Social media has provided an excellent platform for myself as a makeup artist throughout my years at Solent with getting to be a part of different collaborations to having people message me for appointments. For Sweet Dreams it is slightly different. I wanted to create a really professional image based Instagram account to display my work on the most visible site to my peers and for other creatives to view. With the beauty of hashtags I have had great responses to my work. If this platform continues to grow, this account may be able to develop and eventually into my initial idea of producing an online platform for other creative individuals to submit their dream interpretations.
Facebook has also had a vital role in my self-promotion, and it is extremely rewarding to see people appreciating my work and enjoy working with me. It means a great deal to see others enjoy my work in the way that I also do, and makes the journey all the more worth it.
The idea of Revenge
was to produce a completely different outcome than that of Certain Defeat. I
feel I have successfully created that idea with the completely differing colour
palettes.
There were many things
that could have gone wrong with this shoot being on location. As we were faced
with very varied weather during April is was hard to predict a convenient time
to shoot, and then also ensuring the photographer and model were available with
little notice. Luckily we managed to get a few good mornings of weather in a
row so I jumped to the opportunity and proceeded with the shoot quite late into
the production of this project. This was in fact the last shoot.
The smoke bombs let
down the shoot a little. Their performance was very poor as the smoke lasted
about 30 seconds each and only produced a small amount. Eventually we gave up
on the idea of the smoke in the photos and only used them in the filming which
was much more important. The photographer made the suggestion to edit the smoke
in the images just like I did in the test shoot.
We also had a few issues
with the styling, as the lace kept on coming apart and a stylist on hand would
have been extremely beneficial. Another annoyance came from the fact the false
nails I created wouldn’t stay on and kept on falling off as she moved the
material around. Eventually we removed all the nails and avoided any focus on
the hand area.
We also faced the
challenge of using natural lighting. We did have a location lighting kit but I
really wanted this look to be so different from Certain Defeat. So when the sun
decided to show I quickly jumped to the area with a reflector. We got some amazing
shots and Petar edited in some really awesome vampire teeth! I think they look
brilliant, and so realistic!
Petar (the
photographer) had his concerns with how the images and film would turn out but
I had every faith in his ability and I am so pleased with how it all turned
out. This shoot is very different to the others I have done, but I feel as
though it adds another dimension to the project than just ‘easy’ studio
shooting and creates a real sense of atmosphere. I do believe that the shoot
could have ran a bit smoother by ensuring there were loads of smoke bombs, or
even grenades that are easier to ignite.
After unsuccessfully
having Kornelija as the model, I managed to find another model who was equally
as fantastic if not better. Zarah has lots of modelling experience and was very
comfortable with the idea of wearing just underwear. Her skin tone was very
different from my original model and I feel it works really well with the
brighter colours. Her complexion and facial features also allowed her to carry
a more theatrical makeup with ease.
What was particularly
challenging about this shoot was that I had one previously that day which took
about five hours to complete. The tiredness had to be quickly overcome and
Zarah was extremely understanding of my stress. My photographer stayed with me
all day and really supported me, which was a vast improvement from the previous
shoots.
We had some
difficulties with the studio booking and a misunderstanding occurred with
another student but was quickly resolved and our set up was moved to a
different studio.
In the end I decided
to use paint to represent the blood rather than foam. The paint had a really
glossy sheen, which added to the glittery aspect of the project’s aesthetic. As
expected it got a little messy and we really had to plan each position with
shooting then filming. Then once that position was complete the photography
lighting was set up to shoot again, and then altered for the filming.
Overall, I am really
pleased with the outcome of the shoot and how the concept looks in comparison
to the original images. I feel that her vulnerability is captured but in a
really glamorous, almost animated way. The only thing that does irritate me with
the images and footage is that the purple lips have a blue tint in the images
due to the photographer adding a filter on postproduction that I was unable to
match with the film editing.
This shoot really,
really excited me whilst preparing it. We had all sorts going on and I couldn’t
wait to put it all together! The makeup was bold and glittery, including two rows
of eyelashes, glitter, sequins and lots of shimmer – my absolute dream! I also
had a stylist working with me. We were messaging lots prior to the shoot with
ideas we both had and constant updates of our progress.
I asked for two
different looks to chose from. One look with denim to produce an effortless,
cool character. The other look with lots of sequins and over the top
accessories. On the day of the shoot she turned up with so many options that I
was spoilt for choice. I instantly fell in love with the tinsel jacket she
brought. The whole outfit went together perfectly with the turban and wig and
the whole look produced the exact level of sass I was after. The model really
managed to embrace the character with all of the styling complete with the hair
and makeup and instantly transformed.
Straight away the
images looked incredible! But we gradually added different things to the shoot,
including a subtle blue gel light, a dobo filter on the spotlight, then
eventually shone light onto the glitter ball I brought. I just really wanted
the whole look to be so sparkly and eye catching. After getting some amazing
shots, we then attempted adjusting the shutter speed whilst the model moved
around in the wind machine. The tinsel jacket created so much interesting
movement and I could not be more excited over the images!
We then eventually got to
the filming which was very successful. I also think this dream felt a little
lighter than the rest which creates a nice variation. What I really noticed
about this shoot and its success was how we all collaborated so well as a team
and performed to our highest abilities. I a so thankful for the hard work and
input from everyone and they all seem to be very excited for the final release!
I look back on my test
shoot and the images are almost laughable! I really had very little preparation
for that shoot and not a very understanding team to work with. But for this
final shoot the photographer (Sarah) had many ideas she wished to contribute in
terms of lighting. I also took on board a stylist. I told her exactly the
styling I wanted but she completely exceeded every expectation and brought an
entire wardrobe of fragile lace garments and fabrics.
Initially we tried to
get Kira to move around in a dance motion to create the idea of the flowing
material. This made the images really inconsistent and it just wasn’t working.
So I showed the photographer the below images from Dark Beauty Magazine and suggested we lie the model
down and place the material over her. With the white background and white
fabric it created the illusion that she was jumping or falling, which was
exactly the look I was after. Instantly the images had a really surreal and
ethereal aesthetic.
The filming was also very
straightforward and the wind machine helped to create the wind motion of the
dying scene of the dream. This dream is definitely a perfect representation of
the motion I went through during this rare and unusual experience. I am
extremely pleased with the outcome, and I have to say it is definitely up there
with one of my favourite ever concepts.
After having a successful test shoot a couple of months back, I considered not reshooting this dream. I felt that the images were strong enough to submit at the time of shooting, but after discovering the importance of a highly skilled and creative photographer who understands my concept, I felt that the images could really improve and I also needed to get some footage.
I decided to change photographer yet again, but keep the same model as she perfectly embodied the character for the shoot with her modelling and acting abilities. The model is quite shy, but she knew the photographer and there was an instant change in her confidence and the images were perfect from the first click. I felt like the three of us were all on the same wavelength and understood the concept and appreciated the artistic approach for this shoot knowing that it wasn't going to be 'pretty'.
In terms of the hair and make-up, I decided to keep everything pretty much the same as the test shoot but with slight alterations and improvements. The hairstyle is the same as previously created as I felt it was different and created interesting silhouettes in the coloured lights. The makeup was created with more precision than previously done, with more defined eyebrows, lips and eye shaping. During the test shoot we also discovered the model was allergic to my eyelash glue which meant we couldn't apply false eyelashes and the gems weren't secure. This time we tested five different brands of eyelash glue in swatches on her arm and found a glue that she wasn't allergic to. This secure application meant I was more confident in wetting her skin with water knowing that the gems weren't going to fall off and the eyelashes bringing more drama. I also created a set of false nails in preparation for the shoot with gold nail varnish, glitter nail varnish and individual gems.
To my model's delight we changed up the flavour of the jelly, but more importantly I decided to add gold glitter rather than red and silver which glistened very effectively under the flash.
After having the best selection of images, which we took very quickly, I came to select six final ones. Below shows the unedited images that I believe present the best representation of the dream and show off the makeup and hair detail. Myself and the photographer have discussed editing preferences and I have said exactly how I would also like the images to be cropped.
Chosen Unedited Images:
Final Edited Images:
To complement the images and to generate further understanding and exploration of the dream's concept, I believed that a video for each dreams' series was necessary. I have very little experience with editing video footage, but after watching tutorials with a vague understanding of how to work such software, after much trial and error, I managed to create an outcome that I am very proud of. My intentions for this video was to produce a sickly nightmare of the overdose scene of the dream. I intend for the viewer to be repulsed yet fascinated by the colourful, unusual imagery and the psychedelic visual effects. To create this piece I wanted to present a hallucinogenic display with cross fading imagery and varied focus to generate the idea of character falling in and out of consciousness. It is also suggested that our dreams are desires of the unconscious mind, to which my project has began to show notions of fetish and erotic qualities.
Upon reflecting on this particular shooting experience and recreation of my dream, I feel as though I will shock the viewer as my original intentions of my proposal state. This particular recreation perfectly captures the essence of the project with a literal take on 'sweet dreams' with the use of dripping jelly and creating a visual nightmare in the most intriguing way possible. The infusion of lighting colours represent the party scene and the effects of drug abuse accidentally participated by the character. This has been the first shoot I have come away from feeling fully confident in my team and my ability as not only a makeup artist and hair stylist, but also a creative director.
Creating the new
concept of Choked was much more effective than the initial idea I had. As this
dream was provided by an external, I had much less understanding of the feeling
achieved or what happened. My first idea was very much aesthetically based and
little thought was put into it. I believe this was because I hadn’t done a test
shoot and had the model for a week only in January whilst she was in the
country. Also, I didn’t really fully know what sort of filming I wanted to
achieve as it was still fairly early in the project and I had a lot more
development ahead.
Taking a more
metaphorical approach after deeper investigation has really benefited the idea
of this dream and I feel as though it produces a clearer image of the dream.
Again, the idea was to produce something sinister, but I wasn’t qute sure how
creepy I was going to achieve it.
My initial challenge
came from the fact I had the model’s makeup to do first, then I had to paint
the hands of another model. This was a little time consuming be we got there in
the end. We were then in probably the smallest possible studio with so much
equipment, but the outcome works really effectively.
During the film, a
nail falls off and I didn’t notice this until it had been fully edited,
exported and uploaded. But hopefully this is not visible unless informed.
The photographer
really understood my concept and how I wanted the images to look. We then
arranged a long meet up where I carefully selected my favourite images and
selected areas to crop to gain the best representation of the makeup and the
detail put into it.
As a result of a very
cooperative team, we created a really interesting outcome. What was also
brilliant was that the girl who dreamt the dream messaged me asking if it was
about hers. She absolutely loved it, which is extremely rewarding to hear.
