Photographer/Director John Fedele shot a back-to-school campaign for Staples with the goal of creating a big library of still and motion content across a wide range of products.
John found a small college in the Northeast that had the classic campus look we wanted, but since we were working with professional talent instead of actual students, a big part of the job was making everything feel believable and natural. “Our creative director, Kelly Keenan, and the prop team really helped sell that idea by creating a completely fictional school called ‘Beacon University.’ They made apparel, signage, and all the little details that made it feel like a real place. I’ve actually had people ask me where Beacon University is, which always makes me laugh because it only existed for the campaign.”
There were months of planning that went into the project before John ever stepped onto set. Every scene had to be designed around the products John needed to capture, with locations, talent, props, wardrobe, and logistics all working together long before the cameras came out.
From a visual standpoint, John wanted the products to feel like they were simply part of campus life instead of being overly featured. To do so, John focused more on real interactions and small moments between the students, with the Staples products naturally living within the scene.
“The funny thing is that the final images look pretty simple, but there was a huge amount of work happening behind the scenes. We had literally hundreds of products to prep and work through over the course of the shoot, and our Boston and New York-based producers and crew were a huge part of making it all happen.”
For more of John’s work, visit his Workbook portfolio.
Represented by Janice Moses Represents.
