Stirling Is The First UK University To Use Cinemagraphs

Nov. 24, 2011 - PRLog -- Heehaw breaks new ground again with a series of captivating digital images for the University of Stirling. In possibly the first commercial use of cinemagraphs in Scotland, Stirling also believes it is the first UK university to use them.

Cinemagraphs are a new technique which add motion to still photographs resulting in photographs that move.  They were invented by two US photographers to illustrate fashion and news photographs and the first examples appeared early in 2011. They are created by filming short sequences and editing the moving footage into a still image, allowing small portions of movement from the video to loop seamlessly.

Cinemagraphs have an almost mesmeric quality.  At first you catch just a slight movement you could easily miss.  It causes you to double take and forces you to look closer as Kirsty MacGregor, Director of Marketing and Communications at the University of Stirling explains:  “We were looking for something original, innovative and creative to update our website, something that would stand out and ensure people would engage with the content.  Heehaw’s answer was something we had not heard of before:  cinemagraphs.

“Heehaw’s technical and creative knowhow has helped us to achieve our vision and by working closely with our own in-house web team they have created fantastic results.  The cinemagraphs are a great achievement for everyone involved and demonstrate our commitment to using visual art to reinforce and express the university's values.

The series of six images include the pages of a book turning, a bunsen burner burning, a hand moving a computer mouse, wind blowing a woman’s hair, a golf club teeing up and a microscope being focused.

Mally Graveson Heehaw’s Director of Productions comments:  “The university provided us with a list of suggestions as to what the pictures were to represent.  From there we detailed the concepts and planned each shot. The main thing we had to get right was the movement.  It has to be subtle yet in a place people would expect to find motion, and it had to be achieved within the technical constrains of a cinemagraph.

“This is a completely new technique for us and for Scotland and of course we are delighted to be the first to do it!”

Heehaw Digital is a full service digital agency offering web design, video, mobile, social media, e-commerce and online marketing. Working with a broad range of public and private sector brands, from the bluechip multi-national to the SME including RBS, Scottish Natural Heritage, Hopetoun House and the Edinburgh Comedy Festival, this multi-sector experience allows cross fertilisation of ideas.

Heehaw’s strong research and development focus means they work at the cutting edge of digital creativity.  They were one of the first agencies in Scotland to start using video and are one of the few to have their own specialist in-house video production team.

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Heehaw Digital is a full service digital agency offering web design, video, mobile, social media, e-commerce and online marketing. Headquartered in Edinburgh with offices in London Heehaw has pioneered digital marketing for 11 years and with over 20 staff is one of Scotland’s leading digital agencies.

The agency works with a broad range of public and private sector brands, from bluechip multi-national to the SME including RBS, Cairngorms National Park Authority, Macmillan Cancer Research, the Witchery and the Edinburgh Comedy Festival.