How do you make a profile film about somebody whose whole job is making other people look good?

You let him work, and you stay out of the way

A fashion creative in Los Angeles wanted a short film about himself, the person behind the gowns and the red carpet looks, not another lookbook

I produced and directed it, about two and a half minutes

Natural light, no studio tricks

We shot it in his own studio in natural light, at the desk, on the sofa, a camera that sits quietly instead of a big rig that makes everybody stiff

Here is the deal with profile films, the second a person feels "filmed" they start performing, and the whole thing dies

So the interview moments are loose, real laughs, real pauses

Ever watched a profile where every sentence sounds rehearsed? you stop believing it by the second line

Show the process

Then you show the work happening. Leafing through a big printed book of his images, reviewing frames on screen, retouching a portrait on the laptop

That's the part people never see and always want to, how the picture gets from the camera to the page

Between the talking, the portfolio itself cuts in, a gown floating mid-air in the opening, the red carpet looks, the city at night outside the window

Why a personal brand needs this

Clients hire people, not portfolios. A portfolio says what you can do, a two minute film says what you're like to work with

And that is the question every art director and every brand manager is really asking before they book anybody, right? will this person make my day easier or harder

Same reason I shoot behind the scenes on every one of my own fashion shoots

Producer and camera, one person

With the producer behind the viewfinder there's no crew of six in a small studio, no meeting about where to put the lights. I see the moment and I'm there, and he keeps working like I'm not

I liked working with that studio enough that a couple of years later I pitched shooting their collection on location across five European cities

More of my fashion films are in the Fashion Videographer gallery, and behind the scenes of my own shoots in the Behind The Scenes gallery

Two minutes, one person, no acting

Length: 2 min 32 s · Producer & director: David Victory, VRSET video production, Los Angeles & Orange County

Key moments

  • 0:00 Opening: the floating gown
  • 0:18 In the studio
  • 0:31 Red-carpet look
  • 1:09 At the desk
  • 1:22 City at night
  • 1:34 Reviewing the printed portfolio
  • 2:00 Retouching on screen
  • 2:25 Closing logo

See the matching photography in the Fashion Videographer gallery.

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Planning a video or a fashion shoot? Contact David Victory or call (310) 988-6575 in Los Angeles, (949) 873-4551 in Orange County. Free consultation and quote for first-time clients.