Day of Shoot... Take Two

Had my second shoot today. Dancer proved difficult to work with, didn't want the makeup on. Refused to wear the costume I made outside the studio. Got a few photographs with videographer in studio with full makeup. Dancer felt uncomfortable wearing the makeup and costume outside and so removed makeup and all styling straight after the studio time and though I got some footage of the dancing, film is not useful for final edit and therefore must be considered as test shoot. I have been constantly on the phone trying to round up my dancers as soon as possible but with no luck.

Below are shots taken in the studio I hired.

Day of shoot... Take One

Traveled back to London in preparation of shoot. Four of my models pulled out this morning and both videographers. I was unable to cancel my studio and they refused to refund me the money. I have another shoot tomorrow that one of the models can make, so I will book another studio (the one I paid for is unavailable).

Booking Studios

I have gotten all my dancers and two videographers and now I need to decide where to shoot. Due to health and safety reasons, I can't film in or around the tube with only a student license which would cost £50, I'd need a professional license which would cost £500 an hour and for a few minutes of footage its just not worth it. I therefore decided to do it at Trafalgar Square, where there's a big open space and plenty of tourists to interact with. I needed a space to meet the dancers, do all their makeup and get some good stills of them. After searching and searching I found a photographic studio that was reasonably priced and close enough to central London called Green Studios. After securing a booking I informed my models and videographers of the day, time, directions etc 3 weeks prior to the shoot.

Styling for Black Swan (Revised)

I had to change my idea last minute, because I felt that styling for cats was a little too similar to Simba's Lion King. Whilst searching for music for the flash mob, I was looking over some classical pieces and I came across Tchaikovsky "Swan Lake" and I remembered the modern interpretation of  Swan Lake: Black Swan and I thought it would be really effective with the styling I had in mind. Below are some examples.

 

Styling For Velma Kelly (Chicago)

This is probably the only styling that I really wanted to keep quite true to the character. Since the styling is quite well known, I would only make slight alterations to make it more my own. Down below I have included images that represent how I would like to do the makeup, hair and style.

I love this hair, I have practiced it several times and I think the it completes my flapper look.

I am particularly fond of the Korean Harpers Bazaar, I love the modern twist. I want to try and incorporate my own contemporary transformation. I love the smokey eye, signature red lipstick and cropped looking hair!   

Styling for Elphaba (Wicked)

I feel that one of the main themes for Wicked, has got to be misunderstood. In the musical we get to know the wicked witch of the west and she becomes what she does because of everything that happened to her. I did think about doing her makeup just like how its done in the musical,  so she's be recognised more than anything else. However after having a few practices with it, I felt like I could do better. I started to look at more Avant Garde hair styles, and more edgy fashion editorials. I wanted to represent when she turned into the evil wicked witch or at least just before the turning point. Below are images that helped me to create my 'Elphaba' look. I was keen on her wearing leather and quite dark makeup with touches of Bright and Dark Green to represent her original styling.

Styling for Simba (Lion King)

For the styling of Simba I was apprehensive because I didn't want my dancer to look too cheesy and safe. Since I'm interested in working in theatre, I thought I should show my skills with prosthetic pieces whenever I could. I decided that I wanted to purchase a latex lion nose and shade his face to look as close to a lion as I could make it. He then would wear a similar costume to that of which, appears in the musical, be topless and I would paint his torso and shoulders. I wanted to fashion a high collar out of grass to keep the Savannah theme and make a mohawk mane. Below are pictures that gave me inspiration.