Mark Szaszy and photographer Corinne Day (Corinne Day Diary)

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by Mai Meksawan – IFQ Staff

British director Mark Szaszy and fashion photographer Corinne Day talk about their latest project, the hour-long documentary Corinne Day Diary. American audience will probable recognize Mark’s works in music videos for Oasis (Supersonic, Shakermaker, Cigarettes & Alcohol and Whatever), Queen (You Don’t Fool Me) and Everything But The Girl (Missing and Five Fathoms). Shot over the period of 10 years, Corinne Day Diary is his first documentary film, focusing on the life and work of his girlfriend, Corinne Day. Ever since the British style bible The Face ran her portrait of the young Kate Moss on its 1990 Summer of Love issue, Corinne’s reputation as one of the world’s most influential fashion photographers remains intact. In the early nineties, one of her other portraits of Kate, which graces the cover of Vogue in 1993, has become a target of accusation by Bill Clinton as a “glamorification” of anorexia, drugs and even paedophilia. As a result of the controversies, Corinne’s name has been synonymous of the label “heroin-chic” ever since. After a long period of absence, due to serious illness, Corinne has been back on the scene with various upcoming projects going on. Corinne Day Diary was first aired on the BBC in the UK earlier this year. The film will be screened in the US as part of the NYIIFVF screenings program in Los Angeles (September 2003) and New York (November 2003).

Mark Szaszy:

When was the starting point of the project and how long has it taken you to finish the film?

The earliest record of filming was some b/w Super 8 of Kate Moss aged 15 in 1990. I couldn’t really call it a project at that stage, as I was just shooting for the love of filming. Over ten years passed before that accidental archive fitted into the jigsaw puzzle of Corinne’s career in the 90’s. Actual post-production began to put all the pieces together r around Feb 2002 and was completed in May 2002.

Was it hard for you to film someone who is so close to you in such a vulnerable state?

I just got on with it because I knew I had to do it for various reasons.

Corinne said that after she got ill, she asked you to start filming and taking photographs of her to “keep her mind off what’s going on”. What is your take on it? Would you say that the process is kind of like a therapy for you?

The toughest time was taking the pre-surgery photographs in Whitechapel Hospital, but the fact that it gave Corinne something to take her mind off the reality of the situation helped me do it. I guess the normality of taking snaps took the edge off the situation for both of us.

Did you have any preconceived direction of what you would like the film to be, or did it all come quite spontaneously?

In the beginning I thought I was shooting a rockumentary about the band Pusherman, who in the end split up because of drug problems around 1997 and left me wondering what to do next. I had introduced Corinne to the band in 1994 and she loved to photograph them and their lifestyle, so it was a natural spontaneous decision to shift focus from band to Corinne and connect her work and play with the band into a story about her photography.

Corinne has a legendary status in the fashion and photography world. But your film has a very personal touch. What kind of impression you hope that the film would have on the audience, both for those who are and are not familiar with Corinne’s work?

I hope the film inspires people in all walks of life to appreciate their lives and people close to them and hopefully appreciate life itself and celebrate it in any way they can, even if it looks crap, you can’t give up. Corinne is a very tenacious, positive person, who has never complained to me about dealing with what she has been through, which has been a great source of strength and inspiration for me, which I hope people can share in seeing the documentary.

How did you finance the film? And how did it get to air on the BBC?

Waldemar Januszczak at ZCZ films told me he showed Roly Keating, the BBC FOUR Arts commissioner, some of my videos of Kate Moss and that was it, the BBC commissioned it.

How was the public response in the UK? Was the film well received?

The other day Corinne and I were having a beer outside a pub on the street when a bicycle courier did a U-turn and came straight over to congratulate Corinne, who told me this happens all the time, since the doc went to air. The BBC caned it on BBC-FOUR and has recently started showing it on BBC2 so yes, thankfully it has been very well received.

Do you think that you are satisfied with the finished work overall?

I did want to edit a longer version, but I couldn’t find anyone who would cut it for just the credit, so I think I’ll let it be.

Are there a lot of things that were left out off the final cut? Are there things in particular that you weren’t able to put in the film?

There was the Raygun Magazine episode that should have been included and some great Pusherman material and other stuff, but that’s filmmaking for you and anyway it’s good to leave a little mystery.

What was it like filming Kate Moss? In the film, you have two of the most iconic figures in the fashion world reunited after a long history together.

Kate’s like a friend, even though we hardly ever see her, but when we do it’s easy filming her because of the time we’ve known her I guess and of course she is used to having cameras around her. I love filming people in natural situations and when Corinne and Kate get together, it’s easy because they’re friends.

You have an extensive background in music videos, notably for Oasis and Everything But The Girl. Did the experiences help you with the filming of the documentary?

Every filming experience is always a good learning experience for me. Sometimes you may have a tight schedule and things can get stressful but even when its bad it’s good.

The whole project has quite a wide span – there’s also the Diary book and the exhibition at the Photographer’s Gallery. Do you also have more things up in the agenda?

Yes, there are some other projects I’m working on.

Corinne Day:

You’ve been away for a long while. But now it seems that you have quite a lot of stuffs going on. How does it feel to get back on the scene?

I like being busy.

How do you think your past reputation has an effect on your new projects? Does it impose a certain obstacle or limitation for you to move on and try new things?

I feel that the past always adds to the present.

Looking back from now, how do you feel about the controversies in the past regarding your works?

It’s good to make people think.

Do you think that a lot of people still misinterpret your works? And do you feel like you still need to defend them

Everybody interprets things differently.

You said you don’t like the current direction that the fashion photography takes, and that you associate yourself more with the documentary style. Is it hard then to work on a photo shoot for a big fashion magazine like Vogue?

I still believe fashion can be pushed in new directions.

Your two most (in)famous works in the early nineties are the covers of The Face’s Summer of Love issue, and UK Vogue – both with Kate Moss. Those pictures have a lot of histories attached. What are your personal feelings regarding them?

Kate and I were very close friends and I think that it shows in the photographs that I took of her.

You get to see the transformation of Kate Moss from a gawky teenager in Croydon into an international model at a real up-close level. How was your relationship like in real life?

Like any friends we had our ups and downs.

You were given credits for the discovery of Kate Moss and the creation of the “waif” look. Now, several years later, what do you think when you see the works of young fashion photographers today that are heavily influenced by you?

I feel flattered, but I don’t like being exploited.

In the film, how did it feel to be on the other end of the camera – when you got to be the person being filmed instead?

The observational parts of the documentary were easy but the interviews were difficult because I felt like I was repeating answers to questions I’d already answered many times before.

Were the majority of the stuffs in the film your or Mark’s inputs, or both on equal terms?

Obviously as a couple we discuss things but it was Marks documentary.

What are your current sources of inspiration?

Life.

What are your comments on fashion and photography today?

I think fashion photography has gone full circle. Grunge has become glamorous. Personally I still like to document my friends.