CINDY / CHLOË
MYTH + MATERIAL
CINDY AND CHLOË HAVE BOTH MADE LIVES OUT OF UNCENSORED, UNSANITIZED IMAGES.
WE ARE LUCKY TO HAVE THEM BOTH HERE, INSIDE A FILM THAT CAN BECOME A COMPOSITE PORTRAIT.
THE POINT IS NOT TO MAKE A PRECISE ACCOUNT OF CINDY.
THE POINT IS TO MAKE A MYTH FROM HER WORK, HER PERSONA, HER ARCHIVE, AND THE MATERIALS AROUND HER.
CINDY CAN HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT.
CHLOË IS ALWAYS SEEN.
THE FILM IS BUILT INSIDE THAT.
IT HAS TO BE FAKE.
BUT IT HAS TO BE TRUE.
A MAJOR PERFUME CAMPAIGN CALLED CINDY IS BEING SHOT.
THE PROBLEM IS THAT THERE IS NO PERFUME.
SO THE WHOLE DAY BECOMES ABOUT TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT CINDY SMELLS LIKE.
THE CAMPAIGN NEEDS A SIMPLE ANSWER.
WHAT DOES CINDY SMELL LIKE?
BY THE END, THE DAY HAS BECOME THE AD.
SYMBIOPSYCHOTAXIPLASM FOR PRODUCTION AS PERFORMANCE.
PRÊT-À-PORTER FOR FASHION WORLD, RUNWAY, AND INDUSTRY MACHINE.
THE PLAYER FOR SATIRE, PEOPLE WATCHING PEOPLE, AND THE BUSINESS.
PRODUCTION IS THE PLOT.
A PERFUME AD
THE FILM STARTS OBSERVATIONALLY, INSIDE THE PRODUCTION.
BY THE END, IT ENTERS THE AD.
THE AD IS BUILT FROM VIGNETTE SCENARIOS OTTESSA HAS WRITTEN FOR CHLOË AS CINDY.
THESE ARE REFERENCES FOR THE PERFUME AD INSIDE THE FILM.
EACH IMAGE OPENS INTO A FULL VIDEO.
MATERIALS FOR THE AD:
ANIMATION, COLOR, MUSIC, STRUCTURE, STILL PHOTOGRAPHS, RUNWAY, AND IMAGE SEQUENCES.
HBA
LA JETÉE
HBA
RAF SIMONS 2000 CONFUSION
HOOD BY AIR RUNWAY
THE FILM TAKES PLACE INSIDE ONE WORKING SOUNDSTAGE.
THE SET IS THE WORLD:
MAKEUP, CAMERAS, PRODUCTS, SCREENS, FOOD, PHOTO SETUPS, RUNWAY, MUSIC, CREW, AND MODELS.
THE ROOM IS FLEXIBLE.
WITH A LIGHTING SHIFT, IT CAN BECOME A RUNWAY, A COMMERCIAL, A CARNIVAL, A BACKSTAGE AREA, OR A PHOTO SHOOT.
NOT A LITERAL REPLICA OF A REAL SET.
A VERSION OF A REAL SET.
SURREAL, BUT VERY REAL.
MORE LIKE A FRENCH SET:
WINE AT LUNCH, REAL FOOD.
AN EXPERIMENT IN HOW WE WANT TO LIVE AND WORK.
THE FILM BEGINS MIDSTREAM.
CINDY IS ALREADY DOING CHLOË’S MAKEUP.
THE MAKEUP IS NOT CINDY MAKEUP.
IT IS HYDROLUMINOUS PERFUME-AD MAKEUP.
CHLOË LOOKS GORGEOUS.
CINDY TALKS THE WHOLE TIME.
THE SCENE STARTS LIKE A BEAUTY PROCESS.
THEN IT STARTS TO FEEL LIKE SPYING.
THE CONVERSATION MOVES TO SURGERY:
HIP REPLACEMENT, BREAST REDUCTION, GOING UNDER.
THE SCENT OF ANESTHESIA.
AT THE END OF THE SCENE, CHLOË GETS UNDRESSED AND CHANGES.
WE ONLY SEE HER NAKED THROUGH THE AD CAMERA.
THE CAMERA GOES MACRO:
LIGHT, METAL, GLASS, LINES, SKIN, IMAGE.
A PRIVATE MOMENT TURNED INTO A CAMPAIGN MOMENT.
A VÉRITÉ AD.
macro skin
surgical marking lines
body seen through lens / monitor
hands touching face/body
mirror / camera spying
beauty ad face
anesthesia / mask / medical light if you find the right image
CAMERA ON SET
THE AD CAMERA IS PART OF THE SCENE.
WHEN SOMETHING PRIVATE OR INTENSE HAPPENS, WE DO NOT SEE IT DIRECTLY.
WE SEE IT THROUGH THE AD CAMERA:
UPSIDE DOWN, CROPPED, MACRO, REFLECTED, THROUGH GLASS, THROUGH THE LENS.
WE NEVER QUITE GET A CLEAN LOOK.
BUT THE AD CAMERA IS GETTING THE SHOT.
THE AD CAMERA IS PART OF THE SCENE.
WHEN SOMETHING PRIVATE OR INTENSE HAPPENS, WE DO NOT SEE IT DIRECTLY.
WE SEE IT THROUGH THE AD CAMERA:
UPSIDE DOWN, CROPPED, MACRO, REFLECTED, THROUGH GLASS, THROUGH THE LENS.
WE NEVER QUITE GET A CLEAN LOOK.
BUT THE AD CAMERA IS GETTING THE SHOT.
1. body seen through apparatus
someone seen through glass, mirror, blinds, a lens, a monitor, or reflection.
2. camera pointed at a body
especially still camera / fashion camera / commercial camera inside the scene.
3. cropped or obstructed image
body only partly visible, face cut off, image blocked, image split.
4. macro / lens / surface
close images of skin, glass, metal, light, flash, reflections.
5. staged intimacy being photographed
someone in a private or charged position, but clearly being captured by a camera.
01 through glass / blocked view
02 reflected or upside down body image
03 staged body with camera crew
04 photographer getting the shot
THE SCENT DOES NOT EXIST YET.
BUT THE CAMPAIGN NEEDS PRODUCTS.
BAGS, TAGS, BOTTLES, PROPS, DISPLAYS, SCREENS, ARCHIVE OBJECTS.
I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO TURN A PERSON INTO A PRODUCT.
CINDY’S ARCHIVE IS NOT ABSTRACT.
IT IS GARMENTS, PROPS, WIGS, FRAMES, FLOWERS, FABRIC, OBJECTS, AND FRAGMENTS OF CONSTRUCTED WORLDS.
THESE ARE THE PHYSICAL MATERIALS HER IMAGES ARE MADE FROM.
THE CAMPAIGN WANTS SOMETHING SIMPLE:
A NAME.
A FACE.
A PRODUCT.
IT WANTS CINDY.
IT WANTS TO BOTTLE CINDY.
WHEN I WAS STYLING PARIS HILTON, I WAS AROUND HER AT A MOMENT WHEN HER TEAM WAS STARTING TO TURN HER INTO A PRODUCT-MAKING MACHINE.
WE WERE AT A SEVENTEEN MAGAZINE SHOOT.
SHE WAS IN THE MAKEUP CHAIR, STONED, SURROUNDED BY CATS AND KITTENS, GETTING READY FOR THE NEXT SHOT.
ONE PERSON AFTER ANOTHER KEPT COMING UP TO HER WITH OBJECTS:
A RUBBER BAND WITH A PIECE OF BLONDE WEAVE ON IT. SOCKS. AN ANKLET. A TOE RING. SMALL THINGS THAT COULD BE MADE FROM HER IMAGE. EVERY PART OF HER COULD BECOME PRODUCT.
THAT MEMORY IS IMPORTANT HERE. NOT BECAUSE WE ARE DOING THAT TO CINDY.
BUT BECAUSE THE FILM IS THINKING ABOUT THAT MACHINE:
HOW A PERSON, A FACE, AN ARCHIVE, A STYLE, A BODY, A PUBLIC IMAGE, CAN GET TURNED INTO OBJECTS.
Vestibulum sed pretium ex
Vestibulum sapien magna
WITH CINDY, THIS HAS TO BE DONE WITH CARE AND PERMISSION.
WE ARE NOT EXPLOITING THE ARCHIVE. WE ARE USING IT AS A PLACE TO THINK ABOUT EXPLOITATION, MATERIAL VALUE, PERSONA, AND PRODUCT.
THE PRODUCTS COULD COME FROM CINDY’S ARCHIVE OF MATERIALS:
MASKS, WIGS, PROPS, COSTUMES, FACES, FRAGMENTS, CHARACTERS.
THE BOTTLE COULD BE A COMPOSITE PORTRAIT OF CINDY AND CHLOË: TWO FACES,
A DRAMA MASK, A PERFUME OBJECT.
I KEEP THINKING ABOUT THE MARC JACOBS / LOUIS VUITTON PATCHWORK BAGS THAT WERE MADE OUT OF OLD LOUIS VUITTON BAGS AND SOLD FOR HUGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY.
I LIKE THE IDEA OF MAKING A BAG OUT OF CINDY’S MASK SERIES. SOMETHING BLASPHEMOUS. HOPEFULLY FUNNY.
Vestibulum sed pretium ex
Vestibulum sapien magna
WE MADE OBJECTS THAT WERE PRODUCTS, PROPS, AND PERFORMANCE PIECES AT THE SAME TIME: BAGS, TAGS, FIBERGLASS COLLARS, HANDCUFFS,BMX HANDLEBAR BAGS, RUNWAY OBJECTS.
I WANT TO BRING THAT KIND OF THINKING INTO THIS.
THE PRODUCTS CAN BE PHOTOGRAPHED. THEY CAN BE PROJECTED ONTO SCREENS. THEY CAN BECOME BACKDROPS FOR PHOTO SHOOTS INSIDE THE FILM. THE OBJECT BECOMES AN IMAGE. THE IMAGE BECOMES A PRODUCT. THE PRODUCT GOES BACK INTO THE AD.
Vestibulum sapien magna
THE SMELL / FLORA AND FAUNA
THE PERFUME DOES NOT EXIST YET.
BUT THE SET HAS A SMELL.
THE SCENT OF ANESTHESIA.
PERFUME ON SKIN.
FOOD IN THE ROOM.
FLOWERS, ANIMALS, GARLIC, CAKE, WINE, BODY.
THE FRAGRANCE COMES FROM WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING ON SET.
NOT A CLEAN FANTASY FRAGRANCE.
A LIVING ONE.
Image direction:
- flowers from Zone of Interest
- night vision / heat vision / black-and-white animal/body images
- anesthesia / mask / medical light / tubing / metal tray
- skin / scar / body macro
- food / garlic / butter / cake / wine / steam
- animals / fauna / actual life entering perfume
- wet flowers / overgrown garden / not clean bouquet
THE MYTH
FIFTY IS NOT THE END.
FIFTY IS WHEN YOU BECOME A FORCE.
or a product or accumlation