Andrey Efimov: Manifesting Beauty for Those Involved in Manifesting Beauty
Andrey Efimov feels the push and pull of creativity. Actually, that’s not quite accurate. He fully embraces the unexpected circumstances and the powerful creative temperaments that are ever present in his work environment. A videographer of international fame (his work on Ulyana Sergeenko’s presentations for Haute Couture Week in 2021 & 2022 cultivated international admirers for him), Andrey has the awareness that great opportunities lie in the unforeseen. While his admirers confess an affinity for his previous productions, Mr. Efimov is constantly striving to fashion (no pun intended) something unique in each creation. Andrey openly declares, “Of course working with professionals, where everyone is responsible for their own task, when people unite on the set in order to make the common beautiful – it is always inspiring. Plus, I always enjoy watching people who are immersed in the shooting process with great interest because surely everyone would like to be a director.”
When contacted to create videos to air on the live broadcast of the RHDA featuring award-winning hairdresser Vladimir Sarbashev, Andrey’s own work for Ulyana Sergeenko was cited as a reference. A pragmatic balance between these prior videos and the creation of something new was inspired by the hairstyles, clothes, and music. The styles span the 60s to the 80s with headbands, long luxurious lines, thin fabrics, and large jewelry. Motion is implied subtly with camera movements around the featured models. A signature editing style of Mr. Efimov’s presents multiple models on the screen simultaneously with the background removed, further emphasizing the images in motion. Andrey states, “The music, which I would describe as sexy rock & roll, was written specifically for the show and the imagery in the video is not from one single era. I wanted to put it all in a modern sound that would remind everyone that fashion, like everything in life, is cyclical and that you can experiment and still be trendy.”
The videos Andrey created for famed hairdresser Tonya Pushkareva testify to his versatility. Presented to VIP viewers of the RHDA Awards as well as Ms. Pushkareva’s social media channels, these videos are starkly different than those created for Sarbashev which premiered at the same event. While the first of these two productions takes a Spartan approach of models having their hair styled in the chair, the second presents various models in vastly different settings. There is a tenderness and femininity in the presentation while a magical thread permeates throughout. Andrey divulges, “The mood and the music of the two parts of this video reflects the persona of Tonya. I know her to be very modern and aware of trends. She is focused on young, progressive, and energetic people. There is also a side to her that is very centered and aware of who she is as a versatile person and professional. To communicate this, I chose a multi-screen technique in order to keep the viewer’s attention constantly in focus, allowing time to look at the scene from right to left. From the very beginning when I suggested this technique to Tonya, she immediately agreed and our approach did not fail, viewers were delighted.”
Everyone cares about how they are presented, particularly so when it represents their brand. Artists are passionate, which can also mean opinionated and cumbersome at times. Andrey Efimov sees this as an asset rather than a hindrance when it comes to collaborating with others. He states, “The most enjoyable thing for me is always working with creative people, and when they are also professionals in their field, it’s a delight. Complexity appeals to me. For example, creating the video for Tonya Pushkareva was my first time working with a florist (many flowers and nature elements are a part of the featured sets). Working extensively with a florist was a really interesting experience that I am very grateful for. The sets in this video play a very important role because they are what help us associate the mood of a particular scene with the mood of each image. It was the first time I worked with a florist in such a volume, and it turns out it is not at all accessible, and communication with a florist is in general a separate genre of communication. They love flowers and other plants and categorically resist doing anything that in their opinion does not fit the given image. At first it confused me but then it delighted me. Together with the florist and Tonya we absolutely managed to convey the mood we wanted – virginity, joy, lightness and a little drama.”
Writer: Winston Scott