Monday, May 25, 2020
Saturday, May 23, 2020
Why Should We Care About The Snyder Cut?
Years of campaigning for a director's cut that was repeatedly labelled a “pipe dream” by industry insiders has finally come to fruition, as Warner Bros. is using the fabled Snyder Cut of Justice League as a springboard to launch its new streaming service, HBO Max.
Cost estimates for completion of the director’s cut range from $20 to $30 million - a big investment for a film that is barely considered canon nowadays - the DC cinematic universe has since transcended the storytelling constraints of continuity.
But this isn’t just a treat for dedicated fans of Zack Snyder, and his specific vision of Superman and Batman - the complete cut also offers a peek behind the curtain, an opportunity to see how marketing forces reshape stories during production.
Regardless of how you view his storytelling abilities, or lack thereof, Snyder did have an ambitious plan for Justice League, originally involving time travel, the arrival of Darkseid, and “evil Superman” being a major plot element, rather than a single scene.
Personally, I’m not sure that Snyder’s finished vision will be particularly cohesive - but at least it will be the story he wanted to tell. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather watch a hubris-laden disaster from a place of genuine creative intent, rather than a generic, corporate crowd-pleaser.
The best example of an auteur-driven disaster overshadowing soulless storytelling is surely the two most-loathed Star Wars trilogies - the prequels and the sequels. At this point, the prequels have been so widely mocked that they’ve inspired an uncountable amount of memes, every single scene mined for unintentional humor. At the same time, said prequels are unironically enjoyed by many; after all, there are plenty of good ideas in there (just badly executed).
In contrast, the sequels are unlikely to spawn a meme community, or be admired for their ideas, because they were studio-driven films, treated as extended toy commercials, rather than stories. There is no singular vision, or even a theme, to unite them; hence, the wildly shifting tone between Last Jedi and Rise of Skywalker, as Disney desperately tried to steer the ship into calmer, more profitable waters.
Just like Rise of Skywalker, the original Justice League isn’t offensive, or hilariously awful; it’s just ... boring. The edges were sanded off, the weirdness whittled away, as the film was reshaped into an empty echo of a Marvel movie.
The Snyder Cut isn’t likely to inspire a new wave of rain-spattered, Randian interpretations of superhero stories, but it is going to highlight how the market distorts stories, showing the audience exactly what the studio chose to remove.
Most film fans are interested in this sort of thing - it’s always intriguing to be offered a glimpse behind the curtain. Kevin Smith once brought this up while discussing the Snyder Cut, comparing the situation to the advent of behind-the-scenes DVD extras, and the misplaced assumption that audiences weren’t interested in seeing how films were made.
“I think there's a common thought process, probably within the studio - and again, no studio has said this to me, but I would assume that they're like, ‘We can’t show people this ... no audience would be able to look at this and see what the director's intent was.’ I disagree ... I think the audience now, particularly the audience that would consume the Snyder Cut, and discuss it at great length, can watch a workprint. They can watch a work-in-progress and fill in the blanks in their heads.
Whether the Snyder Cut is “good” or not is almost irrelevant - it’s an opportunity to see how the sausage was made; it might still be inedible, sure, but at least we’ll get to see the state of the processing plant.
Cost estimates for completion of the director’s cut range from $20 to $30 million - a big investment for a film that is barely considered canon nowadays - the DC cinematic universe has since transcended the storytelling constraints of continuity.
But this isn’t just a treat for dedicated fans of Zack Snyder, and his specific vision of Superman and Batman - the complete cut also offers a peek behind the curtain, an opportunity to see how marketing forces reshape stories during production.
Regardless of how you view his storytelling abilities, or lack thereof, Snyder did have an ambitious plan for Justice League, originally involving time travel, the arrival of Darkseid, and “evil Superman” being a major plot element, rather than a single scene.
Personally, I’m not sure that Snyder’s finished vision will be particularly cohesive - but at least it will be the story he wanted to tell. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather watch a hubris-laden disaster from a place of genuine creative intent, rather than a generic, corporate crowd-pleaser.
The best example of an auteur-driven disaster overshadowing soulless storytelling is surely the two most-loathed Star Wars trilogies - the prequels and the sequels. At this point, the prequels have been so widely mocked that they’ve inspired an uncountable amount of memes, every single scene mined for unintentional humor. At the same time, said prequels are unironically enjoyed by many; after all, there are plenty of good ideas in there (just badly executed).
In contrast, the sequels are unlikely to spawn a meme community, or be admired for their ideas, because they were studio-driven films, treated as extended toy commercials, rather than stories. There is no singular vision, or even a theme, to unite them; hence, the wildly shifting tone between Last Jedi and Rise of Skywalker, as Disney desperately tried to steer the ship into calmer, more profitable waters.
Just like Rise of Skywalker, the original Justice League isn’t offensive, or hilariously awful; it’s just ... boring. The edges were sanded off, the weirdness whittled away, as the film was reshaped into an empty echo of a Marvel movie.
The Snyder Cut isn’t likely to inspire a new wave of rain-spattered, Randian interpretations of superhero stories, but it is going to highlight how the market distorts stories, showing the audience exactly what the studio chose to remove.
Most film fans are interested in this sort of thing - it’s always intriguing to be offered a glimpse behind the curtain. Kevin Smith once brought this up while discussing the Snyder Cut, comparing the situation to the advent of behind-the-scenes DVD extras, and the misplaced assumption that audiences weren’t interested in seeing how films were made.
“I think there's a common thought process, probably within the studio - and again, no studio has said this to me, but I would assume that they're like, ‘We can’t show people this ... no audience would be able to look at this and see what the director's intent was.’ I disagree ... I think the audience now, particularly the audience that would consume the Snyder Cut, and discuss it at great length, can watch a workprint. They can watch a work-in-progress and fill in the blanks in their heads.
Whether the Snyder Cut is “good” or not is almost irrelevant - it’s an opportunity to see how the sausage was made; it might still be inedible, sure, but at least we’ll get to see the state of the processing plant.
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
When Function, Fashion, And Politics Intersect
The new normal… What is that in the time of coronavirus when unprecedented changes are reported every hour? This pandemic is affecting all areas of life, including fashion and politics: two of the world’s oldest socially distant friends. Here is a first brief look at this fascinating intersection as historic news and instantly iconic imagery continue to stream in.
Slovakia rarely commands global attention. However, this Eastern European nation made fashion history over the weekend when its president, Zuzana Čaputová, swore in the new government wearing a matching outfit, complete with a color-coordinated face mask. In fact, all members of the cabinet posed for the requisite photo in protective masks. To many, the unsettling image felt like a promo campaign for a dystopian television series or a provocative editorial spread. “Twitter cannot comprehend this,” read viral headlines. It is unclear if the move will go down as a faux pas or a brave stance.
Slovakia rarely commands global attention. However, this Eastern European nation made fashion history over the weekend when its president, Zuzana Čaputová, swore in the new government wearing a matching outfit, complete with a color-coordinated face mask. In fact, all members of the cabinet posed for the requisite photo in protective masks. To many, the unsettling image felt like a promo campaign for a dystopian television series or a provocative editorial spread. “Twitter cannot comprehend this,” read viral headlines. It is unclear if the move will go down as a faux pas or a brave stance.
Vestidos de Cerimonia
Just 48 hours later we got another glimpse of our alternate reality. While visiting a hospital treating COVID-19 patients outside of Moscow, Russian president Vladimir Putin wore a nuclear-grade yellow hazmat suit. The world is accustomed to seeing him in stately Kremlin attire or shirtless on a horse, so this struck a raw nerve with people. For weeks, Russia has been reporting zero fatalities and virtually no infections. Putin’s new look sent conflicting messages and “launched a thousand memes.”Friday, March 20, 2020
Can Traceable Footwear Change The Fashion Industry’s Attitude Towards Leather?
The founder of a company that’s created traceable leather footwear is hoping her invention will help improve animal welfare across the globe and change attitudes towards leather.
Josefin Liljeqvist, a 29-year-old from Sweden, had the seeds of an idea in 2015, after spending numerous years volunteering for animal welfare charity WWF.
"I noticed that the vast majority of individuals I met on the street of Stockholm, did not see animals as a crucial part of the ecosystem," she says. "So I decided to use my background within the fashion and footwear industry to lead the change I know the world needs."
Liljeqvist launched the eponymous company in 2017, purposefully deciding against using vegan leather as she wanted to address the "root of the problem".
"We need to decrease the amount of animals that exist within the industrial farming [sector] and increase their quality of life."
Liljeqvist believes happier cows release less methane, and there is some research that supports this.
Although this is yet to be universally scientifically recognized, the entrepreneur is still eager to improve the quality of the animals’ lives, regardless of methane emissions.
Liljeqvist opted to target the high end of the fashion market – reasoning that trends "always go top to bottom" – and work with the highest end tanneries, farms and shoemakers she could find.
"The changes in the industry are clear," she explains. "We are rapidly moving away from mass production and zero experience-driven platforms towards mission-driven brands who have long term commitments, not only towards their customers, but to the planet also."
The entrepreneur says her main challenges have been to find the right partners who shared the same standards. "In the end we’re innovating and turning a traditional market upside down, and this doesn’t happen painlessly.
"But we finally found partners – from farmers to shoemakers – who believed in what we are doing and decided to stick with us."
Each shoe’s leather can be traced back to its origin using a unique number combination. The customer can then "de-code" the footwear on the company’s website and find out exactly how and where the shoe was made.
Liljeqvist also partners with various other Swedish brands in order to work towards creating new commerce standards for animals in the country.
"We’re also part of an international work group, which is led by Textile Exchange, called Responsible Leather, and we focus on those same standards for bovine creatures worldwide."
Liljeqvist’s company is made up of five employees, divided between Italy and Sweden, with the design studio based in her hometown of Uppsala.
The shoes do not come cheap, but that’s the whole point of Liljeqvist’s mission: to make animal leather a valuable product, thus valuing the animals themselves. A pair retails at around 2,800EUR, and pre-sales began in December 2019, with the company’s first line "Andrew".
"2020 is our first year in the market," Liljeqvist explains, "but our plan is to become an internationally strong and influential brand. We aspire to grow from shoes over to a full conceptual fashion house with a non-profit organization that helps animals in need, and presents a new price model for farming."
Liljeqvist is pitting her company against fashion giants such as Burberry, Tom Ford and Chanel, although this year is the brand’s first on the market.
Josefin Liljeqvist, a 29-year-old from Sweden, had the seeds of an idea in 2015, after spending numerous years volunteering for animal welfare charity WWF.
"I noticed that the vast majority of individuals I met on the street of Stockholm, did not see animals as a crucial part of the ecosystem," she says. "So I decided to use my background within the fashion and footwear industry to lead the change I know the world needs."
Liljeqvist launched the eponymous company in 2017, purposefully deciding against using vegan leather as she wanted to address the "root of the problem".
"We need to decrease the amount of animals that exist within the industrial farming [sector] and increase their quality of life."
Liljeqvist believes happier cows release less methane, and there is some research that supports this.
Although this is yet to be universally scientifically recognized, the entrepreneur is still eager to improve the quality of the animals’ lives, regardless of methane emissions.
Liljeqvist opted to target the high end of the fashion market – reasoning that trends "always go top to bottom" – and work with the highest end tanneries, farms and shoemakers she could find.
"The changes in the industry are clear," she explains. "We are rapidly moving away from mass production and zero experience-driven platforms towards mission-driven brands who have long term commitments, not only towards their customers, but to the planet also."
The entrepreneur says her main challenges have been to find the right partners who shared the same standards. "In the end we’re innovating and turning a traditional market upside down, and this doesn’t happen painlessly.
"But we finally found partners – from farmers to shoemakers – who believed in what we are doing and decided to stick with us."
Each shoe’s leather can be traced back to its origin using a unique number combination. The customer can then "de-code" the footwear on the company’s website and find out exactly how and where the shoe was made.
Liljeqvist also partners with various other Swedish brands in order to work towards creating new commerce standards for animals in the country.
"We’re also part of an international work group, which is led by Textile Exchange, called Responsible Leather, and we focus on those same standards for bovine creatures worldwide."
Liljeqvist’s company is made up of five employees, divided between Italy and Sweden, with the design studio based in her hometown of Uppsala.
The shoes do not come cheap, but that’s the whole point of Liljeqvist’s mission: to make animal leather a valuable product, thus valuing the animals themselves. A pair retails at around 2,800EUR, and pre-sales began in December 2019, with the company’s first line "Andrew".
"2020 is our first year in the market," Liljeqvist explains, "but our plan is to become an internationally strong and influential brand. We aspire to grow from shoes over to a full conceptual fashion house with a non-profit organization that helps animals in need, and presents a new price model for farming."
Liljeqvist is pitting her company against fashion giants such as Burberry, Tom Ford and Chanel, although this year is the brand’s first on the market.
Monday, December 30, 2019
Jumpstart Your Happy New Year
A new year, a new decade. Make the most of your horizons ahead by being open to possibilities. Say yes to opportunity more than no. Nurture wanderlust, embracing travel and its transformative magic. The following uplifting encouragements are paired with evocative images by Getty photographers. Go ahead. See how far 2020 can take you. Or, rather, decide how far you will take 2020 and beyond. Here, notable quotes to ponder along the way.
One of the best places to stay is The Balmoral, the grand hotel where JK Rowling wrote her final book in the famous Harry Potter book series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. If you stay in the JK Rowling suite, you’ll see the historic bust that she signed when she finished the novel. Conveniently located at One Princes street right beside Waverley train station, the hotel provides some of the best views up to Edinburgh Castle. In fact, The Balmoral was originally known as the North British Station Hotel, owned by the North British Railway Company when it opened in 1902. The time in the clock tower has always been deliberately set three minutes fast to ensure that train passengers who were running late made it to their trains. The hotel has been a Rocco Forte property since 1997, one of only two UK hotels in the luxury group.
Thursday, November 28, 2019
How Data Helps Fight Fashion Waste
Geeks and fashion don’t usually mix. Software engineers and other technology professionals are known for their reliance on t-shirts, sandals (often worn with socks) or sneakers and a predilection for wearing shorts in the freezing rain and snow. A bold fashion statement for most software engineers is making the decision to dye their hair green or blue.
But putting techie stereotypes aside for a moment, a new intersection point between the tech community and the fashion industry cognoscenti could be surfacing. The fashion industry is notoriously bad at product waste… and technology wants to come to the rescue.
Just hanging around
The BBC has reported one recent example where a fashion designer has helped to develop recyclable clothes hangers. Data analytics applied across fashion industry supply chains has shown the scale of waste in the business; designer Roland Mouret suggests that single-use clothes hangers are the ‘plastic straw’ of the fashion industry.
Working with scientists, Mouret and his team have developed a new hanger constructed from 80% recycled ‘recovered sea plastic’ and 20% recyclable plastic. The hanger problem is not just down to customers discarding them after purchase; apparently some fashion companies ship clothes on cheap hangers (which are then thrown away) before they transfer products to ‘fancier’ hangers in store.
Hanger recycling company First Mile says that hangers take 1,000 years to break down in landfill. Clearly we need smarter supply chains, smarter city distribution networks, smarter adoption of recycled products and smarter hangers if we are going to combat this waste.
Ball Dresses
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