James Cooper Blog

'Foreign Cities' crowdfunding success & launch screening tomorrow (17th May) in Dublin @ The Sugar Club!

2012-05-16T16:46:01Z

Photo: Pat Hamill.

Some of you have been involved either as contributors or funders with a recent musical & filmic collaborative project of mine called 'Foreign Cities'. Thank you! For those who have not, a little about the project launch tomorrow...

In late 2011, I briefed 9 Dublin-based directors to create 10 ‘Music Films’ for my upcoming 2012 album ‘Foreign Cities’. The brief was open. Directors were free to bring their own story to their chosen track or create a more traditional style promo.

Thanks to a successful FundIt.ie campaign to release the music & films via Vinyl, DVD & CD we'll be presenting the collaborative, eclectic & sometimes experimental set of 10 Foreign Cities ‘Music Films’ tomorrow night 17th May at Dublin's The Sugar Club. Thanks to all the directors & crews for their talent & enthusiasm. We hope to see you at the screening which also features a set from BANTUM feat. GEPPETTO on visuals.

*** Tickets at the door at 7.30pm. Find out more HERE. ***

The directors above (L-R) Niall Staines [Snooze], Maciej Pestka, Sophie Merry, James Cooper, Daniel Coss [Snooze], Mark Duggan, Jennifer Hyland & Geppetto (missing is Tom Lennon).

www.ForeignCities.TV

'BOLD' by Carrie Lakin

2012-04-30T15:19:28Z

Delighted to see the EP digipak I designed for Sydney singer Carrie Lakin arrive this morning. The EPs look fab (if I do say so myself) and the reverse digi stock adds a nice feel to the package. Photography was by Mark Matthews and Carrie had me on Design, Art Direction & Retouch duties. Check out the tunes & buy an EP HERE.

Help Crowd Fund My New Record 'Foreign Cities' Over The Next 15 Days!

2012-04-04T11:57:11Z

I'm putting out a NEW record called FOREIGN CITIES with 10 new songs and 10 new music films. I'm collaborating with a whole team of Irish directors and we're launching the new record as a music films project & film screening mid May in Dublin.

I'm crowd funding the packaging of this (CD, DVD, VINYL) which simply means people pre-order the album online and they get rewards for doing so. Things like the album a week before release, your name in the credits, a ticket to the launch, an executive producer credit (if you've always wanted to be listed as 'Executive Producer' on a record, etc)... are all part of the rewards for getting involved.

If you like independent music, I'd love your help to MAKE IT HAPPEN. No labels this time, no middle men, no skimmers - just the music and getting it out to people via crowd funding. We're using the great Irish crowd funding site www.FundIt.ie

We've already raised €840 and have €1960 to raise in the next 15 days. If we don't meet our target, none of the funding comes through. Click the link here to find out more: http://www.fundit.ie/project/foreign-cities-album-packaging

You can also keep up with the music/ film project here: http://www.ForeignCities.tv

And hear 3 of the tunes here: http://soundcloud.com/jamescoopermusic/sets/forthcoming-album-due-march/

Thanks in advance to you all for any support if it is something you're interested in doing.

http://www.fundit.ie/project/foreign-cities-album-packaging

My Illustration Work Being Shown This Friday (in Group exhibit in Dublin)

2012-04-03T14:31:09Z

Hi all-

Come along to Little Green St Gallery Dublin this Friday night for the DRAW TIN TIN exhibition. Starts 7pm. This is my piece that I have in the exhibit.

I couldn't resist being a part of this as Tin Tin and Hergé's world has inspired me for years. In my piece Tin Tin gets hitched... to a hipster gal, who probably drinks at No Name.

The work will be for sale on the night.

2011 - A new legendary Kiss? Alfred Eisenstaedt vs. Rich Lam?

2011-12-06T16:16:17Z

As the best images of 2011 do the rounds on the interwebs, I was looking at BuzzFeed's top 45 today. I couldn't help notice the similarities between Eisenstaedt's iconic 1945 VJ Day Times Square Kiss and Rich Lam's iconic shot from this year (2011) taken in Vancouver (Getty).

A similar sort of subject composition can be seen. Notice how the male takes the dominant upper left with the female taking lower right position visually (the same can be seen in classic Hollwood love film posters) and we can see some background detail but not too much. The image tone and sense of 'the moment' is similar, however the emotional intensity is far different due to the tone of the scene in 2011 and also the ominous riot cop, out of focus, in the foreground of Lam's 2011 shot.

The difference between eras is also potentially interesting from a social perspective.

No copyright claimed. Images are copyright their respective owners. Observational post only.

Amongst Inspiration: Part 3 - With Photographer Clíona O'Flaherty

2011-12-06T10:47:32Z

Clíona is such a talent and it was wonderful to be able to feature her in Part 3 of the Amongst Inspiration HD web series.

I'm loving directing these spots and have been bitten by the directing bug 100%. There's just nothing better than seeing your idea come to life on screen once the edit has been completed.

Planning a few more of these in 2012. Stay tuned and thanks to all who have sent me support and encouraged these films on Irish creatives...

World's First AR Newspaper - Metro Herald Dublin - with Blippar™

2011-12-06T10:10:31Z

Delighted to have been part of the concept & creative team on this innovative Augmented Reality press advert for for Irish airline, Aer Lingus. The ad featured in the World's first Augmented Reality newspaper, the Metro Herald Dublin, for editorial and advertising content.

I art directed the AR interaction / idea and liaised with Blippar™, London to create the final interaction.

Art Direction: Paddy Geraghty & James Cooper. Copy: Dylan Cotter & Bernie Martin. Agency: Irish International

Amongst Inspiration: Part 2 - With U2 Art Director Steve Averill

2011-10-11T21:22:48Z

I'm delighted to have completed the second in a series of inspiration based mini-films on Dublin creatives.

This time I had the pleasure of sitting down for a few hours with the very talented Steve Averill. Steve's work for U2 over the last 25 years or more is astonishing. Our chat revolved mainly around inspiration, The Joshua Tree period & the Boy album. I cut the bulk of the inspiration & Joshua Tree content down into a 5 min edit and am really happy with the result. (The Boy material may appear in some form at a later date...)

Steve's take on the inspirations behind the iconic Joshua Tree sleeve are now preserved in HD for all to enjoy.

A big thanks to Steve, Will at Mutiny, Michael Carpenter at Stagefright, Mark Duggan & obviously U2 & Principle Management Dublin for graciously allowing permission to use the track.

Check out more of Steve's work at http://www.AmpVisual.com, read the YouTube notes under the video for more detail or like the Facebook page to find out more: http://www.facebook.com/AmongstInspiration

Part 3 coming soon!

Amongst Inspiration: Part 1 - With Illustrator Chris Judge

2011-09-12T14:43:20Z

Part 1 of my new mini-film series 'Amongst Inspiration' is up live now.

I was really excited to spend a a few hours with Dublin based illustrator Chris judge as we chatted about inspiration.

The idea for this series came when I was having a coffee on King Street in Sydney's Newtown in April. I was telling one of my oldest mates (who is currently exploring photography) about the creative people I'd been meeting in Dublin. As we talked about studios, illustrators, designers, the Canon Vs. Nikon debate, new music & how good Sydney coffee was it struck me that as an Aussie based in Dublin, I'd met people here that I never would have met had I stayed in Sydney.

I wondered about the more interesting creatives I'd met. The ones with real 'Dublin' stories. The ones who had inspired me. What inspired them? I wondered.....

And so, in this, the first in a series of inspiration led mini-films, we spend 2 minutes in the studio with illustrator Chris Judge.

Chris' illustration work includes the glorious picture book 'The Lonely Beast', 'Darth Dredd' for the 2009 Vader Project in London's Andy Warhol Museum, much loved Dublin culinary icon Pablo Picanté, work for Mini, Vodafone & 3 Mobile. More recently Chris has illustrated the Sparkhead character for ESB's 'Share The Energy' campaign at Irish Music Festival, Electric Picnic.

A big thanks to Chris Judge & Cathy Davey for the use of the lovely song 'Little Red'.

I'm delighted that the mini-film has already been featured on LostAtEMinor.com, Freshbump.com, Sytheastwood.com, Scamp.ie, Picture Book Davy, For The Love Of, & Frequency.com & illustrationmundo.com

Like the Facebook page to stay updated: http://www.facebook.com/AmongstInspiration

A Video Worth Sharing - Nike: Raising Money For The Michael J. Fox Foundation For Parkinson's Research

2011-09-12T11:35:48Z

We share videos everyday. Especially those of us working in creative.

Here's a video worth embedding & sharing.

Nike have released the Nike Mag shoe as seen in Back To The Future II (One of my favourite 80's films). 1500 pairs are being auctioned on eBay to help raise money for the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.

Find out more at www.back4thefuture.com & see a cool new, lovingly crafted web spot featuring the Doc & the Delorean plugging the release of the shoes!

GREAT SCOTT!