LIGHT
A fASHION FILM
FOR TAILOR ME
WATCH THE VIDEO
South African director Robert dos Santos Film and Commercials Director
light
Light is a fashion film produced by And. and created for South African suit brand Tailor Me, a tailoring house specialising in one of a kind pieces made primarily for male customers.
The fashion film served as the flagship advertisement for the 2019 year and set Tailor Me apart from its rivals as the premiere label in South Africa.
Utilising Josh Kempen, local Warner Music Group artists with whom we had worked with before we created a strong visual look for Tailor Me for the 2019 year.
The concept
While riding on an electric motorised skateboard through a safari park in South Africa I noticed that the people who drove by in their cars were looking at me in a strange way.
I wondered to myself what they would think of me had I been wearing a suit. It was from this moment, and discussions with Tailor Me, who were looking to create a fashion film, that the idea for Light was born.
In addition to the skateboarding, the concept of two different people, living within one person was prominent in my mind. The need to express this was the final formation in the creation of Light.
BLACK & WHITE
The subtle narrative which runs throughout the video is the contrast between two different persons, the light and the dark.
The most effective way to demonstrate this was to employ the use of black and white techniques in order to visually display this contrast.
The use of two different suits served as a simple but prominent way in which to display the two different ideas.
THE CITY
Johannesburg CBD located in South Africa was the location for filming and was chosen for its high contrast locations which added a sense of austerity and sobriety to the film.
The streets and the architecture serve as the path for the journey of the character as he moves from light to dark and once again back into light.
THE WARDROBE
In essence Light is a ballet movement whereby the hero makes a journey from light to darkness and back to light.
In contrast to traditional ballets the hero is set within the western masculine uniform of a suit.
The suit serves as both the armour which our hero wears as well as the means by which we identify his traits.
THE HERO
Having worked with Josh Kempen in the creation of his music video Promises, a strong working bond was created and he served as the perfect personality for the shoot.
The hero in this loose narrative is a man who moves from light to darkness and back into light. This happens through a subtle movement in his change from both his wardrobe to the direction of his movements.
MOVEMENT
Movement, or the lack thereof, is an incredibly important and effective tool in film. In addition, the direction of the movement always serves a purpose.
In this journey our white character only moves to the right or straight whereas our dark character moves constantly to the left, in opposition of what is standard for natural movement of the eye.
johannesburg cbd
Johannesburg CBD located in South Africa was the location for filming and was chosen for its high contrast locations which added a sense of austerity and sobriety to the film.
The sometimes brutalist and stark architecture of the apartheid era architects juxtaposed by the flaring architecture of post apartheid features like the Nelson Mandela bridge allow for a dramatic backdrop.
Most importantly, the locations featured strong contrasts between their light and dark spacings, allowing for strong visually interactions between both black and white elements within the medium.
