I met Carla Coultas, wardrobe designer, a few months ago, and then again during Fashion week where she was headlining on a Saturday night. We clicked instantly, and starting discussing new themed shoots. Each meeting we had for ideas were filed with elaborate plans, and amazing concepts. Her designs for the shoot were a blend of Mad Max meets a feminine fresh look:)
For one shoot in particular, she called me up and said "I have seen this little shack and want you to shoot inside of it" Now when I tell you "shack" that it what it was. Four walls, no roof and one of the dirtiest places I have ever shot in. But I loved it. I wasn't to sure our models would though.
Oh yes..the Models! So first we contacted a few models from fashion week. Three lovely ladies, Lauren, Heather and Ann. The moment they saw the place, I feared I would never get them to "play" the part Carla and I had in mind.
I shouldn't have judged so quickly. These ladies were amazing, following my directing as if they were laying in beds of roses instead of bug infested grounds.
The project was called "Wakeup" The amazingly talented Eunice was called in for hair and makeup to transform these ladies into a post-apocalyptic scene where the story would play out. The storyline - waking up unaware of where she is and how much time has past. She must trust who found her. But of course, jealously sets in, dynamics change, and true emotions rise. The cycle starts over.
This story was picked up by Offbeat magazine, and the crew is beyond ecstatic. Putting together a themed shoot is not a wam bam --click a pic and we are done. It take hours, days weeks and sometimes months of serious dedication to put together and produce a shoot.
In the end, the story played out amazing. Showing off Carla's line was the initial goal. In the end, we did that, and tell an amazing story that we are all excited to see published:)