As demonstrated in last year’s professional sport indictment / fashion film Yellow Darkness, David Zimmermann is a director who knows how to layer complex concepts into a form of filmmaking more know for its empty glitz than its ability to provoke thought. I’m please to say that he’s far from dumbed down for his latest piece Missing Tiger, which sees two models take on the symbiotic roles of young designer and fashion industry, although that description is far too reductive to provide true meaning. Instead you’re better off watching Missing Tiger and then hearing David’s intentions from the man himself.
The concept was developed by the desire to produce a fashion film that consists of a symbolic as well as a narrative compressed gist and is aimed at a broad, divergent target audience. Considering the structure, the topic ‘young German fashion design’ is expressed in different ways on the three layers aesthetic, narration and symbolism.
The aesthetic layer is primarily affected by the contained young German fashion and the characteristics of this specific type of German fashion design. Therefore, all the aesthetics are shaped by purism, reduction and precision.
The narrative, respective sub-narrative layer, consists of a non-linear structure, so that the story is composed of single parts that can not always be put together, obviously shows breaks and therefore primarily functions as a deliverer for suspense and surprise. No direct or obvious connection to the subject is displayed.
Instead, the plot functions as a parable and the meaning is produced by symbolic conjunctions. This overarching symbolism thematises – apart from the aesthetic characteristics – rather the general conditions, young German fashion designers have to deal with and the position of German fashion design within the global fashion branch. One of the two women takes over the symbolic role of the young designer and the other symbolises the fashion industry, respectively seen.
Overall we shot for three days. Two days with both models on location and an additional third day in studio to get the stills done. We shot on the Red Epic in 5k and also used the lenses from Red. For most of the shots we chose a slight slow motion of 50fps to get the movements smoother and more elegant. For lightning we used mainly HMI Lampheads by Arri and several Kinoflos. The music was composed after the rough cut was finished and the sound design built up on this and the final edit. Finally the grading was done in DaVinci Resolve and we also did some retouching and composing with Mocha Pro and After Effects.
David Zimmermann is a good director.