Have you ever wondered why the food and drinks you see in advertisements, commercials, and menus are so visually enticing? The answer is that this is the result of someone extraordinarily gifted like Elean Chiang. When she is not contributing her artistry to Hollywood films, Ms. Chiang is a food stylist who ensures that the products you see beckon you. Just as much as any television or film production, the visual imagery she is a part of creating is honed to elicit an exact emotional reaction from the intended audience. That’s just as important for a multi-million-dollar Coca Cola campaign as for a Teen Drama. Working with Haigwood Studios to craft the ideal look for their clients, Elean’s work communicates that there are many directions for a creative skillset if one only contemplates and searches for the proper opportunities. 

The Coca Cola company enlisted Haigwood Studios to aid them in the launch for a line of new drinks. Generating an estimated $45 Billion in revenue, Coca Cola is highly discerning about the presentation of their products. Quality and efficiency are requirements. As Beverage Stylist on this project, Elean took extra steps to ensure both these factors were met. Her creation of silicone molds of the ice used in the drinks negated the continual dilution of the look and viscosity of these drinks. This one simple pre-production factor effected nearly every other professional’s experience on this project. Temperature and time were no longer dependent on the ice. To offset the natural effect of another component in the drinks, Elean notes, “Whipped cream is a part of some of the drinks, which is problematic because it quickly changes in look when it is place on the drinks and is under warm lights. To avoid it melting into the drinks, I made my own concoction of whipped cream, cornstarch, and cold foam which was still organic but didn’t melt as quickly as the regular whipped cream. It’s all about giving the photographer more time to capture what they need.”

Elean found far more complexity on the Haigwood Studios project for Atlanta based food chain NaanStop. The Indian food restaurant required a visually attractive menu for online customers as well as in-person diners. Ms. Chiang dove deep into both Indian and American food cultures to assess the intersect that would be most advantageous, authentic, and appealing. Leaning into her Art Director/set dresser experience, Elean perceived that color was the lynch pin for appealing to customers who might have different cultural backgrounds. She describes, “I did the research to understand how to authentically present the dishes. I felt that American customers might not find the visual look of something like the shredded chicken mixed with hummus in a dish like Chaat Chicken Salad as something they’re immediately drawn towards. You must remember that we’re dealing with visuals only at this point. What I did was to add some color next to it with lettuce and corn. While I also used the layers technique to make it look bigger, I created more color to the dish and variety to highlight the elements in it. For something like the Naan Wrap, I needed to avoid it naturally resembling a burrito so I brought out vivid colors by adding tomatoes, onions, purple cabbage, corn, and green pepper. I took the opposite approach for other items, like the Tamarita cocktail. Simply by adding lime wedges on top of the glass with salt around it, the appearance of this drink implied the idea of a margarita, something most Americans are very familiar with and enjoy. So much of my work on this project was about the psychological in addition to the visual.”

How does this type of work scratch Elean Chiang’s creative itch? Is there a wide expanse between working on a feature film in the Art Department and working as a food/beverage stylist on commercial campaigns? Elean shrugs, “I think it comes down to me being able to be creative as a career and having my contributions valued. It’s an honor to work with such an iconic worldwide brand as Coca Cola. Also, [laughs] I remember finishing the shoot for NaanStop and one of the owners was going to eat the menu item we had just filmed. It was edible and would not have harmed him, but I had added toothpaste to give some height to one part of it; I don’t think it would have tasted very good. But the fact that he instinctively found it so appealing, that is a fond memory that always brings me joy.”