabriel Fraboni, nd) who is the Production Director for Martin Garrix.
6. Contingency/Risk Assessment
Contingency/Risk Assessment
Project 1 – Graphic Artist Showcase
The risk for this would be availability of the artist as well as the art studios at the university.
Project 2 – Pub Promotional Video
The most likely risk for this project would be finding availability which works for the pub and myself especially as I live in London which means that I would need to travel over 1 hour to get to the location. Inclement weather is also a risk here, as that would affect our ability to shoot good drone footage.
Project 3 – Labyrinth Event Promotion
An unlikely but possible contingency is that Labyrinth could have a change of artists or location which could affect the relevance of the original project.
Project 4 – Lighting Design Project
For this project, as the contact I know who I would approach is likely extremely busy and a project of this kind would take some time for them to create, there is the possibility that they wouldn’t have time to take part in the project which would likely lead me to have to write-off the project as a whole as I’m not sure who else I could ask who would be willing to invest the time and cost.
7. Potential for Development
Potential for Development
I feel most projects have strong potential to be developed further, but this would require more time from both me and collaborators, which could add pressure and reduce overall quality. For example, the graphic artist showcase could be expanded by creating more artwork and including the artist’s influences, but this may exceed the project’s time budget. Similarly, the pub collaboration could be extended into a documentary-style video with an interview, though this would also require additional time.
8. Evaluation Viability
Evaluation Viability
As demonstrated above, none of these projects are reliant on significant costs or large teams of collaborators and even where there is a cost, I have planned it so that I have managed to offset these in large part (for example in project 1, the collaborator has access to materials from the University of Leeds). In additional (with the possible exception for Project 4) there is a real commercial benefit for each of the collaborators, where they can use this work to promote their careers/venue/event. Overall, I see that all projects are viable and recommend that I go ahead with them.
9. Bibliography
Bibliography
Garrix, M. (2016) Martin Garrix – Make Up Your Mind, YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyoQIibej6c&list=RDHyoQIibej6c&start_radio=1.
High scream (no date) High Scream. Available at: https://high-scream.com/.
Fraboni, G. (no date) LinkedIn: Gabriel Fraboni, LinkedIn. Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielfraboni.
a-n The Artists Information Company (2023) Guidance on fees and day rates for visual artists 2023. Available at: https://static.a-n.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Guidance_on_fees_and_day_rates_for_visual_artists_2023.pdf.
The Camera Guys (2023) How much does a videographer cost?, The Camera Guys. Available at: https://thecameraguys.co.uk/10-video-marketing-tips-for-small-businesses-2/#:~:text=Videographers%20rates:,and%20£600%20per%20day.
The Middle Floor (no date) Studio and event space for hire in Leeds City Centre, The Middle Floor. Available at: https://www.themiddlefloor.com/studio-hire.
Labyrinth Events (no date) Labyrinth events, Labyrinth. Available at: https://www.labyrinthevents.com/.
Labyrinth Events (2025) Tofte Manor, Labyrinth. Available at: https://www.labyrinthevents.com/tofte-manor.
ARTQUEST (no date) Artist fees, Artquest. Available at: https://artquest.org.uk/how-to-articles/calculating-a-fee/.
