Cutting Room, NY editor Sean McGrath teams up with director Laurence Dunmore to dive into the ethereal abandon of a dreamlike world in the 3:11 fashion film “In Wonderland” for luxury accessories label NewbarK. McGrath threads together a whimsical assortment of one woman’s haunting visions, guided by a poetic voiceover and mercurial soundscapes. The film debuted at a NewbarK’s event at the Paul Kasmin Gallery during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.
Click HERE to see the fashion film.
McGrath worked closely with Dunmore to fine-tune the dynamic edits and sound design. Notes McGrath, “By and large, fashion pieces are adventurous editorially, and this was no exception. Working with Laurence was a delightful experience. Our goal was to juxtapose ‘barrages of audio dissonance against beds of tranquility.’ It was great fun punctuating the editorial flourishes with some aggressive sound design.”
The highly stylized “In Wonderland” opens on a woman in the midst of an afternoon doze, curled up loosely between sheets, revealing her vertebrae-inspired tattoo. Following pans of her resting frame, we cut to her eye blinking awake and are transferred to her dream realm. The woman begins an entranced interpretive dance, as if possessed, intercut with erratic images of a wooded setting. We see her hands reach for a wall and she carefully presses her face against a mirror, eyes comfortably restful in a moment of peace. She then falls into a more dizzying mindset as her movements become increasingly disjointed and abrupt. As she hazily peers down at a book, she becomes distracted with a noise from outside her door. We see the calmed woman sitting dispersed with shots of her more erratic movements and calculated journey up a stairway as she recalls her, “Dream within a dream.” She gives in to her internal voice and opens the beckoning door, revealing a package labeled, “In Wonderland.” The narration ends, calmly stating, “Inside you, I am alive,” before a close-up of the woman’s mouth breathlessly sighing. The film closes with the super, “The Beginning.”
Credits
Client: NewbarK
Title: “In Wonderland” 3:11
Director: Laurence Dunmore
Creative Director: Maryam Malakpour
Producer: Maria Gallagher
Editorial: Cutting Room
Editor: Sean McGrath
Sound Designer: Sean McGrath
Editorial Executive Producer: Melissa Lubin
Music: Walter Bianco, Mega Calderos
Mixing: Walter Bianco, Cutting Room
Color: Ron Sudul, Nice Shoes
About CUTTING ROOM
Cutting Room, New York, is an artist-owned and operated editorial and post-production powerhouse, led by Managing Partner Susan Willis, EP Melissa Lubin, and Partners/Editors Chuck Willis and Mike Douglas. Extreme attention to every detail of the post process is the working credo at this full-service shop, along with an uncompromised effort to deliver highly personalized, unique client experiences. Cutting Room‘s talent, location, infrastructure, and approach have generated a multitude of awards for their work; the shop has lent its expertise to nearly every major brand.
Cutting Room proudly apprentices a large team of skilled assistants, who support the company with unwavering dedication. Helping to maintain a family-like creative environment, their editors’ passion and mastery of the craft are happily passed on to these young men and women.
Cutting Room handles projects across all formats including broadcast, features, documentaries, virals and webisodes as well as VFX, sound design, and online services. Both ideas and careers come here to grow. www.cutti
