Blog Posts: March 2010
The September Issue (2009)
Ever wondered what goes on behind closed doors at Vogue?
For the first time ever, Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour allows cameras to chronicle the making of their 2007 September issue. The five pound, 800 page issue was the single largest issue of a magazine ever published. The documentary won the Best Cinematography award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and is set to premiere this August.
Here’s the simple but effective poster:
And here’s the well-edited trailer which makes good use of the Vogue font for the title cards with a great song (Ladytron’s Destroy Everything You Touch) to accompany it:
50 Ways to be Persuasive
50 scientifically proven ways constitute 50 chapters of the book, longest of which take 7 pages. The authors take the position that persuasion is a science, not art, hence with the right approach anybody can become the master in the skill of persuasion. So, what are the 50 ways?
This is awesome. Here are some examples:
28. Admitting you’re wrong makes people trust you more. Company A published an investors relations report, contributing slump in sales to overall economic climate. Company B said slump of sales was relevant to a few bad decisions by top management. Net result? Investors viewed company B more positively. You’d think that they’d be viewed as a bunch of screw-ups, but admission of a mistake made investors more confident the situation was under control, while company A investors got the uneasy feeling of the ship floating in the waters with captain losing control.
33. People pay more for the stuff that’s about to disappear. Oldsmobile sales rose after GM announced the end of life for the line. Australian beef purchases rose after customers learned this year’s supply would be severely diminished because of the weather conditions. Concorde sales took off right after British Airways announced the hyper-speed flights would be shut down.
44. Negative emotions make people pay more. Group A was exposed to an emotional movie about the death of someone close to the main character. Group B saw no such movie. Both groups were asked then to name a fair price at which they’d buy the object presented to them. Group A tended to give prices 30% above Group B’s.
And if you want to purchase the book on Amazon.
Behind the Scenes: Pinky Webb
June is our annual State of the Nation issue filled with some of the most influential and pivotal individuals in the realm of Philippine politics. With all the heavyweights and agents of change in the issue we felt that ANC anchorwoman Pinky Webb would be a relevant (and beautiful) subject for our cover. Rogue loves confident, passionate, and driven women. It’s all about attitude and a delicate yet strong resilience mixed with charm and panache—things we saw in this month’s cover girl.
Pinky possesses a classic kind of beauty—very Old Hollywood as Ricky Carandang puts it in Ms. Webb’s article. But by no means is her look a damsel in distress. Hers is a fierce and bold femininity in the spirit of Lauren Bacall and Ava Gardner.
The concept of the shoot was Film Noir. We wanted to capture the mysterious, strong, and moody vibe of this genre.
For our location, we had the privilege to shoot that the historic Mac Arthur suite at the Manila Hotel.
I’ve always been so intrigued with this fantastic landmark. Much like the superb Raffles Hotel in Singapore, the Manila Hotel is nostalgic and Old World—its colonial architecture and interiors instantly bring one back to a grander and more lavish period in Manila’s history.
Ines Lobregat and Rick Diokno get Pinky all dolled up and in “character” for the first layout of the shoot.
Our Editorial Assistant, Nikki, at the “Wardrobe Department.”
The gorgeous black cut-out dress by Ricardo Tisci for Givenchy (from Adora Department Store) that Pinky wore in the balcony spread.
Mac Arthur’s office in the hotel “suite.”
The suite seemed more like a mini-apartment. This stately room was, in fact, the residence of the American general and his family during WWII. There is a formal dinning area, a masters bedroom, a kitchen, living area, and an extra bedroom.
The handsome Prizmic&Brill leather campaign chair we used for Pinky’s office set-up.
The view from Mac Arthur’s office window.
Ladies (and men) in waiting.
What’s Film Noir without shadows from window shutters?
After we finished shooting at the suite we proceeded to the Tap Room. It looks like time has forgotten about this iconic pub (this was Ernest Hemingway’s drinking hole). It maintains a lot of its original charm, from the wood paneled walls to the brass lamps and fixtures on the bar.
Mark Nicdao in action.
A little fast hand movement and some last minute adjustments to Pinky’s Paul Smith Coat and we’re ready to shoot.
For the cover, we really wanted to capture the artificial, drawing-like aesthetic of a vintage detective novel or movie poster.
We were also inspired by the highly stylized Jude Law & Gwyneth Paltrow nod to Film Noir, Sky Captain & the World of Tomorrow.
Make sure to grab a copy of our June issue for our cover story “Good Night and Good Luck” starring Pinky Webb.
Shutter Island (2009)
Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island, the story of a US marshall (Leonardo DiCaprio) tasked to solve a missing persons case on a remote island for the criminally insane comes out in October. Also stars Mark Ruffalo, Michelle Williams, Ben Kingsley and Patricia Clarkson.
Here’s the newly released trailer which is all kinds of awesome, lots of great visuals in here:
