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 force me to start working.

I sometimes will just accept it

because I have a real deadline to,

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,

as long as 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 parties.

Maybe they work in the fashion business,
or maybe they would like to be working

in the fashion business.

I was trying to 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 sort of pictures.

Still somewhat as if they're from parties,

but 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 really know how to use it,
and does it work the same with the lights?

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

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 I'm ready to get rid of my cameras

and, it's like

I'll just never go back to film.