Framing Fashion

Short films are the latest medium for designers to showcase their work in an effective manner.

Just as the music begins to play, an aerial view of Jaipur's Vidyadharji Ka Bagh appears on screen. Seconds later, a lehenga-clad woman, standing against the backdrop of one of its dome structures, slips into view. With the music gathering momentum, she starts swishing around her flared lehenga skirt — its intricate detailing now visible.

This may be a scene straight out of a film song, except that it isn't. It is, in fact, part of a two-minute fashion film, starring model Jyothsna Chakravarthy and directed by fashion photographer Colston Julian for designer Anita Dongre's bridal collection titled 'The Jaipur Bride'. "Jaipur has always inspired me. So it made sense for me to shoot a short video there," she explains.

The fashion film hasn't just caught the fancy of Dongre alone. An increasing number of designers today are turning to short videos to showcase their latest collections. For Surily Goel, who made a comeback recently after a long break, it was necessary to try something new to announce her presence. "So I decided to rope in filmmaker Mozez Singh to direct two videos for both the collections I was working on then — 'Revival' and 'Fever'," she says.

A short film aims to enhance the viewing experience and communicate with the clients in a short span of time. At least that's what Nachiket Barve had in mind, when he decided to make one for his collection 'Caravan' a few seasons ago. "Vishesh Verma, the photographer and director, and I, displayed projections on the model (Vipasha Agarwal) donning my creations. We closed in on the textiles used in the line as the idea was to show the finesse of the fabric and detailing," he recollects. Having directed Goel's fashion films, Singh concurs that zeroing in on the detailing is what distinguishes a fashion film from the others. "Films are an evocative medium and here, the collection becomes the narrative. So when you have two schools — fashion and film — come together, it's bound to be an eye-catching product," he says. Another reason behind the popularity of the fashion film is its wide reach, thanks to the power of the internet.

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