Cape Town – Once upon a time fashion films were rather lame – capturing glum-faced couture-clothed models in moody settings.
They were a snooze fest for all but the most devoted followers of a fashion label.
Then directors upped the ante by signing up celebrities and A-list actors and actresses and using compelling scripts or concepts, evocative music and superb editing techniques.
A great deal of thought went into the settings, the make-up, the hair… and the production values and budgets rose. The aim was to convey the mood of a collection, the aesthetic of a design label.
These films were not intended as advertisements – they were too long for a start. Instead, they were put up on label websites, shown at fashion gatherings and posted on YouTube, all in the hope that they would go viral and reach even those audiences who wouldn’t ordinarily go near a catwalk or a fashion magazine.
This has happened recently to the video of Rag & Bone’s 2015 autumn/winter men’s collection, which featured ballet dancer Maikhail Baryshnikov and street dancer Lil Buck.
It’s attracted a great deal of buzz – and almost 900 000 views on YouTube.
To recognise the creatives who work on these films – the genre was pioneered by fashion luminaries like designer Karl Lagerfeld and fashion photographer Bruce Webber – film festivals are held in major cities… New York, Berlin, Milan, Madrid and Miami.
Last year, an inaugural – and successful – fashion film festival was held in South Africa, and this month sees the return of the Mercedes-Benz Bokeh Fashion Film Festival to Cape Town.
Festival founder, Adrian Lazarus, is an award winner himself. Having started out as a producer before moving into directing about 12 years ago, he won awards at the La Jolla and Miami Fashion Film Festivals in 2013 for his film, Steam 1886.
He says this year Bokeh received submissions from about 500 hopefuls, but only 80 made the cut.
“The number of entries is more or less the same as we had last year,” he says. “But the difference is that 70 percent of the entries this year are really good. The previous year there were a lot of films with model girls just posing… which weren’t really movies. Now there are more films with actual stories.
“Anything longer than three minutes is very tough for a fashion film, in the sense that it has to have such an engaging story or most people will lose focus. The narrative has to be so strong or else, no matter how beautiful the film is, it becomes like an MTV video.”
Lazarus says what sets Bokeh apart from fashion film festivals overseas is that it is not all business and “encompasses everything, a bit of lifestyle and entertainment… and everyone is a VIP. We also have a daytime aspect which makes fashion films more accessible to a lot more people”.
The festival’s programme includes talks by fashion film music producer, Craig de Sousa, Adobe expert, Michael O’Neill, and special effects hair and make-up artist, Jim Raubenheimer.
Awards for visual effects, art direction, cinematography, for hair, make-up, fashion, as well as best director, best actor and best picture will be given.
Mercedes-Benz will also present a $10 000 (about R120 000) prize to the contestant who best interprets “modern luxury” while featuring a Mercedes-Benz.
The judging panel includes Bryan Ramkilawan, chief executive of the Cape Town Fashion Council; fashion photographer Mark Newton; award-winning South African commercials director Jason Fialkov; and Michelle-Lee Collins from Mac Cosmetics.
The winning films in each category will then be showcased over the two red carpet “Oscar Style” screenings in Cape Town on March 27 and 28, and in Gauteng on May 18. – Nontando Mposo and Daily News Reporter
* Visit www.bokehfestival.co.za for more information.
Cape Argus, Daily News