Vogue readers would give their souls just to take a look at Vogue fashion editorials’ backstages.
Today you’ll learn everything about fashion shoot backstages, how they work and how many people work hard every day to get photoshoots done.
There are 4 main figures behind a fashion photoshoot: the photographer, the stylist, the make-up artist, and the model. Sometimes there is also a video maker, a hair stylist (if the make-up artist won’t do the hair), the photographer and stylist’s assistants and more than one model.
Before everything even begins the photographer or the stylist has to send the call sheet to the model’s agency.
A call sheet it’s a detailed timeline that describes what the model will do, for who (the client if it’s a fashion campaign or a lookbook), the time meeting for the whole team, the location and it requires all team’s phone numbers.
8:30 AM
On the shoot day, all the team meets between 8:30 and 9:00 am to start prepping the set.If it’s a fashion campaign or a lookbook there will be the client too that will overview the whole shooting process.
9:00-10:30 AM
A the beginning of the day everything is really slow and relaxed, too much sometimes, everyone meet and have coffee together etc.
The photographer and his assistants choose the first scene to shoot, they then prep the lighting and add the props.
At the same time, the stylist and her assistant begin to unpack all the clothes that arrived on the set (sometimes samples are delivered by ponies, other times it’s the stylist herself that brings them on the set) and the assistant starts to steam them to make sure they have no wrinkles.
Clothes have to be as perfect as possible in order for the photographer to do less post production which is very pricy nowadays.
In the meantime, the make-up artist (or mua, but remember if both makeup and hair have been done by the same person you have to say mua and hair) has to start prepping the model. The model must arrive on the set without makeup and nail polish.
The mua has usually up to an hour to finish the makeup.
In America usually, there’s always a prop stylist too who’s responsible for the set design.
10:30- 1:00 AM-PM
When the model is ready, the stylist dresses her for the first look. Usually, the stylist chooses all the strongest looks for these first shots because the model usually is a bit stiff at the beginning. A beautiful dress can help both the photographer and the model gaining confidence and getting inspired.
The stylist has to be on set to check if it’s everything okay with the outfit and to give advice to the photographer.
Let’s take an editorial as an example, the photographer has to take different cuts of all outfits: whole figures, close-medium shots, portraits, still lifes etc. Sometimes he’s so focused on what he’s doing that he forgets the big picture. The stylist, acting as an editor, has to help him from that point of view
If there’s something to fix the stylist of the mua can cross the scene just for one second to adjust the outfit or the make-up. Usually on set the model manages to change 3 to 5 looks before lunch.
1:00 – 1:45 PM
The lunch break usually takes place at 1:00 pm. The team can go to a restaurant or a bar o if the production has booked a catering the crew can eat lunch on the set. The model never has to pay for her lunch.
2:00- 2:45 PM
The model is ready to start again so the mua fixes her make-up after the lunch break while the photographer and the stylist choose together the next looks to shoot.
3:00-5:30 PM
This is the most relaxing moment of th day, everyone has just eaten and the model now it’s confident enough so the photographer takes really good shots in zero time.
Last photos are usually taken around 5:30 pm, after that the model starts to feel tired and there’s no need to continue.
If the timeline has been followed properly all the outfits have been shot.
The model can go.
5:30- 7:00 PM
The stylist and her assistant put everything away and the photographer sets aside the lights. The set has to be tidy before everyone leaves!
On the day after the shoot, the stylist and her assistant will do all the returns to give back all the clothes they’ve got from showrooms and fashion brands.
Article by Beatrice Mazza
