Meanwhile has developed the launch campaign and key art design for Pot Of Gold, a feature-length documentary co-written by Meanwhile’s founder and BAFTA-winning former BBC Creative chief, James Cross.
The doc is a collaboration between some of Manchester’s creative giants, directed by Chief’s Billy Offland and photographer Olivier Richomme, a regular snapper and director for both Chief and The Gate and currently represented by Chief, and produced by Chief, who have previously worked with the likes of Tom Kerridge and Marks and Spencer, Match of the Day and Oasis.
It will make its long-awaited debut at this year’s Manchester Film Festival in March.
The film tells the story of Shakeel, and his role in advocating beekeeping in Kashmir, in order to create a prosperous honey industry for the future of the region. Shakeel himself features on the key art, which was developed using the photography of Richomme, who also acted as director of photography for the film, and was developed by Meanwhile’s creative team from their studio in MediaCity.
Creative director Rachel Miles said: “We loved creating concept-rich key art at the BBC – the opportunity to have your work on someone’s bedroom wall is very cool. We wanted to continue those graphic projects here at Meanwhile. When watching the documentary, I noticed beekeeper Shakeel was wearing a striped shawl which made him look like a honey bee.
“We asked the directors of the film if they did that on purpose, but they hadn’t. The guys loved the observation and were totally onboard with our strong instinct to use gold leaf.”
Director Billy Offland said of the work: “It’s been such a privilege having Meanwhile lend their expertise across the art and campaign for the film. For us, authenticity to our story, characters and location, Kashmir, was at the forefront of how we wanted to showcase the film. The team bought into this 100%, unpicking the story and our images, and creating something truly amazing!”
You can see Pot Of Gold at the Manchester Film Festival, 14-23 March at Odeon Great Northern, in Manchester. This year, Manchester Film Festival will expand beyond its traditional Great Northern home, screening films at Home and Aviva Studios (home of Factory International) as well as its Odeon base camp.
