Everybody Street

Today we watched a great documentary directed by Cheryl Dunn on street photography and the photographers behind some of the most inspiring and creative snapshots in and around New York.

"digital manipulation kills photography"

Several photographers discussed the issue of digital photography. For years film was the only way they could capture a moment, but in the digital age we are currently living in a revolution in photography. 

With digital photography, everybody's a photographer now. Whether it's captured on a DSLR or an iPhone, the photographers said the outcome of the photograph will be mainly contemporary.

"change is inevitable"

Shooting with film costs money, for example each shot could be worth 50 cents. However with a digital camera and a 32GB memory card, you could take thousands of the same moment, all a millisecond apart.

"it was beauty and the beast, and sometimes the beast was beautiful"

One photographer captured his images on the subway, commenting that he would have 10 second affairs with women on the subway, and then never see them again. 

I think one thing I'm going ot take away from this film is not to hold down the button on my camera. Almost treat it like a film camera; don't review the image and only take one or possibly two photos.

Now I want to get my hands on a film camera, a bunch of film and roam the streets of New York! Although maybe I'll be better off starting with London...

BBC Perfume Documentary

To help prepare us and give an insight into the industry we will be studying in the next module, we were told to watch a BBC documentary on perfume in our reading week. Despite owning many different fragrances and seeing dozens of adverts in magazines and on the television, I didn't know an awful lot about the fragrance industry. With the next module in sight and after learning about the creation of a scent in New York at FIT, I was looking forward to seeing the industry behind the scenes.

Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's

Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's (Matthew Miele, 2013) is a documentary showing behind the scenes at Bergdorf Goodman, the iconic department store in Manhattan. There are a range of interviews with designers, celebrities and style icons. It was a real treat to see how the window displays came to life, watching the extravagant designs crafted by hand, all leading up to the big reveal.

"If fashion had a home, this would be the address."

The Ways of Seeing

John Berger explores the impact of photography and discusses the different ways we can now see an image. He also compares this new way of seeing an image to art from the past.

One comment on the video from YouTube said that if you have ever seen, taken, made or captured an image then this programme is worth watching, and I couldn't agree more. 

This programme was made 42 years ago (1972) for the BBC, and it amazes me how relevant it still is. Technology and the way we see images now has developed far and beyond anyone's imagination in this period of time and a lot of theories and explanations just aren't relevant in today's world. It was really interesting watching this and being able to relate to it so well.

In Vogue: The Editor's Eye

After thoroughly enjoying The September Issue, a documentary showing the creative process of a Vogue magazine coming to life, I was looking forward to watch In Vogue: The Editor's Eye (Bailey and Barbato, 2012), which takes a closer look at the past and present editor's of the world's fashion bible. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy it, I found it one of the most inspiring and entertaining films I have ever watched.

Photographed by Annie Leibovitz - Image source

Paul Smith: Gentleman Designer

Living in Nottingham it only seemed right to learn more about Paul Smith, as it is the quirky British designer's hometown. In a recent lecture we watched Paul Smith: Gentleman Designer (Stéphane Carrell, 2012).

The September Issue

I've always had a strong passion and interest in the magazine industry, I'd always have piles of them around my room, admiring everything from the celebrities, fashion, editorial and the graphic design. So, watching a documentary film that goes behind the doors of the fashion bible of the world, Vogue, seemed like it would be right up my street. And it was.

Image source

Marc Jacobs: 2 brands, 1 man

Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton (Loïc Prigent, 2007) follows Marc Jacobs, head designer of his own brand and Louis Vuitton in a brilliant and exciting documentary. Jacobs was made creative director of the luxurious French fashion house Louis Vuitton in 1997 (and left in 2013) and we see him create their first ready to wear collection, a new and thrilling time for any company.

Image source

The Secret World of Haute Couture

The Secret World of Haute Couture is a BBC FOUR documentary exploring the little-known about world of haute couture. 

Before I talk about the programme I will quickly show where haute couture is on the fashion pyramid:

• Haute Couture
• Couture
• Designer
• High-end retailers
• High-street

Couture fitting in New York - Image source

2 fashion films to watch

Film has the ability to engage, entertain and educate an audience, allowing them to be completely submerged into a new world; a place where they can forget about their worries and be transported into an unknown place for a period of time.

I am a particular fan of documentary cinema, and have recently watched two influential and inspiring fashion films; Bill Cunningham New York (Richard Press, 2010) and Mademoiselle C (Fabien Constant, 2013).

Image source - BCNY | Image source - MC