“I didn’t even show Gal the email,” Chanel says. “I just wrote back: ‘My rate includes Gal Ritchie or the rate is triple.’ They paid triple.” Right now, they’re developing a short film—half dance, half documentary—about the invisible labor of Black women in movement-based art. Chanel will star. Gal will direct. The script is a single page.
“We’ll figure it out on the day,” Gal says. chanel camryn, gal ritchie
“We don’t have boundaries,” Gal says. “Everyone talks about work-life balance. We have work-life integration . Chanel sleeps on my couch when she’s between apartments. I edit her audition tapes. We fight about exposure and shutter speed the way couples fight about dishes.” “I didn’t even show Gal the email,” Chanel says
“I was nervous,” Chanel admits. “I had worked with a lot of photographers who wanted me to do the same three moves. ‘Do the thing, Chanel. Do the viral thing.’ Gal didn’t even ask me to dance. She asked me to stand still and look at a crack in the wall.” Gal will direct
Chanel nods. “Not to be difficult. But because we know what works for my body, for her light, for our audience. The brand is hiring us for our point of view. If they wanted stock photography, they could get it cheaper.”
They laugh. The phone goes dark.
Tomorrow, they’ll shoot something nobody has planned. And somewhere on a mood board in a brand’s headquarters, three keywords will sit unused: elegant. motion. campaign.