There were several responsibilities that the creative director had throughout the creation of this issue: helping develop ideas for photo shoots; preparing for, facilitating and producing those photo shoots; providing a lot of feedback through the photo editing process; choosing clothing and themes to be featured in the issue; communicating with all levels and departments about various tasks, and being present for several meetings and trips.
2. Critique of one feature.
As beautiful as the feature was on the 20s and as lovely as some of the color blocking shots were, my favorite was the shoot that she incorporated the documentary crew in. It was a really fun idea that she developed around her experience, and it took a lot of thought to be able to envision what the final product would look like after being meshed together. I also love that she tried to keep some of the reality of the photo. I feel like that brought some integrity to the shoot. (versus when they were talking about manipulating Sienna's neck - by the way, she was a hot mess in this film.) The plain drop cloth in the background created a fantastic mood and space for the photos. It also allowed a good contrast for the simplicity of the set up and the intensity (and technical complexities) of the subject's actions and poses.
3. Relationship between creative director and editor.
Well, the creative director interacted with several editors and I felt that a lot of the relationships were strained. While they may get along in a professional sense, I think it was easy to see that the creative director took personal offense when her photos were being edited down. (Don't get me wrong, they were beautiful; and some of the cuts seemed super harsh. But, in reality, I feel like this process should get old and tired after awhile. However, she seemed to be just as passionate as she most likely was years and years ago.) I think both women mentioned that they understood one another enough to know what they liked or didn't, what they would say or wouldn't, how they would react, and that stubbornness was a shared quality. Each woman, however fought for what they wanted. It just so happens (as it was mentioned several times throughout the film) that the editor's opinion carried the most weight.
4. The job of the creative director.
I am sure this position looks different from publication to publication and probably incorporates a wide variety of responsibilities and dedication. What surprised me was the amount of work that the creative director did on her own. She mentioned she was probably one of the last directors to actually help the models dress and prepare for the shoots. I am sure that is the case for several of her activities throughout the preparation of an issue. I was really impressed with the amount of passion (for lack of a better word, I know I already used it) with which she acted. She threw herself into each task and really stood up (or spoke up, rather) for what she believed would be best for the issue. I think it is hard to go through the editing process and find out that parts of your design are being thrown out, and for her, this happened several times on a much larger scale than I have ever dealt with. She's tough, and I think the creative director needs to be tough.
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