MasterClass X Uninterrupted: The Power You Hold
MasterClass X Uninterrupted: The Power You Hold
Tactile and distressed identity graphics for a timely docu-series.
MasterClass and Uninterrupted have partnered to launch “The Power You Hold,” a five-part series of short films unpacking the social and cultural effects of systemic racism and offering inspirational ideas on how to influence change.
The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and countless others shook the nation. The protests that followed created a multicultural movement, and the issue of racism and police brutality were ready and ripe for bigger discussion.
The collaboration kicked off a year-long initiative to distribute and create content that inspires and educates on the movement for social justice and against systemic racism. Uninterrupted, a platform for empowerment and storytelling, was the perfect brand to team up with. These short films and their stories hold a powerful, timeless resonance. In solidarity, we rolled up our sleeves and got to work on this timely piece.
Co-branding the Series
These short documentaries are meant to highlight important ideas that have extra weight in our current time.
The challenge was to find a connection between two seemingly different media aesthetics audiences: young, gritty, athletic branding and more classic cinematic/Hollywood production. What can we pull from the content of each film to illustrate this? We had an added challenge of needing to create a look that could brand all five as a series. The graphic system needed to be flexible enough to translate into graphics for film, dance, empathy, even gardening.
In addition, MasterClass was fresh off a rebrand with a new logo and branded typeface. This project would be one of the first to test drive the flexibility and durability of the new branded elements.
Still from intro title graphics
Animation from series end card
Animation from series end card
The Power of Film
For the first film of the series, The Power of Film, with filmmakers Spike Lee and Ken Burns, we took a look at the long history of resistance through graphics and found a common thread in early modern film, protest posters, DIY movements, and edgy sports graphics. By looking at Russian avant-garde posters and punk flyers from the 70’s, we decided to utilize torn or cut bits of words and imagery to tell and reveal at the same time. We used collage as a vehicle to show hidden narratives and a way to juxtapose very different points of view. Collage (photomontage), after all, is the modern artform.
Hannah Höch. German, 1889-1978 Cut with the Kitchen Knife through the Last Weimar Beer-Belly Cultural Epoch in Germany
“Rayograph” by Man Ray, cir. 1920
We decided to use a hand-driven approach such as scanography and stop motion for animation as much as possible to give all the graphics a unique voice. Instead of ultra-smooth transitions, we opted for type and image repeat and unexpected jumps, tears and reveals. Building off these visual strategies, we developed a distinct identity for the remaining four films.
Credits
Design and Animation: ALTR Studio
Animation: Jessica Dorricott
Co-Design Direction: Lauren Fundora
Still from intro title graphics
Intro animation
ALTR not only intuitively understood the role of GFX in these films but elevated the impact of the series as a whole. Kim and team designed a bespoke visual look for each piece that felt at once singularly crafted for each different narrative and yet somehow (joyfully) unified the films together and created a series brand. Working with ALTR is a filmmakers’ dream, as they instinctively understand project vision and have an immediate shorthand with creatives.
Amy Scott, Creative Director at MasterClass
Films hosted on Uninterrupted website