Ravished by Illusions » Random Classic

“RODARTE X MAGGIE CHEUNG COLLECTION” BY WING SHYA

Arzu — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 09:57:12 +0000

Client: Rodarte
Directed by Wing Shya
Art direction & Styling: Sean Kunjambu
Hair: Ray Chan
Make-Up: Karen Yiu
Model: Yu Xiao August Zhang Jun Kim
Music: Peter Kam

Well, it’s actually a little late for the donation effect this film was intended to initiate. But nevertheless it’s a visually stunning and expressive work you shouldn’t miss out on. Hong Kongs luxury fashion retailer Joyce collaborated with the Rodarte sisters and director Wing Shya to create this wonderful fashion film for a charity initiative. Joyce donated 1 HK$ to UNICEF for every click on youtube, up to the 31st of June 2010. The beautiful underwater-scenes paired with the perfect color grading and accompanied by the lofty score by Peter Kam create a very mystic and sensual atmosphere. Majestic!

“HELIOCENTRIC ELECTRIC” BY ELISHA SMITH-LEVEROCK

Valeria — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:21:00 +0000

Directed by: Elisha Smith-Leverock
Director of photography: Franky Dow
Editor: Ben Harrex
Online Edit: Kevin Konak
Stylist: Kim Howells
Hair: Aimee Robinson
Make Up: Yin Lee
Choreographer: Chloé Bergeret
Dancers from the Laine Theatre Arts
Produced by: Martin Zähringer

Something cheerful for a change! Elisha Smith-Leverock’s piece for the Fred Butler AW 09 collection is a combinaiton of a clean background, bright colors, a lot of (colorful) fog and a few ballet steps. What we have a seen in many fashion films in the past months, already existed back in 2009 (quite a long time ago for the fashion film time scale). The clarity of the pictures, the music (“let this groove” cover, which will be stuck in your head) frame the stunning (!) styles by Kim Howells.

“ACNE CONCRETE ISLAND” BY DANIEL ASKILL

Valeria — Tue, 31 May 2011 12:55:44 +0000

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Directed by Daniel Askill in collaboration with Michelle Jank and Lorin Askill
Stylist: Michelle Jank
Editor: Lorin Askill
Make-Up and Hair-Stylist: Daren Borthwick
Produced by Collider
Models: Louise Van De Vorst and Mark Waddleton

Here we have another Daniel Askill masterpiece. A simple idea (the camera turns and turns around a model) executed brilliantly. The fog, the dim lighting and the repetitive atmospheric sound make the model and mannequins seem caught in different time-zones, between surreality and reality. Watch and get mesmerized.

STRING THEORY BY ZACH GOLD FOR A.F. VANDEVORST

Valeria — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 12:51:20 +0000

Directed by Zach Gold
DoP: Steve Romano
Art Director: Michael Sturgeon
Stylist: David Dumas
Hair Stylist: Eloise Cheung
Make-Up: Vincent Oquendo
Model: Evelina Mambatova
Music by: Casa Nova Studios

Here you go with a heart-warming and shiny goodie for the long Easter weekend.
Director Zach Gold collaborated with Belgian fashion label A.F. Vandevorst to create this beautiful film. This String Theory portrays a pallid innocent girl exploring her surrounding to show “the continuity of presence and beauty intruded by moments of destabilization”. Notable are the exceptional props (in quality AND quantity) and Gold’s skillful use of slow-motion scenes, which you can also admire in his former works.

“I’M HERE” BY SPIKE JONZE

Valeria — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 12:17:00 +0000

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Watch “I’m Here” on www.imheremovie.com

Directed & written by: Spike Jonze
DoP: Adam Kimmel
Starring: Andrew Garfield and Sienna Guillory
Original Music by: Sam Spiegel and Aska Matsumiya
Produced by: Vincent Landay
Editing by: Stephen Berger and Eric Zumbrunnen
Costum Design by: Casey Storm

“I`m Here is a 30-minute love story about the relationship between two robots living in Los Angeles.”
Spike Jonze directed this 30-minute long branded short for Absolut Vodka in 2010. Absolut is one of the top players in the branded short segment. Next to other Absolut branded shorts like “Lemon Drop” and “NY-Z”, I’m here is truly a very moving masterpiece.

Jonze, together with his key collaborators with whom he also worked on “Where the wild things are”, has created the perfect branded short: a work of art that stands for itself with extremely slick images, perfect costumes, perfect animations and visual effects. Absolut and Jonze have, unlike other branded short collaborations, refused to include any ridiculous product placement. The only branding done are the front credits of the film and the website (which is also a great pleasure) on which the film is presented, of course with the familiar Absolut font.
In conclusion, I’m here is an example of how brands and great artists can successfully pair. It shows that advertising can be done in a subtle, almost humble way: through an entertaining and very moving piece of art.

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“THE FASHION BODY – BUTTOCKS” BY RUTH HOGBEN / SHOWSTUDIO

Ravished — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 15:23:00 +0000

Film by: Ruth Hogben
Styling: Ellie Grace Cumming
Performance: Esme Bianco and Valeria Dragova

It kinda looks like porn, right? Something like the classic fetish coffee table “Jeux de Dames Cruelles” turned into a silent film. It’s quite stunning and also a little bit dishonest, that Andrew Blake’s name doesn’t pop up near as often as it should.
The “pornographic auteur” with his busty, beautiful models, hyper-aesthetical cinematography and the notorious use of slow motion seems like the one, big repressed birth attendant of fashion film. Especially directors, who are more interested in showing the wonderful anatomy of man (better: women) than feature the clothes, should come out of the closet, already. Not everything has to be claimed as art.
It’s interesting to note, that this film’s title used to be “English” (for reasons that remain unclear) and was later changed to “Buttocks”. Which, obviously, does it’s content way better justice. And feels kind of honest, too.
After all, fashion film is as good a pretense as any to produce (good) pornography.

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“DESPAIR” BY ALEX PRAGER FOR NOWNESS

Ravished — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 13:31:00 +0000

Directed by Alex Prager
DoP: Matthew Libatique
Editor: George Folsey Jr, Brad E. Wilhite
Production Designer: Tam Reid, Fi-Campbell Johnson

LA-based photographer Alex Prager turnes director in this 50s chiller. For this film “Despair”, Prager worked with model and actress Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of director Ron Howard.

Imagine you’re a hip&hot photographer from L.A.
Right, L.A., that’s where they used to shoot those classy films in the 50s and the 60s which, no big surprise here, still have a big impact on your work. So, why not make one of those flicks yourself, you might ask yourself. And when you’re at it, you might as well team up with some industry heavyweights like director of photography Matthew Libatique (Pi, The Fountain, Requiem for a Dream, Gothika, Iron Man) and editor George Folsey Jr (Blues Brothers, Hostel). And instead of a model, you could cast a real actress already, maybe someone like Bryce Dallas Howard (The Village, Manderlay, Spider-Man 3 and, ehem, Eclipse)?

Witness a true classic of the fashion film genre! This is what you get, when the pros work it! “Despair” won Best Artistic Direction on the third edition of Diane Pernet’s Fashion Film Festival “A Shaded View On Fashion Film”.

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“ALUMBRAMIENTO” BY ALVARO DE LA HERRáN

Ravished — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 15:16:00 +0000

Directed by: Alvaro de la Herrán
DoP: Jose Luis Salomón
Model: Jelena Nebendahl
Styling: Amparo Utrilla
Hairdresser: Daniel Martin
Make Up: Lewis Amarante
Sound Design: Gabriel Gutierrez
Music: Kärst
Produced by: Ipodermix Studio

It hardly gets better than that. Well, maybe the lightning in some situations, but that’s quite negligible when regarding the overall outcome. Especially the combination of hd-footage with the sfx compositing is cleverly done and very convincing. Needless to say, that art direction and styling are top notch, too. Model is great. And let’s not disregard the awesome work by the make-up artist and the sound designer…
The film was a part of A Shaded View on Fashion Film’s “Light Series”, a talent contest initiated in cooperation with Vogue Italia. Can’t wait for new films by Alvaro.

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