FEED BACK..

I wanted to know what other people thought of my Final Major Project outcome, so I asked some of my friends. This is a summary..

Strengths:
* Good choice of model.. photogenic
* The stop motion works well.. makes it look interesting and cuts out random bits
* Good make up styling idea
* Clothing- mix match works well for a 12 year old boy

Weaknesses:
* The model's hair disappears in to the background
* The lighting changes throughout the filming
* Could have included dance in the video to make it clear what it was advertising


Overall, I think that the feedback was pretty good. However, as they were my friends that gave me the feedback, I think that they could have been a bit biased.

FINAL PIECE..

Click here to see Final Project

This is my final major project outcome. I am happy with the end result as it sets out what I aimed to. To create a viral add promoting a Contemporary Dance Performance featuring a boy who likes to dress in girls clothing and wear make-up. The video itself doesn't include or suggest any form of dance, however, I did this so the viewers would question what the video is for, and if successful they will google the name of the video and find out it is for a dance production. It also creates a sense of humour with the use of the man (most people would expect it to be a woman) over  exaggerated make up, clearly not doing it in a neat manner. The use of the song helps to create this with the upbeat rhythm and sad lyrics.

EDITING FOOTAGE..

Firstly, I was unaware as to how to use iMovie, so it took me a good 4hours to teach myself. I mainly used Youtube as a way to learn but they weren't much help, so most of it was just trial and area.
I then realised that I had iMove 6 which doesn't have many effects. I tried to download a better version but my mac was not compatible. So instead I used my friends mac who had the software, but the footage I had already edited wouldn't upload to this version of the software. All I wanted to do was speed up the last section of my video. I spent over half a day trying to this and failed miserably. Because of this I had to change my editing idea, and carry on with the stop motion effect, which I think might actually look better than my original idea, as it creates a coherency to the
I was amazed as to how long it actually took to edit out the footage I didn't want. It took me a whole day to get a 1.30 hours to just less than 3 minutes.

REFLECTION.. footage

I made notes to remind me of what order I needed to do things on the video. I found this really helped, as I often forgot what I wanted to do next as there a lot of steps in order to create the stop motion.
I also gave a copy of this to the model, so he could see where an when he had to do specific things. I also directed him through the film which I will edit out.


I think the filming went well and George was a great model and did everything I asked of him and put 100% in to it. He also gave me opinions along the way which great to have someone else's input during the filming process.
I had trouble with the lighting at the beginning, trying to get the correct amount of light on the model using two light sources. These had to be at the correct heights to light up his face and his chest.


Overall, I am really happy with the filming, however, I am not looking forward to the many hours of cutting out parts of the video I don't want. All together I think I filmed nearly 1.30hours which is a lot more than I expected. This will be beneficial as it will give me a wider choice of footage.


Looking back at the footage, I think I could have made the lighting better, as at some points during the footage there are lighter areas, and in other places there are darker areas. This does however help to create the idea that it is a homemade footage by a 12 year old boy.
I also noticed that a few times my shadows appears on the model's face. I am hoping I can edit all these out and not have to use any in my final edit.


I wanted to put the whole video up on here so everyone could see how I got the footage, unfortunately the file was too big as there was over 1hr 30mins of footage.

SCRIPT..

This is what I had my model saying as a voice over for the video. I will chose and edit from the script below to put on to the video.
I still wanted to create the idea that someone was asking him questions about how he feels when wearing make up and women's clothing, so these are all statements which answer questions. I had to make them sound like it was a 12year old replying, so I tried to keep it simple.

I feel alive
I can be somebody else
I can chose who I want to be
Its exciting
I feel myself, this is who I am
It's like dressing up but with girl's clothes
I can forget about everything else
No one recognises me and its great
I feel great
I I like make up and I like shoes and dresses
Who says I can't dress up and wear make up and dresses?
I feel myself
i love glitter
I lover sequins
I love flowers
I like the floatiness of the dress
I love the soft touch of the material on my skin
It's like a mask hiding me from the world, and its exciting
I feel free

IT'S PERSONAL..

Due to personal events I had to postpone the shooting of my film which lead to me not being able to use the cameraman nor the studio I booked out, which set me back quite badly. I also didn't have frequent use of the internet either so I felt I was really behind on my work, which I really started to panic about. Luckily I feel I have dedicated enough time so far since this to almost get myself back on track. Instead I will have to film the video myself as I am finding it hard to get hold of someone else to do it. This could be quite interesting and difficult as I have never used a video camera before. This has made me wish that I had previously learnt how to use a camera and test shot my footage before hand, in case I couldn't rely on someone else.
Not only did I lose my camera operator, and the studio, my chosen model couldn't  shoot until a few weeks later, meaning there being less time to edit my work.
Originally we planned to shoot  April 2nd, we have now booked a date April 20th and 21st.
As I am unable to get studio space, I have purchased a 5 metre by 3 metre black piece of material which I will pin to my living room wall, and use this as my studio. Luckily, I can get hold of a lighting kit and tripod from the university to take out.

STOP MOTION.. photography

This is me taking photos of myself putting on lipstick, when they are flicked through quickly it looks as though i am actually moving, when in fact they are image stills. Even though I am using this technique with moving image, I did this to help me understand more on how stop motion works. It was quite fun flicking through them and to see how easy it actually was to produce.

STOP MOTION ADVERT..

Evian have created an advert which features stop motion. The more current media related means I am finding with this technique is making me think that this is a great technique to use for my video. It shows that the society of today will be attracted to it, as they are already seeing such adverts in the media, it also suggests that my video will be current and attract today's viewers.
Like the planning of my video, this advert has a light hearted and funny vibe to it, making the stop motion fit in well.
This advert has used both moving and still imagery of this technique, as the people are being film, and the t shirts are the still imagery made to look as though they are moving.


My friend shared a link with me on facebook to this advert, and I thought it was great for my work. This too shows how current it is as it is being virally spread.

MOOD BOARD..

As you can see colour is an important aspect to my designing, this is down to all the research I have done on Drag act and they all seem to use bright colours, with thickly applied make up.
Dennis also mentions in the novel that he likes bright colours, glitter, sequins, flowers, shoes and dresses.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS PART 2..

Since seeing the Quentin Jones' short film, Naked with Paint. I have rethought as to how I am going to film and portray my interview questions. 

As I have decided not to have myself in the video doing the make up whilst interviewing the model, I want to put a voice over on to the video of the model saying how he feels when he is wearing make up instead of me asking the questions and then the model answering, as I feel this could be a bit boring and may drag on for two long. This will not include the model saying these answers in the video, it will just be a part of the sound to the film.

Film: Bridget Jones' Diary

clip walking over bridge...

This part of the film involves the actress walking along the bridge thinking to herself. The audience can hear what she is thinking, and these thoughts are also suggested through bodily gestures and facial expressions. This is the technique I am wanting to use for the audience and for the actions of the model to match the thoughts/ voice over of the model.

BLOG: Confessions of A Female Drag Queen

These are all images which I sourced from Confessions of a female drag queen's blog. The blog links to my work as I am dressing a boy in women's clothing. Even though this blogger is female she likes the trend of drag which is shown through her images. All the above images stood out to me the most by bright colours and the OTT fashion styles.
This blog brought to my attention that I need make it clear to the audience that the model is a boy, as the model I will be using is quite feminine. (Pictures of the model are in my Models.. post)
Some ideas to capture this are..
* Dress the model so it is clear that he is flat chested
* Style the hair which could be for both sexes e.i. short hair with a swept side fringe

STYLING ITEMS..

I already have all the Make up I need for my project, which is really handy, and will allow we to spend more money in other areas, such as clothing.

Make up I will need on the day of shooting:
foundation
powder
pink blusher
blue eyeshadow
mascara
red lipstick

brush kit
comb
hair gel
hair straighteners

Clothing:
I will need to purchase all the garments that I want for my shoot:
dress
cardigan
fur shawl
hat
rings

STOP MOTION..

 Illustrator, animator and fashion filmmaker

Quentin Jones: Naked With Paint

I saw this video and immediately thought it was amazing. I knew there was something missing from my ideas as I wasn't getting overly excited about it, but when I saw this video plently of ideas came to me, and the excitement quickly came back. It is also similar to Gareth Pugh's Make up athon which I have already mentioned in this blog, with the use of stop motion, and the model putting on the make up themselves. This short film is quirky, exciting and original. This film has made me change my mind on what I want to do with my final piece. I think it would be awesome and interesting to create a short film/ viral ad which appears as though the model is putting on the make up, however with the use of stop motion I, as the make up artist will actually be applying the make up, these bits will be edited out creating the effect of the model is putting on the make up. Originally, I was going to film myself doing the make whilst asking the model questions regarding how he feels when wearing make up. This last minute change of mind could be really exciting and different.
I also like the the frame which captures the model, I was planning on just including the head and shoulders, however, now I want to include the clothing as a main aspect to the video as well as the make up, and so this frame shot would be much more suitable.
The black and white makes the film look dark and mysterious which isn't the desired effect that I am wanting to create. I need the use of colour to make the film look lively, happy and energetic. It needs to portray the feelings and emotions of the model, these being all the above.

Shaving

This video is a great example of how I am wanting to create my short film. He has made it look as though he has shaved his beard with his fingers, when he's actually used a shaver, but with the use of stop motion techniques, the shaving parts are cut out and the final piece is left with just the finger shots.

Kendall Hunt

Process Enacted by Jordan C Greenhalgh

I liked this video as Greenhalgh used photographs to make it appear as though the model in the photograph is actually moving. This isn't the technique I will be using, but it is something that I will touch upon and to create my own to give me further knowledge and understanding of how stop motion films work.

I found this t shirt on the Topman website featuring images of stop motion. I thought this was quite interesting and relevant to my work. This too gave me the idea to make my own stop motion imagery using photographs. I think this also shows how relevant this technique is today as a fashion styling, linking to me work being modern.

BLUE.

I've decided that I definitely want to use blue eyeshadow in my styling as it is bright (something which is mentioned in the book) and a colour to which younger children are attracted to. It will also stand out from the black background.

Both of the images above have similar make up styling, featuring blue eye shadow which reaches up to the brow and the inner and outer of the brow. I like this look and would be suitable for my designs, as it is thickly applied and not usually wear eye shadow of this colour is applied, showing that the child doesn't know exactly where to put it.

Even though the make up is not blue, I like the way the eye shadow has been applied, just along and above the crease of the eye. This would also be suitable for my styling as it could also suggest that the boy doesn't know where the eye shadow goes reflecting his age.

CHILDREN'S BEAUTY PAGEANTS..

As you can see from the photos above, children are being exploited in to winning competitions. Not only are they being made to wear make up, and a lot of it, they are also being put in skimpy outfits which you would expect a 20 year old to wear. They too prance around with a sexual manner, hands on hips and wigging bums.
After watching a few documentaries on the competitions it is quite clear that the children don't really want o be there, but instead are doing for their parents, mainly their Mums. This could link to the idea that as Dennis (the boy in the book) misses his Mother, he wants to be like her, leading to wearing womens clothes.
I feel researching in to beauty pageants will help with the designing of my project, as it relates to the original novel of a young boy wanting to wear make up and feminine clothes.

TEST SHOOTS..

I practiced the styling on my model, and this is the outcome...

Im really happy with the outcome of my test shoots, this is definitely the look I will be using for my video. I think the styling looks better with the hat as it hides the short hair. In the novel Dennis puts a wig on when he dresses as a girl, however I liked the idea of a hat.


Pale foundation- brighter colours stand out, Dennis unaware of skintone
pink blusher- thickly applies- fits in with drag styling, and new to make up
blue eyeshadow- stands out, on trend
red lipstick- smudged to show he doesn't know where to exactly put it. on trend
Blue nails- matches eyeshadow
rings- costume jewellery to emphasise he's dressing up
Fur shawl with summer dress- mix and match, again not aware of styling, shows young age
Flower dress- mentioned in the novel
hat- models hair blends in to the background, the hat stands out.
Pink flowers on the hat- feminine 

IDENTITY..

What is identity? 

Gender Identity

Petros Varnava: Graphic Design

ITS A HAND THING..

Nails:

This photograph gave me the idea to paint the nails of the male model, originally I was not going to do this, however, I think it will add to the drag look, and to show that the boy has thought about every aspect in to making himself look like a woman. I also like like the styling of the two colours as it really draws the attention to them. I don't think this is something I will look in to doing as the nails is not something I want to stand out too much.

I looked further in to the idea of painting the models nails, which lead me to thinking about long fake nails, like in the picture above. However, after some thought I felt this may be to drag like, whereas I am creating the idea that the boy is styling himself and doesn't know exactly what to do. I feel fake nails is a step too far and will create the idea that the boy knows what he is doing.

I like this image as it gives a sense of innocence with the use of feminine colours, hand posture and costume style jewelry which is a characteristic I am wanting to portray in my video. Costume jewelry is a great way of creating the idea that someone is dressing up which would work well with the styling of my video. 

ALEKSA MANILA..

ICON: Celebration of Drag, Art and Lifestyle 

ART..

ALISSON GOTHZ


Gothz uses his own portrait to create different personalities, which links to a previous post on alter egos. The use of the bright colours, heavily applied make up and clothing relates to Drag.

This image very much resembles the art of a pin up girl with specific characteristics such as the short rollered hair, pale skin, rosy cheeks and red lipstick. The smaller images of the figure display as classic pin up pose with the one leg in front of the other, and the arms behind the head. 

<Pin up girl>

This is not something I want to create to my piece as it has to be appropriate for a 12 year old as this would definitely be frowned upon and considered immoral. 

This image reminds me of a Giesha through the use of patterns, clothing and the background patterns almost resembling a Chinese fan. The white face, pink cheeks, dark eyes and red lips also help to create this image.

<Geisha Girl>

I think that all of these pieces of art are exciting and unique. The imagery looks psychedelic with the use of neon colours and patterns.

CONTEMPORARY DANCE..

These are all contemporary dance movement which could be included in the dance routine if i decide to go down this route. 

I think this image looks really striking, however if i was to use imagery like this the model would need to face the camera in order to see the make up and the facial expression.

Pirouette

Originally i thought it would be interesting to have the model  pirouetting, however, from seeing this photograph it is clear that it would not be a good idea as you can not see any detail of the dancer, which means that the make up, hair and clothing would not be seen which is the main purpose to the viral advert.


VIDEOS

My model

CHILDREN AND MAKE UP..

There has always been a huge debate on whether it is acceptable for children to wear make up, as it people argue that children shouldn't have to grow up so fast, and make up is a part of this.


Children of celebrities are often seen wearing make up..

BANNED ADVERTISING

Posing for Vogue

These images are of Thylane Blondeau, a 10 year old model. All of the above images portray the child with a sexual manner which is created by the clothing, posture, make up and location of the shoot. In a sense these provocative images are condemning pedophilia which is illegal and unnatural.

MARC JACOB

Dakota Fanning modeled for Marc Jacob's advertising a perfume. She is only 15 years old which is younger than the legal consent to have sex. This image is clearly sexual with the use of the perfume place between her legs which was clearly intended to be perceived with sexual reference.. a man between her legs. The youthful dress and the use of pink creates a childlike and innocent image which creates an immoral  image.

This links to my work as the character of the book is an adolescent who too wants to wear make up which isn't seen as being appropriate. As the model I will be using is 21, this may not be something which i will need to consider.

GOING VIRAL..

Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, 2006

This is a great example of viral advertising. It won a couple of awards, and is worth over £9m. It received 12m views in its first year of publication. It has been on Youtube, sent through email, social networking sites, and it has been shown and mentioned on reality host shows. It too uses stop motion showing that this is a popular form of editing to get a long film edited in to a short film. Even thought this viral advert was first seen in 2006, it still being virally passed along.


Agent Provocateur 2011
for their new Soiree Collection 2011/12

Even though this viral advert was banned, it shows that a viral advertisements need an edge about them to lure the viewers, which is definitely something this advert does. I think my idea has a slight edge to it, as the audience won't know what the advert is for, which I am hoping will make them want to google it. I will include the name of the performance, 'The Boy in the Dress.'

MEN's FASHION WITH FEMININE TOUCHES..

Men's clothing are becoming more feminine and pushing the boundaries of what men would normally wear. All the images below display some familiarity to women's clothing and are sourced from Topman online. This is something I looked in to see how much men's clothing were being inspired by feminine styling as the book is about a boy who likes dressing up in women's clothing.

The patterning on the t shirt above is definitely a design to which a few years ago would have been considered as women's clothing. However, it is clear that society of today are more open to how men dress. When walking along the high street, shop fronts and the general public are very  much in love with these patterned t shirts as they are everywhere. Clothes too are getting much tighter, as this is a fitted t- shirt, which would hug the arms and the waist.

Pokadots are genuinely a pattern to which you would really only see women wearing, however, for Spring/Summer 2012, Topshop brought out this Pokadot Blazer jacket. I personally have not yet seen this item being worn by the public, but I'm sure it does sell.

A couple of years ago, ant man who would be seen wearing skinny jeans would have been called a girl by their mates, or been laughed at been referred to as 'gay.' However, the main styling of jeans worn by men today are these skinny jeans, which typically women only used to wear.

 Low V necks are becoming more popular, I still think its a style which not everyone can pull off as no one likes to see a hairy chest. Most of the men who I have seen wearing this style are have been ones look after their appearance and groom well. Pink is a colour which is seen to be very feminine, but is now a colour to which most men aged 16-25 would wear.

Flowers are definitely something which are usually aimed towards women. But as you can see they are more and more being used for men. 


It is clear that the society of today are being more open minded about what they wear than they used to be. It could be that men liked this feminine styling but wanted to conform to the 'norm' and went along with what everyone else was wearing, and now more and more shops are bringing out these feminine clothing, the more people are starting to wear them.