Brand Concept:
Casa Loma, “Toronto’s Majestic Castle”, has been an institution in Toronto for decades. It is a well-known tourist stop and a popular location for weddings, soirees, balls and other traditional social events.
Recently, efforts have been made to update it’s image, through construction & improvements, as well as the addition of a Halloween themed, “Legend of Horror” interactive display.
Now is the time to build upon recent improvements and emphasise that Casa Loma is Not Your Average Castle. The images below support and describe the concept.
Image 1 depicts a modern portrait hung over the fireplace of the Oak Room. The striking contrast between classic, wood panelled interior design and Prince’s eclectic, flamboyant style illustrate how old and new can “hang” together. Center eye dominance, diagonal lines and colour contrasts are the main composition types.
The Oak Room is the most decorated room in the castle and was used for entertaining. Prince would have been comfortable performing there, as he was known for incorporating baroque and other classical styles into his eclectic sound.
The photo was taken using a Samsung S6. The hue and contrast were adjusted to turn the light colours purple and the darker wood to a lighter shade. This plays on Prince’s association with the colour Purple and would be an instant tag his fans would recognize.
Lighting from the bay windows and the chandelier were more than enough and a little saturation was added to reduce the sharpness of the reflections off of the polished oak mantle.
Image 2 was taken at the SW gate, on the corner of Spadina & Davenport Roads; the back entrance to the Secret Garden of Casa Loma, which leads to the seasonal maze, set in the garden. The image was taken with a Samsung S6, then modified using a Vignette frame and 40% Gothic Noir effect.
Composition elements include rule of 1/3, with the skull framed by the two stone wall sections, centre eye dominance of the skull and is slightly out of focus to heighten the otherworldly feeling.
Natural overcast light combined with the effects to create an eerie, Halloween feeling. This image supports the non-traditional “haunted house” tour, designed to attract a younger, excitement seeking audience that may not normally choose this venue.
The Wine Cellar in Image 3 did not offer much variety in compositional setup due to the restricted access of the display. Fortunately, Leading Lines as well as Symmetry and Patterns & Repetition are all built into the room, by design, already.
Additionally, the lighting was setup so that the room was fairly dark and the spotlights lit the wine racks. To minimize glare existing in the original shot, a Vintage filter was added, which also emphasizes the wood tones and “Prohibition era” feel.
The Wine Cellar image had the least amount of effects added, due to the design of the room and limited access. It was setup as if it were an actual picture you could walk right up to. Capturing the image was a matter of managing light, focus and glare, something of a challenge for the Samsung S6.
This image is designed to appeal to the dedicated oenophile, the “Wedding Crasher” or those that enjoy exploring. The eye is led past bottles of rare, expensive vintages, creating eagerness to anyone holding an event ticket and expecting good fun.
Together, the images showcase traditional museum scenes in non-traditional ways. Coupled with innovative delivery on a social media platform, the Not Your Average Castle campaign will be sure to attract new, first time visitors from untapped market segments and generate positive engagement on social platforms.