Kapuso Profiles: Jak Roberto
Whenever I am tasked to art direct a Kapuso Profile, there is one thing I usually ask before I create the mood board: who is this person when the cameras aren’t rolling? During this time, Jak Roberto’s ‘anti-selos (anti-jealousy) class’ memes are gaining rounds on the internet. People admire Jak’s professionalism and earned the public’s respect by not being jealous amidst the popularity of his then-girlfriend’s love team with her on-screen partner. It just goes to show that behind those memes and online buzz, Jak is a ‘Modern Gentleman’; hence, the art direction for our Kapuso Profiles shoot.
I was in charge of the photo shoot from start to finish. This included coming up with the concept, choosing the clothes and styling, setting up the lighting, and deciding how to frame each shot. The big challenge was making sure all the pictures looked like they belonged together. We had five outfits and we wanted them to tell the story of one day, not just be five separate pictures. So I thought about how the light and the feeling of the pictures should change throughout the day. I wanted the pictures to look soft and natural in the morning, sharper and more polished during the day, and relaxed in the evening. This way the pictures would help tell the story.
After the photo shoot was finished, our writer gave us the text to go along with the pictures. Instead of matching each picture with a piece of text, I treated the five outfits like a story that unfolds through the pictures. I let the clothes and the lighting give the feeling of ‘a day in the life’. I used the text to add an extra layer of storytelling. My job was to put the text and pictures in a way that looked good. I had to decide where to put the text, how it would be laid out, and how to make the transitions between the different outfits look smooth. Whether someone was just looking at the pictures or reading the text, I wanted it to be easy to follow.
I used Webflow to build the article. I took the five-part structure and used it to create a layout that changed visually with each outfit. Even though the layout changes, it still feels like one connected piece. The article unfolds as you scroll through the article rather than it feeling like a bunch of separate pictures. This is where everything comes together. The art direction, the writing, and the design all work together to create one piece. The Art Direction and the writing becomes one experience.