FILM

Fashion Film Series

Various screening locations

Review by Vanessa Gerrie

What is in a fashion film, you ask? A whole lot more than just clothes, that’s for sure. Fashion films are becoming more popular as a way for fashion brands to convey the ideas, tone and narrative behind their seasonal collections. What is so fascinating about this medium is the ability to collaborate with filmmakers, writers, producers, actors and artists to enrich the experience and the fashion spectacle as a whole. The three finalists for this year’s Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival (VAMFF) short film series presented an eclectic mix of high drama, technical skill and exceptional creativity from a group of intelligent young creatives. They sum up everything the medium is about: a combination of a dynamic narrative, resplendent visuals and effervescent sound that sets the entire mood and tone of the labels.

Strangers in a Moment, Ramona Telecican and CHORUS

Strangers in a Moment, written and produced by Andrew Kavanagh and Ramona Telecican respectively, is a creative collaboration between the fashion house CHORUS and musician Bertie Blackman. It opens like an 80s action film: mad beats and graphic pink text introduce the surreal land- and soundscape. This film is undoubtedly about movement, fluidity and the entangled orbit of our everyday lives. The repetition of the three models as they rotate through the quotidian motions of exercise, watching TV, and feeding a goldfish, is punctuated by the ethereal blue and grey tones, which emulates this theme of the celestial colliding with the domestic. The tableau of characters lounging above ground on the pool’s edge anchor the fact this film is about fashion as they grace the stage in resplendent outfits. Their stillness also alludes to the surreal undertones of the entire film and creates an uncanny atmosphere. A crescendo in the middle of Strangers in a Moment works in its favour to present the comfort and ease of the clothes as the narrative is literally flipped on its head, reversed so that we see the orbit and collisions of our lives in sweet sumptuous harmony.

Kuwaii remix AW15, Isobel Knowles

Kuwaii is a brand that is fun, frivolous and intelligent and the film Kuwaii Remix AW15 by renowned artist Isobel Knowles emulates these descriptions ever so sweetly. It is easy to see why this short film gained a finalist spot. We are those animated girls dancing with their friends dressed in Kuwaii and if we’re not, we sure as hell want to be. The stop motion graphics swoon to a delightful soundtrack that mesmerizes with its psychedelic colour and patterns. I can only imagine how long this collaged animation would have taken which is jaw-droppingly commendable. If the competition was about which artist made a truly brand-specific fashion film, Kuwaii Remix AW15 would have certainly had it in the bag.

Shadow/Self, Geraldine Hakewill, photo by Emma Furno

Laura Scrivano won the third spot for her short film Shadow/Self. This work is certainly more of an emotional and dramatic narrative than the other two and it is exquisitely beautiful. This is due not only to the objective qualities such as the black and white visuals but also to the subtext that is conveyed through the combination of interpretive dance and rhythmic melancholic music. It ends with a sense of longing: longing for what is up to interpretation. But one thing’s for sure, Shadow/Self reflects back at us our inner psyche. The shadow is the one that often conflicts with our sense of self and the one that makes us who we are. Bianca Spender’s fluid dresses compliment and strengthen the two characters without overpowering the direct message, the human struggle of the psyche that can often have physical manifestations. The pace of the film is punctuated by the soundscape and keeps the viewer enthralled right to the unsatisfying end.

Head down to Federation Square or online at RUSSH Magazine to see these and the rest of the Fashion Film Series for your own viewing pleasure, showing for the whole fashion festival month. The films will also be screening at ACMI, Horsham Regional Art Gallery, Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka, and the National Wool Museum.