The Cinematic Portrait

A Portrait in Motion: your work, your voice, preserved on film.

A commissioned film of your practice: unmistakably yours, and unmistakably mine.

There is a part of your practice that a photograph cannot hold: the sound of your voice explaining it, the rhythm of a gesture you have made ten thousand times, the half second of stillness before you decide something. You know it is there. You have simply never had a way to hand it to anyone who was not standing in the room.

A Cinematic Portrait is a commissioned film, in the sense that a painted portrait is commissioned. I come to your studio, your workshop or your patch of country with a cinema camera, I spend the day in your world, and I return with a short film of one to five minutes that carries your voice, your hands and the atmosphere of the place where the work is made.

It is made for the artist or artisan whose practice deserves more images than she has time to make, and who has something to say about it that a still frame was never going to carry.

WHY ARTISTS COMMISSION ONE

You step into your own story. Collectors, curators and readers do not only buy the work; they buy the person who made it. A film is the one commission that puts you in the room with them: your voice, your accent, your hands at the bench, the way you describe a decision you have made ten thousand times without ever having been asked to explain it. For as long as you keep working, it goes wherever your work goes.

The right eyes start looking. Grant panels, residency committees, prize juries, gallery directors and curators decide on what they can see. Almost none of them will ever make a studio visit. Four minutes of film is the closest thing to one that can travel inside an application, sit on a gallery's screen, or open a submission. It gives the paperwork a face and a voice.

Your voice and your hands go on the record. Photographs of a practice are made all the time. Recordings of the person are rare, and they are almost never made deliberately. This is the one day where someone comes with a cinema camera and a microphone for the express purpose of keeping what you sound like and how you move while you work.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

A FULL DAY IN YOUR WORLD. One day on site, in your studio, workshop or plein air, filming the process, the hands, the materials and the person. You work; I follow. One client called me a little mouse on her shoulder.

A CONVERSATION ABOUT FORM BEFORE WE SHOOT. We decide together whether the film is voice-led, where you speak about your practice in your own words, or purely musical, where the images carry the story. Both are beautiful. The right one depends on you and on the work.

HELP WITH YOUR WORDS. If the film is voice-led, you do not have to arrive with a script or a talent for talking about yourself. I have excellent tools for helping you say what you mean in an effortless, poetic way, and the whole of my training is in drawing the story out.

A CINEMA CAMERA AND THE LENSES THAT MAKE THE LOOK. A Canon C70 cinema camera, a large array of lenses, modern and vintage, and a collection of creative filters. This is the equipment behind the look people recognise as mine.

YOUR VOICE RECORDED PROPERLY ON LOCATION. [CONFIRM: describe your sound setup in one clause, so the buyer knows the audio is handled and not an afterthought.]

MUSIC, LICENSED AND CLEARED. I choose and licence the music, and I credit the composer. You never have to think about rights, takedowns or where a track came from.

THE EDIT. The part nobody sees: days of work bringing together the threads of a story and condensing them into a few minutes that hold.

THE COLOUR GRADE. The cinematic, slightly European quality that makes the film look like the rest of my work, and like nothing shot on a phone.

TITLES AND CREDITS IN YOUR OWN BRANDING. Your fonts, your logo, your brand kit, your credits, reviewed by you before the film is finished.

A REVIEW ROUND, PROPERLY RUN. [CONFIRM: number of rounds, and name Frame.io if you want the process visible.] You see the film before it is final, and your notes are part of the making.

DELIVERY. [CONFIRM: exact formats and resolutions you hand over, for example a master file, a web version, and whether a vertical or square cut is included.]

A PERPETUAL, WORLDWIDE FIRST PARTY LICENCE. Your licence covers all personal and professional first-party use: your website, social media, grant and residency applications, exhibition catalogues, editorial features and self-promotional materials. It does not expire and it is not limited by territory. Copyright remains with me, as Australian law provides, and a credit to Flore Vallery-Radot is a legal requirement in all contexts.

THE GALLERY AND INSTITUTION EXTENSION. [CONFIRM BEFORE PUBLISHING: does the free gallery extension apply to film, and does it cover the film being screened in the gallery during an exhibition? If yes, this is one of the strongest lines on the page and should be written in full. If it is stills only, say so plainly here and price the film extension as an add-on.]

SYDNEY METRO TRAVEL INCLUDED. Beyond Sydney, travel is priced very reasonably and agreed upfront, with no surprises. I have filmed across New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia, New Zealand and Europe. Distance is not an obstacle.

THE SHOOT PREP GUIDE. Once your date is confirmed, you receive my prep guide, so the day arrives ready and the studio is at its best.

A FILMMAKER TRAINED FOR THIS. A Master of Art Screen Documentary from AFTRS, the Australian Film Television and Radio School, and ten years photographing and filming artists and artisans.

TWO HUNDRED PORTRAITS OF PRACTICE BEHIND ME. More than 200 cinematic artist portraits, and more than 80 filmed tutorials across floristry, gardening, painting and photography. I have spent a decade learning how a working day actually unfolds, and how to film it without interrupting it.

PHOTOGRAPHS ON THE SAME DAY, IF YOU WANT THEM. Film and photography shot together produce a homogenous look that is very hard to reach any other way: one cohesive visual world, made in one visit. See the options below.

WHAT YOU RECEIVE

One finished film of around five minutes, voice-led or musical

• Delivered in MP4 or any prefered format

• Music licensed and credited, titles and credits in your own branding

• A perpetual, worldwide first party licence for all your professional and personal use

• Yours to keep and to show for the rest of your career

HOW THE DAY GOES

One. We talk first. Thirty minutes on a call about your practice, what is coming up, and what the film is for. If we are a good fit, I hold a date.

Two. We choose the form. Voice-led or musical. If it is voice-led, we work out what you want to say before the day, so that nothing has to be improvised in front of a lens.

Three. The day itself. I arrive with my own equipment and set up around you. You do your work. There is no crew, no lighting rig taking over your studio, no performance required, and no talking to camera unless you want to.

Four. The edit, and your notes. You see the film before it is finished, and what you tell me shapes it.

Five. Delivery. The finished film arrives with your credits and your branding, licensed to you for good.

THREE PEOPLE I HAVE FILMED

Each panel: the artist's portrait or a frame from the film, the quote, the name and practice, and a link reading "Read the interview" or "Watch the film".

NADINE INGRAM, Baker, Flour and Stone, Sydney NSW

"I bind meaning and intentions together through the medium of cake. In doing so, I am able to connect through my heart with 'my people' and a broader community."

Read the interview and watch the film: https://florevalleryradot.com/my-journal/nadine-ingram

Image: a frame from the filmed footage gallery on that page, the lamplit home kitchen, her hands at the cake.

STUART PATERSON, Surfboard Maker, Cronulla NSW

"My interest in art is to blame for wanting to build surfboards"

Read the interview and watch the film: https://florevalleryradot.com/my-journal/stuart-paterson

Image: a frame from the neon-lit shaping bay, dust suspended in the light. Optional caption in your own words, since your account of that shoot is the best proof on the site that you can film a practice which will not slow down for you.

CRESSIDA CAINS, Pecora Dairy, Robertson NSW

"Flo has helped us tell our story. The films we have commissioned her to make for us have conveyed exactly what we were hoping people would understand our cheese making journey to be."

See the films and the farm: https://florevalleryradot.com/my-journal/cressida-cains

Image: Cressida in her felt hat, or the ewes in the green field, from the farm gallery.

WHAT IT WILL STILL BE IN FORTY YEARS

Optional section. See B6. Place it here, after the practical case, or leave it out entirely; it is the one passage on the page that should be yours rather than mine.

Everything else you commission is made to be used: the website images, the catalogue, the posts, the applications. This one is used too, and then it keeps going.

In forty years there will be photographs of your work in a great many places. There will be one recording of your voice describing why you made it the way you made it, and one of your hands doing the thing only your hands do. Somebody will want it. It is the only asset in this list that cannot be made later.

THE PRICE

FROM $5,250

ALL PRICES ARE GST EXCLUSIVE

ADD-ON OPTIONS

PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE SAME DAY. The Full Photo Suite, from $1,850, shot alongside the film. Film and stills made in one visit share a look that is very hard to achieve across two separate jobs.

SIX REELS FROM THE SAME DAY. The Reel Collection, from $2,000. Six short vertical films, cut in my style, ready for you to post.

TRAVEL BEYOND SYDNEY METRO. Priced very reasonably and agreed upfront, with no surprises.

VIP FASTER DELIVERY. If you have a deadline, an exhibition or a launch, tell me on the call and we will see what is possible.

EXTENDED LICENSING. Editorial, print and advertising use beyond your first party licence, on the terms set out in the Artist and Artisan First Party Licensing Rate Card.

A FRENCH VERSION, OR SUBTITLES. [CONFIRM: I have written this as available because you offer to run whole projects in French, but I do not know whether subtitling is in your workflow. Remove the line if it is not.]

A FEW QUESTIONS I AM OFTEN ASKED

Your existing answers, verbatim, where they already work. New drafts marked NEW.

What is a cinematic portrait film? Think of it as commissioning a portrait, the way painters are sometimes commissioned. I arrive with my camera and my unique eye, spend a day in your world, and return with a very personal creation that is beautifully you. One to five minutes. Voice or music. Yours to keep and show for the rest of your career.

Is there a voice-over in your films? Your choice. Some films are voice-led, where you speak about your practice in your own words (I have fantastic new tools to help you do that in an effortless, poetic way). Others are purely musical, letting the images carry the story. Both are beautiful. The right format depends on you and your work.

NEW: What if I dislike being filmed, or dislike the sound of my own voice? You are in very good company: it is the most common thing people tell me before a shoot, and it has never yet stopped a film from being made. There is no talking to camera, and nothing has to be improvised in front of a lens. If the film is voice-led we work out what you want to say beforehand, and I have excellent tools to help you find your own words in an effortless, poetic way. If you would rather not speak at all, a purely musical film carries the story through the images, and some of my most-loved films are made that way.

NEW: How long is the film, and what decides the length? [CONFIRM the range, then answer here. Your services page says one to five minutes and your film portfolio says two to five. Once the number is settled, say in one sentence what makes a film longer or shorter: the complexity of the process, whether it is voice-led, how much of the story needs to be told.]

NEW: How long are you there on the day? A full day, in your studio, workshop or plein air. You work as you normally would; I set up around you and follow.

Can you shoot photos and video on the same day? Yes, and it's my superpower. Photos and film shot together produce a homogenous look and style that's very hard to achieve any other way. The result is a cohesive visual world, not two separate jobs stitched together.

NEW: Who chooses the music, and is it licensed? I do, and it is. I select the music, licence it properly and credit the composer, so the film is cleared for every use your licence covers. If you have something particular in mind, tell me early and we will see whether it can be licensed for your use.

NEW: Can I use the film in a grant or residency application? Yes, and it is one of the things a film does best. Panels decide on what they can see, and very few of them will ever visit a studio. Your licence covers grant and residency applications, exhibition catalogues, your website and your social media, without any further permission from me.

NEW: Can my gallery use the film, or screen it during my exhibition? [CONFIRM before publishing, per the flag above. If the gallery extension covers film and in-gallery screening, this is one of the most persuasive answers on the page and should be written in full. If it covers stills only, say so plainly and point to the extended licence.]

What cameras do you use? A Canon C70 cinema camera for film, and Leica SL2 and Leica Typ 601 for photography. A large array of lenses, modern and vintage, plus a collection of creative filters that give my work its distinctive look.

Is travel included? Sydney Metro travel is included in all packages. Beyond Sydney, travel is priced very reasonably and agreed upfront, no surprises. I've worked across NSW, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. Distance is not an obstacle.

How long does delivery take? As a guide, photos within three weeks and films within three months once you've provided your assets - fonts, logo, brand kit, music choice, and fully reviewed credits. That said, timelines are always discussed at booking and we find a rhythm that works for both of us. A VIP faster delivery option is also available for those who need it sooner - get in touch to discuss your timeline.

Where and how am I allowed to use the images and films created by Flore? Your licence covers all personal and professional first-party use: your website, social media, grant and residency applications, exhibition catalogues, editorial features, and self-promotional print materials. You are licensing the right to use the images - copyright remains with Flore Vallery-Radot at all times, as protected under Australian copyright law. A credit to Flore Vallery-Radot is a legal requirement in all contexts, not optional.

NEW! Full-paying clients receive something most photographers simply do not offer: the right to extend usage of their images to the galleries and cultural institutions representing their work, for the purpose of promoting their practice and exhibitions (Conditions apply). This means your gallery can use your images in their communications, their social media, and their exhibition materials without any additional licence fee to you. It is a gift designed to make your images work as hard as possible for your career, without friction and without extra cost. A credit to Flore Vallery-Radot remains a legal requirement in all contexts.

For full details, read the Artist and Artisan First Party Licensing Rate Card here.

Can a third party use the images or films from my session? A third party is any person or organisation that did not commission and pay for the shoot. This includes magazines, newspapers, television programs, book publishers, screen producers, advertising agencies, commercial brands, and any other business or individual. None of these may reproduce, publish, or use your images without my written authorisation and a separate usage licence.

The simplest thing to do: direct any third party enquiry to me directly and I will handle it from there. Get in touch at flore@florevalleryradot.com.

Do you work in French? Oui. I'm a native French speaker and work comfortably in both languages. For French-speaking artists in Australia or Europe, we can conduct the entire project in French if you prefer.

How does booking work? Book a call with me directly here. Thirty minutes, your practice, and if we're a good fit I'll hold a shoot date for you. From there, a 50% deposit confirms the date, and my shoot prep guide follows to make the day as good as it can be.

THE CROSS-LINK

One sentence, placed after the Q&A and before the closing call to action.

If you would like the photographs and the reels made on the same visit as the film, that complete commission is The Legacy: https://florevalleryradot.com/services#combo

Let's make your film.

Thirty minutes on a call, about your practice and what is coming up. If we are a good fit, I will hold a date for you.

Book a call with me: https://florevalleryradot.com/book-a-call