LIONESS AND THE HUNTER

Fashion film by Alex Browning

Published on 18 January 2016

 

London based filmmaker Alex Browning is the director behind the fashion film Lioness And The Hunter which sees the filmmaker explore the internal mechanisms of human being, and the psychology of the relations between beauty of nature and violence. 
His previous films have been nominated at Aesthetica Short Film Festival, Coca-Cola Cinemagic International Film Festival, Belfast and won a Virgin Media Pioneers award. Alex writes+directs branded content and fashion films. He's worked with Honda, YouTube, Facebook Creative Shop, Bank Of Scotland, and created a series for Topman. Alex has been recognised in the Courvoisier TheFuture500 and was a finalist for the Casio G-Shock 'Spirit of Toughness' award, hosted by Dazed & Confused magazine. Last year he was shortlisted for the European edition of the Google Creative 5.

photography by Sam Pyatt

photography by Sam Pyatt
sampyatt.com
@sam.pyatt

 

Your latest film LIONESS AND THE HUNTER looks at the role that women play in the fashion industry. Where did the inspiration and motivation for this piece come from, and what message does it seek to convey?
The point I was trying to make, and I don't know if I've succeeded or that it's entirely clear, is that in the fashion industry women (more so than men) have a shelf-life and are 'hunted' for their 'skin' until they are deemed not good enough. I deliberately had the hunter as an androgynous female rather than a male. So it was women hunting other women. 

How did the overall look and feel of the film develop? Are there any filmmakers, artists or designers in particular that have influenced the piece?
I wrote the idea for the piece (in my head) in 2014, I mentioned it to a photographer friend of mine Sam Pyatt, who said we should collaborate. That idea was left there, in my head, for a while. Until a stylist came to me and wanted to collaborate. Then things started moving. I sat down and wrote the treatment there and then in a day and pulled in a crew of talents such as Aaron Rogers the DoP and Mario Brooksbank the films' make-up artist. The setting and the world I created lives in the fantastical. Influenced by magik realism and directors like Guillermo Del Toro. 

photography by Sam Pyatt

Lioness and the Hunter plays with the stereotypical roles of men and women in the fashion industry and beyond. In your opinion, why is short film, particularly fashion film, a suitable medium for this?
The reason I chose to do a fashion film, rather than a straight traditional narrative film was that I could experiment with the world I wanted to create, in a short and punchy way. But also highlight, albeit loosely, the social issues. I've done this in an abstract way - which may or may not be easy to 'get' right away. But historically I've found this more engaging and interesting, rather than doing a 'talking heads' documentary piece.

As a writer and director, how does this new work differ from previous projects?
This work differs from my previous projects as it's my first real 'push' into the fashion film medium. A medium that really hasn't found itself yet, unlike music videos, TV commercials or traditional film. I'm used to making branded content and short films. I wanted to do something in between - using fashion to shape the idea, but still using the fantasy setting that I've used so often in my short dramas. I'd like to do something like this again, on a much bigger scale and with actors. I'm looking for brands and platforms to collaborate with. 

You’ve come a long way from low-budget music videos. Can you talk about how your work has developed since then?
Since my music video OYE! 'When I'm Small (remix)' ... I've actually not really done a music video since! I ended up doing around 12 no-to-low budget music videos at uni. Some won a few awards and got me some unexpected recognition. But I ended up working in production in advertising after graduating and that lead me to direct commercials and branded content. I've made six short films since 2012. My latest, 'Scarecrow', was developed via Creative England. I have another short in pre-production 'Night To The Road' in collaboration with Actor/Filmmaker Femi Oyeniran. And a my first feature in development too. So in terms of development practically; bigger production values, budgets and stronger stories. 

LIONESS AND THE HUNTER draws upon the talents of numerous creatives. How did you find the process of collaboration, and why is this important to fashion films such as this?
​The process of collaboration can be testing at times. So it was a process of patience and trusting each other. We had a real honest transparency that meant we all knew to some degree where some strengths and weaknesses were. But it was still very fun and a great learning experience for us all. 
For a piece like this, a self-made project, collaboration is so important. I've said it before, it may sound cliched, but I'm not necessarily an 'independent filmmaker' even when making a project like this, without a commissioner. The success of the film is so reliant on the cohesiveness of the team and their talents. It's not all about me. I had a great editor Benjamin Leach who just 'got' it, a really talented composer Tom Ryan, the best sound designers I could ask for in George Castle and Rob Furnell and a slick grade from Joseph Bicknell that made the piece more polished than I could have hoped for. A film like this, has given us all the opportunity to work on something to a high level and elevate our respective practice. Looking forward to the next one!

For more information on Alex Browning and his projects visit his website.