Salt
Addressing sustainability in Marcel Ostertag’s S/S23 video campaign
Directed by Dominik Hill
Interview by Tatev Avetisyan
Berlin-based director Dominik Hill took over Marcel Ostertag’s latest campaign for Spring/Summer 2023, inspired by natural mineral salt. In search of reconnecting with their roots, a group of models put aside their fears and surround themselves with the rich elemental forces of nature. As the film touches upon the theme of sustainability through allegory, it invites us to immerse ourselves into the landscape and play as the main character along with the collection.
In conversation with Curation Hour, Dominik Hill reflects on his aesthetic preference concerning directing films, his deep interest in Soviet cinematography and his artistic plans.
What inspired you to step into the film industry?
I love any kind of well-told story, but especially in films. I wrote poetry as a child and published a fantasy book as a teenager. However, I suffer from aphantasia, so I lack figurative imagination. I think this is what first motivated me to translate my stories into images on the screen. But I also love making films. The dynamics on the set, all the different people coming together to create a work of cinematic art that delights its audience - it is like a little world of its own.
Berlin, compared to the other four major fashion hubs, is a freshman. Yet, here you have immense exposure to emerging and contemporary brands. Do you keep an eye on the current zeitgeist when developing a new idea for a fashion film, or do you try to think outside of the trends?
Some of my films deal with themes that hit the "nerve of the time" or address problems perceived as particularly relevant at the moment, such as in Salt with the return to a stronger connection with nature. Many of my films deal with universal themes often underrepresented in fashion films: the end of one's life or self-destruction, family problems, unequal partnerships, unfulfilled hopes, betrayed love etc.
I don't put short-lived trends into films. I like it when fashion films don't lose their power and relevance even after two or three years. Sustainability can not only be reflected in the processing of fashion, it can also inspire people in the long term. It benefits designers and viewers alike. I always find the themes for my films in an exchange with the designers. What are the sources of inspiration or the vision behind the collection? Sometimes the name of the collection is enough for me, and I build a story around it. I am always amazed at the variety of themes designers incorporate into their collections.
We see scenes of nature, followed by workers in the salt field; what is your storyboarding process?
In fact, I have a particular way of working. I like to work in a team with photographers. That way, I don't need an extra day to shoot the film, but I can work in parallel with the photo shoot. In advance, I think about one or two core themes for the film, some elementary sequences for them, and the order in which they will appear in the film. The rest comes directly from the shoot. I see and feel where the story is going with the models during the shoot. Sometimes, I discard the original theme because it develops in a new direction. But the real story only emerges in the editing.
I work according to the dialectic approach to film of the Soviet director Eisenstein, in whose films the actors didn't know how they would be cut in the finished film. It is similar with me. Often the models only know the basic idea, if they know it at all. The interaction between them is created entirely in the edit and the mind of the viewer. In the end, everyone is surprised to see the story I have developed between the models in the edit. That is the magic of film editing, which I really admire.
Location is one of the key elements of the film. How did you connect the brand identity and the concept behind Marcel Ostertag’s Salt S/S 23 collection with the set? Can we suggest that the name and the film should be self-explanatory, or there is a hidden message behind it?
The idea of sustainability has been at the heart of the Marcel Ostertag brand for many years. Linking the collection to the saltworks, whose entire area is a nature reserve, is therefore logical. But initially, there were two ideas about the direction the film could take. One version was how the film was completed. The other storyline included sequences in which the protagonists land on an exotic planet as "aliens". The film would have been called Voyager, and I would have included original footage from the Apollo missions. Because sometimes, it seems to me that we, modern people, behave like aliens on our planet. It was a difficult decision, but, in the end I kept it simple to give the viewer more freedom of interpretation. I love it when everyone can come up with their interpretation.
When I started looking at Salt, I realised how ambivalent this substance is: necessary to live, but also to die. It is also a metaphor for finding the right balance and for excess leading to destruction. I explored that in the film, and whether our modern society needs to return to its roots. In the end, "salt" is just a simple word, but one that can be associated with many things.
“I like to work in a team with photographers. That way, I don’t need an extra day to shoot the film, but I can work in parallel with the photo shoot.”
What challenges did you face while making the film?
The shooting conditions on location were pretty tough. It was incredibly hot, and the white salt on the ground reflected the sun from below. In the previous production, some models fainted from the heat, but luckily everything went well for us. The salt crystals in the air were everywhere. The crystals stuck to every piece of equipment and the items in the collection. But salt also reflects light in a special way, so it was definitely worth the effort. Only one other brand had been allowed to shoot in the salt flats before us.
What do you think immensely contributes to shaping a fashion film besides evident clothes? In other words, what is the ‘salt’ of a good fashion film?
The title of the film is an invitation to the question! Of course, I can only speak for myself, but I find it unsatisfying to see beautiful images in random order in a fashion film. My "salt" for a good fashion film is definitely an inspiring story and a deep message that touches the viewer emotionally. As Christiane Arp said in a recent interview: “Fashion is a powerful tool”. We, humans, have a primal need to be told stories. So I would add: When fashion is combined with a story, it becomes even more powerful. From a purely practical point of view, a story for a fashion film also offers several advantages. The attention span is extended, the film is remembered longer, and if the viewer feels inspired, it also improves brand perception.
It is not a debut collaboration, as you’ve worked with Marcel Ostertag for his previous collections. And, looking through your films, we can trace a consistent aesthetic, rhythm, and the use of poetry. How did you establish and what inspired you to design this approach?
Yes, that's right; I have made seven collection films for Marcel Ostertag. It is nice to hear that the elements common to all my films are becoming visible.
How I came to this style has several sources. As I said, I had a penchant for poetry even as a child. But I began my work with film in the field of feature films. There, of course, the story is even more important. I especially like metaphorical films, but they must not be too vague. I then took my love of storytelling into the fashion film world. I got into fashion films through my wife, who is a make-up artist and art director. What I like about fashion films is the combination of fashion as art and costume design, of aesthetics and metaphor. I also like the minimalist play of the models. However, I have noticed that many fashion films focus too much on superficial aesthetics. In my films, the focus is on the story, and the aesthetics are subordinated to the story in the editing. I also like to include hidden visual links between different sequences, which then reveal a connection to the viewer in terms of content. That is the magic of editing. Anything you can think of can be connected. I discovered this while studying the editing of the Soviet avant-garde of the 1920s. My interest in Soviet filmmakers began during my film studies.
What are you working on next?
Berlin Fashion Week has just ended. Before that, I had to finish the fashion films for the designers as the deadline was brought forward by two months. Now all the designers are back working on next season's collections, and I am doing a film for Elle magazine. We have already shot it, and now I am editing it. It’s about false paradise and glass cages.
Director: Dominik Hill
Producer: Marcel Ostertag
Key Cast: Sophia Friesen
Key Cast: Marika Welling
Key Cast: Rachel Rep
Key Cast: Lotte Kleihauer
Key Cast: Aminata Sanogo
Key Cast: Nicola Müller-De Ahna