Pre-D-day Selections...

Today is THE day! Lots of preparation was happening last night - organizing alternatives and making sure I had all the bits and pieces. The anticipation definitely ended up being more stressful than the actual shoot so I am genuinely satisfied and not entirely worn out! The most difficult thing I had to deal with today was the lighting. Thanks goodness for the lighting kit I borrowed from the AV department but as beneficial as it was I ended up spending a LOT of time positioning and repositioning the lights. Note for next time - either work with someone who knows more about film/photography and lighting or do some practice preparation before the day of the shoot!

Here are some photos from the styling day that Helen Pappas (my stylist for the film) and I had. Lots of excitement and colour!

Simple and Effective...

Another short film that I'm loving! It's short and sweet and fun and seriously simple. Just goes to show that things don't always have to be over thought to be effective and successful...

Plan in Place...

Shot #1 - 

Full length view of 'painted' model in a white bed (bed may have magazines and garments from following outfits strewn over it) 

- I would like to begin with the shot from this angle and then move around a side view; may or may not be down in one movement/could be two separate shots

Shot #2 -

Sheets slowly move down the body to reveal the whole outfit STOP MOTION

Shot #3 - 

close up shot of models head and face laying sideways on the pillow; - head moves to face directly upwards looking into the camera and eyes blink as though waking up STOP MOTION/FILM

- New shot: sitting on the edge of the bed STILL

Shot #4 - 

Sitting on the edge of the bed

- adjusting hat/headpice, smoothing dress/skirt, pulling up/adjusting socks STOP MOTION/FILM

Shot #5 - 

Close up taking shoes off and dropping to the floor 

- could cover in transparent overlay of same shot in slower motion/make scene slow motion FILM

- one sock being pulled down STOP MOTION/FILM

 

Shot #6 - 

Close up of hand placing hat/headpiece on the bed beside model FILM

Shot #7 - 

Close up of hand holding onto the edge of the bed with coloured paint (representing the nail polish the model is wearing) dripping from fingers STOP MOTION/FILM

Shot #8 - 

Close up from hips down, standing up and walking past the view of the camera FILM 

Shot #9 - 

Close up of zip coming up on pants (no hands) STOP MOTION

* taking bracelets off one wrist and putting different ones on the other wrist  STOP MOTION/FILM  

   

Shot #10 - 

Full length shot of new outfit in the doorway of the room; starting still and then walking past the view of the camera again FILM

Shot #11 - 

Full length view of second outfit from the front but slightly to one side while standing in front of mirror (doorway and bed slightly visible in the background) 

- camera sweeps to mirror view which shows model in final neutral outfit FILM

Shot #12 - 

Writing quote on mirror STOP MOTION

- pause on quote with no model in view and then hear footsteps and a door slam 
NB: debating how the final shot is going to be down; may not show the quote being written...

Wow...

I spent the first minute of this trying to figure out how it was made... Simple and insanely affective!!! Ten points to Mick Peel for posting the link on Facebook!

Planning...

I had a meeting with Helen Pappas this afternoon to discuss clothing and accessories. I have sent an email to Karen which she is going to pass on to the student body of the fashion department regarding any garments/outfits that people might want to feature in my film... fortunately Helen has quite a collection of self made clothing and accessories so as of now I'm pretty set however I am still hoping for some interest - after all it is better to have more selection than not enough. Helen has also agreed to assist with the styling. She knows exactly the look and feel I am after in the outfits and have seen her skills in putting outfits together and trust her 100% to pull out something extraordinary! 

I have FINALLY finished my story board and will post it tomorrow!! I'm actually glad I didn't finish it earlier because I didn't have a clear enough vision shot by shot until I had a better idea of the clothing which I only got today. I am REALLY happy with the storyboard now! All seems to be coming together.

I have a meeting with my makeup artist on Sunday and my music man on Monday so the finally pieces to the puzzle will be ready to go. Right now I am aiming for the shoot to take place on Saturday the 2nd of April which is one week... Fingers crossed I'll be all sorted by then! 

For now here are some images I am using as inspiration for the colour palette, silhouette, hair and makeup...

COLOURFUL-NEUTRAL-HAIR/MAKEUP

Images via: Rackk and Ruin, Olsens Anonymous, Noel Stewart Fall 2011, Style Bubble, Style Copycat

Images via: Akris Fall 2011, Fashion Squad, Closet Visit, Lover, Man Repeller

Images via: Who What Wear - Elle France, Glamour.com, Mario Testino shoot, Balmain Fall 2011

An Arizona Moment...

I love the simplicity of this YSL promotional film!!! The collection had an element of simplicity to it and I think the black and white throughout really embodied that simplicity whilst also avoiding any distraction from the silhouette of the clothing. I'm a big fan of the shot in motion, paused and played in reverse as well as - and most of all - the initial shot of a transparent Arizona (the model) almost introducing the real one... There's definitely a couple of techniques here that I will be referencing!

Examples 3...

SHOWstudio explores the body through film. One in particular embodies the visual ideals I hope to portray in my film - there's an element of disjointedness in the varying filming techniques and it also utilizes a little stop motion. Film by Marie and Christian Schuller.

Examples 2...

This stop motion video is EXTRAORDINARY!!! The story is given depth and interest through the use of stop motion and the constant background leaves some room for the viewer to use their own imagination. It's a relatively simple concept but I am a little addicted to the slightly broken moving image produced by using stop motion. I feel that if I utilize this technique for film making I give myself the opportunity to really simplify my story as far as scene changes go while being able to really build on the little details that tell more or open more doors visually. More close up shots, more emphasis on the subtle details... 

Video found on http://www.takeoutincouture.com/

Examples...

This short film for Mulberry epitomizes an exceptional use of stop motion/photography in film form for me! I love that although the clothes and accessories are for the most part stationary they aren't lost amongst the plethora of digitally enhanced blossoms and token piglets. The whole thing feels light and playful and not too over thought. I can definitely see myself referring to this a lot during the editing process of my own short film.

Technique Research...

I really like the shots in this short film that are played forward and then reversed... It feels to me as though it gives the video a little bit of visual texture - breaking up/adding depth to a video that might be a little 'monotone' without those snippets of visual variation. 

(Sorry I couldn't post the video here - I don't know how to link Vimeo to blogspot)

Video found on www.studdedhearts.blogspot.com

Story Time...

I have started to look into the details of possible story lines for my film. The variations between each basically revolve around how the 'Muses' are portrayed:

- talismans representing the separate 'costumers' eg. colourful canes for Anna Piaggi; layering for Susie Bubble; two-toned hair and bling for Daphne Guinness; Matching outfits with flambouyant head pieces for Anna Delloo Russo

- literal images of the faces of the Muses worn as a mask by the model

- life size paper dolls of the Muses being broken down by the simply dressed model

- Faces of the muses plastered on the central mirror prop and focused on at some point in the film

In an attempt to explore different paths for my concept these are what I have come up with however I am pretty set on the first two options. I'm in the process of researching the ideology of masks in the library in order to pad out the second option a little bit more. I will have images and text detailing the story board for the first two options by Sunday including any informative research I can pull from my library books.

And So It Begins...

I have completed my first practice stop motion film which I did with the help of my youtube tutorial... unfortunately the speed on the view time of each image is actually longer than the tutorial said which was already too long to create a smooth stop motion film... The thing is is that I do want to have elements of stop motion in my film and I want it to be semi obvious that those sections were created by a method other than straight video but I don't want it to alter the speed of the film any more than it needs to... I don't want it to look all of a sudden jumpy and broken. So perhaps stop motion is not an option after all. I am planning to do a practice run on Flash - as suggested by Paul Candy in our guest lecture today - as well as giving Final Cut a burl on level 7 by this weekend. Here's the iMovie practice run. 

Asking the Questions and Getting the Answers...

I asked my cousin who makes has studied films and dabbles in making her own short films for advice on my impending attempt at film making... Seeing as the only video creating/editing program I have is iMovie she sent me to this mini tutorial to learn more about stop motion film making.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipE3nCjI0IU

I am in the process of trying to create my own trial run which I will post as soon as its done. I am definitely a little apprehensive about the limit on how fast the change from one frame to the other is. I'm planning to inquire with Liam's guest on Tuesday on possible film student collaborations for the purposes of better software and editing skills...

Diane Pernet interviews Rick Owens on Vimeo...

 http://vimeo.com/20650849
The above is 10 minute interview by Diane Pernet with Rick Owens. I thought I would look into what she does even if it is outside the time constraints set for the competition and I found this particularly interesting. There isn't any video footage of the interview being conducted rather a mosey-ing slide show of photos of Rick Owen's spring/summer 2011 RTW show. All the images are in grey scale and all are radiating this haunting kind of ethereal-ness which sets a contrasting and beautiful mood to an otherwise ordinary set of faceless voices... I wish I could figure out how to post the video directly from Vimeo...

Masking a Mask with a Mask...

An interesting suggestion was made today in relation to creating a genuine connection between my Muse's and my video. My character in full fashion garb - all colourful and flamboyant and voluminous - might want to be wearing a mask of the faces who's outfits inspired this fashion painting. Surprisingly there is already a connection with this idea and Anna Dello Russo - W Magazine documented Dello Russo's penchant for sticking her own face onto runway looks that she likes so that she can get a personal feel for the outfit...

As my character changes out of her outrageous bedroom attire (not bedroom attire at all but full fashionable fury) her masks begin to disappear through stop motion the same way the clothing changes through stop motion. It's definitely time to be testing this stop motion theory...

The Modern Costume Dressers...

I'm just having a little scroll through some interesting folk that I often see when I'm doing my international fashion weeks catch up. The following also embody, much like Patrick McDonald, the modern costume dresser...

Anna Piaggi - journalist at Italian Vogue (style.com); 

Anna Dello Russo - Editor at large and Creative Consultant for Vogue Japan (annadellarusso.com); 

Daphne Guinness - designer, director of a few videos, fashion article author, scent creator for Comme Des Garcons and all around Haute Couture aficionado (http://whatchocolatebunnyears.blogspot.com); \

Susie Bubble stylist and fashion/style blogger of stylebubble.typepad.com

Anna Piaggi 

Ellen Von Unworth (left) costuming herself in a menswear style reminiscent of Annie Hall/Annie Lennox with Anna Piaggi

Rosita Missoni (left) with Anna Piaggi 

Karl Largerfeld with Anna Piaggi

as described on Style.com by Laird Borrelli: "...kiss-curled hair, pencil ringed eyes, colourful canes and fantastic hats..." Karl Largerfeld notes Piaggi's penchant for inspired style as "appetit graphique" 

                    - she is literally a walking work of art from the colour of her hair to the contrast of her shoes and epitomizes a look that I think would work well as a portrayal of dressing as an art form particularly if I counter balance it with something very simple and trend orientated... I genuinely appreciate her constant and boundless combination of textures, prints and colours!

Anna Dello Russo 

The motto immediately noticable on her blog/site: "I don't want to be cool I want to be Fashion" and was once described by Helmut Newton as a "fashion maniac".

- She embodies the eccentric aspect of designer dressing often going out in looks entirely from a themed designer show. I appreciate the way she picks up on the stronger and more fashion forward trends of the fashion weeks and builds a look that really portrays the theme from head to toe. 

Daphne Guiness

 Note the last 10seconds of this interview...

Described on whitechocolatebunnyears.blogspot.com as someone who's "...pursuit of style... [is] not an avenue for self-aggrandizing ostentation, but rather a process of spiritual discovery." As a descendant of the Mitford Sister's and heir to the Guinness brewery throne, she has always had the means to access haute couture and thankfully doesn't embody the category of monetarily endowed folk for whom money cannot buy style. 

Susie Bubble 

British born Chinese girl by way of Hong Kong who is a fashion/style blogger with a genuine interest in documenting designers that are new to the industry or generally under appreciated - this, in my eyes, gives her much more cred-ability than other fashion/style bloggers who persist in taking numerous, unentertaining and/or inspirational photos of themselves. In autobiographical list of "10 things about Susie Bubble" she notes - "My love of fashion was initially an act of rebellion against my parents and the 'popular' people at school - which then developed into something all consuming and now is my number one passion." I believe this statement again because of her in depth research and documentation of designers and creators of all kinds that aren't necessarily a visible blimp on the fashion radar. 
- She is a layering kind of dresser that feels a little less considered/specific in comparison to the aforementioned 'costume' dressers. She is eclectic and adventurous in her combination's of layers, textures, colours, prints and general ornamentation. Susie's genuine individuality is glaringly obvious and cannot be denied as a style that is totally unique, inspired and unhindered by commonly accepted understandings of what is fashionable.