PHOTOGRAPHIC TRADITION



This is where I want to make another bold choice.

I want to shoot our footage entirely with a "locked camera" approach, allowing motion and the people within the frame to be the driving force of the storytelling. I believe a handheld, or more non-fiction "content" approach, is not only too obvious, but ultimately becomes a distraction and a crutch. Let's go against the grain. Simplicity is key, and I want our visuals to reflect that.

This is a direct reference to the Americanan photographic tradition. This is how we've so often viewed the heartland of America, as explored through the work of William Eggleston, Stephen Shore, Alec Soth, and others — the static image. Let's lean on that for our shooting style.

What I also love is that it's a visual language we naturally associate with fashion. I absolutely love the standing portraits you've referenced for the styling supers, and I want to take that one step further by making a singular visual choice that gives these portraits additional thematic weight while keeping the focus on the amazing styling of JCPenney.

Put simply, we're going to lock the camera off, and these portraits are going to feel truly unique.

I'll save you the boring technical details, but the short version is that I'm going to build a custom optical shooting solution that will give these portraits their captivating look.

I've attached a reference of this technique for you. You'll notice a fuller depth of field, a striking focal plane that gives sharp detail to the selected subject, and a gorgeous falloff throughout the rest of the frame. If you've ever fallen in love with the large-format photography of fashion editorials, we're going to recreate that feeling for the moving image.

I think we should reserve this look for the character portraits so they stand apart, while keeping the locked-off aesthetic throughout the rest of the film to ground everything in a cohesive visual language.

Really excited about this. Can't wait to chat about it!