Ryan Chappell: What does a movement director do?

The profession of the movement director is a fairly new occurrence in the industry’s landscape and brings many questions about the nature of the work. For Chappell, his job is all about aiding a successful collaborative experience between the models and photographers: “I see my role as somebody that has to be extremely observant, good at facilitating and know how to bring the best out of people.” Outside of the shoots, Chappell also works with the models through his Movement+ development program, providing mentoring centred around breaking down their psychological barriers. “[As a model], you have to really know how to embody emotions and have that strong connection between your mind and body,” he says.  “I think of the training as a way of helping the models to be empowered in their job, especially since very often they can feel quite the opposite with how the industry is.”

When did you first realize that you wanted to get into movement direction and how did you go about it? Did something draw you to fashion?

I used to work as a choreographer with record companies – I would help to develop new artists and teach them how to hold a microphone or how to perform on stage. At the same time, I also worked a lot as a choreographer in advertising, TV, and theatre. I’ve always been around fashion aesthetics in a way. My mom was in it back in Australia and all of my exes worked in the industry. And then eventually when I got tired of the whole choreography thing, I decided to study Fashion Design at London College of Fashion. After I graduated, I interned for six months at Céline, back when Phoebe Philo was the creative director, and also started to design menswear for a little bit. But after a while, I realised that design was not for me. I did not want to geek out about buttons, thread counts, and colourways. That’s when I started to consider working as a movement director. I was a big fan of Stephen Galloway, who’s the oracle of movement direction, but before that, I never thought of it as a viable thing. There was only a handful of people doing it at the time, so I thought “Okay, I want to start doing this.”

“I see my role as somebody that has to be extremely observant, good at facilitating, and know how to bring the best out of people.” – Ryan Chappell

Could you explain a bit what a movement director does?

I think that it’s massively based on being able to read the room. I’m constantly working with big teams of different photographers, directors, stylists, art directors, models, and you have to be extremely sensitive to everyone. It’s a bit like spinning plates – you sometimes work with a lot of egos and witness a lot of psychological games that people play. It’s also about navigating the dynamic between the photographer and the model, which sometimes can change in a blink of an eyelid: everything can be going fantastically great, and then in the next shot, something all of a sudden might not be working, insecurity kicks in, and the whole vibe changes. If you become ignorant to that, it will create more problems on set. I see my role as somebody that has to be extremely observant, good at facilitating, and know how to bring the best out of people. Another thing is really having to micromanage certain details, like the tiny differences that some parts of the body can have in an image. A good example is that there are certain photographers that I work with that use the fisheye lens a lot, and when a model moves their leg in the smallest way, it can look completely twisted on the shot.

“Being a movement director has nothing to do with your body. It’s a whole different skill to be able to stimulate or support somebody else on the other side of the camera to be at their best.” – Ryan Chappell

What are the biggest misconceptions about your job?

One of them is that being a movement director is all to do with how well you move. That’s not the point of the job at all and I think a lot of people confuse that. I have a lot of young dancers and choreographers say to me, “I want to be a movement director, I’m really good with my body.” And it’s got nothing to do with your body. It’s a whole different skill to be able to stimulate or support somebody else on the other side of the camera to be at their best. But I think it’s a fairly new job so people are still trying to understand what it means and how it can contribute [to fashion imagery].

How do you usually go about preparing for a job? What is the research that you do prior to a shoot or a runway show?

I have heaps and heaps of categorized boards on Pinterest that are all body movement-oriented, with all sorts of imagery, from vintage fashion photography to soft porn images. That way when a client is providing me with a mood board prior to a project, I can quickly access them and think, “What do we need for this one?” I also look into my dance background for inspiration. Movement has always fascinated me and I studied so many different types of dance over the years: from traditional Indian, African, and Japanese dances to classical, street, and tap dance.

What have been some of your most memorable experiences as a movement director?

For me, the memories I have are not usually about the actual jobs – they’re about the people that I was working with on set. I think about the magic moments that can happen in a dynamic where everyone feels empowered and everyone feels involved. I think those are the memories that I will always cherish at the end of the day. When I’m going to be 80, I’m not going to be like, “Oh, remember that campaign we did for Saint Laurent?” But I do think I will remember the amazing interactions I had with people, regardless of how big the project was.

“I do think big shoots require movement consultancy.”- Ryan Chappell

Do you think that a movement director is needed on all fashion projects? Do you notice it when editorials lack movement consultancy?

I don’t think that every shoot needs it, as there are some photographers that really know how to be good at communicating with the models. Some shoots might have a very simple idea or have a very experienced model on set. But I do think big shoots require movement consultancy. Sometimes you have to get through so many photos in one day and make some social media content at the same time, so it’s good to have someone who’s focused on looking after the models, who might be either very new to the industry or maybe tired from travelling. Also, it’s good to have them when there are group shots so that they can put the models into a composition. It’s not that easy to get every person into a very interesting placement that will work well on the image.

“Modelling is a really performative profession, and in my opinion, it’s actually a lot harder than acting” – Ryan Chappell

 You also founded Movement+, a model mentoring and development program. What is the training that you are providing as part of it?

I work on developing the models that are just starting out, as well as mentor and help models who have already been in their careers for a few years and have been stuck doing the same type of shoots and campaigns. The training is all about psychologically breaking yourself down to understand where your blocks are, in order to be better at the job. Modelling is a really performative profession, and in my opinion, it’s actually a lot harder than acting – as a model, you’re basically doing the job of an actor, but you can’t speak. So you have to really know how to embody emotions and have that strong connection between your mind and body. I think of the training as a way of helping the models to be empowered in their job, especially since very often they can feel quite the opposite of how the industry is.

What advice do you have for people who want to get into this profession?

You have to be obsessed with it. It’s really important to have an understanding of fashion imagery: the history of it, where it came from, and what it’s about. There was a time [before working in movement direction] when I thought that my academic fashion background was a waste of time, but now, I think it’s so important that I have that knowledge. Also, it’s crucial to understand that the job is not just about what you see on the final image. It’s very much a social job that requires interpersonal skills – you have to like people, you have to be really adaptable and very reactive. It’s very off the cuff: you can get in situations where you’ve planned something out but it doesn’t work, so you have to have the knowledge and understanding of the body movement to make quick changes. Another thing is realising that it’s a service job and it’s not about you – it’s about facilitating others to bring out the best in them.