To start talking about my project and concept development, I must first mention my background in Fashion Design. Back in the years, I graduated in Fashion Design and since always I have that in my DNA. Across all the images developed in this course, I can clearly notice where my references come from and find some relationship with things I have done while studying for my Bachelor's.
The idea for this video emerged when we had to develop a business plan for the Professional Design Practices course and I have decided to use the same concept to build a video that could translate the values of the business.
Fashion films are commonly used not to translate fashion and by fashion brands, there are many artists and markets that rely on these short movies to communicate their values. The spirit of Ocean is in the natural elements and how the model interacts with her surroundings.
In order to create the video, I had to consider the following:
Props: Interior Design Decor Items to be the focus of movement and to add the Colletivo spirit to the video.
Costume Design: The clothing had to be fluid and interact with nature. The colors had to be neutral and found in nature. Blue is for the sky/water and white for peace.
Model: Lorena Guimarães is a friend of mine and has modeled for 14 years.
Makeup and Hair: The beauty is natural and the hair is lighted straightened.
Model Movement and Speed: Knowing what soundtrack would take place helped me to visualize what speed I needed her to move and what movements would also work at low speed. I took much more takes than needed to make sure I had enough. I had to communicate with her and show her exactly what I wanted her to do. I had to dance, walk, look at her like she was filming to direct what I needed.
Location: I happen to live across Palm Beach Beach on Gold Coast. This was our location and we started at 6 am to make sure there weren't many people on the beach and the lighting was right: bright but not too much that would make it hard for the camera to keep a consistent image.
Camera: I set up my camera in a way I could record at 50 frames a second in 4k video so I could manipulate the video later with no issues. Also, I allowed to aperture to be wide open to give me more depth in the image so I could focus on the model and props.
We had to be very efficient at that time of the morning because the light changes quickly and it can interfere with the video timeline and consistency. The whole recording took around 2 hours including a change of outfit and a quick brief.
Critical Reflection
It took me 4 days to conceptualize and research exactly what I wanted to create and I couldn’t find anyone that has used interior design props as some models treat bags in fashion films. It might be something new or it is just out of my radar.
I am happy with the final result, I believe it translates with the essence of Colletivo and also with my essence as a human being. Looking back now, I must say that I am that person: who appreciates good and beautiful things but also have a deep connection to nature and the community.
The thing I like the most is the images in which Lorena looks straight in the camera, with her beautiful eyes and it gives me the sensation of “everything will be ok” or “we have each other backs”. When I finished editing the first video, after 7 hours of learning and trying to create what I knew I wanted, I watched the video around 15 times. I felt proud for being able to do exactly what I have conceptualized, taking into account all temporal qualities.
I must say that some improvements could be made as far as camera positioning and clips varieties. If I were to do this video again, I would record more possibilities and be at the beach earlier on a weekday, so I know that there won’t be as many people around.
Another great observation is that, also in order the improve the final result, I would change the location to somewhere with no buildings around since some of the takes I had to crop or had a very locked in frame otherwise I would see a building at the back of the video.
I am happy with the rhythm of the video, I think it translate well to the calmness I was hoping for and the model movements were well instructed. How her hands move and how she looks at the camera were exactly what I wanted. I believe that the clothing selection, having such a beautiful model, and choosing the right time of the day due to the sunshine helped me to achieve my imagery aesthetics.
Overall, I am very happy with the result and I couldn’t be more proud than I am right now after my first Fashion Film ever!
Another great observation is that, also in order the improve the final result, I would change the location to somewhere with no buildings around since some of the takes I had to crop or had a very locked in frame otherwise I would see a building at the back of the video.
I am happy with the rhythm of the video, I think it translate well to the calmness I was hoping for and the model movements were well instructed. How her hands move and how she looks at the camera were exactly what I wanted. I believe that the clothing selection, having such a beautiful model, and choosing the right time of the day due to the sunshine helped me to achieve my imagery aesthetics.
Overall, I am very happy with the result and I couldn’t be more proud than I am right now after my first Fashion Film ever!