Alone with him in his studio, a young model shoots with a charming photographer, as he toys with his position of power and backs her into a corner.

Director’s Vision for ‘Fides’

The world of modeling can be quite intimidating, and even dangerous, with no real protections or education, in particular for younger models who happen to be among the most vulnerable. As someone who’s been in a few uncomfortable studio situations myself, I wanted to highlight the not-so-subtle abuses of power that often exist in the photographer-to-model dynamic, where actions and words may not be explicitly illegal, but coercion is clear, and clearly inappropriate. I felt the single-take straight through, rehearsed like a play, was the best way to explore the real time tension and sudden shift in energy – shot with a small skeleton crew, all in a single day.