Pinterest as a Director’s tool

You know that iconic image of an artist’s studio? You know the one, wherein all of their inspirational images for whatever piece they are currently working on are torn from magazines and grouped together on the wall behind their desk.

Yeah, I love those. I think, wow, that’s the life of an artist, that’s the look, the feel of it, that’s my jam…. Kind of.

In practice, for me, that way of working has never quite turned out so beautifully, nor so organized I might add. Also, I find it difficult to maintain such a wall when living in a one bedroom apartment with animals and a husband.  

It’s not exactly fair to him per say to have a bunch of grotesque images from artists working with something like ‘blood’ scattered across one of the few unavoidable walls in his home. No matter how influential I may find them on my current film endeavor.  

Tough right? Yeah, my life can be hard sometimes.

Solution? Pinterest boards... I. love. them.

Here’s how it works:

I take the script I’m pre-visualizing and create a board. Sometimes I keep it ‘secret’, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes it’s a shared board with producers or fellow creatives on the piece (ahem, you’ll see M on many of them, naturally), sometimes I keep it solo.

Next, I label it with the project’s title and something to the effect of, ‘Director’s Vision’ or, ‘Mood Board’ or, ‘Look Book’, whatever strikes my labeling fancy at the time, because it matters not.

Now the fun begins...

I start searching for pins. I pin anything and everything that pertains to the story. I follow a pin down a rabbit hole of other ‘related pins’ until I start to see a through-line happening, a style forming, a color palette emerging, an overall aesthetic that I can point to.

During pre-production I send these boards to various departments for reference. The feedback I have received upon doing so has only been positive thus far.

Here as an example, is the board I used for M&J’s recent short film, ‘Mental’.

I find Pinterest an inspiring, effective, helpful, and all-around easy online tool to use. No mess, no cut outs, no clutter, no disturbed husband, and my shot-list starts to form in my mind organically.

Pinterest, I use it, I recommend it... I. Love. It.

- J

*J, I found all your materials, your boards, storyboards, shot list etc., beyond helpful to see the overall vision for Mental before even one take was recorded. Hear hear!  - M