HIDEscape is a film that comments on one of the ‘games’ of our age, namely the way the media feeds our frenzy for celebrities while celebs in turn love to hate the attention. Director Alberto Van Stokkum summarized it succinctly… “Overall we wanted to convey something very specific – the fact the famous model [in the film] hates the camera but at the same time can’t resist it. The film revolves around the model and the camera pursuing her. She tries to escape but does not manage to do so. This is lucky for her as the footage of her is spectacular and she knows it.”
Van Stokkum reassured us that the model in question, Victoria Bojarskaja, of Mad Models, was as easy to work with as she is beautiful…. “I can assure she doesn’t only look beautiful on camera… she is beautiful. It was a pleasure working with Victoria, it’s easy working with girls like her.”
Van Stokkum and production agency Simplyprorsum filmed HIDEscape in their home territory, the barrio [neighborhood] of Las Letras in Madrid. They described Las Letras as a place that’s “really cool but still underground… it was really easy to find good locations to shoot.”
The Madrid based agency Simplyprorsum is a “young ‘creative trends’ boutique specializing in photography / film production & creative direction for the fashion, lifestyle, editorial & advertising industries. It was founded by Luciana Mazza & Chalo Bonifacino Cooke and has collaborated with renowned and upcoming fashion photographers, film makers, art directors and fashion designers.”
Apparently they’re also easy to work with as the actual filming of HIDEscape went ahead without a hitch ;-). Van Stokkum describes the entire team as a pleasure to work with even though it was the first time… “We had all worked together with Luciana and Chalo.” There was great chemistry throughout the team… “With stylist Adele Cany and makeup artist Marina Alejandre and especially with Karlos Sanz. Sanz is my right hand man during the filming process and he has a great talent for fashion.” Since the close of this film the team has gone on to work together again.
The editing process was also smooth. Karlos Sanz explained “we spent some 3 or 4 weeks working on it. Alberto [Van Stokkum], the director, had a clear idea in his head so that made the whole process easier.”
HIDEscape also, of course, contains a great deal of footage of fashion photography. To photograph or to film is another key debate facing photographers at this time. When asked which he prefers, film or still, the director admitted “This is a tough one! I started working as director of photography for cinema and then I moved to fashion photography and to be honest I wouldn’t know which of the two I enjoy the most.”
In terms of his career in fashion photography, Van Stokkum told us he got into the business quite by chance… “I was working on films, advertising, documentaries… and one day I got a call from a friend of mine asking me to take some photographs of his girlfriend, who was a model and needed some photos to send to her model agency in London… and that was it!”
On the styling of the piece, Adele Cany worked closely with model Victoria Bojarskaja and music coordinator Sara Fontan to produce an overall effect that Van Stokkum described as both “sensual and aggressive.” He pointed out that they drew on the fact that Victoria herself has a strong personality and that together they “channeled her [Victoria’s] inner rock-and-roll girl with clean cuts, leather pieces, prints and combinations inspired by rock-and-roll groups along with music from The Kills, The Virgins…”. A complete list of the clothing credits can be found at the end of this piece but Cany describes the looks as “highlighting strong pieces from Spanish designers like Manuel Bolaño and Ana Locking along with international designers like Tara Jarmon, Loewe and Antik Batik.”
As for make-up and hair, they laughed that “One of the strongest references for the shoot was the model Erin Wasson. We love her look and attitude! Make-up artist Marina Alejandre took Erin’s look and did her own version of her ‘easy-it girl’ style.”
Credits
Director: Alberto Van Stokkum
Director of Photography and Editing: Karlos Sanz
Model: Victoria Bojarskaja from Mad Models
Styling: Adele Cany
Makeup & Hair: Marina Alejandre
Music: Sara Fontan
Production & Creative Direction: Luciana Mazza and Chalo Bonifacino Cooke / simplyprorsum /
Clothing credits:
Aita
Ana Locking
Antik Batik
aristocrazy
Borsalino
David Delfin
Guess
Helena Rohner
insight
ionion
Jimmy Choo
Juanjo Oliva
Loewe
Louis Vuitton
Manuel Bolano
Maria Escote
pepe jeans
Pinko
Ray Ban
Robert Clergerie
Sandro
Tara Jarmon
Thomas Sabo
Tous
Twin Set
Versace
Wolford
