Behind the Scenes of the Elle-Supermodel Liu Wen Collaboration with Cici Liu
The marriage of celebrity and promotion is as old as entertainment itself. This does not mean that there is an absence of compelling storytelling in this collaboration; in fact, quite the contrary. The contributions of those like producer Shuhang “Cici” Liu are even more necessary when a production takes on a less narrative approach. Cici’s work on a video for the iconic Elle magazine featuring Chinese supermodel Liu Wen exhibits how a seemingly minimalistic presentation is the product of painstaking planning and perfectly executed methods. Created in conjunction with the Peabody Award–winning World Wildlife Fund and published/promoted on Elle China, this brief production is driven by vibrant colors and a quick cadence. With more than six-millions followers on Instagram alone, fans of Liu Wen embraced the message of this one-minute-plus length informative production and boosted it to a viral sensation. While Ms. Wen’s notoriety may have brought them there, content and style kept them transfixed to absorb this environmentally aware message with a creative delivery.
Liu Wen believes in using her notoriety to bring attention to important issues. Having broken numerous boundaries in her career such as becoming the first Asian model to appear in the Forbes “highest paid” list, first to walk the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, first Chinese model to be featured on the front cover of American Vogue, and numerous others, Liu is well aware that her career and brand commands a large audience. The same admirers who have followed her through her campaigns with such fashion icons as Versace, Calvin Klein, and Giorgio Armani were intrigued by her appearance in this special production for Elle and WWF to suggest a more responsible approach to creating and maintaining a wardrobe with a conscientious mindset. Of course, the presentation would have to be at a high standard to measure up to Liu’s previous work. Producer Cici Liu describes, “The project is a creative blast, blending Liu Wen’s talents with a visual demonstration of how to recycle and promote environmental sustainability in the fashion industry. We developed a series of comedic and out-of-the-box concepts to visually convey our message.” The final form of this production is visually engaging with moments of humor peppered throughout. Thematically, it is spectacular storytelling in the most amiable yet curt manner imaginable.
The upbeat tone of this one-minute-four seconds long production offers no hint of the hurried pace in which it was manifested. Liu Wen’s schedule for the shoot allowed only a few hours, thus leaving no opportunity for delays or redirections. Different teams shot the masters and B-rolls simultaneously to provide options during the editing process. Cici confides, “It was a very creative atmosphere but there was certainly a sense of heightened tension and stress due to time constraints. In this type of scenario, I immediately take on the additional role of maintaining a high morale with the team. Getting everyone in a good mood does more than make work fun, it bonds us all and makes everyone work even harder for themselves and others. I think the outcome of cultivating this type of work environment is seen in what we created. There’s a joyous tone that comes through the message and is attractive to the audience.” It’s not surprising that there is an extraordinary quality to this production as Cici Liu’s work in the film world have been the recipient of numerous awards including nominations from the Cannes World Film Festival, and wins at the Busan New Wave Film Festival and Calcutta International Cult Film Festival, among others. Storytelling is in the art, not simply in subject matter and length. Stories that are told well are stories that last and communicate an important lesson; stories like this one.
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Writer : Calvin Hooney
