Directed by Luke Gilford and produced by Cadence Films, high-profile short film, Connected, grapples with Southern California’s image of perfection in a cyber-social society. Starring Pamela Anderson, Dree Hemingway and featuring Jane Fonda, the film combines stylish visuals with a narrative that explores identity and futurism in a world longing for connectedness, albeit it virtual.
Connected is a portrait of Jackie, poignantly played by Anderson, as a woman grappling with aging, self-perception and transformation in a technologically advanced world. With a voiceover by Jane Fonda as Jackie’s wellness guru, the film illustrates Jackie’s search for self-improvement and her desire to feel connected – to herself, to her future and to a precarious sense of perfection. The film originally premiered at Milk Studios in Los Angeles and made its online debut on Vice. Named Short of the Week and Vimeo Staff Pick, the film was also featured on Purple, The New York Times and The Huffington Post.
“With Connected, I wanted to explore issues of self-perception and body modification in the age of social media," says Gilford. “I knew that I wanted the project to surround an iconic sex symbol in the tradition of Marilyn Monroe or Brigitte Bardot. I'm fascinated by the level of mystery and mythology that surrounds these women. Their allure rests mainly on the surface, and that begs me to wonder what lies beneath.”
“I explained to Pamela that I wanted to bring forth a vulnerable performance, and to raise questions about our relationship to beauty, aging and technology. For me Pamela is also an archetype of California culture, which is at once obsessed with the shallowness of youth and beauty, as well as the more existential search for self-help, wellness, and rehabilitation.”
A recent addition to the Cadence roster, Gilford brings a knack for digging deep into dreamlike realities within his commercial work. He directed David Lynch in a short film for Dom Perignon, along with the critically acclaimed short film The Future of Flesh featuring Prada’s Fall/Winter 2013 collection, which marked his first collaboration with Jane Fonda. Gilford has also directed spots for brands such as Lincoln and Aria and has worked with agencies such as Anomaly, MVNP, Eleven and Hudson Rouge.
“We're excited to have Luke join our roster because of his strong filmic instincts and versatility,” says Lorenzo Ragionieri, Cadence Films Executive Producer. “His aesthetic fits well within the rest of our roster while also adding diversity, and we share in his excitement for the direction in which he wants to take his work commercially.”
Gilford joins a team of top-level directors represented by Cadence, including Dimitri Basil, Adria Petty, Barnaby Roper, Mathieu Kassovitz, Santiago and Mauricio, Quentin Jones and Sharif Hamza.
Cadence Films is a production and management company with offices in New York and Paris. The company’s work ranges from cult classic features to projects that reimagine filmmaking, working with artists such as David Bowie and Kanye West, and on campaigns for brands ranging from Nike and Under Armor to Dior, Volkswagen and HTC.
Watch Connected on Vimeo here: https://vimeo.com/155246808
Link to Milk Media: https://mi.lk/feature/this-is-pamela-anderson-in-her-most-exposed-role-yet/
Link to Cadence Films: http://cadence-films.com/
Link to Vice article: http://www.vice.com/read/inside-the-surreal-self-invented-world-of-pamela-anderson
Link to Short of the Week: https://www.shortoftheweek.com/about/
Link to Purple article: http://purple.fr/diary/an-exclusive-interview-with-pamela-anderson-theres-not-a-lot-of-vulnerability-left-in-hollywood/
Link to New York Times articles: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/04/fashion/luke-gilford-fashion-photographer-filmmaker.html?_r=3
Link to Huffington Post article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pamela-anderson-connected_us_56ce3184e4b03260bf756e21
Screenwork Credits for Connected
Directed by: Luke Gilford
Story by: Luke Gilford
Starring: Pamela Anderson and Dree Hemingway
Voiceover: Jane Fonda
Written by: David Largman Murray
Produced by: Greg Gilreath, Adam Hendricks, John Lang, and Russell Sanzgiri
Executive Producers: Christopher Read and Clare Staples
Produced by: Sadie Turner
Director of Photography: Isaac Bauman
Art Director: Nino Alicea
Editor: Josh Schaeffer
Assistant Editor: Jason Moll
Sound Mixer: William McGuigan
Sound Editor: Nikola Simikic
Lead Compositor: Casey Price
Lead CG Artist: Charles Boston
2D Design/Animation: Scott Smiggen and Joshua Bolin
Digital Colorist: Rickey Gausis
Visual Effects Supervisor: Casey Price
Score: Jake Shears and Stevie Be
