Magazines make predictions and this will be ROUGH Italia’s first.  We predict that Monica Menez is the future of Fashion Film.  So learn her name now, watch her films and you can say I’ve known about Monica Menez from the beginning.

Monica is a German filmmaker and photographer with an extraordinary vision for fashion film.  She is accomplished and recognized by her peers in the industry awarded as a fashion film director from New York to Berlin, and she isn’t stopping anytime soon.  We had to sit down with this visionary filmmaker to gain insight into who she is, what she wants and into the future of Fashion film.

Ok, let’s get down to it. Who are you? I mean your fashion film Hors D’oeuvre is amazing. Absolutely amazing. These are fashion films and “short stories of irony” at a level of glamour and beauty that blows the mind. So how did you come to be? Where did you grow up? What is the Monica Menez origins story?

I am a German fashion filmmaker and photographer with Croatian roots. I live in Stuttgart, Germany, where I was born and where I grew up. My career started quite commonly with an apprenticeship as a commercial photographer. After this I continued working as a press photographer for a couple of years. During this time, I got more and more involved with the fashion scene. Since I enjoyed this field from the very beginning on, I started to shoot fashion editorials for various magazines. Over the years, the number of orders from fashion brands increased noticeably. In 2002, I finally decided to focus on my work as a art/fashion photographer. Making films was actually a result of a problem that I encountered while I was working on my photo project “Precious” in 2011. I realized that I was not able to  express the story I wanted to tell by means of photography. In order to continue after countless photo shoots, I came up with the idea of filming the scenes. I enjoyed the final result very much, which is basically the reason why I kept on working in this field.
What are your influences for your work? When did you know you were going to create and direct such impactful films?

I am inspired by all kinds of things – a piece of clothing, a weird film, a picture, extraordinary furniture, you name it. Apart from that I would say that music is my main influence, particularly strange sounding music. I have come across many quirky sound tracks in my everyday life since I am listening to almost all kinds of musical genres. Music can set off visions, ideas and certain pictures in my head which I then try to transfer into my photos and films.

You’ve directed two other fashion films, ODDITORY and PRECIOUS, again to perfect irony and storytelling. They are exceptional. And they are both award winning films. What is it like to be acknowledged from the very beginning of your career? Does it fuel you to keep going? Does it add pressure as an artist? What motivates you?

On the one hand it is incredibly great and rewarding to be this acknowledged, on the other hand this increases the pressure at the same time. But this is not something that puts me down or makes me feel inhibited. I have the best results when I am enjoying my work, so I try to do exactly this. The motivation for my team and for me is to come up with absurd and weird ideas and to translate these ideas into photography and film. We always imagine how people would react, and we try to think of the look on their faces when they see the scenes for the first time.

ODDITORY is amazing. The creativity of the auditory effects paired with the visual interpretation (ironic and wonderfully humorous) is extraordinary. Again how do you develop the story and plan out the sequences from concept to moving images?

Usually the basic idea just pops into my mind. Once I have concretized this idea, I start thinking about how the set could look and how the models should look. I try to bring the concept to life. Before I present this idea to my team, I prepare myself by searching for specific music, pictures and styling’s. This is very important in order to create the mood for the whole setting, and also to visualize it. My team should have the same images in their minds as I do, so I have to explain my vision very precisely.  After this, we start working on the settings which includes writing a story, looking for decoration – every detail which can be seen in the photo or in the film has to be prepared and arranged during the weeks before the shooting.

Let’s talk fashion. First of all, wow, to find such gorgeous people who act out your story so well must be difficult. Are they all models? And how do you cast for these films?

Yes, all the people who play in my films are models. We had a huge audition and casting for “Odditory” where we invited people in order to see not only if their look would fit into the story, but also if they were able to act. We also had to check if they could open up to the story of the film. For a project like this it is important to work together with motivated people. I also work together with models I have known for quite a while, like the model in “Hors D´Oeuvre”. Since all my photography and films include a story, it is necessary for me that my models have at least a bit of an acting talent.

The clothing and accessories are beautiful. The story is further enriched by the styling. How much does fashion play a part in your concept derivative from the outset? And do you have a dedicated team for these films or do you change your team to fit the concept?

Fashion is the protagonist of my films. The aim of a fashion film is to show as much fashion as possible in the most aesthetic way – combined with my personal style, a style which is very retro. I am working together with a steady team which I extend according to the projects.

Why fashion films and not film shorts in the cinema business? And do you think you would ever branch out into full fledge cinema?

A short film is – in my opinion – the perfect way to present fashion with moving images. In a full film, fashion is not the protagonist anymore, it is merely a thing to support the actor and underline the character. Plus: I am simply too much in love with fashion, which is why I prefer to stick to fashion photos and films. But who knows… Years ago I never would have imagined to be doing a film at all, and now I am producing fashion films. So maybe you should ask me in a couple of years again, maybe I will have changed my mind concerning the cinema business but until then!

The most engaging part of your films is that you are able to tell a complete story without uttering a word.  As the viewer we receive a strong sense of each character; we know who they are, although they never speak a word. How much time do you dedicate to the visual representation of each character in your films?

After I have my initial idea, I start planning the styling of the scenery, the styling of the models, the colour of the clothes, just about everything that will appear in the film or on the photo. Before we actually start the shooting, I discuss all these details with the stylist. Things were a little different when I was working on “Hors D´Oeuvre”: The goal of the film was to present the latest collection of the label Goldknopf Couture.  I had a specific piece of clothing in mind for the first scene in which the model hangs herself, but there was no such piece in the collection. So I spoke to the designer of Goldknopf Couture and he actually agreed to fabricate a dress especially for this scene. The fun fact about this is that this dress became the top seller of the collection.

Are you working on any films now?

Yes, we are already in the midst of the preparations for a new film. However, we need to clarify the funding since this film will be independent, so there is no specific designer or company involved. In addition I have about three entire films already in my head, and I cannot wait to realize them.

Are there any projects or scoops you can share with our readers about what you are doing next?

I just finished a project which contains elements of photography as well as film. It is called “Imperfect Beauty” and deals with rather disgusting topics – burping women with armpit hair and stuff like that…

Finally when you aren’t working what does Monica Menez do to just chill?

I love to collect all kinds of things – photo books, furniture, screenprints, films… Collecting things is perhaps my biggest passion besides fashion.

ODDITORY from MONICA MENEZ on Vimeo.