The Movie Issue, W February 2015
Each year, when Golden Globe and Oscars
season approach, W magazine would introduce the best performances nominees on
its cover, and collaborate with professional photographers from Mario Sorrenti
to Tim Walker for the alternative styles of graphic portraiture. In February2013, Juergen Teller’s untouched snaps made talented Emma Stone taking off for
W cover shooting and captured my attention. This year, Tim Walker’s fantasy and
storytelling provided ‘the perfect antidote to Hollywood’s overdose of
reality’. (Tonchi, 56) W magazine releases seven celebrity covers, and I am
happy that Stockmann Helsinki imports a few more copies of Emma Stone among the
others.
Due to I would display W magazine on my working desk as seasonal decoration, the feel of cover femme and homme is essential to me while purchasing. Comparing to other nominees, Amy Adams, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley and Kiera Knightley are absolutely less elegant for the reason to collect. Though I adore Julian Moore’s performances, still her facial structure always reveals a sense of bitterness, and I never consider Bradley Cooper and Benedict Cumberbatch handsome. I am wondering why Editor-in-Large Lynn Hirschberg passes handpicking Ethan Hawke or jack O’Connell as cover man, I would love to see Mr. Hawke’s natural wrinkles and blue eyes under lens.
British Photographer Tim Walker and his
team spend 8 days on shooting 39 already-and-uprising performers of year 2014.
As Hirschberg points out, that last year was ‘the Year of the Biopic’; from
genius physicist, World War II cryptanalyst, American sniper, company heir to
linguistic professor, under the world of Tim Walker, makeup by Lisa Butler and
Duffy, those nominees are comic and surreal than the roles they play in those
movies with fame of nominee. The shooting stage props are sunflowers and lemons,
along with garments on off-white, bleak black, rosy pink and poppy red, but
Emma Stone’s retro earthy-like Valentino gown popping out of total 39, and
Edward Norton can be considered the most out-of-surprise funniest among the
other Oscar contenders. W magazine’s size33.5x 25.5 (cm) shows the details of skin,
the muscle and the costumes of the photo shoots, as serves its readers walking
through a contemporary portrait gallery in a delightful afternoon.
The monthly column of magazine, ‘W Inspiration
Equation’ always draws a sense of humour on fashion design. Perhaps designers’
minds really work this way of absurd to create a stunning dress, or a
masterpiece can be seen as rewind on the designing process of thoughts. This
intriguing column both constructs and deconstructs the way of creativity, such
as making a popping princess as a combination of meds+a tutu+candy crush, among
merely a page the column tells more than a story of culture, history and visual
power, no doubt, ‘W Inspiration Equation’ is one of the most genius editorial
works that I have ever read.
W magazine also invites the contemporary
illustrators to grace the pages. Based in Sweden, Stina Persson spreads the
‘WHO’ column a romantic scene. In interview column, Don Bachardy, Hollywood’s
preeminent portrait artist also talks about his career and how his father
discovered Andy Warhol or Roy Lichtenstein at his legendary Ferus Gallery in
Los Angeles.
Stefano Tonchi, the Editor-in-Chief, states in The Movie Issue 2015 that ‘one of the many challenging of editing a magazine, is keeping readers continuously engaged.’ Congratulations, W magazine team, you really nail it and do it very, very well.
Works Cited:
For more art works of Stina Persson and Don Bachardy, please go to:
