Gordon von Steiner on the Attention Economy and Filmmaking

What's Contemporary Now?

Gordon von Steiner is a force of youthful creativity and talent in the world of fashion film. In this episode, Christopher Michael sits down with von Steiner to discuss how the recent Grammy nominee—for directing Troye Sivan’s showstopping music video “Rush”—honed his passions into a creative practice from a young age and evolved as an artist in tandem with changes to the fashion, art, and culture industries. Raised in Toronto on cinema classics by filmmakers such as David Lynch, Pedro Almodóvar, and Woody Allen, von Steiner moved to New York to attend NYU’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts. After an internship with GQ, he spoke to a friend at the artist agency Art & Commerce to seek advice on what to do next. It was through that conversation that he ultimately found a champion for his work in legendary photographer Steven Meisel, who catapulted his innovative work in fashion film at a critical cultural moment onto platforms like Vogue and W Magazine. He discusses what it’s like to fulfill your childhood dreams: For him, it’s been fueled more by excitement than intimidation, finding validation in the process of coming up with concepts, carrying them out to completion with friends and collaborators, and resonating with audiences who admire the emotional appeal of his visual storytelling.

Episode Highlights:

• Early cultural experiences: von Steiner knew from an early age that he would pursue cinematography and remembers the childhood joy of visiting the Toronto Film Festival yearly to watch new releases like Punch-Drunk Love and Lost in Translation.
• Diversity for creativity: Though von Steiner counts filmmakers like Pedro Almodóvar, Woody Allen, and David Lynch among his early inspirations, it was the variety and cross-genre nature of his interests that inspired him to make films for himself.
• Cross-genre performing arts: “More than anything else, there’s a signature style of movement to my work,” von Steiner says. “That’s something I’ve subconsciously developed over the years, often through dance.”
• “A rewarding filmmaking experience”: von Steiner’s most recent success is a Grammy nomination for his direction of the music video “Rush” for Troye Sivan, an affirming project that merged a passion for telling queer stories with his talent for fashion film.
• A healthy relationship to work: Hands-on experiences at GQ and Vogue were fun and high responsibility; he felt comfortable with his creativity at a moment when the film industry was changing rapidly to cater to the evolution of social media platforms.
• “This is the future”: Industry greats like (“What’s Contemporary Now” guest) Nick Knight inspired von Steiner to channel his experimental thinking into new aesthetic mediums, using Vine for Vogue, for instance, or working at a time when cultural momentum shifted from YouTube to Instagram, longform films to shorter video clips.
• A big break: von Steiner found a champion of his work in acclaimed fashion photographer Steven Meisel around the same time he started working with Vogue. He speaks of the critical importance of having a mentor who believes in you to support your efforts.
• The validation is in the work itself: In crafting a trilogy of videos for Sivan, von Steiner says “the joy and the pleasure of coming up with an idea,” along with working with friends to create something emotionally evocative and lasting, is something that can be seen and felt in the final product.
• Short attention spans: von Steiner notes that being unaware of how people are receiving your film is a huge risk. Playing to the medium (usually of videos viewed from phones) is essential to keep in mind.
• Outside of social media: He tries to step away from social media and engage with film, books, and theater to keep his mind alive to find new inspiration.

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