When did you first realise you wanted to be a photographer and filmmaker?
I started doing portraits when I was travelling, especially in India, and it was a great way to involve people and to get to know them. I then decided to be more professional about it and little by little I realized that I loved to work with a team – a stylist, make-up artist etc. I also loved to have fashion as a framework to try and create a story, SO I became a fashion photographer.
When I was younger I wanted to be an actor, so my culture is mainly cinematographic rather than fashion, but it was the Canon 5D Mark 2 camera which led me naturally to making short films.
Did the filmmaking evolve out of your photography?
There is certainly a very direct link. In photography you try to tell a story and it can be just wonderful and enough, but some other times I feel frustrated and I want to tell more or tell it differently, that’s when film takes over.
Where does your heart lie – photography or film? Do you have a top drawer or even a notebook with more ideas for films?
I couldn’t choose, I’m really hoping to be able to do both. Indeed I have a few stories in mind which I ‘m trying to develop, I do want to shoot more fashion films and music videos, there are a lot of artists that I’d love to collaborate with. I’ve just got a film agent here in Paris, Sleepless Productions, so I’m looking forward to some new projects with them.
The Sound of Fox for Maison Kitsune is such a simple idea, well executed and well edited. Did the visual narrative come about as a response to a brief and out of a need to show off the clothes?
We developed the idea with the art director (142) to find a simple story where both activities of Kitsune – music and fashion – would be presented.
Where did you find the groovy little kid for Dax Riders’ Funky Fresh Beat?
Lancelot is my god son, I’ve known him since he was a baby and he’s also modeled for some kids’ fashion editorial I did. I’m fascinated by his sense of moving, dancing, posing, acting, he’s a natural born star! The production was as minimal as could be, the boy, my camera and me improvising all along, over a one-day shoot.
In your film Bound death becomes a good wardrobe. Love the droll idea – how did this come about?
Haha yes! I wanted to find an activity for the model so that he had to move, then I thought about a body to get rid of, but after a while I thought that the fact that he couldn’t get rid of the body would be more interesting, not because of material problems but just because he realized he was still very attached (bound) to the dead person. My close friends told me I should go back to see my therapist because it says a lot about my subconscious!
See more film work and Romain’s photography in Related Content
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