Brooke James
"Film is an inhale, photography is an exhale. I can’t have one without the other."
Final edit
Title: Running with the Wolves
Featured: Outtakes
Outtakes
Q&A
Give us some background on this project.
Mimi and I became friends after working together on numerous occasions over the years, but we’ve never had time to collaborate on a project where we’ve had creative control.
A few months ago, we both happened to be in Sydney and realised we had a day off before we both flew out again and decided to go for it. We had 4 days to pull everything together. I showed Mimi a concept that I’ve wanted to shoot for years but didn’t know where I’d find the outfit as it was something that was reserved more for a costume designer, rather than a stylist. Mimi took one look at the image and said, “I actually have the perfect Paco Rabanne dress that I got in Paris, which enables you to build the outfit into whatever design you want!” So, Mimi and her Mum created the outfit from scratch using pliers. It took 2 days.
I told Mimi that I’d love to have her on an isolated beach at night because I knew once the light hit the water and reflected onto the gold dress, it was going to be truly amazing. Mimi happened to know of a secluded beach with a massive boulder, and that was that! Once I picked up the camera, I instantly realised how other-worldly and special all of the elements were and knew I had to take some stills to accompany the film before the lights ran out of battery, and the rest is history.
I always love working with Mimi. She’s such a trouper and is down to do anything if she believes in the concept. So, for this, we just leaned in, rolled with the punches, and followed our instincts.
Why was the final edit selected over the outtakes?
I originally sent Mimi a dropbox folder with all of the final images and included one edit I had experimented on. I’d manipulated it in a way that reminded me of a poster or album cover art and she was really drawn to the fact it felt like a collage. I’d never created anything like that before so I went back and edited the rest in a similar vein and we ran with those. I don’t have a bias, I love both edits equally for different reasons.
Any cheeky moments during this project that you'd be willing to share?
I don’t know about cheeky, but my poor assistant didn’t know where to look because there was no way of securing the dress whilst shooting due to the way Mimi was moving. Watching Jonty look off into the distance, pretending something caught his eye all night did make me laugh, haha! Always the gentleman.
Shed some light on how you got involved in this career.
I got involved in photography not long after starting university when I was 17. I was studying Communications at the time and wanted to teach myself to DOP so I bought my first DSLR and decided to teach myself to shoot both stills and motion simultaneously.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Mainly old movies, nostalgia and an amalgamation of abstract images/scenes I see in my head that I create back stories for. From there I turn them into editorials or short films.
What’s it like being on set with you?
I’m not sure, you’d have to ask someone else! But I would hope that people would say fun, inspiring, and feeling like they were in a safe space.
Do you prefer a large or small team on set?
Really depends. For intricate jobs with a lot of moving parts, I love big teams. I’ve come to realise over the years that you can’t always do everything yourself. On the flip side of that, I also love small teams for personal projects because that allows for intimacy and the chance to experiment with zero expectations.
Describe your ideal project.
A modern day Kate Moss/Mario Sorrenti. Myself, a model, a remote location and a suitcase full of amazing clothes, or the polar opposite. Build an entire set with elaborate propping/lighting design and extensive planning to tell an amazing story.
Express what your work means to you.
Film is an inhale, photography is an exhale. I can’t have one without the other. Film is a lot more complex, there’s so many different elements and complexities that come along with motion. Not to say one is harder than the other, as they both have their own unique set of challenges. But for me, photography is more relaxing, whereas film really makes me think on a different level.
Social media for artists… Give us your thoughts.
There’s some iconic images that have slipped through the cracks due to our short attention spans and small screens. On the contrary, it’s also opened up the flood gates to so much creativity and access to inspiration.
Do you have any suggestions to budding artists?
“Be fearless, provocative and fight for your dreams” - Donatella Versace said it best.
Why do you think it's important for outtakes to be featured?
Because sometimes the outtakes are more thought-provoking or beautiful than the originals.
What’s next for you?
Absolutely. But, I’m sworn to secrecy. You’ll know when you see it!
Share a quote you live by.
“Fuck it, might as well” (applicable to almost every scenario) or “It’s me against me, there’s no way I’m losing”.
How can people follow your work?