Daniel Askill Dances to the Beat for McQueen

Director Daniel Askill is behind this beautiful, atmospheric and intense film for Alexander McQueen which features ballet dancer Marie-Agnes Gillot and drummer George Barnett facing off against one another in an unsual, brooding battle.

The film, called Pointe, is shot through RadicalMedia and Collider and is part of a series commissioned by AnOther Magazine and Jefferson Hack, calles MOVEment, which pairs dancers and filmmakers alongside fashion designers. Below, Askill reveals the thinking behind the film and the challenges he faces while making it.

What was the brief and what were your initial reactions to receiving it?

The brief was very open: AnOther magazine were pairing a collection of designers, dancers and filmmakers. They asked if I would like to make the film for Alexander McQueen featuring Marie-Agnes Gillot form the Paris Opera Ballet. I love McQueen and had done some work there while I was at college, and Marie-Agnes is incredible so I said yes!

Can you tell us a bit more about the storyline and the shooting process?

I had an idea to create a face-off between a ballerina and a drummer. So I contacted my friend [drummer] George Barnett from These New Puritans to see if he was interested in becoming involved.

The film takes the form of a ritualised battle between George on the drums and Marie-Agnes on pointe; dancer and drummer. But it is a battle that leads to a mutual release, an airborne crescendo.

We shot in an abandoned US Military base outside london…it is an incredible location.

Why did you decide to cast a ballerina rather than a model in the film?

The dance element is the brainchild of AnOther Magazine and Jefferson Hack. It is part of a series of films they have curated that combine fashion, dance and film. The series is called MOVEment.

What were the biggest challenges of the project for you?

I had not met Marie-Agnes before and we only really had a day or so to rehearse and get to know each other before the shoot. This [was the biggest challenge], combined with the fact that the location was very cold and severe.

And the most rewarding aspect?

The fact that, despite the short lead time and harsh shooting conditions, everyone involved was so onboard and excited about the project that it ended up feeling very magical on the day, and I’m really proud of what we made together in that short, intense time.

Fashion advertising occupies a distinct niche within commercial advertising. As a director who has worked on in both fields – commercials and fashion films – what are the differences in creative approach? 

Yes, and I think even within fashion there are two distinct areas of filmmaking. There is a "fashion commercial" (usually for a perfume), which occupies a similar space in terms of scale of production, client involvement and budget as a regular commercial.

Then there is a “fashion film”, which is much more like a music video; it tends to be longer than a commercial, there is a lot more creative freedom, the director will write the idea, there is a much smaller budget and, in general, the outcome has much more artistic integrity.

This project with AnOther and McQueen was really something quite unique because of the dance element. There were absolutely no restrictions. It was very much an art project.

In the past fashion advertising/films have been criticised for a lack of creativity. How has this sector of the industry evolved in recent years and what would you say some of the main trends are at the moment?

I think in particular the fashion industry has now really started understanding the filmmaking process and what a filmmaker can bring to the table. I remember, in the beginning, it would take a bit of work to make some people from the fashion world understand that if we really wanted to make a meaningful piece of film, there is a lot more involved than on a photo shoot.

It was just that doing a photo shoot is what they were acustomed to and a lot of photographers were picking up SLRs that could now shoot video and then... “instant fashion film”. But it has become much more sophisticated territory now and there is some really interesting work being done in that area.