NEW YORK — “A lot of lighting designers have adverse relationships with photographers,” noted Seth Bernstein, guest designer for four fashion shows supported by Tinc Design & Productions during New York’s Fashion Week for Fall, 2009, which was held in mid-February. “We really tried to be on the same team with them.”
The big picture, of course, is to put the fashions in their best light, for both those attending the fashion shows in person and those eventually eyeing the clothing on the printed page or Web. “We gave them lighting tests and really communicated, which resulted in some high-quality photographs,” Bernstein said.
The events, part of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2009, also required quick thinking on the part of production manager Ryan Kirk to pull off a successful series of well-lit shoots on short notice and with a limited budget.
“We used similar equipment for each production,” said Kirk, of events staged on four different days. “That saved money and time. Because Seth was involved in all four shows, he was able to tailor his designs around budget and feasibility to make the design stronger.”
Other challenges surfaced in these smaller venues. With a lack of conventional rigging points and very little power, Tinc’s preproduction process focused on safely realizing the designer’s goals.
“Seth was very clear about what he needed and we had to work out the safest way to accomplish it given the space. This required a lot of dialogue and an amalgamation of equipment and ideas to arrive at a solution which preserved Seth’s intentions while working with the realities of a particular venue,” Kirk added, also noting that despite some constraints, Tinc was still afforded a lot of choice and creative say in making each show unique. The overall goal for the four dates was to use lights that were able to spawn good pictures and foster good theatrics, which fit in nicely with Bernstein’s experience in lighting film and television sets.
“The first two shows were presentations, really built around a set,” said Bernstein. “There are no walks. The models stand around, and editors view the collection as their photographers take pictures.”
Berstein pointed out that for such types of shows, the designers typically use the set to bolster the statement about the collection. Bernstein approached it like a photo shoot, producing looks that created contrast and gave the benefit of visual theatrics for those working the cameras — lighting the set pieces and implementing a more sculptural light on the models themselves. For the two more conventional runway shows, Bernstein and crew use an unconventional approach. The clothing designers were using lots of black, which requires much more illumination.
“It just so happened that these two shows had a skylight,” Bernstein added, so HMIs were the obvious choice due to their brightness and high color temperature. “That was a really nice effect. Instead of fighting natural daylight, we used it as an element.” Bernstein noted that, typically, a fashion designer has to do a runway show and then a look book shoot. The Tinc crew was able to deliver both.
Kirk also credited Scharff Weisberg for “an amazing job. Due to budget constraints, we went back and forth on gear revisions trying to make the order as cost effective as possible.”
Scharff Weisberg’s staff, Kirk said, worked with Tinc for weeks, helping them get it right, and even made personal trips to deliver additional equipment.
“They make me feel like I am their only client,” said Kirk, who also gave accolades to the venues. “The folks at Drive-In Studios, Openhouse Gallery, and Milk Gallery were immensely helpful and professional. It was a pleasure working with everyone during this hectic but rewarding week.” Although Fashion Week will always have its hectic moments, Bernstein credited those involved, including Kirk and Tinc’s Lance Darcy, for keeping them to a minimum with careful planning. “Anticipation can save you from a lot of headaches.”
For more information, please visit www.tincproductions.com.
