Clothing The Star In Lang's Latest Shoot
Sun Herald
Sunday October 29, 2006
SAMANTHA Lang is used to collaborating with cinematographers and actors on her acclaimed art-house films, including The Well and the French-language L'Idole, but in her latest project clothes took a more central role.
When representatives of the David Lawrence fashion label approached her to "direct" a series of photographs representing its autumn/winter collection, Lang didn't hesitate. "This has been a fantastic project, I think, because I haven't done a fashion shoot before, ever," she said. It also let her use techniques she had not yet employed in her work. "One of the things I've been interested in both in theatre and in film is trying to use back projection," said Lang, 38. "I wanted to use old archival photos of Sydney and composite them and then have them reflected in a mirror and put the model in front." The resulting images pay homage to Sydney and a 1960s trilogy of films - La Notte, L'Avventura and L'Eclisse - by one of Lang's favourite directors, Michelangelo Antonioni.While Lang is used to working with scripts and dialogue, she said she found the perceived restrictions of working in the photographic medium liberating."In fashion it's much more subtle," she said, "and it's much more about gesture and attitude and the look and the gaze and the pose." Lang said that before having daughter Frederique (or Freddy), now two, with director husband Jeremy Sims, she was very into fashion. "I have to admit my grooming has diminished somewhat since then," she said with a laugh.Next up for Lang is a new film project, The Roseville Story, which will have its first read-through with actors next month.
© 2006 Sun Herald