Work Record March 28th 2014

Preparation; 
The aim for this shoot is to test out hair, make up, costume and props for the Character of Alice in my exam shoot. The Alice character is not going to be conventional, but instead come across as both edgy and confident and well as innocent.

To prepare I need to; 

• Get a model
• Book studio 
• Decide on back drop 
• Decide on lighting
• Get any props
• Get outfit

What I hope to achieve; 

From this shoot I hope to find out what looks, lighting and props work best for the character and how I want her to be shown. 

What I actually achieved; 

I am happy with what I achieved as I got a range of images showing different poses, lighting and use of props. My aim was to find out if certain elements work together well in preparation for my exam shoot and I achieved this and found out what worked best. I also got image to try out different editing experiments with that relate to the trippy Alice in Wonderland idea I am exploring. Some of these worked and some didn't. Other than experiments, I kept the editing fairly simple, just desaturating the colour slightly to achieve a darker effect. 

 This is my favourite image from the shoot. What I like most is the selective colour, with the black and white representing reality and the vivid purple potion representing the exciting world of Wonderland. I also like the composition in the image as you can  clearly see both Alice and the bottle. The way the model is looking at the bottle is good as well, as if she is contemplating drinking it and what could happen.

This is one of the editing experiments that worked quite well. I chose to make her legs longer and head bigger using the liquify tool as it represents the variations of height that Alice experiences in the story, as well as creating a warped feel. I like the pose the model is in as well as it looks like she is bending to look at something, like the camera is a key hole and she is trying to look through it. 

What I am going to do next; 

I am really happy with how this turned out and now I am going to do a test shoot for the Mad Hatter character. 

Work Record - March Monday 24th 2014

Preparation; 
The aim for this shoot is to show the idea of getting lost in a fantasy world.

To prepare I need to; 

• Find a location
• Make some signs
• Get nails

What I hope to achieve; 
A still life shoot in the forrest showing different confusing directions to different mystical places.

What I actually achieved; 
I am really happy with what this shoot achieved, as I got what I wanted in terms of lighting, location, and colours which made the shoot run smoothly and get the results I wanted. I got a range of compositions and angles to give different effects and show get the natural light coming in at different angles. I also took some film images, however I don't know the result of them as they are being processed. In terms of editing I just wanted to enhance the colours in the sign and make the light and shadow more dramatic as it added more to the images.

 This image I decided to change the hue of the forrest excluding the sign to give it a more magical, mystical feel. I chose the greens and purples as its still keeping the colours still close to reality, just brighter and vivid in terms of the trees and slightly different for the sky. I also like the angle and composition of this image with the signs almost pointing into the camera, and being dead central.

II really like how dark this is around the sides, with the light just around the sign illuminating it. I also like how the light and shadow intensifies the colours on the sign. However, this is a bad thing in some places where it is so bright you cant see what they say. When editing I just done levels and curves, and to make the shadows darker I also used the burn tool lightly.





What I am going to do next;
I really like this idea and how well it worked with the location. I plan on developing this for my exam shoot.

Dina Goldstein

Dina Goldstein is a Pop Surrealist photographer based in Vancouver, Canada. She takes iconic characters and turns flips them upside down to put forward social and cultural ideas such as Cancer and alcoholism. She came to fame with her "Fallen Princesses" project which showed different Disney Princesses supposedly grown up and put in different social situations that in some way link back to the fairy tale they come from. I have chosen to look into her work deeper to explore her theatrical style in which she presents her work. 

This image relates to my project theme of fantasy as it is representing the idea of Barbie, with a twist. I chose to include this image as I like how the strong the image is, with the story filling the entire page. What really catches my eye about this image is how much it contrasts the typical idea of Barbie, as you see barbie with a short hairstyle typically seen on men and in a mens suit when she is usually seen in girly outfits and long hair. Another thing that I really like is how sad, and blank her face looks, looking away from and beyond the camera. In terms of composition, I really like how she is off centre, but the is still central due to her hair being scattered. 

I think the photographer took this image in order to show a different side to Barbie and attack social issues. 

What I think is the most important thing about this image is how the suit and the room contrast starkly - the room being pink and girly and the suit being dark and ill fitting. This is what I think shows the image in a very dramatic way. 

This image relates to my theme as it shows the idea of Barbie in a alternate world. I chose to include this image as it shows Barbie looking depressed, drunk and messy which looks at how people put on a smile for others, but in reality everything is not as it seems. What I like about this image is how pink everything is - including the model but she still manages to stand out and is the focal point. I also like the composition as the white table cloth in the centre of the image cuts up the colour slightly, making it less glaring to look at. I also like how the composition looks like it needs to people, partially due to the spare chair, which adds to the story. 

I think the photographer took this to show how things are not all as they seem, and to show Barbie who is meant to be the epitome of perfection looking a mess. I think the most important part about this image is the white table cloth as I think without it the image would come across as overpowering.  

This relates to my topic of fantasy due to the make up look shown in this image. I chose to include this due to how angry it looks, and how much texture it is showing. What I like most about this id the cracked paint effect which gives the model a scaley look, making he look inhuman. I also like how it looks as though he is trying to break out of the extra layer, hence resulting in cracking. I also like how strong the black and the white contrast with no shadow. This creates a crisper, cleaner look. I like how he is stretching out across the composition, and almost looks like hes looking at someone behind the camera. 

I think the photographer took this to capture emotion and entrapment. The most important thing about this image is the strong contrast between the black and the white, otherwise the image would look too flat. 

This image relates to my theme as it is an contemporary interpretation of the fairy tale Princess and the Pea. I chose to include this as I really like how well the subject and the location work together. They contrast strongly, with the mattresses and model being all pink and girly, against the dump site however it works well and it looks like they belong together naturally. I really like how bright and colourful this image is, making it seem happier and not as bleak as dump sites are usually portrayed. 

I think the photographer took this in order to show how people are dumping rubbish everywhere, and soon will be living on it. I think the most important thing about this is how bright it looks, as it makes it seem happier and more surreal.  

Influence

Although I really like Dina Goldstein's work and how she creates surreal, bold images using a variety of location, colour, pose and composition to tell a story that often has cultural and social significance, I did not really use her work as inspiration much. I had planned to do some shoots showing typical Disney Princesses in different settings, showing them in a say that highlights social issues raised in classic fairy tales, my project went in a different direction. Although this is the case, one of my shoots developing my Alice in Wonderland idea does give the typical story a twist with a slight psychedelic feel.

Summary

Although I really do admire Dina Goldstein's techniques and how she manipulates classic popular ideas in order to address current social issues, her work has not had that much of an impact during this project as it took a different direction. However, I do plan on looking at her work in the future for inspiration with other projects. 

Word Record March 13th 2014

Preparation;
The aim of this shoot is to show a morbid, dark idea from the fantasy world. I want to show this through a portrayal of the grim reaper.

To prepare I need to; 

• Get a model
• Get a cloak
• Plan any makeup
• Decide on a background
• Plan any specific lighting

What I hope to achieve; 
From this shoot I hope to achieve a dark, grim shoot showing darker ideas in contrast to my previous shoots.
What I actually achieved; 
I am happy with this shoot and the resultant images. The main thing I experimented with for this shoot was lighting as I wanted to get a really dark, shadowy look. Although I kept the light position the same throughout the shoot, I changed its intensity and how much light was exposed by covering up the sides.  I also tried out different heights in terms of how far away and how high above the lighting the model was to give different effects and light intensities. I terms of editing, I kept it fairly simple focusing on how dark the image was, and how saturated it was to make it seem bleaker rather than brighter.

 What I like most about this is how dark it is and how you cant see the models eyes which gives a more surreal, empty and dark effect. When editing, I desaturated it entirely to remove any warm tones that would give it a more staged, human look as opposed to a skeleton. I also got rid of her eyes.

This is another image I liked from the shoot, due to what it shows and what it doesn't in terms of the model. For example, I like how her red eye stands out well against the black. I also like how only half of her face is being shown as it creates a sense of mystery and gives the image a darker feel.






What I am going to do next; 
I am happy with how this shoot turned out, however I do not think I am going to pursue darker fantasy ideas any more as I want to steer more towards my exam which I am planing on basing around the idea of fairy tales.

Mark Anthony "Baz" Luhrmann

Baz Luhrmann is an Australian film director, producer and screenwriter most famously known for The Great Gatsby (2013) and Moulin Rouge (2001). As well as directing films, he has also created an infamous advert for Chanel (No 5: The Film) featuring Nicole Kidman. His work is highly recognisable and iconic due to how dramatic and flamboyant every aspect is and the highly saturated colours which are essentially his trademark. I have chosen to look at his work as although he does films they show strong aspects of fantasy and give me a lot of inspiration. 



This advert relates to my theme of fantasy as it represents the ideas of love and of Chanel seemingly taking over New York. I chose to include this as I like how elegant it is, and how it merges the two different ideas (effectively two different sides of Nicole Kidman's character) together seamlessly showing a juxtaposition between her dream and her reality. What really caught my eye was the compositions used in this, as they show both the bigger picture, and just the individual characters which go against each other. I also like the colours used, as they are mainly quite dark, which means the lighter colours - such as the feathered white dress -  and the red carpet stand out more dramatically.
This was created to advertise Chanel perfumes. The most important thing about this is the intimate way the two main characters are shown even amongst busy crowds as it makes it seem more personal and in a way more realistic.


This trailer relates to my project as it is portraying the classic William Shakespeare love story. I chose to include this as I really like how the trailer shows contrasting ideas, at the end and begining you see a classic and poetic side of the film that appears to stay very true to the original story but then in the middle there is a modernised, energetic and rebellious twist to the film which is what makes it stand out against other interpretations. What I like most is how these two ideas are merged together to create an entirely different state mixing classic love story and more violent themes which has been done well due to visuals and language. For example, the beach and stage setting which is evident throughout the film combines old fashioned mise en scene with more modern, rough elements as does the masked party where Romeo and Juliet first meet.
I think the purpose of this was to show a modern day adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. The most important thing about this trailer is the medium between the violent, gang war issues and the softer issues revolving around love and the classic way the story is told.


This trailer relates to the idea fantasy as it shows a highly elaborate, glitzy and fabricated lifestyle. I chose to include this due to how constructed it is and how it effectively creates a juxtaposition between deeper, darker issues and a glittery and glamorous lifestyle. In terms of how it is constructed, the main things that stand out are mise en scene and how theatrical it is. These two points combine together to give a very staged effect in some places which works well in telling the story and showing more drama. This is something I really like and what to take on board with my photography work. This also helps enhance the juxtaposition, but this is also shown well through use of colour, with the happier more luxurious carefree scenes are brighter and more colourful whilst the more emotional scenes tend to contrast and be a lot darker and shadowy.
The point of this trailer is to advertise the film The Great Gatsby. I think the most important thing is the way mise en scene is constructed.


This relates to my theme of fantasy as it shows ideas of adventure and new experiences. I chose to include this trailer as I like how it well it has been put together in terms of what is shown - some war related horrors and more peaceful and happy moments as well as showing a strong class division. What I like most is how the class division is shown and broken down. This has been shown in the trailer alone by a series of different clips showing the two main characters (Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman). The way the clips have been put together is what attracted me most to this trailer as it shows a range of different actions and emotions in a series. This is something I want to look at in the form of creating a photography series telling a story.
This film was made to show the strength of love and how class divisions can be broken down.
I think the most important factor of this is the colouring used, very saturated mainly with red/orange tints to give the impression of heat and add intensity.

Influence

 Baz Luhrmann's work has influenced me quite a bit throughout my project, and his evidence is strong in a few places. For example, I created my exam shoots in a way that tells a story with a linear narrative. I have also took on board his technique of using highly saturated colours and  showing the composition as a stage with the camera being where the audience, which Luhrmann does very vividly. One of the shoots that shows this is one of my exam shoots where I constructed a setting with the model looking at the camera mainly to engage with the audience. This also shows influence of his choice of colour in terms of vividness.Another similarity to Luhrmann's work is the twist on classic stories, with the Queen of Hearts showing more sinister ideas.

Summary

In summary, I have really enjoyed looking at Baz Luhrmann's work, especially due to the fact it it gives more than just visual inspiration but the storylines, sound used and how classic stories have been adapted has given me inspiration on adapting and challenging existing stories and fairy tales. I will continue to look at his work in the future.

Directions Shoot - Monday 24th March 2014

Animal Shoot - Monday 17th March 2014