where can i find visual references for my creative projects?
in this article, we will discuss where you can find stunning visual references for your creative projects. in no particular order, i will take you through some of my favorite places to find visual references and inspiration for my projects!
pinterest & tumblr
pinterest is an amazing resource and search engine for all of your aesthetic needs. they have real people (which is important when researching for film projects), film & tv characters, artwork, shopping options and so much more. you can even find film references there. tumblr is a good place to look as well for these same reasons!
google is a great search engine and you can find just about anything you are looking for. however, google can be a bit iffy in terms of quality and accuracy so i tend to shy away from it most of the time. for example, if you are the production designer for a period piece film that takes place in 1977, your research process will include finding visual references for the wardrobe, culture, advertising, architecture, pop-culture, vehicles, etc. from the time period.
with google, if you search 1977 chevrolet impala, it might say it's showing you a bunch of 1977 chevrolet impalas but when you look closely, you notice that the impalas they are showing you have advanced features that weren’t implemented until 1979. that may not seem like a huge deal but in terms of accuracy and continuity in storytelling that detail is CRUCIAL.
this is where physical archiving becomes more ideal because you can actually find old chevrolet car magazines and adverts from that year to get a more accurate picture of what it was like during the year 1977.
shot deck
shot deck is another resource that i absolutely LOVE. it is one of my favorites because the visual references on that site are all from film and television. i was put onto it by someone on reddit and i haven’t looked back since. i was a user when shot deck was in beta mode and now they have officially launched and it is my one-stop-shop for all things film visuals.
what i love about shot deck is that you can search things like blue moonlight and it will show you every film along with all the technical specs and credits that have blue moonlight in it. or you can search, “foggy silhouette” and it will show you every film still that has a foggy silhouette. you can also search for films based on the aspect ratio, lighting types, color, genre, interior/exterior, time of day, location, composition and so much more. shot deck is a paid subscription-based platform and is worth the investment if you are constantly working on film projects and searching for visual inspiration. https://shotdeck.com/
film grab
film grab is a database dedicated solely to movie stills. you can search their database and find just about any and every film ever made along with screenshots from the films. it’s perfect for finding inspiration for composition, color, tone, and mood.
fine art paintings & photography
another amazing resource to find visual inspiration and references for your creative projects is in the art that exists everywhere around us (yes, nature but especially FINE ART). be it, a classic painting by picasso, basquiat (guilty), matisse, or monet or a piece by your favorite contemporary artists of this day and age. you can find inspiration anywhere and you don’t always have to go to a museum to be exposed to amazing works of art (HOWEVER, i do recommend it!) i often find myself seeing fine art paintings while scrolling down my instagram or twitter feeds and save them along with the artists name in a folder to use for future ideas!
but as i said, i do recommend and encourage you to go outside to find visual references as well. there’s nothing like being at an amazing exhibition and seeing a work that perfectly captures the essence of your latest work in progress. it’s a truly magical experience and it will change your life!
here is an example of how i used the jean michel-basquiat painting “hollywood africans” as a visual reference and inspiration for my experimental short film “heroism”.
archives & archiving
other places you can look for visual references are archives. both digital and physical. libraries, churches, city halls, schools, thrift stores, antique stores, vinyl record stores, etc. are all forms of physical archives that may have exactly what you need. digital archive websites and magazines are also good places to look for archives to use for your visual references and research.
magazines
with magazines, you can find information on historical figures, artists, and activists, the fashion of the times, the music, the political climate, the design aesthetics, the films that were out, the cultural dialogue… i could literally go on forever but i won’t because i’m sure you get the point.
magazine photos provided by simple wednesday
the possibilities are truly endless! literally. you can look in your attic and family’s photobooks, the yearbooks of schools that have been in towns for years, the archives of photographers, and sooooo much more! just start looking and see where it takes you. https://archive.org/ is a great resource.
happy hunting!
the music video treatment and lookbook example
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