Harry Potter Studio Tour

Hi All,

A few weeks back I went to the Harry Potter Studio's in London so thought I would share some photos with you.

Around 2 years ago now I went to Harry Potter World in Florida which is absolutely incredible. If you haven't been to any of them I recommend going!!! They are both quite different, London is very much props & parts of the set whereas Florida has been built so you can walk into Hogwarts, Shops and down Diagon Alley, which is amazing and very surreal.

London studios was fantastic as you got to see the effort that went into the films, you don't realise there is so much to do!

Anyway the best way to share my experience of the day is through photo's I snapped along the way. So I hope you enjoy them!

The cupboard under the stairs

Uniforms in the Great Hall

All the main character's costumes

In infamous Weasley car

All the wands!

I thought this was the cutest photo's of them!

Diagon Alley

The sweet shop in Diagon Alley

Almost lifesize model of Hogwarts

Props Department

Arogog

A motorised Buckbeak

Dumbledore in his office 

Making potions in class

Chamber of Secrets

Props Department

If you haven't been yet, I would definitely recommend going. Prices are reasonable and you even get on a Harry Potter themed bus!!

Let me know if you've been and what you thought of it?

Cya x

My Favourite Advert Of 2013

Hi,

As some of you may know I work in Advertising and did my degree in Advertising, so it's safe to say I always keep an eye out for good adverts, and 2013 was a fantastic year for adverts.

A lot of you seemed to like my 'Favourite Advert Of All Time' post, in fact it's the most viewed post of my entire blog. So I hope you enjoy my favourite of 2013!

This was a HARD choice, but I chose the one that I probably watched the most, shared with the most people and which really captured my heart.

So... My Favourite Advert of 2013 is Chipotle's -  'The Scarecrow'

Stats
Views: 11,802,315

Published: Sept 11, 2013

Likes: 61, 103

What It's About
This advert is for the Mexican restaurant 'Chipotle' and primarily promoting their restaurant and new app 'The Scarecrow.' The advert promotes a healthier lifestyle and how Chipotle only use natural ingredients/sources for their food. It follows the story of a Scarecrow working for 'Crow Foods' who source their ingredients unfairly whilst hiding the truth & he wants to make a change.

Style
The style of the advert is quite unique. It is almost a short animated film which follows a journey and you are entranced right until the very end. It's funny how you can feel emotions for animated characters. The one part that gets me every time is that poor cow, the look in his eyes is heartbreaking.


Why I Like It
Firstly I think the music is incredible. The Fiona Apple Cover of 'Pure Imagination' is haunting & fits with this PERFECTLY. It's so creepy and emotive & even has the little up beat part of the song where the healthy food starts to kick in.

Another thing I like is the message. I myself am vegetarian, for no other reasons apart from the fact I don't like the taste of meat.. but even so.. it puts the restaurant in a good light. They do things differently which I like.

I like the fact it's animated, it's not so much a shouty message as it would be with real life animals, people & factories.  It's such a powerful message they are trying to portray; that we don't know what is going on behind closed doors, and it is done so cleverly. It in no way seems like it is shoving a message down your throat or preaching something. It is done with style that really makes you think.


I shared this advert AS SOON as I saw it and everyone loved it just as much.

Chipotle was honoured to see I chose them as you can see below:

So were the animation studio who made the advert:

So that's my favourite advert of 2013. What do you think?

Do you like it? What's your favourite advert of 2013?

Cya x

NYE Fireworks - London

Hi All,

I hope you all had a lovely NYE. Without fail every single NYE I watch the London Fireworks on TV as I think they are just amazing and what better way to start the new year - with a bang. I always dreamt about what they are like to see in person and seeing as I now live in London.. Why not go!?!?

Well.. There are in fact many reasons why not to go as I would find out..

I was warned by a LOT of people who have previously been or live in London not to go. Not because they weren't good but the sheer amount of people and chaos it causes.

So, I did my research into it.. If you know London well or have been to the fireworks before you will know you either stand on Embankment or Westminster for the prime view. Initially I decided to stand further away, but we discovered that most of the tube stations shut at 8pm & the one we wanted to stand outside wasn't even open due to large crowds expected!


So last minute, it was decided we would go all out and go to Embankment, face the crowds and do it right. Welcome to the madness..

Because the areas & tube stops were shut at 8pm and over 250,000 were expected, we got there at 6:30, do not ask why we did this but we thought it was a good idea at the time.. We actually got a really good spot and were pretty much near the barriers & by 7 most of the Embankment was covered. So all well & good we were there, but one issue.. The fireworks weren't until midnight..

THE LONGEST WAIT EVER!

The Wait
I was expecting a lot more.. On TV they cut in around 11pm when the crowd is cheering, there's loud music & it's brilliant. There's a reason they cut in at 11, it doesn't get like that till half 11. Everyone's exhausted from the wait & I'm sure most are just cheering to get home! This was the LONGEST wait ever & the hours really dragged!

The Music
I don't know how I felt about this, it came on at 8 which everyone cheered at as something was needed to get everyone going. But it was quite mellow.. I was expecting music to get everyone going, whether that be singing along or dancing, but it was neither. It wasn't bad, just not as good as I thought. It also wasn't very loud, if the crowd had been singing it may have been a better atmosphere.

The Crowd
The crowd wasn't actually as bad as I thought it might be. There were only 2 girls where I stood who were really drunk. I had drink with me but I didn't get stupidly drunk as 1 getting home was going to be bad and 2 there was a lack of toilets & going would mean losing your space. The crowd didn't get rowdy & there was not much pushing either. In fact the people in front shared sweets with us as we didn't get a pack and the people next to us gave us a flashing bracelets which was lovely. Everyone was in high spirits.

The Fireworks
After what seemed like a 6 hour wait.. oh wait it WAS a 6 hour wait, midnight was here. And I know I've moaned a lot so far.. but the fireworks were INCREDIBLE. They were breathtaking and the show that was put on was amazing. I was in awe and was screaming like a little kid at all the different fireworks. London really put on a show and the music and colours were all perfect. It seemed to go so quick, I wanted it to go on forever. The whole sky was lit up and for a second it made everything worth it.

Sensory Fireworks
Some people have asked me about this after I said I went, and YES the fireworks were sensory. You could taste and smell the fireworks due to them blasting out some sort of air into the crowd when the firework was released. These were fruit flavoured and actually tasted delicious!! There was also flavoured/edible confetti and balloons floating round during the show. London are the first to do these sensory fireworks so it was lovely to be a part of that on New Years Eve and you could honestly smell it SO much.

Getting Home
This was chaos, there is no other word to describe this, CHOAS. I love London, but on New Years Eve it's horrible. Embankment and Westminster station were shut so we kind of followed the crowd. We saw 1 sign for Victoria station and did end up actually going from there but along the way there was only that 1 sign which I thought was terrible!! Especially for tourists, I myself has no idea where I was going as this is a long walk!! Especially when you are being pushed a long with a crowd.

I was actually scared and this is one of the few times I have been scared in London. I witnessed so many fights and people covered in blood on the walk to the tube & it was horrifying to see that people were punching strangers.


Eventually when we got to Victoria, we had to walk round the station twice as each entrance was shut off and were in the queue for a while, but it was constantly moving. All in all, it took us about 2 hours to get home and I only live about 15 mins from where we were. It is good that London kept the tubes open later though as otherwise there is no way people would get home.

Would I Go Again?
Going to the fireworks in London on NYE is something I have always wanted to do and I am glad I went but I don't think I would do it again. It is so different seeing it on TV, but I'm not sure if it's worth the hassle. The entrance & tubes shut at 8 so even if I was to go later I would still be stood around for 4 hours. The organisation was a bit poor in terms of getting home, the lack of directions after it had finished let it down, but it was absolutely packed with over 250,000 people in one space so I guess it could have been a lot worse considering.

I don't want the end of the night to take away from the fireworks though. They were BREATHTAKING and London really put on a show for New Year!

Below are some of the videos I managed to capture:

Have you ever been to the fireworks in London on NYE? If not what do you normally do NYE and what did you get up to this year?

Cya x

The Making of the Bear and Hare

Hi Guys,

Quick little post today, I just had to share something with you.

My last post was about the new John Lewis Christmas Advert. If you haven't seen yet yet, WHY NOT. Take a look at my last blog post and you can see it there. Well anyway, a video has come out about the making of the advert and it is astonishing!

I cannot believe the amount of effort that went it to it, no wonder it cost 7 million! Each take a different movement and each piece of the set has been designed individually and from scratch. I thought it was computer animated, so seeing this has totally shocked me. The amount of time and effort put into this is incredible and they should be very proud of the result.

I want to share this with you all so click the link below and see the video of how this amazing, tearjerking advert was made. Enjoy!

http://player.vimeo.com/video/78254514

Cya x

John Lewis Christmas Advert

Hi All,

So, the wait is over. The John Lewis Christmas advert is here.

I wait all year for the Christmas adverts, it is the one time of year that retailers know they have to get right and pull out all the stops to outdo their competitors. John Lewis have held the top spot for a while in the UK, and their adverts have now become almost iconic with people waiting all year for them and waiting to see what emotive advert they produce. I am one of these people. I have loved John Lewis' adverts from the start and throughout the year, not even around christmas time, I find myself searching for all of the adverts on YouTube and watching them from beginning.

So, if you are wondering why I am writing this blog post when it isn't even Christmas yet, it is because John Lewis have released their christmas advert. Yes people, it's been released!! It is due to be released on TV during the X Factor on Saturday night, however it has been released online for all of us searching for it prior. John Lewis have actually bought out the entire advert break during X Factor, which the agreement of Simon Cowell, to make sure their advert is memorable and everyone is talking about. Which I'm sure they will. Watch the new 2013 John Lewis Christmas advert below:

The advert tells the story of a bear and a hare around Christmas time. The advert is animated so is quite different to anything they have done before. It shows the bear not in the Christmas spirit, whereas his best friend the hare is trying his very hardest to get his best friend in the spirit so they can enjoy it together. The advert shows all the other animals enjoying decorating the tree etc but the bear yawning. It is soon clear the bear is going into hibernation, and will always miss christmas due to his sleeping patterns and is therefore not aware of how enjoyable christmas can be.

The advert really pulls on your heartstrings when the hare is looking at all the other animals enjoying christmas day and he is so upset his best friend can't be there. The next thing, the bear comes along with a huge smile on his face after receiving the hare's present of an alarm clock to wake him up just in time for Christmas. And they all live happily ever after. Of course.

The advert cost a whopping 7 million so I do hope they sell a lot of those alarm clocks!

Something I think John Lewis do perfectly with their adverts is the music choices, this again is a perfect choice and I'm sure this cover of Keane's 'Somewhere Only We know' by Lily Allen will be a hit, as all the other iconic, slowed down, covers are. The music is so emotive and beautifully fits with the story. The music for last year's snowman advert particularly stood out to me because it was so entrancing, it made the advert.

Their adverts are so iconic, and are always known for being a tearjerking and emotional. They could be criticised for being very repetitive and following the same story, which is some cases they do. A lot of John Lewis christmas adverts follow the same story for finding the perfect christmas gift for your love ones, which this new advert follows too. However, John Lewis know if they feature products in their adverts, people will buy them, which is exactly what happens. This alarm clock will now be on everyones Christmas list.

As much as I do love this advert, and think the animation and disney like style really sets it apart from anything they have done before, I do prefer some of their other christmas adverts. My all time favourite one (and this is a hard choice) is 'The Long Wait' and I know this is a similar view of many others. The advert shows the boy impatiently waiting for Christmas and when the day is finally here, he cannot wait a minute longer. You assume he is waiting for Christmas all the time, but in fact he is waiting to give his parents the present he has bought him. It is such an emotive advert I do remember I did actually shed a tear at this one, because it is unexpected. Watch it below:

There have been many other brilliant John Lewis Christmas adverts and another favourite of mine is the Sweet Child Of Mine 2009 advert, I absolutely love the transition at the end, it works perfectly. Here are their 2008, 2010 and 2012 adverts for you to have a look, and probably cry at.

I'm sure there will be many more Christmas adverts I will love and I'll make sure to share the best ones with you! So that's it, another long year of waiting for the John Lewis Christmas advert is upon us.

And remember, give someone a Christmas present they'll never forget!


Cya x

Banksy- New York

I am a huge fan of Banksy, I love his work, and I love the fact his identity is kept a mystery. I think it's fascinating that no body knows who he is, and wonder how much longer he will remain unmasked. There are many theories out there to who is he is and one has come out very recently actually if you are keeping up to date with his latest antics in New York.

If you aren't aware, Banksy has taken over New York during October, hosting an open air exhibition entitled 'Better Out Than In.' He is attempting a piece a day and many pieces around the city have already been spotted and captured. However what I find shocking is that most of the pieces have already been vandalised. I find this very disrespectful and have watched the video of graffiti artist named 'Omar' ruining the recent ballon piece Banksy has created. The footage was captured, and rightfully there is a huge backlash against this jealous artist. As well as this, many of his pieces in New York have also been vandalised and the majority of them have been ruined.

Of course this is expected and Banksy openly admits he knows he is hated by other artists, but I find it so disrespectful. It is ruining it for other people who would like to see his work and does not do anything for the person who is defacing it, you are coming across as jealous. So just stop.

On the other hand people are saying that Banksy would love the interaction, many artists are now getting involved and the walls are so full surrounding his pieces, the original graffiti is barely recognisable. As not much is revealed about Banksy, is it unable to know his thoughts on this. Personally I think it is inevitable this will happen because he puts his work so openly to the public, and there are no rules to stop this, I just think artists should show respect for each other. Which are the moment, they really aren't.

ANYWAY, enough of my rant. Below I will be sharing with you some of the Banksy pieces which have been seen and captured in New York City.


Sirens of the Lambs
This first video I am going to share with you is Banksy stunt entitled 'Sirens of the Lambs.' It is a stunt in which stuffed animals are driven round in a slaughtering van around the city and parked outside a butchers. It is a very shocking statement, and you can see children are horrified in the video. The stuffed animals are actually seen to be moving so may be motorised, which is quite scary in itself and could give children the impression this is real.

This is very controversial by Banksy, but that is his style and it certainly gets the message across. It has got a huge amount of media coverage and this video has been viewed over 3 million views on YouTube.

Selling his Art

Another Banksy stunt which has got huge coverage is him selling his orginal pieces for only $60 in Central Park. His pieces are usually worth hundreds of thousands of dollars so for the people that actually bought them from the vender, they must have got a very big shock.

The seller is not Banksy (well we don't know that) and the stall seems to the public to be knock off Banksy work, with only a selection of people looking or purchasing the pieces. After it was revealed they were actually Banksy pieces, many people were kicking themselves they did not buy the pieces and had walked past without a second look. A very clever stunt by Banksy. This video has over 4 million views on YouTube now. How weird would it be to see yourself walking past ignoring it. Well done to the people who bought the pieces, you are now very lucky indeed. 

Below are some of his other pieces he has done in New York this month. I will be updating you with any more of his work I find interesting later on in the month. Hope you enjoy! x

Cya x

Office Interior Design

I recently tweeted about this subject as I find interior design fascinating and believe a well designed office can boost inspiration and imagination. My office is currently going through some renovations so I was researching into some interesting office designs and stumbled on some amazing ones! Some of the creative agencies around the world have the best interior design I have ever seen, so I thought I would share some of my favourites with you.

The way they are designed and the thought process that must have gone behind them is amazing, I would love the be inside the designers mind. Most of my examples are advertising agencies. I would personally love to work somewhere that was designed somewhere like this, I think it would boost my creativity, I could just look up at the ceiling and an idea could pop into my head. I also think a nice office makes a better working place, and therefore you will enjoy coming to work even more. If you don't already enjoy going to work, maybe you are in the wrong career! I know it is not everyone's cup of tea but I would always be in amazement and never want to leave the office! Below are some of my favourite examples I have found of office designs around the world. Hope you enjoy them!

Google Headquarters London

Google Headquarters London

JWT Amsterdam

NPIRE Germany

BS2H

Jakarta Advertising

Mother London

Leo Burnett 

TBWA New York

These are some of my favourites but I'm sure there are plenty more out there so if you see any make sure to Tweet me or leave me a comment with your favourites.

Cya x