Project Evaluation

Overall I found this project really interesting and I have enjoyed experimenting and developing my ideas through a range of different media. I feel the brief allowed me to push the boundaries of makeup and hair design in a fashion focused way.

During this project I also experimented a lot with the use of film. I felt this helped me to develop both of my looks to a high enough standard that they would be suitable for use within a music video. I really enjoyed using film and this is something I want to further develop in the future. 

Technical File Sign Off - complete 

Fashion Film 

'The Clown Statue' 

As part of my early research I was able to team up with a photographer and film making Andrew Sadler whilst I was visiting home. The aim was to create a test shoot show casing some of my initial ideas. Its unfortunate I was unable to find a film student in Southampton to capture my final looks like this. I found working with someone else in this way a lot of fun and it also made the challenges of using film and makeup together.

FINAL LOOK 2 

'The Final Girl'

Evaluation  

Overall I am really pleased with my final images for look 2. The quality of these images is a lot higher than my first shoot when creating the clown. I feel the use of simple makeup contrasting against powerful structured hair has come together really well. 

From the start I really wanted to focus on capturing a fashion focused image within my characters and I believe these images do this perfectly. Taking inspiration from makeup campaigns from Illamasqua and fashion designers like Gareth Pugh I have put my own twist on 'The Final Girl'.
Although these images are fashion focused it was still essential to capture the Gothic horror theme within the looks. To help achieve this within these looks a instructed my model to look shocked, it almost seems like the clown is right in front of her; just out of shot. This creates a suspense and mystery often seen within Gothic horror films.

CHOSEN MAKEUP IMAGE

I have chosen this image as my final picture to present the makeup design for my concept of 'The final girl' my second character from my chosen Urban Legend. 

Her skin looks flawless and the blending of the purple contouring and bright purple lips adds an edge to a simple makeup design. I used a range of products to create this look including Barry M's dazzle dust. This loose pigment powder allowed me to achieve a blended look mixing a range of colours to create my own shade of powder. 

The lips look really intense in this image, although I originally wanted to produce an 'ombre' feel to the lips they ended up being more multi-tonal. If I was to reproduce this image I would experiment more with different lip products and play with better way to create an ombre look.

Model choice (Look 2) 

Lily Anna Mills 

My model choice for my second look was incredibly important. After having difficulty with the right model choice for my first look I decided to find a suitable model before choosing how I would style this shoot. I felt it was essential to find a model who fit the 'Last Girl' criteria. Lily suited this look perfectly. Her blonde hair fits right in with the typical concept of the last girl and the length would also allow for flexibility when styling it. 

Hair Design & Styling 

Look 2

In my previous research I have collected a range of different imagery to inspire the hair for this look. Last week I decided to carry out a test look on my model - using the images as an aid of inspiration in the studio. For this look I want to create a sense of power and strength through her hair to symbolize how she managed to get away from the clown killer. In order to do this I will create a look full of volume and texture as I feel the size of the hair is often used as a representation of power. Although I want to show her power I still feel it is essential to show the audience she has been through a lot in order to still be alive, I will do this by crimping the hair and backcombing it. Lily has very soft fluffy hair so the effect will be very messy and torn apart.

I want this look to be fully focused on the makeup and hair and instead of using clothing to style this image I plan to use the hair as more than just a style. Bringing strands around the face and neck to add a high fashion edge. 

Story Board - Look 2 

'The last girl' 

Face Chart and Concept 

Look 2

Creating face charts before shooting is a really good way to plan out specific looks and also to use as a guide when creating the look. Although The makeup looks quite heavy on these charts (due to my scanner) I want the skin to be glowing and flawless. Using subtle shading with loose pigments will help me to achieve a fashion focus subtle makeup. I do not want to go over board with makeup for this look as I feel the character 'The Last Girl' who is baby sitting for a family before the children are brutally murdered, would be young and innocent. The audience would never expect her to be the one to get away from the murderer. I will use the makeup as a representation of what she has been through and symbolize the strength and power she found to get away from the killer. 

The hair is really the key part to this look and using inspiration from the styles seen on Gareth Pugh's catwalk I want to create a messy style full of texture and volume. I also want to bring some of the hair over the face, giving the audience to sense she has really been through a terrible ordeal. But in order to keep this in line with my high fashion brief I will do this in a controlled way. Crimping and curling the hair then gelling across areas of the face will contrast well against the fluffiness and texture of the rest of the hair. 

Final Look One 

'The Clown Statue' 

Evaluation

My first look; ‘The Clown Statue’ was very challenging and I feel my final images reflect this. The makeup I created was particularly enjoyable and I believe I have successfully designed a character that fulfills the brief set. It was important for me to produce imagery that captured the essence of Gothic horror without being gory or involving sfx. Using a limited color palette allowed me to achieve a strong makeup that does the talking. Saying this, there are many elements I would change if I was to re-shoot this image. I had a lot of difficultly using synthetic hair extensions and was unable to achieve the hair I originally wanted to create. Shooting this look was also a challenge and I don’t think my final images demonstrate the looks potential – this is something I was able to improve when shooting my second character.

Story Board - Look 1 

'The clown' 

Face Chart and Concept 

Look 1

I feel it is very important to consider the purpose of this look in order to fulfill the brief set. In order to create a fashion focused look suitable for a music video with the theme of a Gothic Urban Legend; The Clown Statue I have completely stripped back my previous ideas and developed a simple yet eye catching design. Using elements from the classic clown makeup I have put my own twist on the corpse paint makeup worn by some rock metal bands. Mixing these two concepts has helped me develop my own personal style taking inspiration from all my previous research.

Using black and white pigment powders will allow me to create a soft blended 'clown smile'. Adding the sharp fire shaped triangles adds an edge and discomfort to this look. Using only color on the nose will allow the red to really pop on the face. To create the circular red nose I will use a dark red gloss which will give the appearance of blood, this blood will have been taken from the murdered children in the house which the clown has brutally killed.

This look will show subtle signs of insanity; the eyes bleeding black and the jagged mouth. I will keep the skin paled down using Illamasqua skin base in white and derma blend in fawn. This will allow me to achieve a perfectly flawless base to the skin (essential for film.)



Styling - Look 1

I wanted to introduce a traditional element into this look. For a music video the styling is just as important as the makeup and hair. I feel a black and white corset is the perfect way to capture a traditional clown inspired look with a fashion edge. I also feel the stripes will contrast well against the black and white makeup and bright red hair. Amazingly I found this corset (brand new with tags) for £15 on Ebay which was originally £75! It is perfect to create the look I am aiming to achieve. Although the only set back is that it is a size 4-6 and will mean I need a tiny model to fit it.   

Character Two 

Test hair 

After researching a lot into Gareth Pugh's style I have created test hair inspired by the hair seen on his catwalk shows. For my second character I want to create the feeling that she has been through a lot. I feel her look needs to tell a story and get across the intense situation she has been through. Running away from a murderer dressed as a clown she would appear to be haggered and stressed. To create this style I first crimped the hair to add volume and texture. I then pinned sections of the hair across the face. Backcombing the hair also helped exaggerate the distressed feel to the look. 

EXPERIMENTAL IDEAS

Whilst developing a range of ideas I feel it is essential to experiment with different products in order to improve my application and translation of ideas. Using my previous research into mexican sugar skulls I have recreated a classic style. Although I am really pleased with the final images I feel in order to create strong characters under the gothic horror theme I need to further push the boundries. Experimenting with the idea of enhancing the skull is something I want to play with further. To create a character totally original and eye capturing I feel I would like to merge the idea of a hauted sugar skull and the insanity of a clown. I feel this would enable me to create stronger imagery. 

CREATIVE PROCESS 

After my last test shoot I felt it was important to work on my base application. Creating a flawless base can be the key to a really succesful makeup. To create this look I started by preping the skin and blocking out the eye brows. I then used a mix a Derma Blend foundation and Illamasqua's skin base in white. To contour the skin and define the 'skull' shape I use supra colour and then powdered pigments to set the colour. This allowed for a multi tonal, blended, soft finish. To hightlight the eye socepts I used aqua colour which allowed me to mix and blend different colours with a matte finish that would not crease on the lids. Once the lids where finished I applied a small amount of loose glitter adding detail and dimention to the look. 

'The last girl' 

Look 2

The Final Girl is typically the last female to survive. She doesn't have to live, she just has to be the last one. She’s the girl who refuses to be just another victim and actively fights back against whatever force is killing off everyone she knows. I’d say that out of all possible female roles in a horror film, it’s the role of Final Girl that’s most coveted. 

THE DESCENT – Sarah

THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL – Samantha 

FRIDAY THE 13TH – Alice Hardy

SUSPIRIA – Suzy Bannion

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET– Nancy Thompson 

In the Urban Legend I am basing my looks on the baby sitter will become the 'final girl.' Everyone in the house will be murdered and she will be the last one left who manages to deify the evil clown statue. I will use the films referenced above to inspire this look. This character needs to tell a story, her look needs to show her power and strength and her facial expression must represent the horror she has been through. Saying this I do not want the image to become gory in any way. The image must be strong and reference the strength of a fashion focused look. 

ILLAMASQUA 

PARANORMAL 

Illamasqua's new 'Paranormal' campaign is incredibly inspirational. I want to incorporate similar ideas within my concept for character 2.  The soft blended purple makeup is beautiful yet has a sense of depth and mystery. Purple is often used to represent bruising. I feel this would be a good way to incorporate a sense of despair through my look for 'The Last Girl'. The orange around the eyes also gives a sense of tiredness. Highlighting the water line with red or orange gives a subtle hint of color that could be linked to sad or bloodshot eyes. Using color to represent my ideas will allow me to create a high fashion look without looking over the top or theatrical. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eig6aKopu9Y

This images also create a strong feeling of unease. The model above is being grasped by something unknown. I can relate this to my story, of the girl running from the clown. She knows the clown is coming for her but is unable to see it. This would create a strong feeling of terror. When the clown is caught her sense of power and strength would be reviled once she realizes she is the only one to get away. 

Huge hair can often be used to resemble a persons insanity. This is one of my initial sketches for the hair design of Look 1 (clown). I really like the idea of having the middle slicked down to the scalp and then the rest frizzed out with huge body, volume and structure. Although, the only way to achieve this look would be to use a model with Afro hair or a wig. I feel this may begin to add a sense of comedy to the clown look which is often portray by children entertainers dressed as a clown, and is something I want to avoid. 

TEST HAIR

Clowns are often perceived to have huge afro style wigs on as part of their comedic appearance. I want to replicate this in a high fashion way in order to fulfill my brief. Researching a range of high fashion hair styles I have been inspired to create a design involving certain elements of each style. Pinning the hair at the crown of the head flat across the head contrasts strongly against a highly structured, textured shape created buy crimping and back combing the rest of the hair.  

Initial Design idea 

(Character 1)

Erwin Oalf 

The Paradise Club 

 Conceived in the wake of a large-scale performance on the theme of the circus, these tableaux vivants attack the eye and the mind, teetering between horror and decadence. This bad trip remains unresolved in the faces of the characters portrayed, remaining with them as a morning-after flashback.

“About the sense of being in transit, in a place or in a dimension where things are different from the way they are at home, or in real life.”