Laura Johnstone

Art Director

Working together for the first time with Partizan’s director Debbie Anzalone we drowned our daydreamer in shredded paper for Sultanov’s debut video ‘Break Free’.

I teamed up with the chaps from Bigballs Films to create Neo Paris in the year 2084 for Capcom’s new interactive advert for “remember Me’ on the PS3.

Check out the interactive online ad…

Capcom ‘Remember Me’ Online journal

Forged gold knobs and levers for the Charlie & The Chocolate Factory Musical advert at The Theatre Royal Drury Lane directed by Sam Mendes.

Designing closely with fab Artist Rachel Reupke we built 5 highly composed still life sets for her new work ‘Wine & Spirits’ supported by Film London.

A film about romantic relationships and alcohol and the rituals that link the two currently screening at Oberhaussen Film Festival.

Check out her solo exhibition at Cell Project Space 12th September 2013.

More pics to come…

A pleasure working with Director Kfir Yefet on his new short The Houdini Girl starring Jack Whitehall.

We built over existing features on location to create a bare minimal setting for Jack’s character Red’s bedroom.

Film coming soon…

We used half a tonne of bamboo to build this hefty xylophone for Wretch 32′s tribal sounding ‘Blackout’ promo with director James Barber at Nice & Polite.

As well as creating a bamboo forest backlit by a whopping Breise light.

Back to familiar Ashlyn’s school where we met first met young Bill Milner in Son Of Rambo for this raunchy follow up by David Wilson at Colonel Blimp.

We gathered props reminiscent from my school days, made display boards and steamed up the proud and blushing Citroen 2V!

Directed by Drew Cox from Slanted Eyes. We pressed the band up against clear glass at Pinewood’s underwater stage singing their new single Amplified Ease and drenched them in paint, flowers and fabric boas.

Makey makey makey for Drew Cox at Slanted Eye’s Studio’s new Vid…

10 6ft letters hand sprinkled in the finest gold for the legendary Mo Farah and his foundation charity directed by Academy’s US lads.

Learn this dance, upload to YouTube and Virgin will donate £2 to the Mo Farah Foundation!

Behind the scenes on Corin’s Frogz Legz teaser for his upcoming feature. We turned the room into the french teenage warefrog’s bedroom…

Directed by Andy lang from Rokkit. We built a photographers playground with catwalks, photo shoot booths & still life’s for 147 David Bailey’s and their new Samsung NX1000.

I built this miniature of the action for the David Bailey’s to practice their macro.

We brought all things ‘Asda’ to life on the studio floor in this pleasant animated spot for Sumo Science at Blinkink.

Just came across this snap from 2009 when we puppeteered those rascal cigarette packet raiders for Corin’s Prodigy ‘Warriors Dance’.

A wee prototype hanging on my desk…

Amazing news our Durex Vinyl ad receives a crystal at the APA Collection. Well done Si & Ad at Academy.

Liechtenstein’s dots and stripes came out in this one for Kim Gehrig’s Ballantine’s whisky at Somesuch&Co.

A very fishy affair, we painted them, through them and dropped them out of knickers to create this hilarious video for Adam Buxton’s bug Sushi Song, directed by the lovely David Wilson at Colonel Blimp.

We built Daley Thomson’s underground Lair for Rogue’s Phil Churchward’s Mini Britalian Job ad.

And set up tonnes of trash for the Mini’s to jump over and smash through…

Dressing the already beautiful Rivoli Ballroom for Rumer with Steam productions

Joyously bonkers day on this one for Hot Chip’s new vid ‘Night & Day’ directed by Peter Serafinowicz.

Thanks to the hunky looking lads for guarding our Princess Egg… check this one out

Hooray our frightful ‘In the back’ gets Short Film of week on The Reel.

…cannot wait for this to be finished.

What a fun shoot building the Yazoo Shake squads HQ for director Gav Rowe and Bigballs Films.

…as well as converting these smokin hot wheels!

We used almighty wind machines and clouds of smoke to blow Feist and her 5ft hair about for Academy’s Nabil Elderkin’s video.

Since this is absolutely 100% real I had nothing whatsoever to do with it…

Learnt some serious electrical skills on this one adapting a toy gun into a fully working dildo for Sam Rowland’s short film Dirty Secret.

Dirty Secret from sam rowland on Vimeo.

A day dressing set on Si & Ad’s durex ad with the soulful skills of Mr 1st and his precise mixing!

Munching peanut butter on toast for brekkie when this emerged, a few stitches and hey presto – a little loafer.

Meet Frank the fruitcake, we built his christmasy sitting room for Michael Sugarman’s Walmart Facebook champaign.

Hurrah our JLS vid receives The people’s choice award at the MVA’s. Congrats to director Syndrome at Academy Films.

A wedge of swans magically emerged out of maps for Gav Rowe’s Nokia ‘Amazings’ trailer.

Searing performance by actor Joe Mawle in Corin Hardy’s promo for The Horrible Crowes’ first release ‘Behold the hurricane’.

Styled supporting the themes of regret, guilt and redemption from the sweaty hotel room across the bleak landscape of the Thames.

We built a protective kennel for Frostie for an RSPCA commercial directed by Chris Watson-Wood at Blackjack Films.

Cats paws and tail made for a film about a naughty puss cat.

Hurrah Academy’s skittles campaign picked up 2 Cannes Lions and a D&AD Pencil for digital advertising and use of social media.

Part of the team guilty of putting these chaps through their paces in Corin Hardy’s latest for the amazing Dry The River

Foot control perfected for Kim Geldenhuys’ Ford commercial. Thank you Academy for handing me the keys for 800 blissful miles, fingers crossed for the footage…

A couple of weeks spent gluing layers of newspaper together and blasting with the hairdryer to form our beauty Rose for Olly Murs Video ‘Busy’ directed by Corin Hardy.

Corin and I came up with a balance of innocence and intelligence together with a delicate hand crafted paper mache look.

Love at first site in Academy’s board room.

Trashy princess skirt which changes into bows for a kite tail made for Academys Si & Ads new short film ‘Indoors’.

Twittering lovebirds made for a wedding. A polystyrene and feather affair.

Syndrome at Academy creates his surreal world for JLS, Tinie Tempah and swinging beauty with a little help from us in the green screen studio

We built these sneaky frames and mock bathroom furniture to hide our hidden cameras for Johhny Wilkinson and Brian O’Driscoll’s Gillette Fusion ProGlide Challenge

What boys do in loos…

Hanging with The Fisherman’s Friends down in their hometown Port Isaac as we shoot 2 Young’s commercials and a music video

Dressing the boat with buoys and nets, mastering sea knots and converting Port Isaac’s RNLI office into the lads very own cosy galley.

Another Jakob Markey production for Skittles set in a call centre, 15 bizarre Skittles staff record Facebook status’ and update their videos onto your page while high on the colourful things.

Each call booth was dressed to suit. John enjoys the countryside and breeds horses.

Carol knits for a hobby and day dreams over the water cooler boy.

We built this box for Skittle’s online facebook 24hr endurance test.

David Phoenix Vs 3.5 Million Skittles! Directed by Academy’s new Swede Jakob Markey.

Morphed Director Tom Palliser into Bugman, caught on camera for the Born Film Festival trailer

Working alongside Academys director Kim Gehrig and many zombie beauties we shot Marina & the diamonds latest promo Shampain, with over-sized burger wrappers and plenty of smoke under a perfect full moon.

Robot making for Karni + Saul’s Nokia Stingray worldwide commercial

40 dancing mirror heads made for Gypsy and the Cat’s Time to Wander Promo

A sunny day in Sussex spent building a tree top platform

The foundations for an exciting tree house development…

An origami lesson and one hot steamy iron… out came the rabbit for Academy’s Si & Ad’s Standard Life Dave Idents

Working with model maker Andy Gent & technical whiz kid Gary Welsh to build water working specs for Academy’s Si & Ad’s Standard Life Dave Idents

A doctored bin bag for Academy’s Si & Ad’s Standard Life Dave Idents

We trailed boot fairs for Warhammer figures, monster feet slippers and dragons for director Adam Gendle’s BE Broadband virals, creating ‘Matt’s House’ an enthusiastic computer experts bedroom with a Giant master socket.

Locked away the Criminals for their ‘Classic Fantastic’ music promo under the depths of Southwark Town Hall.