Cindy Sherman: Fashion | Art21 "Extended Play"

(gentle music)

- (Cindy) Well, I don't usually do commissions,

but I think when I haven't been working,

when I feel like I need some sort of,

project to challenge me,
to get me- to force me to start working.

I sometimes will just accept it

because I have a real deadline to

you know, to force me to get going.

It was through a friend of mine
who represents Balenciaga

asked me if I wanted to do
some shots for French Vogue.

And I said, my sort of stipulation is

you know, as long as I can,

you know, you can lend me the clothes
for weeks at a time,

and I don't have that kind of pressure

that like, normally I think

commercial photographers
shoot everything in one day.

And I said, 'No,
I need the clothes for longer.'

And, so, they were totally cool with that.

I wanted it to look like these are people

who happen to be wearing Balenciaga

at like, some kind of groovy,
you know, parties.

Maybe they work in the fashion business,

or maybe they would like

to be working in the fashion business.

I was trying to, you know,

sort of make it look as if
they're shot with flash,

the backgrounds are all digitally added

with just shots of people
in restaurants and bars.

And, yeah that was kind of what

this series started out as.

And, then I subsequently blew up

one of these large to see

how it would hold up as a work of art.

And it didn't look good
with the backgrounds.

So, I wound up going back

and completely changing the backgrounds

and they, sort of, now have a new life

as different sorts of pictures.

Still somewhat as if they're from parties

but even-in some cases even more so

because I added these flash effects.

And it was actually the first time

I tried shooting with the digital camera.

I borrowed a friend's camera

and I was kind of nervous about that too,

now I'm suddenly experimenting
with a digital camera

and I don't know really how to use it,

and does it work the same with the lights?

And I have to set it up
to look at my computer while I'm shooting.

And it was all kind of like touch and go

in the beginning, and a little scary.

But, once I was into it,

it was just like I'm a total convert,

I threw out all my film

and like, I'm ready
to get rid of all my cameras,

and, you know it's like

I'll just never go back to film.