Tag Archives: Fashion

Backstage with Monica Schipper: Capturing New York Fashion Week and So Much More

December 2, 2021 silerhead7175 Leave a comment

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more glamorous occasion than a fashion show in full swing. For a few hours, mere mortals become gods, gliding down the catwalk with style never-before-seen, as cameras dazzle and the spotlight burns a path before them like the sun through a magnifying glass. But for all the glory of the main event, there’s arguably even more action happening backstage, where Monica Schipper has made her name as one of the most in-demand photographers in New York City.

Model shot by Monica Schipper on a TRESemme assignment backstage at the Studio 189 fashion show during NYFW

Alongside London, Paris and Milan, New York Fashion Week takes priority as a must-see event in the beauty industry, a worldwide fashion summit where trendsetters gather to feast their eyes on the year’s freshest styles. A contributor to Getty Images, the world’s largest photo agency, Schipper has been on hand for dozens of New York Fashion Week’s hottest shows.

With insider access to all the behind-the-scenes action, Schipper seized her first opportunities backstage with aplomb. Weaving her way through a whirlwind of wardrobe racks, makeup chairs and a herd of humans in constant motion, Schipper found her flow, capturing finished beauty portraits as the models came out of their hair and makeup treatments. She also demonstrated a knack for catching stunning first-look shots of the models just before they hit the runway.

Her outstanding work and unforgettable energy onset made her a go-to photographer for an array of NYFW clients, documenting all the must-see moments for shows featuring tennis legend Serena Williams, designer swimwear label Chromat, global fashion brand Rebecca Minkoff, contemporary clothing company Alice & Olivia, luxury fashion design house Kate Spade and many more.

Having spent years backstage, consistently delivering photos of the highest caliber, it was only a matter of time before NYFW official beauty sponsor and industry giant TRESemme brought Schipper on as their designated photographer.

Models backstage at the Kate Spade fashion show during NYFW shot by Monica Schipper for TRESemme

When asked about her mindset to prepare for a big-name client like TRESemme, Schipper had this to say:

“No matter the client, you need to remember you’re part of a creative team and it is a collaborative effort. The best photographers contribute to the energy in the room and work with it in a meaningful way, and those are the photographers that continue to be hired.”

While the runway may get the lion’s share of hype, the elaborate design of the show itself offers little in the way of creativity for the artists behind the lens. Once a model steps onto the runway, they are walking to the creative vision of the show’s production team. Specific shots are required from the photography team to capture the totality of the look on display. Backstage, however, there’s a lot more room for experimentation and play. Here, artists like Schipper can find the freedom to satisfy their creative itch, bringing their own vision to the lighting, design and energy of the shots.

“Working backstage I can capture candid moments as they happen, and I thrive off of that spontaneity,” Schipper says, “especially when I can light and shoot it with my own creative spin.”

Although working with the biggest names in beauty is a thrill, it’s not just the name that inspires Schipper; it’s the message behind the brand that really allows her to connect with the energy of the show, and through that energy, something truly special can be captured and preserved.

Chromat, a future-forward swim and bodywear brand, focuses on empowering garments for all bodies. Demonstrating their uncompromising aesthetic, Chromat famously featured a plus-sized Latina model as their show opener, an emphatic statement that caught the attention of the entire fashion industry. Their brand is committed to bringing inclusivity to the forefront, and Schipper worked closely with the Chromat creative team to achieve this message through the vibe and energy of her shots.

“It was an honor to be a part of something meaningful and impactful, especially in the fashion industry where representation is so important,” the photographer states. “Chromat stands by what they believe in and they ensure that anyone watching their show will see someone walking who represents them.”

Of course, there’s a lot of fun to be had at these spectacular soirees as well. Schipper particularly relishes her collaborations with NYC-based fashion duo The Blonds. Their recent Disney Villains x The Blonds show had the industry and social media buzzing, with brand founder Phillipe Blond and celebrities such as style-icon Paris Hilton and YouTuber Patrick Starrr lighting up the runway.

The Blonds x Disney Fashion Show shot by Monica Schipper

Featuring iconic Disney antiheroes like the Queen of Hearts, Cruella de Vil, Ursula the Sea Witch and Maleficent, the Blonds put an awe-inspiring and eye-catching twist on the classic characters, an effort heralded by global fashion authority L’OFFICIEL as “the most drag-friendly ‘fits imaginable.”

“The Blonds is definitely one of my favorite brands to work with. Their shows are always such a spectacle, and Disney Villains x The Blonds was next level!” says Schipper. “The entire event is a work of art, from the fashion down to every single detail.”

Model shot behind the scenes by Monica Schipper at The Blonds x Disney Fashion Show

On nights like these, these extravagant statements of style, where every detail is teeming with meaning, it’s paramount to have professionals on the scene to commemorate and communicate their message. So much happens before the models even hit the runway, it would be criminal for these special moments to go amiss. Luckily for us, photographers like Monica Schipper are there to capture it all, making sure we don’t miss a thing.

Costume, Costume Designer

Terrasse: new challenges for a successful brand

August 9, 2021 lgreenbaulm Leave a comment

The Ukrainian brand Terrasse continues its successful path under the leadership of Kostiantyn Vlasenko

Opening a new store in the Retroville shopping center in Kiev, restructuring the brand to meet online sales, a necessity during the pandemic, and expanding the brand’s target audience are just a small list of achievements made by the brand Terrasse since Kostiantyn Vlasenko stepped in as a leader and production manager.

The Terrasse brand was created by an American designer of Ukrainian origin Viktoriia Vlasenko, whose career encompasses both fashion design and costume design for cinema. Several years ago, she transferred the management of the brand into the hands of her brother Kostiantyn, who continues to manage a large production in Kiev while also being integral to helping Victoria implement her new ideas.

*The poster of the online store Terrasse*

“Kostiantyn is literally my right hand, it’s hard for me to imagine how I would have realized all of my plans without his help,” says Viktoriia about her brother. “He has so much energy, he has so much experience, and he’s always finding new opportunities for us to grow, I rely on him for absolutely everything.”

While Viktoriia works from the United States and Kostiantyn from the Ukraine, the distance does not stop the creative collaboration this powerful brother and sister team have created. Over the past few years they have developed and implemented many new collections under the Terrasse brand, whose products are currently sold in seven of their own stores, as well as a number of additional outlets throughout Ukraine.

Kostiantyn previously lived in America where he graduated from the New York Film Academy, as well as starred in more than a hundred films, however he later returned to the Ukraine for familial reasons.

“Despite the fact that my soul remains devoted to the cinema, the production of clothes captures me no less… In addition, Viktoriia is full of ideas, and all of us in Terrasse, even during a pandemic, had no time to get bored,” comments Kostiantyn Vlasenko.

“We are intensively expanding the range of the brand’s clothing, and now it will focus not only on a youth audience, but also on successful and stylish older women, which means a change in concept and a completely different approach to production. All of these tasks are complex and interesting at the same time, especially in an environment where the coronavirus pandemic has caused difficulties in business. However, we have managed to cope with everything, we continue to go forward and this spring we opened another store in Kiev in the Retroville shopping center.”

*Brand Production Manager Terrasse Kostiantyn Vlasenko*

The family collaboration of Viktoriia and Kostiantyn is famous for more than just the unique clothing innovations that they’ve made with the Terrasse brand, but also for their unusual social and artistic fashion projects. Viktoriia Vlasenko’s largest social project, which received a wide response and drew the attention of the Milanese society to the war in Ukraine, was called “I can’t keep calm: Stop War in Ukraine,” with all of the fashion design created by her.

*Book published as part of the No War project*

Within the framework of this project, a collection of women’s clothing was created, as well as a collection of dolls, which were exact copies of the models at the shows. The project also included the release of a book of the same name, which sold 100,000 copies and the creation of the film “No War.” Kostiantyn Vlasenko also took part in the implementation of this large-scale project.

In addition, Kostiantyn and Viktoriia collaborated on the production of costumes for several films. Working together behind the scenes, Viktoriia handles the creative part of this process, including the creation of images, patterns and prototypes for the costumes, while the complex production process, logistics and overall management is headed by Kostiantyn. They’ve spent the last few years carrying out their cinematic creative work simultaneously with their work on the Terrasse brand, but this has by no means meant their fashion brand has become less successful.

Over the past few years, the Vlasenko siblings have received 17 awards from various film festivals for their costumes, and this seems to be the very beginning of a long and prosperous creative journey.

According to Viktoriia Vlasenko, in the near future she and her brother are planning to carry out another large-scale art project, the name of which has yet to be disclosed, but is intended to be released in both the Ukraine and the United States.

Photographers, Television

Photographer Adam Flipp talks shooting in freezing Tasmanian conditions for ‘Australia’s Next Top Model’

April 20, 2019 pressva Leave a comment

As a fashion photographer, Adam Flipp captures feelings and energy with his viewers that communicate a message and act as aspirational for a consumer. He uses art to evoke commercialism, using his unique eye to capture visual masterpieces that many of the world’s largest companies then use to market their products and brands.

Flipp has made a name for himself in Australia as a celebrated fashion and portrait photographer, working with some of the world’s most recognizable brands. He has travelled the world doing what he loves, shooting for Hewlett Packard, Johnny Was, Magic Millions, Nike, and many more throughout his well-established career.

Throughout the years, Flipp has also shot for many high-fashion projects, including the tenth season of the iconic series Australia’s Next Top Model. Australia’s Next Top Model is the extremely popular Australian version of America’s Next Top Model, on which Flipp performed a leading and critical role as a photographer. Flipp was a photographer in the models’ screen test challenge. After this, he shot the models in a session at Cradle Mountain in Tasmania. These shoots prominently featuring Flipp aired on Episode 5 of Season 10, which aired on television in Australia, New Zealand, and throughout Asia featuring world-renowned model Gemma Ward. He worked closely with stylist Jessie Heart, who asked Flipp to join the team.

FOX8_Australias_Next_Top_Model_Best_Shot_Ep5_Daisy@2x — photo by Adam Flipp

“Working in Tasmania was amazing and probably the coldest environment I’ve ever worked in. The grass crunched when you walked on it and seeing how determined the girls were to succeed in these punishing conditions was inspirational,” said Flipp.

Flipp has previously seen the show and aspired to be better than any of the other photographers they had. He had found previous seasons often had stiff photographers, and he didn’t want to come across as wooden and tight, because he knew it would make the aspiring models nervous. He therefore pretended that he wasn’t being filmed and focused on doing the job as if it was like any other fashion shoot he had conducted in his past.

“The location was amazing, and the crew were really cool. They were all true professionals,” he said.

The photoshoot challenge for Flipp’s episode was to send the girls into freezing cold conditions to model in swimwear and activewear. Therefore, Flipp had to get high results quickly, especially because the models were also inexperienced and had never been shot in these conditions before. Flipp managed to produce photos that captured the beauty of the freezing scenery and the essence of each model.

FOX8_Australias_Next_Top_Model_Best_Shot_Ep5_Sabine@2x — Photo by Adam Flipp

When Flipp first looked at the models, he was worried that the season would not produce a model worthy of the opportunities that the finalist receives for winning the show. However, the moment Flipp put his camera on Aleyna Fitzgerald, he knew she was the winner. He found that immensely rewarding, helping launch the career of someone so deserving. For the photographer, it felt like destiny.

“I love the fact that the end result of the show is that one of the models gets given the chance of building a really successful modelling career. In this case it was Aleyna Fitzgerald,” Flipp concluded.

Written by John Michaels

Canadian Talent, Fashion, Interviews & Features!

Using makeup to embrace womanhood with Allison Giroday

June 13, 2018 pressva Leave a comment

Allison picture sitting down — Allison Giroday, photo by Liz Rosa

There is a common understanding in the fashion industry that clothing, and makeup are products that you buy, but style is what you do with them. Style is eternal. It doesn’t fade when new trends emerge, or when old trends divulge. For makeup artist, Allison Giroday, style is inherent, running deep through her veins. She credits her love for fashion and makeup to the fact that she grew up in one of fashion’s most acclaimed decades: the 1990s. She recalls herself as a young girl, inspired by the token 90s bombshells she’d see on billboard signs and magazine covers. She even remembers her 13-year-old self, locking herself in her school bathroom, trying all sorts of tips and tricks to achieve Pamela Anderson’s signature smudged-eye and baby pink lip look.

“I thought those women were just the most beautiful women in the world and I would stare at their pictures, studying their makeup. I collected fashion magazines and watched Fashion File. I never anticipated that I’d be in the position I am, looking back on those days. Now, the greatest feeling in the whole entire world is when a client gets excited over the reflection she sees in my mirror. It doesn’t matter whether she gasps, smiles, tears up, or sits up taller, it brings me a pride like no other. Every woman deserves to feel beautiful, powerful, and confident. I love the fact that I get to be a part of that,” raved Giroday.

Fortunately for Giroday, she has been able to be a part of that journey for a number of different people, projects, and publications over the duration of her career. For instance, Giroday was referred to hit Canadian artist, Lights, in order to do her makeup for Canada’s largest, most prestigious music event, The Juno Awards. She has also worked for several other celebrities such as professional basketball player, Steve Nash, and successful rap artist, Lil John. Her work has even found its way into publications such as Glassbook Magazine, British GQ, Life & Style, Reader’s Digest, and several others. When founder and editor-in-chief of Mother Muse Magazine saw Giroday’s work, she knew she had to bring her on board for her publication.

Mother Muse is a fashion and lifestyle printed coffee table book, available worldwide, that focuses on the quality of slow living and modern motherhood. It is rich with artwork, articles, interviews, and editorials intended to inspire everyday women and everyday mothers to follow their passions and to live life to the fullest. Due to its heavy emphasis on style, Mother Muse is often full of unique images of models, beautiful color schemes, and several other style inspirations. It is important, therefore, that Mother Muse work with exceptionally talented artists to shoot images that will captivate their readers’attention at first glance.

They begin every shoot with a mood board selected and prepared by the editor with a description of the woman or women that will be featured. This is when Giroday begins to determine how best to match her model’s facial makeup with her other style and hair elements. In a constant determination to outdo her former self, Giroday places great emphasis on keeping her makeup looks current and ensuring that she doesn’t fall behind on the latest trends. With that, she conducts research in her own time to ascertain that she is providing her clients with the latest and greatest that the cosmetics industry have to offer.

“Success has the ability to breed complacency and that’s an easy trap for an artist to fall into because at that point, you stop continuing to grow. It’s important to want to stay inspired so that you never fall out of love with what you are doing. To me, the term makeup artist really is about the art. I don’t just apply makeup, I paint the canvas. My goal is to make my client feel like it’s the best makeup they’ve ever had and I’m so passionate about that,” noted Giroday.

In addition to her passion for makeup itself, Giroday loves working for Mother Muse, as it allows her to explore femininity with every shoot and to embrace the qualities of a goddess. She has crafted her talents so much over the years that she manages to evoke emotions of power and wisdom through the makeup looks she presents and with that, her work tends to flow seamlessly alongside the rest of the magazine’s team. She loves being able to work with other organized, motivated individuals to promote and celebrate the nuances of motherhood, and womanhood in general. What’s more, is that Giroday gets to see the final outcome of her work in print form, a dying art. She loves the fact that she can pick her work up, hold it beneath her fingers and touch it. The amount of dedication and love she puts into her work makes it all the more exciting when she gets to hold it in her hands.

Overall, Giroday considers herself fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Mother Muse in the past. Every time she is brought on board for a project with them, she remembers exactly why she fell in love with their publication in the first place. She also takes great pride in knowing that Mother Muse has been covered internationally by Yahoo Australia, as well as the Daily Mail. It has also showcased the faces of popular celebrities like Selma Blair and Brie Bella. Next time you’re walking by a copy, pick one up and witness Giroday’s greatness with your own eyes.

Written by Sean Desouza

Filmmaker, Journalist, Reviews, Interviews & Features!, Style

Filmmaker & Journalist Liliya Anisimova Reveals Her Fashionista Side on TheSTYLEtti

February 15, 2018 lgreenbaulm Leave a comment

From her time as a news anchor for local Moscow news stations Doverie and Teleinform, to working as the host of several hit TV programs on the popular Russian Travel Guide (RTG), journalist and filmmaker Liliya Anisimova has spent a lot of time in front of the camera, and she always looks stunning. Granted, she’s a natural beauty, but her keen eye for fashion truly makes her stand out.

“My mom likes to tell this story all the time of how when I was about three putting clothes on for daycare. I put my yellow track suit on, I remember that suit, it was chic yellow with colorful stars, a Juicy Couture style tracksuit. And my mom gave me pink socks,” Liliya recalls with a smile. “I looked at her and said, ‘I’m not going anywhere in a yellow suit and pink socks. I need yellow socks’… I wouldn’t go anywhere until my mom found me yellow socks. She always tells this story saying, ‘who told you about matching colors, nobody taught you how to pair colors’.”

As a journalist and filmmaker, Liliya Anisimova’s accomplishments are beyond impressive– to the point of making of us wonder if she has some super human power giving her the ability to accomplish more in a day than most. As the writer and director of the films “From Real to Reel,” “Magic of the Underground,” which earned the Best Experimental Film Award at the 2013 Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival, and the poignant documentary “Love is the Highest Law,” which screened internationally and earned numerous awards including the Award of Merit from the 2015 IndieFEST Film Awards, she’s made a strong name for herself as a talented storyteller.

Ironically though, it was Liliya’s chic style, not her seemingly endless accolades, that first caught the attention of The STYLEtti Editor-In-Chief Janea Mastrandrea. Janea recounts on TheSTYLEtti blog, “I was shooting street style in New York one day when I came upon this woman with fabulous shoes. I met filmmaker and shoe-lover Liliya Anisimova. And the next day, we began collaborating.”

Wearing her Charline De Luca black and white heels, black skinny jeans and a light pink-beige soft wool cardigan jacket, Liliya was rushing to meet a friend in midtown NYC when she was approached by Janea, who ironically had no idea that she was already a celebrated journalist.

“[Janea] was a very beautiful classy lady, one of those editor-in-chief looks. She asked about my shoes and complimented my style, and that’s how I met Janea.. and that’s how I started writing for The Styletti. It was such a privilege and joy to start writing column regularly in a fashionable glossy magazine style,” recalls Liliya.

“I’ve since written around a hundred articles about traveling, attending events, meeting outstanding people and of course, fashion.”

Since that fated encounter three years ago, which is proof that you never know who you’re going to meet out there in the world so you might as well opt for looking your best, Anisimova has continued to be a lead fashion columnist on the site.

Janea adds, “[Liliya’s] posts are among our most read.”

Growing up in Volgograd, former Stalingrad, Russia, Liliya’s love for fashion and the desire to express herself through her own unique style was something she developed early on in her youth.

She recalls, “When I was growing up it was the time when the USSR had just crashed and we didn’t have a big clothing or shoe selection in stores. So everyone pretty much looked the same, and I hated it, so I would come up with my own ideas and ask my grandmother to sew and knit me different pieces. I remember she did a knitted 100% light wool sweater and matching knitted sweatpants which I loved!”

It was only a few years later, at the age of 13, that Liliya first began working as a contributing journalist to local newspapers such as the Russian national newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda’s Volgograd regional edition, Volgogradskaya Pravda and Vecherniy Volgograd aka Evening Volgograd.

She admits, “I’ve loved to write since I was a little girl. I used to ‘publish’ my home-made magazine, I published multiple school papers while in high school, and collaborated with some local papers in my hometown before I started my undergrad in broadcast journalism.”

Liliya went on to earn her Bachelor’s in journalism, another Bachelor’s in translation in professional communications and her MFA in Journalism from Moscow State University before relocating to the states where she earned another MFA in Social Documentary Filmmaking from New York’s School of Visual Arts.

As a local news anchor in Russia Liliya covered a wide range of subjects. Occasionally those subjects intersected with her love for fashion, such as covering Moscow Fashion Week; but The STYLEtti has given her a platform to reveal her fashionista side in a different way.

Liliya explains, “For me, writing a column is very much a get away from my daily video work, I write it once a month, sometimes two if the schedule permits. I love attending events, art gallery openings, fashion shows of course, meeting photographers, designers, artists, models and other interesting people. It’s genuinely very inspiring.”

From her articles covering NYFW where she’s interviewed international designers and covered the runway, to those about attending gallery openings, such as Karim Rashid’s exhibit featuring his new design collaborations in Manhattan last Spring, Liliya writes about fashion in a way that makes the reader feel like they’re one of her close pals.

Karim Rashid and Liliya Anisimova at Rashid’s Exhibit in NYC

Dressed to impress, Liliya wore her sensible, but classy black peep-toe Gucci flats, a red Kate Spade knee length coat (featured in another post you can check out here) and her white boatneck sleeveless Raoul dress to Karim Rashid’s exhibit. With over 300 awards under his belt, Karim Rashid is considered one of the world’s most famous industrial designers; and, with the images of Liliya looking chic and stylish at the opening being featured on The STYLEtti site, the post became highly popular and offered readers insight on how to dress one’s best in such a high profile environment.

She often does #OOTD and #OOTN posts as well, which show her personal style for everyday and nightly outings, and serve as a great source of inspiration for those looking to making their wardrobe more fashion forward.

“I like to write about every day simple events, something that anyone can relate to…. I normally get more inspired to find beauty in everyday life in regular people… I think it is my background in journalism and filmmaking that makes me have the same approach to that column.”

On a personal level, Liliya’s natural style is simple, but classy, which makes sense considering her fashion icon is Audrey Hepburn. A little black dress, which she says is ‘as old as time,’ classic nude heels, which work with everything, a silk pastel colored blouse, ajean shirt and black skinny jeans are among the basic selection of items she says are ‘must haves’ for any fashion forward female reader.

While she’s made a name for herself covering hard-hitting news and travel stories, as well as through her work as a documentary filmmaker, where she primarily focuses on human interest stories relevant to present times, fashion has been a part of Liliya Anisimova’s life all along. So, having her own fashion column is not only the perfect grounds for her talent and personal interests to intersect, but it also continues to draw readers to The STYLEtti site.

Janea says, “Liliya’s sense of humor and understanding of what interests our audience has helped grow our exposure and keeps readers coming back for her influence and entertainment.”

Cinematographers, Film

Calvin Khurniawan on the impressionistic art of cinematography

November 28, 2017 pressva Leave a comment

There is an age old saying that tells us “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” For many different art forms, these words could not be truer. For instance, by nature, the art of cinematography is entirely subjective. What may appeal to one person, may disinterest another. What you consider beautiful, your peer may deem hideous. It all amounts to the different ways in which individuals perceive the world. In order to succeed as a cinematographer, therefore, an artist must be able to speak to multiple different audiences at once. They need to understand how to channel the vast array of emotions, thoughts, and experiences that life has to offer into their medium of choice. They require a different kind of creativity and they must use it to entertain audiences of all different sizes. They need to see the world the way that Calvin Khurniawan does and once they do, they need to share their artistry with people from all walks of life, challenging them to see their surroundings in new lights.

“It seems obvious, but if you ask ten different painters to paint a tree, you’ll wind up with ten different styles of paintings of the same tree. It truly comes down to an artisanal approach. No other cinematographer would be able to replicate and do the same thing as the other, even with the same material to focus on. Everyone will light and place the camera differently. For that reason, I would say that cinematography is an impressionistic art. It makes my job all the more enjoyable because I get to determine how I’d like to tell a story and then I get to bring it to life,” told Khurniawan.

Khurniawan’s unwavering passion for filmmaking extends back as early as his childhood and his perspective derives from years of immersing himself in the arts. At a young age, Khurniawan’s father allowed him to use the family camera to take photographs of their vacation and he became addicted to the feeling of seeing his photos once he had them developed. He began to notice the different ways to manipulate an image he’d like to depict and loved the depth of emotions he could capture. It wasn’t until he began taking videos with his first ever mobile phone that he realized how intrigued he was by filmmaking. From there, he never looked back. His work as a photographer and cinematographer has landed him success with a number of films, many of which he ended up winning awards. For instance, Khurniawan’s film Alchemist won Best Student Film at festivals like the Around the World International Festival, the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, the New York Film Festival, and more. His other films, such as Antifilm and Kudeta, have also earned Official Selections at a number of prestigious festivals, as well as praise from his peers. He is a force to be reckoned with in the filmmaking industry and he has no plans of stopping any time soon.

In July of this year, Khurniawan collaborated with fashion guru Peggy Hartanto to bring Kudeta to life. The film juxtaposes modern choreography with modern fashion as it portrays Hartanto’s finesse in the fashion industry. The simplicity of her design doesn’t simply translate as modern, but rather it signifies a daring take on modern wear. Essentially, the basic idea of the film was to dress female warriors in dresses and present them like they hadn’t ever been seen before. It created an anti-thesis to fashion film and Khurniawan is drawn to the idea of bringing unexpected notions to life before his audiences. Prior to filming, however, Khurniawan was apprehensive given the amount of VFX shots that he would need to create. Rather than succumbing to the pressure, he dedicated every fiber of his being to learn how to use VFX to the best of his abilities and the result was profound. In fact, his mastery of VFX and his eye for filmmaking made him an instrumental key to the film’s success.

“It was truly challenging at first because I knew there were going to be a lot of VFX shots, but I trained and I took my time to understand the tools. I stayed up all night prior to each shoot in order to prepare so that I could be confident that I would capture the best content as possible,” recalled Khurniawan.

Another of Khurniawan’s favorite aspects of his profession is getting to collaborate with other top artists in the industry. For Kudeta, Khurniawan was fortunate enough to work with Hartanto and explore the world of modern fashion. He was also able to work with other designers and film enthusiasts on set. For instance, Kudeta’s production designer, Indrianty Lihardinata was humbled by the experience of working with Khurniawan for the film. Most artists who work with him are taken aback by the caliber of professionalism and expertise that he brings to the table when he works. According to Lihardinata, in fact, Khurniawan was the ideal combination of professional and enjoyable to create with.

“My favorite part about working with Calvin is his willingness to spend time with key departments to discuss the different aspects of the film. Kudeta was a fun one because it is a high-speed fashion film and so he would shoot everything in a high frame rate to accentuate the movement of the dancers. He is the coolest person to work with because he would take the time to frame every minor detail to ensure that it had a strong “wow” factor,” emphasized Lihardinata.

In all, Khurniawan takes great pride in the content he created for Kudeta. For this reason, he was even more pleased when Kudeta earned the recognition that it did so early on in its festival run. It was chosen as an Official Selection at both Tampa Bay Underground Film Festival in Florida, as well as the Short to the Point Festival in Bucharest and will likely go on to inspire even more audiences as time progresses. In the meantime, the esteemed cinematographer is excited to try his hand at creating a documentary. He believes that it will allow him to exercise his instinct as opposed to allowing technical elements to dominate his content. Stay tuned for more.

Photo by Joshua Kang

Television

Television Host Dan Babic strives to be in the one percent

August 25, 2017 pressva Leave a comment

ce3bd4_df340a97e5394f55aad74e917fab9f0d — Dan Babic on set

Working in a field as gruelling as the entertainment industry is no small feat. Where most individuals see a daunting career path, plagued by unstable income and fierce competition, Australian entertainer Dan Babic has only ever seen a breadth of opportunity. It has never been about a steady pay check, or a permanent “nine to five,” but rather about embracing the unknown and the diversity of challenges that entertaining unveils. When most parents ask their child about what they’d like to be when they grow up, they often expect to hear answers like “famous entertainer” and simply hope that the novelty will wear off with age. This, however, was not the case for Babic’s mother and father, as his unwavering desire to entertain has only grown stronger over the years.

“Less than one per cent of the world’s entire population are at the top of the entertainment industry. So, if you want to be part of the one per cent, you have to be prepared to do what only one per cent of people can do,” notes Babic. Unsurprisingly, he is prepared to do just that and more. His relentless desire to share his talents with the world push him to test his own limits and to bring the unique elements of his personality to the industry in ways that other television personalities haven’t before. The result is a seemingly effortless combination of humour and realism that flavour his work in a unique way that one can only truly understand by witnessing him in action. The success that this up-and-coming entertainer has achieved so early on in his career is a result of his natural affinity for entertainment and his drive to showcase himself as an authentic television personality.

In 2016, when Babic was approached to host Fashion One’s Design Genius, Babic couldn’t resist accepting. The series centres around a “fashion-packed” competition that challenges fashion designers to create original and inventive clothing and accessories. A show of this nature requires an effective host. A host who isn’t afraid to challenge its competitors, but who also has the capacity to empathize with the designers and capitalize on the genuine moments that a testing competition orchestrates.

“I wanted to work on Design Genius, as the success the show relied entirely on the host’s ability to captivate, engage and connect a culturally diverse audience of over 400 million people from 173 countries. I wanted to showcase my ability of to unifying individuals of all different backgrounds. The show sought a distinctive, unique personality to host and I knew this is something I have to offer. I knew that I would be an asset to the project. It required a host with the rare skill set needed to take the audience on a journey from beginning, through the middle, to the end in an improvisational, yet precise fashion. This isn’t something that every television personality is able to do, but it is the exact hosting style that I thrive in and so I knew from the start that I was the only person for the job. What’s more, is that I had always dreamed of working with the show’s producer, Tone Innset,” tells Babic.

Fortunately, the reputation that Babic has established for himself presents him as a top tier television host and personality. When producers or directors are searching for a host, his name comes to mind almost instantaneously. Innset’s knowledge of Babic’s talents made her eager to work with the entertainer and Design Genuis’ viewers reaped the benefits.

“Mr. Babic performed the leading role of host for the series Design Genius, where he garnered a substantial amount of praise for himself and the series. In his leading role, his responsibilities required him to complete a number of tasks, including introducing the series, the contestants, and their projects for each and every episode. His larger than life personality allowed him to attract audiences to the show simply by listening to him or watching him, as his exciting interactions with his co-hosts and contestants were often unconventional in the approach, confronting aggressive contestants, or heartily joking and laughing with his fellow hosts and judges. It is imperative for a host to have such a personality, and to utilize their skillsets as a performer to convey this to the audience. In addition to the typical duties of a host, he was also responsible for leading the show as a judge, and he decided which contestants advanced to the subsequent rounds, which contestants were eliminated, and which contestants broke the rules and must be disqualified. Dan has a unique ability to command attention from his audience and the other contestants, as well as his other judges, highlighting his domineering on screen personality, which translates into increased viewership for the series as a whole,” says Innset.

The show’s wide reach is a testament to Babic’s mastery of television hosting and flawless ability to captivate his audience. What’s most impressive, however, is Babic’s ability to remain humble in his rise of fame. In the wake of praise, Babic remains true to himself. “What I like most about being an on-camera personality is that it feels like home. It completely lights me up in every way possible. When I’m hosting a television show, I feel an overwhelming sense of comfort in knowing that I am doing exactly what I am meant to do. The pure joy it brings me extends to all aspects of my life and helps me become the best version of myself that I can be. Words cannot describe how much I love and live for what I do and I am beyond grateful that I get to experience that every single day with my work. It is such a rare thing and I never forget that but I know that my success comes from my persistence, my fearlessness, my hard work and by simply trusting my intuition,” Babic states.

Babic’s talents as an entertainer are unparalleled. Television show creators would be hard-pressed to find a host more dynamic and at ease in front of the camera than him. He was born to be on screen and anyone who has seen his work knows that great things are in store for his future audiences.

Fashion, international Talent, Model

Model Francois Angoston’s athletic past is greatest asset

June 27, 2017 pressva Leave a comment

Growing up in Guadeloupe, Francois Angoston spent his time playing sports. He was always an athlete, always making sure to be in the best shape possible. Later in his life, when he had made the transition to modelling, his athletic build and instinctively hard work ethic from years of sports training became his greatest assets, and today he is known internationally as one of the best models to come from the Caribbean.

While modelling for the popular American department store Belk, Angoston’s history as an athlete proved to be vital. Modeling for the catalogue in the sportswear collection for the last four years due to his incredibly defined physique and the captivating intensity he expresses in his posing, Angoston is an asset to the catalogue and brand. He has modeled Belk’s premier collections that have featured brands like Nike and Under Armour, displaying every article of clothing from compression shorts, to sneakers, to tracksuits, and sweatpants. Not only do these images have appear on posters in the 293 stores across the country, they also appear in magazine ads, and on the company’s website.

“What I liked most about working for Belk, was that they gave me so many experiences. I did things I never did before and it was always a pleasure working with such a great team. Most of the time we were shooting sportive topics, I really enjoy being energetic and dynamic on shootings. It makes a lot of fun. One day I was shooting with a kid and had to give him a training on the field. It gave me a journey back in the days when I trained kids in sports. I love kids and it’s so great how much energy they have,” Angoston described.

Angoston immediately impressed the casting director with his confident movements and versatile look, and his talents for the brand initially made them keep asking for him to return each year. Not only did he get to display sporting wear, he modeled a variety of lines for the store.

“I wanted to work with this client I loved the diversity of their clothing collection. Working for Belk is always a great experience. We’re doing so many different things and I can play different roles. One day I’m wearing a classy suit, the other day I’m riding the surfboard, go fishing or flying in a helicopter. They always have great ideas, beautiful locations and a lot of adventures to offer. I’m always excited for the next shoot,” he said.

Megan Hurly, the Senior Art Director for Belk knows firsthand that a model’s work is a critical staple and necessity of the U.S. fashion advertising and marketing industries, and she says her company relies on the skill of professionals like Angoston.

“The work of a model frames our apparel lines, making it imperative to find ‘the one’ who can match our creative intentions and complement them. Because of Francois’ extraordinary talent and incredible look, I have cast him as a leading model for Belk for multiple collection campaigns and catalogues since 2013, initially casting him knowing he would be the perfect model to represent the company long-term. We only rehire models if they prove to be valuable to the Belk name and its commercial success and reach, and Francois has done exactly that, it is for this reason that he has become our go-to model for our catalogues,” said Hurley. “Francois is a unique and gifted model. He always creates success.”

Izod1 — Francois Angoston in IZOD campaign

Being at the top of his field, Angoston is extremely sought-after in the industry. Many brands look to him to represent them, and his look has resonated with many shoppers. His work with the clothing brand IZOD did just that.

“Only one month before the job I just arrived in Los Angeles. The first job with IZOD was one of my first, biggest jobs, so I really wanted to work on this. You think about the immediate exposure, but I also loved the fact that they are a modern sportswear brand. I always enjoy having jobs with some action,” said Angoston. “It was a great experience shooting with IZOD. I actually get to play golf, hockey and mobile ski – that was very fun. We were going on the beach and had a great time as I had the chance to meet very nice people. But more importantly, I learned a lot from the people I worked with, as I’m always very interested and observing in how they work and behave. This attribute always gives me a better understanding and with that, I pay a lot of attention to details.”

IZOD is a mid-range clothing company that produces dressy-casual clothing, sportswear for men, as well as footwear and accessories. They are known for their Harrington jackets, v-necks, and cardigan sweaters. Consumers seek out the brand in many stores across the country, and recognize Angoston as a face of it.

“I loved the energy working with IZOD, and the vibes within the team. Everybody was extremely friendly but very professional at the same time. I really enjoyed being surrounded by happy people, as I love to create those days as a joy too,” Angoston concluded. “I remember dancing in the snow, shirtless, and one time playing football wearing underpants. It was super fun and I loved the results. How can you not love these days? That’s why I love my job.”