Roam Without Caesar, the fashion story
the video piece of the fashion story
As a lover of all things cinema, I am obsessed with the intricacies of creating characters that transcend the screen, characters that audiences gravitate towards for one reason or another.
I’ll preface with the disclaimer that this shoot was completed in 2021.
This was my first full production fashion story and I was honestly in way over my head. I loved every second of the production process, from pre to post, and I’m grateful for the team that helped me bring it to life. I had previously released ‘Summer is For Lovers’ and the ‘Lowell Farms’ campaign but those shoots were widely different for a few reasons. For one, those were smaller shoots as far as a dedicated production team. There was no dedicated video piece to those shoots and with this one, we had a director, DOP, gaffer, makeup artist, a stylist, and 3 models.
In hindsight, I would have planned out the shoot days better. The problem was that there just wasn’t enough time to shoot everything in full. I planned too many scenes and duplicating every scene in both photo and video was a big mistake. I’m proud to say that we completed the mission but looking back, I can see how to better avoid these pitfalls.
The Characters
The Antagonist - “You know you can’t ROAM without Caesar” His character represents the world at large, the systems all across the planet that aim to keep us inside a box for the purpose of control. He also represents an attempt to hold onto the ideas of the “Old World”, the world that our parents and grandparents and their grandparents lived through, the one that has been swept from right under their feet. Our generation, Gen Z and each generation after will continue to shift the world and force society to evolve.
The Guardian - “Guardian Angel” Her character represents the opportunity for change, the hand that reaches out to show us a new way of thinking, of doing, of living. At times it can be easy to desire change but get caught up repeating cycles that weigh us down but her character is the one in the story that wakes up the Protagonist and drags her towards the change she deeply desires.
The Protagonist - “Hey Mona Lisa, come home….” Her character represents each and every one of us. Much like Neo in The Matrix, she is just a person going through the motions of life, on the path to search for fulfillment. She also represents the image of a woman in the world, searching for the inner strength to stand on her own in a world that might not respect her in that way. In the song, Kanye explains a perspective that is reflective of a patriarchal outlook on the world, that women are nothing without men.
The Plot
Breaking the idea - “You can’t ROAM without Caesar”. The breaking of old ideas. The future is FEMININE - a softer, more vulnerable existence. The resistance and acceptance of new ideas - see new light, cut ties from the old. Using Ye’s ‘Flashing Lights’ as a conduit to explore the idea that maybe, Rome Without Caesar is the future. Each scene is a look at breaking the norms we are used to.
The Team
ART DIRECTION/PHOTOGRAPHER/PRODUCTION BY YOGI | CINEMA DIRECTOR BY CAMERON LAWSON @CAM.ERA | CINEMATOGRAPHY BY SED GARY @DREAMSTORY.PROD | STYLING BY JOY LAWSON @JOY.TIFFANI | CAESAR - YINKA OLAGBEGI @YINKAOLAGBEGI | MONA LISA - MINTYCE SARAE @MINTYCE | PROVACATRIX - MUKA CHISAKA @MUKA_CHISAKA