One night, late in July, a few friends and I sat around a fire in Emma’s backyard. Chit-chat floated through the air, mingling with the harmonies of Johnny Cash in the background and the warm fragrances of crackling oak. As I sat there, slowly taking in the scene, something about that moment latched onto my mind, sparking an idea. Everything about the yard, Emma’s trailer, her style, and ultimately her brand were special and intriguing, and I pondered the idea of a project about Emma. Riding the wave of inspiration, I pitched the idea to Emma; “Let’s make a movie about you and Bucktooth!”

She was all in.

Together, we worked closely on this project, laying out the foundation for the film and ultimately how we would portray her brand. I asked Emma, “What is the purpose of Bucktooth?” To which she responded, “Bucktooth has three goals - to promote body positivity, sustainability, and the empowerment of women.” To adequately express these goals, I began by preparing a Milanote, laying out the project's guidelines, storyboard, and vision. I gathered stills from similar films, drawing inspiration from Patagonia’s hemp campaign and a film called “Handmade Garments.” Then, we dove into shooting. Because Emma is a creative herself, she understood my incessant desire to gather more and more footage. After a week of back and forth between filming and editing, the project slowly began to take shape. However, it was missing something, that old-school feel. Fortunately, my VX2000 was on its way back from Colorado that week, thus upon its arrival became our ace in the hole for the film. The Mini DV style of the VX with a nice wide fisheye rounded out the project for a true Depop-esque feeling. Ultimately, I delivered a roughly five-minute docu-style brand film, a 30-second brand ad for social, and 17 Portra-400 stills.

Throughout this project, I pushed myself to reach outside of my comfort zone, trying to achieve shots that were both creative but still reflected my style. I chose music that I felt complimented Emma’s happily ironic personality and Bucktooth’s, as Emma puts it, heinous style. All the while, I worked hard on two other projects and balanced a part-time job at a restaurant in the evenings. I am proud of this project because I think it succinctly depicts who Emma is and how her style emanates through Bucktooth.

Bucktooth is a vintage resale shop run by three girls, Emma, Sarah, and Emily, whose mission is to sustainably clothe people of all shapes and sizes.