Marc Bessant

graphic art & design / +44 (0)781 205 8924 / studio@marcbessant.com

DROKK

Artwork, design, film, Music


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Taking on a project that already has 35 years of talent associated with it is always daunting, but some things are hard to pass over, as was the case with ‘DROKK -Music inspired by Mega-City One’.

I first heard the demo’s some time ago and they were sounding the right side of edgy then and beginning to tick all the right boxes; Making music for non-existant movies has become quite fashionable of late, but what was different about this one was its creators were old-skool readers of 2000ad and, taking into account that respect for the writers and artists over the years, had a genuine motivation for making it uncompromisingly just-so. I would approach the design in much the same way, I would not (and largely could not) compete with the artists that have brought mega-city one to life for the past three-and-a-half decades, the sleeve design had to be independent of all that and stand on its own, for better or worse. I wanted to make a sleeve/formats that wouldn’t look out of place within the Mega-Cities themselves, gritty and monochromatic. Early on we (Geoff, Ben and I) met with 2000ad/Rebellion and our work could not have been more positively received, their approval meant a lot to us and from then on it was full steam ahead.  Several formats were undertaken (as seen in portfolio section) – Bunker (above), Visor, LP and Mega-Edition – all various shapes and sizes but with an overall utilitarian and minimal aesthetic throughout. Cover logotype was painted and tracks/names chassis-stamped, all textures from the surfaces of Civil Waste Disposal vehicles, crude but apposite.

Do your ears a favour - http://invada.co.uk/drokk

Death of a Cemetery

Artwork, design, film, posters


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Manila North Cemetery in Manila, Philippines is a place of rest for 3000 people, all of whom are alive.  When rich families first erected mausoleums for their dead in the late 1800s, they needed caretakers to maintain them and guard any valuables buried within.  In exchange for their work, the caretakers were allowed to live inside the mausoleums, and a cemetery community was born.  Gravekeepers grow gardens around tombs; chefs cook up hearty fare in restaurants alongside crypts; and children play basketball in between school and funerals.  Some residents are part of a long legacy of caretaking families; others are new transplants and find they must share their bed with an additional body.

‘Death Of A Cemetery’ is an inspiring independent documentary made by Phil Britton and Jeanie Duque-Dizon, I was asked to work on the titles which in turn led to me doing a poster (above). Paint, pens and mac.

Official site here

Peter Gabriel ‘Scratch my back’ sleeve animation

design, film


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Heres a short animation that was put together in collaboration with a master of the 3D arts – Alan Tabrett, originally intended for the ‘Scratch’ TV spots (which we sadly ran out of time on) it now adorns the big screens on the ‘New Blood’ Live show currently touring the globe. I was very happy with the results, especially the texture of the cells which Alan painstakingly crafted and rendered to match the original sleeve. A Job well done.

Made yet rarely played

film


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Whilst on the short film tip, heres another i fatefully played a part in. Made in 1997 (my god 11 years ago!) and shot over two days (including editing etc) this promo for Portishead’s ‘All Mine’ was my first soirée into music video and good fun it was too. Its not perfect by any means but I still think it creates the right vibe for the group at that time, I remember the shocked faces at a trendy Soho film suite when asking that they keep bumping down the original film to VHS tape and then back again so as to get a proper degraded feel to it, as opposed to a computer filter added after. To me it looks just the right side of ropey but alas the TV powers that be weren’t so keen so the film was rarely played. The italian subtitle mid-way through the promo reads ‘We apologise for the poor quality of sound’ – an obvious pun when the sound is really the only thing of true quality. An odd little ditty which I’m quite proud of actually, if only because it was such a struggle for Geoff and I to get it done. Enjoy.

Right between the eyes!

film


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Whilst getting my website together i rediscovered this little commercial I did for Peter Gabriel a few years back, it was to promote a greatest hits CD called ‘HIT’. The shoot was done in london with a very small crew (5) and budget, originally I wanted to have real giant letters at the end inside a huge white room but alas time/money wouldn’t allow. There is a longer version which contained snippets of PGs videos but this little teaser I was always more happy with…