The brief was to create a trailer that communicated the raw and honest emotion of Freud’s work – an unflinching look at his equally unflinching portraits. To do this we opted for a clean and simple approach; three iconic works were chosen to focus on, each one seen alone on a white gallery wall. The viewer’s gaze is broken by a glitch in movement as we shift towards the paintings, implying the desire to look again at these masterpieces from a new perspective.

Interspersed with Freud’s paintings are moments of text in a clear, contemporary font, laid over a painterly background of brushstrokes to remind the viewer of the materiality of Freud’s work, and his expressive use of paint to depict flesh.

Thanks to the careful and considered work of Motion Designer Ciaran O’Rourke and Music by George Grinling, our trailer both embodies the tense drama of Freud’s paintings whilst encouraging a fresh look at his work.

For a man with a controversial private life, this exhibition at the National Gallery aims to bring to light new perspectives on a lifetime’s work, looking beyond his fame and infamy to focus purely on the painting of one of Britain’s greatest contemporary artists.