Celebs, Shoes, and Scenery with Andrea Leigh
Andrea Leigh is kicking off her year by working with some of the highest profile celebrity talent in the public eye. Within the first two months of 2020 this production designer has spent her time with Cardi B and Kendall Jenner to materialize the proper look and feel of campaigns for Reebok and Vogue. From the heights of glamour and fashion to neighborhood fun, Leigh has been able to manifest the environment and look for these highly disparate productions which communicate both women and their personalities. Both Cardi B and Kendall Jenner have proven their legitimacy as leaders in their chosen professions; there’s a similarity to the work of Andrea and her peers behind the scenes who create these brief but exceptional productions. There are those whom love the spotlight and thankfully, those like Andrea Leigh who love contributing their gift for spotlighting that talent.
When Los Angeles based production company Wildlife approached Andrea to sign on as production designer for a Reebok spot featuring Cardi B, it was with one caveat; the ad would be a single camera perspective and they needed the atmosphere to be on an interesting level that would match that of the award-winning and globally famous music artist. No camera movements would take place in the commercial; necessitating that the space and accoutrements would constantly intrigue viewers. This Reebok spot features a residential fashion show which is viewed through a home doorbell camera. A variety of “models” approach the doorbell-cam clad in high fashion looks and striking a pose. Each model has donned a Cardi B mask, the last of whom reveals herself to in fact be the real Cardi B wearing the Reebok Zig Kinetica. Andrea designed the front lawn set that can most accurately be described as a 90’s ostentatious Italian-American design. Approved by Cardi B, the masks worn by each model were also a product of Leigh’s design work. The remarkable aspect of this spot is that it is eye catching without taking extreme visual ends to do so. The look is inordinately memorable in a cumulative manner rather than relying on one specific moment or action; so much so that even Rolling Stone magazine has written about it.
Collaborating on a campaign for a very different type of celebrity but of equal renown, Andrea served as production designer for the Vogue magazine and Stuart Weitzman partnered “Kendall’s Day Off” starring Kendall Jenner. The model/media personality is seen luxuriating and enjoying a variety of both activities and Stuart Weitzman shoes in a tasteful Bel Air mansion. The project allowed Leigh to work closely with Director Emma Westenberg (Director of Grammy nominated music video and Much Music Award winning Best Dutch Music Video “Pynk” by Janelle Monáe) and Cinematographer Ben Carey, known for his work on music videos for Justin Bieber (“Yummy”), The Black Keys (“Go”), Kesha (“Raising Hell”), as well as campaigns for Calvin Klein (CK ONE), and Adidas (“Milan”). The empty Bel Air mansion location gave this production designer a blank canvas to work with but the need for it to be both tasteful and possess Jenner’s style was paramount. A vintage 1970’s psychedelic abstract floral printed rug, gilded antique mirrors, a bright pink amoeba shaped coffee table, a blue velvet chaise lounge, and other pieces put together by Andrea transmitted the class and fun sensibility of an institution like Vogue, the styles of Weitzman, and the outlook of a personality like Jenner. Leigh remarks, “We wanted this to be fun, colourful, and playful with beautiful natural light and pops of color anywhere we could place them. There were no pieces in the house before we furnished it, so we wanted to make sure we used the size of each room to really fill our frames and showcase the space itself. Ben’s style is so fun and unique. His camera movements are so dynamic without losing any detail in the frame. He’s worked with many great artists and brands.Having the opportunity to collaborate with both he and Emma at the same time on this project was definitely an exciting experience.” Leigh is quick to lavish praise on those whom she works with like Producer Shawn Lohand Directors Scott & Jake Friedmanfrom her Cardi B/Reebok shoot as well as many others. It’s a sentiment reciprocated with respect to Andrea Leigh’s enormous contributions to these successful productions. As Shawn Loh states, “It’s very simple why so many of us want to work with Andrea. She is creative, efficient, and easy to work with. These are sure ways to create a lasting career in this industry. Our work is fast paced and when you need a problem solved, Andrea is always there and ready with a fix. Add to that, she’s graceful in her ability to roll with the punches. She’s going to be working for a long time.”
