We have video on the brain these days. The rough cut of our COUNCIL S/S '10 short film just came in (with music by Au Revoir Simone) and we could not be any happier with it. The final version will be debuting early next week, so do your best to be patient until then...
Several designers have created short films to accompany their collections recently. This may be due partly to the fact that in these bleak times, we have to strive to go even further to generate excitement and translate our work to as broad an audience as possible. But, it seems like it is more than that. Film conveys movement, can possess a narrative, be filled with music, and create a real moment that the viewer can step in to.
Andy Warhol, credited as being the first artist to present film as art in 1965, was drawn to the medium for its ability to communicate with a potency unparalleled by other art forms. As Matt Wrbican, an archivist for the Andy Warhol Museum, writes on PBS's website about Warhol and his fascination with film: "He loved its immediacy". He captured intimate and authentic renderings of his subjects, simply by asking them to sit in front of him for a few moments and attempt to behave naturally. (Appropriating his 'screen tests' or video portraits might be a fun project for the shop, no?)
If you've never seen his screen tests, take a look at this gorgeous montage of some of his best known subjects for a start. This would also be a great time to plug the PBS American Masters Documentary on Warhol by Ric Burns narrated by Laurie Anderson (you have to see it!). It's somewhat epic but entirely worth the time.
And our film effort will soon be debuting before your eyes as well, we promise.
xoxo COUNCIL
