'The Death Dream' Development

'THE DEATH DREAM'

'Our car gets crashed into and goes flying up into the air, all in slow motion, and this appears to be a part of the plan. We eject ourselves to go into a factory and we suddenly realise we are going to die. We didn’t think this through. We look at each other petrified, I hold each other's hands. He tells me that our death will be painless and quick because as soon as we crash through the building they will shoot us. We crash through the building (still in slow motion) and I close my eyes still holding his hands, waiting for the bullet to hit me. They shoot me, and I feel it go through my heart, entering through my back, in mid air. I’m falling and feel myself go unconscious and I am dying quickly. I am dead, and I am experiencing death. I enter a whited out tempestuous state of weather and I am left there floating in this chilling and confusing atmosphere. My hair and clothing is also white and is blowing everywhere. I wake up within the dream and see him looking down at my dead body in a very white, blurred vision. I look angelic at peace.'

The experience of this dream was like no other. Never in my entire life have I experienced death in a dream. There have been dreams with occasions close to death, but never this extreme. Upon wakening I was in a complete panic and jumped straight out of bed. My heart was racing and I felt unusually faint and frightened, yet overwhelmed. My eyes filled up with tears. As I envision the moment waiting for the bullet, then the sudden rush of hurricane-like wind and falling quickly into darkness, it all felt so terrifyingly real. Reading up on multiple theories, not all reliable sources, it is apparently very rare for someone to wake from a death dream. I also read somewhere that if you die in a dream it represents the end of something, and coincidentally I quit my job the day before.

I am choosing to recreate a visual of this dream as it was the most surreal experience of them all and that the dream, and feeling achieved, is extremely difficult to explain in words. The particular moment I will be recreating will be the part I died and experienced the intense wind and white atmosphere. This was the most intense and terrifying part, which I feel will be very interesting to try and recreate. I will be choosing a very pale/white palette within the photography lighting, styling and choice of model, with use of material movement to recreate the wind effect.

INSPIRATION:

The initial inspiration comes from the dream, but the creative production idea of the wind and material movement has come from Alexander McQueen & Damien Hirt's Scarf Collaboration. There is something very surreal and enchanting about this production and really takes me back to the experience in my dream. The weightlessness and elegance is what I wish to portray in my images. I will also be producing a short moving image/gif to further enhance the portrayal of the dream during the final production for my website.

Alexander McQueen & Damien Hirt's Scarf Collaboration | A Film -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK_-Ycn69sg

McQueen Fall 2014 show presented a beautifully pale and ethereal collection. The clothing showed texture and weightless movement. I have chosen this particular look for my makeup and hair inspiration. The makeup highlights the model's fair complexions with subtle rosy cheeks and hollowed out eyes. The models look angelic and almost deathly which is the type of idea that I would like to portray. The unusual braiding intrigues me, yet I feel as though the hair needs to be loose to flow in the wind.

Alexander McQueen Fall 2014 - http://www.vogue.com/slideshow/860953/alexander-mcqueen-fall-2014-backstage/

Ymre Stiekema by Rene Habermacher for Pop 23 Spring/Summer 2011 shows delicate fabrics, vulnerable stances and pales colours. The images look so simple yet effective. The materials here look weightless and have great potential for movement. The model is fair and interesting looking with the aid of subtle makeup changes, making the facial features appear gaunt. The styling and makeup aesthetics here are very inspiring for my final shooting. 

Ymre Stiekema by Rene Habermacher for Pop 23 Spring/Summer 2011 - http://www.coolchicstylefashion.com/2012/02/ymre-stiekema-by-rene-habermacher.html

MOOD BOARD:

HAIR & FACE CHART:

MODEL & PHOTOGRAPHER:

A friend of mine, who has asked me if she could be my model multiple times, asked me on this occasion again. Her pale complexion and fair hair were fitting for this shoot's look, yet I had my concerns as I feared that she may not be fluid in movement or comfortable in front of the camera.

Model: Jessica Colwill

Studio Booking: 4th January 12:00-14:00.

The photographer, Megan Love, was presented with the full dream, the mood board and a briefing of what I would like to create. Megan suggested using lighting behind he model to create a 'halo' effect around the hair. Prior to the shoot, I presented both Jessica and Megan with some sketches of possible poses. The idea was to generate a pose that looks free in movement, lucid and weightless. I also purchased some glossy, translucent material that will help to demonstrate the idea of the wind movement

TEST SHOOT IMAGES:

REFLECTION:

Jessica was slightly awkward in front of the camera due to her lack of modelling experience. Her movements were rigid and unnatural, and her posture showed strength rather than fragility. Although she wasn't very natural in front of the camera, she took direction very well and followed exactly what I asked her to and we managed to get some interesting photos.

The lighting set up worked really well with the idea of my dream, but doesn't compliment the detailed makeup produced and flattens the model's face from a beauty perspective. Unfortunately, we couldn't create a convincing wind effect either. The wind machine couldn't be located and nether could a large board to waft meaning a hair dryer was the only option. With tactical movements we were able to produce this effect slightly, but not dramatically enough. The styling was rushed and I just asked Jessica to bring in any white clothing that she could feel comfortable moving in to create a more convincing effect. Conclusively, the shoot was fairly successful even with multiple improvisations.

IMPROVEMENTS:

- I will request assistance from friends to help with generating more wind.
- The styling will have more preparation and a stylist will be included in the team.
- The model of choice will be more fluid in movement, preferably a dancer.
- The makeup will be much paler, with more intricate details and attention to textures.
- The hair will be made paler using various spray colour products.
- The photographer and myself will experiment more with post production to exaggerate movement.

UPDATED FACE CHART:

The images from my test shoot don't show the makeup strongly enough as the colours were too subtle and the lighting not strong enough. For this design the eyebrows will be blocked out and the contouring made more defined, with browner tones. The skin will not be as dewy as before but lots of highlighter in specific areas will help to produce a shiny texture. I will also be using false eyelashes to create larger impact in the images and film, but will only be using natural ones. I will then add pearl gems underneath the eyes as a decorative addition to the nude palette. To complete the look, the lips will be filled and defined with a nude lip liner.

For this look it is important to create a soft yet defined look in order for it to be visible with this particular lighting. The lack of pigmentation emphasises the idea of death and the pale colours create an angelic persona.