In a world living through a pandemic keeping us away from one another, we as a society have come to rely on modern technology to keep us connected. The technology we use allows us to keep in touch with friends & family while giving businesses a way to reach their consumers from the comfort of their homes across the globe. There are very few industries that haven’t been uprooted as a result of the new world we now live in and the fashion industry is no exception. For the past year, designers and creators alike have begun to adjust away from traditional methods of promotion and creation to reach a customer who cannot leave their home. With people working from home and students learning in front of their laptops there is more opportunity than ever for a business to reach their audience online.
Before Covid-19, one traditional element of the fashion industry that evolved with time was the fashion show. Innovations to make this more accessible involved filming the show, live streaming it on different platforms, and posting photos of the looks on the brands’ social pages. Since Covid-19 however fashion shows have become almost impossible to be presented in the same magnitude as the past. While some designers have found ways to ensure a safe and creative show- Christian Siriano presented his SS21 collection in his backyard -many designers have foregone the traditional format for something more elevated. In the past year without global fashion weeks and designers deciding to cancel certain seasons, innovation has brought fashion film to the spotlight.
Production of a fashion film is quite different from that of a runway show, both from the designer’s perspective and from the photography & film departments. For starters, a standard runway becomes much more static as models are walking up and down without extra flair. This can be elevated with different runway paths, a beautiful location, and appropriate music, but the base format is usually the same. In contrast, a fashion film allows designers to put a different visionary spin on the way they showcase their collections.
According to Emerging Producer Alessandra Sconza the process behind a fashion film is much different from filming a runway, and she should know as she has filmed for Canadian designers in both settings. Sconza also added that filming a fashion promotional film allows the designer to showcase their garments in a way that runways cannot. She recently worked with a local designer who had already done their product shots, so the focus was more on the movement of the garments to show them in an interesting way. Using key elements including lighting and video editing the team was able to make the production much more interesting and engaging for the audience.
Fashion films give designers a bigger space to be editorial, informative, and plan to fully encompass the inspiration for the collection. In a film she recently shot, Sconza discussed how they were filming in a smaller location with two models and used different coloured lights as well as foam boards to give the effect of the model walking down a hallway. Larger brand names such as Versace, Balenciaga, and Louis Vuitton are able to go bigger with their productions, having managed to incorporate the fundamental elements of a fashion show while adding their own visual elements, turning the videos into more artistic promotions. Versace’s FW21 collection is shot with models walking on a smaller stage designed to resemble their logo, featuring rotating camera angles and cuts of different models sitting in different spaces - something they would not have been able to present with a traditional runway.
Production of a fashion film can also be a completely different experience from the runway as the film style changes. A recent fashion film done by Sconza featured only up to ten people including the filming and photography staff, two models, the designer and hair & makeup artists. Especially with Covid, sets must be more cautious about the amount of people brought on in order to meet government guidelines. In comparison, a film shoot to be shown at New York Fashion Week could have a crew averaging 40-50 people, Sconza says, as larger locations with more models and looks means a larger amount of work to do.
Budgeting for a fashion film is also determined by the size of the project. A larger production for an event like NYFW could cost a designer or their agency up to $50,000, which doesn’t include editing and post production costs. In reality, this can actually be more cost effective than a runway as those can cost up to $100,000 (after the designer covers models, hair & makeup, and their own staff), leaving it easier to secure a spot in the festival itself.
Fashion films are an excellent way for brands to have a base media to break down and redesign for different platforms. Whether the work will be shown on a streaming platform such as YouTube or distributed via shorter preview clips on Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter, the designer has a creative outlet to give each group of their followers a different view of their work while also covering more markets at once. According to Alessandra Sconza, when shooting the fashion film the platform it will be shared on is usually considered. Different platforms require a multitude of elements, and have different post lengths. While a brand could post a video on YouTube that is over an hour long, Instagram and TikTok videos must be cut to under a minute. One major element is the difference in video rotation, so shots for Instagram and TikTok must be captured in a vertical format rather than the usual landscape. Film crew and editors must also pay attention to how the shot is lit and what visual effects are used so that the video translates well onto different sites.
The fashion industry has been able to adapt with the changes in technology and lifestyle and Covid-19 has allowed brands to look beyond traditional methods of communicating with their consumers. Fashion films have given brands a way to freshen up their usual marketing skills and exhibit their ideas in a way that engages customers on a new level. As a society that relies so heavily on technology it is no wonder that industries are taking full advantage of the different medias available to them to reach their global audience. With changing global landscapes social media has been a way for the world to stay connected, informed, and inspired.
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