Project: Culture Club

Purpose: To talk about culturally relevant subjects through the lens of art

Agency: TPN (internal)

Concept and brand:
Jesús González (Sr.AD) and Kristin Pendelton (ACD/CW)

Series producers:
Jesús González (Sr.AD), Gail Obaseki (Director, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion) and Ethan Wilder (Video & Multimedia Specialist)

Host:
Jesús González (Sr.AD)

Podcast producer:
Jesús González (Sr.AD)

As part of the new DEI initiative at Integer, Culture Club was created as a way to talk about social issues through the lens of art. The idea is that by focusing on the artwork itself, some subject that might be difficult to talk about, can be more easily discussed in an open forum. Integer’s culture allowed this type of honest discussion to grow into an instagram account and a monthly podcast hosted by myself.

This has been a passion project from the start, I’ve always love to learn and discover from others. Culture Club allowed me to learn everyone’s passions and unique perspectives. The series continues to grow, the idea is that it will take on new and surprising iterations lead by other people, but with one unique mission: To talk about culturally relevant subjects as seen through the lens of art.

Project: Radiohead's "Spectre" Fan Edit

Purpose: Learn to edit (on Premier Pro)

Concept and Edit:
Jesús González

This is one of the first clips i ever edited. I wanted to do justice to the rejected Radiohead submission for the James Bond "Spectre" 2015 movie. While at the same time pay tribute to the 007 agent's most famous villain. Since the song did not have a video, this was the perfect opportunity to practice my editing skills.

I took Tom York's "From the Basement" performance and lip-synced to the track. I also grabbed Blofeld moments from all eras (including a Dr. Evil voice cameo at the ending), and mixed them with ink in water clips. This not only gave the music video an abstract feel, but linked it to Spectre's octopus themed logo.

I learned a lot working on this video and hopefully did justice to the song and Bond's most famous villain: Blofeld.

Sources:
Radiohead's "Spectre"
Tom York "From the Basement" set
"Spectre"
"DIamonds Are Forever"
"You Only Live Twice"
"On Her Majesty's Secret Service"
"Austin Powers"

Project: Mandalorian armor cosplay

Purpose: To combine my love for Star Wars and art. To learn how to sculpt, paint, weather, sodder and sew.

Concept and sculptor:
Jesús González

15 years ago I started i built my first Mandalorian armor. It was a combination of sculpting the helmet out of a used bicycle helmet, some "for sale" plastic signs and other found objects. It was imperfect but i learned a lot.

Last year, I started the process again. This time I used 3D printed parts, bought a few of the clothing items and kitbashed to create greebles details for the weapons, armor and clothing items. This time i wanted to finesse my weathering and painting techniques. I also wanted to introduce some electronics to the cosplay.

I had about 3 months to achieve this, just in time for the London Star Wars Celebration convention. With the timeline in place, a limited budget and a plan, I started to work.

I made mistakes and learned a lot. I painted that helmet several times and used several technics until i found one that i was satisfied with. I wanted to have that helmet modular. So I attached magnets so i can swap props and items to change the profile of the helmet and have different versions of the cosplay.

My main goal with this armor is to tell a story, and that story can change. I had two main modes I wanted to achieve for the con.

The first was a nod to the cyberpunk aesthetic; the hero item of this mode is the jacket. I spray painted a Teotihuacan inspired symbol on the back, but giving it a Star Wars feel to it. I added some electronics and layers of faux-leather to create a sense of armor with the jacket. I finished up that mode with matching slacks and a weathered hoodie that acted as the under armor. The helmet had a white white brim to play off the hoodie and other white details of the armor.

The second mode is more of a classic western aesthetic. I bought a poncho that i weathered and added greebles to give it the Star Wars look. I also used a pair of old boots i had and added a layer of canvas to give them more of a "rough-traveler' look. I left the helmet with minimum attachments.

Overall this was a great learning experience, both in the building of the armor and in walking the con (that is a story for another day).