Klein was born in Rhode Island, New York, America in 1965 and started his career when he began to study painting at the Rhode Island School of Design. From there he moved to Paris where he began his interest in photography in the mid-'80s and landed his first job shooting for a Christian Dior campaign. Since there his career exploded in the world of photography shooting campaigns for Louis Vuitton, Chanel, McQueen, Tom Ford, Dolce & Gabanna and Armani. Klein quickly became known for being able to turn a subject into a powerful visual statement and continued to push himself and take many directions whilst climbing his career ladder. He later started to branch out of photography and looked into filming. He wanted to create the power of a still photo with the art of moving image and this is where his short, experimental films began. Although targeted towards the fashion industry, these films have something really captivating about them that wrap a message in visual style and imagery. With Klein directing all of these videos, this really resonated with me and what I want to be doing with my own work. I want to have a look at some of the videos he has done and analyse them to see what could work in terms of my own production.
The first video I wanted to look at was a video called 'secretprojectrevolution' which was made and directed by Steven Klein and stars pop icon Madonna. You can watch this video below:
When I watched this film for the first time, I was in ore at how powerful it was. The message that it sends out as well as the visual beauty and style that relates to what's being said I thought was incredible by the way it was done. The film carries many underlying themes throughout that all link up to the ideology of the need for change and a revolution of the way the world stands. We get many powerful and sometimes quite shocking imagery, for example, people being shot and beaten whilst the ever-present voiceover goes on to express the need for love between people, no matter their religion, disability, sexual orientation, position or gender.
The film also has an underlying theme of being able to stand up for what you believe in and the need for people to have a voice that may be considered different. Madonna is seen in the cell of a prison, using this as a metaphor the whole way through to show how she feels trapped and crucified for being these very things. The film's themes are very strong and impactful that make a viewer feel uncomfortable but captivated by the true message of the purpose of the film. There are many scenes with guns that show how violent our world is but also how important it is to recognise the wars and gun violence that happens in the world over things like religion, power or hate crimes. In my film, I want to play around with strong themes and messages that I can put into my film that make an audience think like the way this film does.
In terms of the imagery, everything is very cinematic and smooth. The scenes are very well lit and create an almost polished setting for a prison cell. The film is almost like a high editorial photograph that moves and changes. This is something I would love to reflect in my film. I want to create stunning images that look almost surreal and high end. I feel it creates a very professional feel and its the sort of style print that I want to put on the film. In terms of costume, it's quite provocative and minimal but also holds class and high fashion in an edgy way. The looks are there to stand out and give a drawing visual to the audience. They also resemble Klein's interest in fashion and what he does for a career. I think a costume is important when shooting a film. It helps to tell a narrative and create relevance but also in Stevens case it helps to elevate a piece of work and create a dramatic image and tone.
Overall I feel the film is very impressive as a stand-alone piece. The way it mixes the hard powerful messages in the form of style and art creates a beautiful impact on what it is trying to get across. From the type of shots that he has chosen to use, lighting, costume and setting, I feel that he has created something that is meaningful but done in a really visual and different way. I want to reflect something like this for my project as I was completely inspired by it and feel the challenge would be rewarding doing something so different.
The next video I wanted to talk about was another film Klein directed for a McQueen Campaign starring supermodel Kate Moss. You can see the film below:
This example I felt was great to look at in terms of the way he has decided to create beautiful imagery and sound paired together to make a really dramatic and moody piece of film. It doesn't necessarily have a very present theme or narrative running through it but focuses more on the film's tones and visuals to create a really interesting short film. It starts with a smooth shot of a street floor that pans up to a shop window illuminated with old retro televisions playing strange videos on them. There is ominous music overlayed as well as the sound of distant TV's heard before fading to black. We then get a shot of the same scene but giving an overview of the street more and a woman standing to look in the window. We then see a man walk into the shot and the music dies out very quickly only hearing the mans footsteps. I love how he's done this to heighten the strange and almost creepy atmosphere of a man standing there in silhouette. The music slowly builds up again with the bass rumbling in the background before a sharp drop of bass when it cuts to an old-fashioned camera that the man is holding. We hear a sound effect of the woman's breath constant and heavy. This is really effective and builds suspense along with the eerie tone. The shot then changes as if we are looking through the camera that the man is holding with a visible black grid across the centre of the screen. This makes it look like we are watching her as if she is on one of the old-fashioned TVs with the sound of the white noise playing along side. I wanted to mention that opening sequence step by step as I feel its important. The way that Klein has paired the bold visuals that are on screen with the sound design is really effective and can really add to the tones and overall feel of a piece of film so I think that is something I have really taken away from the video. Its shown me that visuals can be beautiful but with an appropriate score and interesting sound effects, it can make the piece of a film even better.
A thing that really stands out with this piece is the way it's been put together. When looking at each scene it's very slow and drawn out. This creates tension and build up. It adds to the eerieness and can make a viewer feel slightly uncomfortable or on edge. After the first slow couple of shots, we then see Kate Moss walk through a front door assumingly her house or apartment. This is where everything goes even slower. She walks in slow motion and walks up the stairs. This is really interesting that he's made that choice as you would assume it would become a bit boring but it does the opposite creating even more suspense as her journey is elongated not knowing what's to come. It also creates a really stylish look as the coat sways slowly back and forth and the footsteps are heard far and few between. It carries on going into slow motion right until the very end where we get a build up of very fast flashes. The contrast of going really slow to high speed is a really interesting effect. It throws us as a viewer out of what we have been used to and creates an almost shock with the sudden change. After the fast flashes it cuts to black and the name of the brand is displayed at the end.
The film doesn't make a whole lot of sense narrative-wise but as an overall piece its really effective and drawing. The use of beautiful visuals, an intricate use of sound and the pace with added cutting effects really make it stand out and draw a viewer in. Although it has been made for a fashion brand, I would love to emulate the features of this in my work as I feel its really effective and different but is skilful and stylish.
When comparing the two videos they have their similarities but also their differences. The two hold together as films that are almost like a piece of art. They hold messages but a lot of it is admiring the visuals and leaving it open to the viewers interpretation to make their minds up. Having said this, they both do it in different ways. The first film is a lot more explicit and clearer in its message. It displays the drama but also voices what its trying to say about change that is needed in the world. The second one on the otherhand is more abstract. It doesnt necesarrily say what it is but if you read into it there is a narrative that could be thought about in many different ways. With the styles and tones we see something very similar in both. They are very dark and have beautifuly lit scenes that almost look like a moving photograph. The visuals are rich and when paired with sound design it really brings them to life creating an interesting and exciting watch. Although the first one is in black and white and the second one is in colour, the second one doesnt have a lot of colour in it atall. Its very limited to blacks, greens and yellows giving it a distict and unusual look. Both play with different editing styles that work for what Klein wants his audience to feel creating different dynamics of mood and feeling. I admire what he has done with these two films and the way he has been so bold and different in how he films inspiring me to do something along similar lines.
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