PROJECT EVALUATION

The aim of this project was to create an online exhibition inspired by Gothic horror stories from 18^th century, specifically those written by Edgar Allan Poe. The exhibitions main focus is a creative short film, the film features visuals of editorial characterizations based on characters from Poe’s most well known stories.  As well as a short film, a gallery will be placed on the exhibition in order to get a closer look at the characters created. The project is to appeal to a very broad audience including male and female viewers aged 20 plus. It’s an exhibition to shock, inspire and excite the mind.

Throughout this project I have pushed my creative boundaries and have developed a variety of technical skills that I didn’t believe would be possible for me at the beginning. I’ve managed to edit a short film singlehandedly, create a website to feature the film and gained even more knowledge in my photo editing. These are skills I can hold onto for any future projects I may have and support me while I grow as an artist. During the last few months I have learnt a lot about the time and effort that goes into projects similar to Velvet Bones.

Velvet Bones gave me the opportunity to test my skills as an artist; it’s been more challenging than I expected it would be and there have been a handful of times when I questioned my place within this industry. Being around so many creative minds makes you doubt your ideas, however this project has taught me to not make comparisons and to be confident in what you do. The exhibition has turned out to be better than I ever imagined and I feel proud that the concept was all down to me, I had a very small team of people to help me and it has certainly had issues along the way.

The main problems I had during the past few months’ involved reliability of others that had agreed to be involved in my project. Though it was stressful for me at the time it has helped me to understand the importance of preparation and how back up plans are essential. I feel I managed my time well initially and stuck to my schedule, I even had backups for more important roles such as a photographer and film producer. However, once more issues started to occur I lost track of my schedule, which resulted in major set backs within my project. I began to feel that I couldn’t trust anyone else to help me, which is why I ended up doing a lot of the work myself.

Reflecting on this, I should have made more of an effort to find contacts earlier on in order for me to build up relationships, meaning a higher level of trust. This would have enabled me to keep on track with my schedule. Organisation and preparation was my downfall during this entire project. I let stress and worry effect me too much and I found myself pushing the work I had to do to the back of my mind. This resulted in me not attending as many 1-1 sessions with Sharon as I didn’t feel I had anything to share.  I do regret the decision to not see Sharon often; she always motivates me so it would have helped me in the long run.

The construction of the website was also challenging. Creating a website is something I have only done on simplistic sites such as Wix so learning from scratch on Adobe Muse was very different. I have to admit, I avoided starting my website because I was worried and unsure about how I wanted it to look. I also felt I needed my shoots to be complete to work them into the layout but I now know I could have built the site without. What I should have done is researched other websites more to get an idea of the types of things I could create using Muse. It would have been interesting to incorporate Gifs to make the pages look more visually pleasing to look at. What I have learnt is that you don’t need any set in stone ideas when it comes to building a site. It’s useful to play around so you can discover what works and what doesn’t.

The part of my project that I’m most pleased with is my short film. It has the vibe I was hoping for when I initially thought about creating a film. I love the blank, white background, as it doesn’t draw attention from the characters but still pops in an editorial way. I had problems with my film producer from the start of my project and struggled to find a replacement for him, so I asked my photographer Sam if he felt confident to film small clips as well as shooting stills. It worked out well in the end, as I didn’t have to worry about organising a time that would suit 2 different people as he was able to do both for me.  Sam is a good friend of mine so he was easy to work with and very familiar with my project and understood the type of footage I wanted for my film. There were occasions when I had to leave Sam to direct a shoot alone while I got another model in makeup but I trusted he would get what I wanted out of the shoot.

The only thing I would change about the film would be the lighting. I edited the clips to the best of my ability, though you can definitely see the difference in colour in certain shots. It’s a minor detail for me however, as I feel the end result is great. Doing more test shoots with the lighting on film would have been useful for me, that way I could have made a note on the lighting set up used to make it consistent in the film. I really enjoyed editing the film, I have a small amount of knowledge on editing so it didn’t take me long to get the hang of using a new editing programme. My only regret is not starting the edit sooner as I could have gone to John for help with the off colour in some of the clips.

I’m really glad I decided to base my project around Edgar Allan Poe, it’s been so interesting and I would love to continue with this project now that the degree is finished. It would be great to work on it more without the pressure of deadlines so I could take my time with it.  I would like to research more about Poe’s life as well as his stories and create a film with more characters; I would like to go even further with the designs of the makeup/hair and styling to make them more editorial. Moving forward I want to take my creativity to the next level, I need to be more experimental in my spare time and stop being so afraid of feeling like I’m not good enough.

Improvements with characters designs could be improved massively. I was too safe with my makeup choices, which is down to the fact I wasn’t very organised and I improvised a lot. Improvisation can work but I feel in this case it wasn’t the best way to go about creating this project. If I were to do sufficient research to gain inspiration the character looks could have been much more interesting and eye catching. Moving forward I want to improve myself in this area, particularly as I want to create a project like this again in the future.

Overall I have enjoyed creating my online exhibition. Despite the ups and downs I feel proud of what I have created. The main thing I would change would to be more organised but this is something I can change for the future within the makeup industry.  I look forward to doing more projects like this in the future, as I don’t believe this is the end for Velvet Bones.

Velvet Bones//

www.velvetbones.co.uk

It's finally here! After many sleepless nights i have finally put it together exactly how i want it and it's now LIVE. I'm so excited to see the finished product along with the video! Below are just a few screenshots of how it looks.

 

The Black Cat//

This is the second character i did in my collab with Elly. Based on the story The Black Cat. The piece is one i rented from Mystic Magic and it really makes the entire look. The skin jewellery looks incredible, Elly did an amazing job. Again, the model was quite uncomfortable on camera which made it difficult to direct but she looks stunning regardless. In the future i need to work on my directing skills, if i was a little more confident my models may have felt more at ease about what they were doing.

I'm excited to say that this was my last photoshoot! Watch this space for the video!!

Poe//

Since the start of my project i have been wanting to recreate my own version of Edgar Allan Poe. He was to have the look of Poe but be inspired by the sinister male characters he tends to include in his stories.

I know Ben from my hometown and i think he has the perfect look for recreating Poe. He has never modelled before so i was a little nervous but he was incredible! He was so confident on camera and has a really mysterious, edgy look to him. I think this might be my favourite shoot so far!!

Finished Logo

Claire has been incredibly fast with finishing up my logo and im so pleased with how it looks! I was a little unsure about the background colour at first but after playing around with my website i couldn't be happier!

Rowena//

Today i teamed up with Elly Frith to shoot Rowena. It was Sharons idea to collab with Elly and im so glad she suggested it! Elly makes "Skin jewellery" (www.abbellitastore.co.uk) and they work really well with my theme! 

The model i used is named Anna, i was struggling to find anyone to help and Elly suggested Anna as she has shot with her before. She was a little uncomfortable on camera but i think we got some good shoots and she does photograph beautifully. She has a really soft and angelic look to her which is just right for the character. 

Lucky Logo

I have pushed my website logo to the back of my mind since talking to Matt previously, so i went on the hunt again and found someone willing to create something for me! I'm really pleased as i knew wouldn't have to skill to create anything interesting.

The designer is called Claire and she's been incredibly helpful and always responds to me quickly. I gave her a brief of my project which she seemed excited about and we discussed a few ideas together of what i want to be included.

I'm happy to say she has already sent me over a draft of my logo!

So far it's looking great but i did mention to her that the border may be out of the question as i want the text Velvet Bones to be incorporated somewhere. I've left it with her to play around with some more but i have full trust she will come up with something great!

Poe Inspiration Boards

Tear you apart//

Finding a track to go over my video has been harder than i thought it would be! I was asking my friends for recommendations and browsing endless playlists on spotify until i started thinking about films and tv shows that i enjoyed. American Horror Story came to mind as it's horror based so i found some playlists that included songs from past seasons and came across this song by She Wants Revenge. I've been hooked ever since, it fits perfectly with my video and i get goosebumps everytime i hear it.

Graphics?

I quickly discovered that Muse was going to be a challenge for me, so i know i haven't much hope with creating a logo! I have a few friends that do graphic design and one recently mentioned about looking for more graphics work to do, i thought my style of project would be something he would be interested in too. I got in contact with him but unfortunatley he was asking for a little more money than i could afford so it's onto plan b...

Madeline//

Today was the shoot for my design for Madeline from The Fall of the House of Usher. I had the help of Sam taking photos and filming again and i also had my friend Christian to do styling.

In the book it talks of how Madeline appears in a white robe covered in blood so this outfit worked perfectly for the character. I used the pops of red on the face to represent the blood, it comes out really nicely in the close up shots but at a distance it's not as visible. I definitley could have gone bolder with the red but other than that im happy with the images! I feel like we got lots of poses that are different to the previous shoot which is exactly what i wanted.

 *Images below of Zarah modelling as Madeline

Fortunato//

As expected, Presiyana was perfect for this character. I love working with her because shes so comfortable and just uses her initiative. Christian helped to style this look today, i love the clashes with the top and skirt and it looks really eye catching and fun! Unfortunatley i was a little short for time on this shoot. I only had the studio for a small amount of time and by the time zarah was shot there wasnt long left. We managed to pull it out the bag though and im really pleased with the results.

I am a bit disapointed in the makeup though. I was quite rushed so it's not exactly how i would have liked it to be but i think it still works. I will have to make sure i manage my time correctly for future shoots to ensure i have enough time to get the model camera ready and shot with time to spare!

Motivated by 'Madeline'

I have booked the infinity cove for this Wednesday and Sam has agreed to shoot for me again. I decided not to ask Dionne as i love Sam's photography skills and i was happy with the last 2 shoots we did together, even though they werent quite right for my project in the end. I really enjoy working with Sam and he has a great understanding of lighting in the infinity cove. My model is Zarah who I have also worked with before, shes very confident in front of the camera so i'm really excited to see how it goes.

Madeline is a character from The Fall of the House of Usher. In the story, Madeline suffers a mysterious illness and dies from this, it's later feared she was buried alive due to other members of the house hearing noises. Madeline later appears in white robes covered in blood from the struggle of trying to escape the tomb she was placed in.

I went to Pinterest for inspiration. I know in my head i want to use bright red in an unusal way to represent the blood and i'm thinking of keeping the eyes almost bare but with a glossy texture to the lid. The pictures below are some of my favourites that i came across.

I like how the red is brough onto the fingers in the first image and also the red of the neck, it may be an interesting idea to bring red from the neck onto the chin and lips. I want it to have a messy feel but still look like it has structure.

The second is the type of texture i would love to use on Zarah's eyes. I love the combination of the glossy eyes and lips in that image.

The final image is the perfect example of a messy looking red over the lips but you can tell it has been done with care, not just plastered on quickly.

No more Mystic Magic

Unfortunatley i've had to tell Ashley that i am unable to rent his pieces. It's all due to funding which is something im struggling with big time at the moment. He was really understanding and said i was welcome to rent from him anytime in the future. It's such a shame as they would have been great for my shoots and would have made those finishing touches perfect but it's unavoidable. I know i can still create great images with makeup and hair design skills. Funding is something i should have thought about a long time ago, i could have avoided this with more organisational skills (which is something i have a feeling i will be saying a lot!)

E-mail conversation between Ashley and I:

On 19 Mar 2016, at 08:45, Danielle Packman <daniellepackman@hotmail.co.uk> wrote:

Hi Ashley

I'm really sorry for the bad responses. I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to use your pieces for my shoots anymore. I'm absolutely gutted but I just wanted to let you know so I didn't seem completely rude!

I would still absolutely love to in the future though so I'll definitely contact you again at some point!

Thanks so much for all your help and I can't wait to see new pieces you come up with!

Danielle

Sent from my iPhone

Hey Danielle

Don't worry about it that's totally ok and not rude at all, I know uni life can always be pretty busy at times!

Whenever your ready the opportunity will still be here.

Hope you get on ok with your coursework.

Keep in touch,

Ashley

Mystic Magic

www.mysticmagiconline.co.uk

FORTUNATO

My next character i am going to be working on is Fortunato from the story The Cask of Amontillado. In the original story, Fortunato is a male character who is murdered dressed as a court jester. I thought Presiyana from the Lady Rowena shoot last week would be perfect as her eyes are such a piercing blue she really draws you into an image. I sent her a message to see if she would be willing to model for me again and luckily she said she can just under 2 weeks from now. I'm really pleased she is able to as i have some really great ideas that are harlequin inspired that i think will work really well with her look.

 My favourite thing about these images is that even though they are quite theatrical they still have an editorial feel about them. I love the neck ruffles too and feel it's a key part of this type of look.

Website Beginnings

I have been playing around with Adobe Muse to try and get the hang of how the programme works so i can get my site going. So far it's been pretty complicated to work with but i have been going to John's IT sessions and he is really helpful.

I want my site to be really simplistic by using a black and white colour palette, i need to keep playing around with Muse to see what else i can do with it!

*Screenshots of my basic layout so far

Introducing Velvet Bones

I have been concerned about that fact that i am yet to come up with a name for my exhibiton. I wanted something memorable but relatable so i spent a while browsing throught the wordlist on the Poe Stories website. I've mentioned before that it was useful to know the meanings of some of the words i wasn't familiar with and it turns out some of them were really interesting.

A couple i noted down were:

Aidenn - Arabic word for paradise or heaven.

Beau ideal - A perfect embodiment of a concept.
  
Eros - Greek god of love, where the word "erotic" comes from. Also, love conceived in the philosophy of Plato as a fundamental creative impulse having a sensual element.

Though i liked the sound of the words and the meanings that came along with them they just weren't right! It wasn't until i came across a quote by Edgar Allan Poe himself that i discovered something new.

I'm not entirely sure what attracted me to this quote so much but i love the part Velvet Bones. I've thought about it for a few days and i keep thinking about it. I think it sounds interesting and quirky, perfect fit for my exhibiton!

Inspiring fashion film (Hungertv)

I came across this fashion film while browsing Hunger TV. 

http://www.hungertv.com/feature/step-into-the-future-with-house-of-flora/ 

It's inspired me for my own film and i especially love the edit. Film editing isn't something i know a huge amount about but in terms of technology and programmes i tend to pick things up relatively quickly so I look forward to experimenting with my own film clips!

LIGEIA IS HERE.

The shoot with Alejandra couldn't have gone better today! After a rocky start i managed to put an outfit together and i'm really pleased with the overal results. The makeup and hair turned out great and Alejandra is great in front of a camera.

There are a few shots where the hair is a little out of place so i need to be more aware of touch ups for my future shoots. Sam did a great job with the lighting yet again, i think they have actually come out better than the previous shoot we did with Danika. He used a tripod this time to do the film clips which worked much better as he was able to get a steady shot as well as control the focus of the camera. We got a great variety of stills as well as movement clips, i have included a few of the non edited versions below for whoever wants to have a peek!

Lady Rowena pt.1

After the nightmare of Teri dropping out i completley panicked when it came to styling the wig for my shoot with Presiyana as Lady Rowena. I didn't have much time inbetween the 2 shoots that i did as i made a mistake with the closing time of the cove.

I decided to just have the wig straight which didnt work out well. The wig was also too small for my models head and just looked very very fake. I also hadn't realised how dark her eyebrows were which made it look even more obvious that it was a wig! I carried on with the shoot despite this and i did get some nice shots but i will have to reshoot this character.

I originally thought of using Presiyana for Lady Rowena as she has incredible blue eyes which i thought would contrast well with Alejandra's darker look, but on reflection i think she was too harsh looking for such a soft character. I maybe should have avoided using black eyeliner as it took away the softness. I will be using her for another look i am planning on doing next week which will work much better for her. Details of this coming up!!

*Images of Lady Rowena shoot 1

Drop out stress

This morning has been incredibly stressful! I messaged hairstylist Teri yesterday afternoon to confirm she was still avaliable to help me out with my shoot today and she just got back to me this morning to say she wasn't well. It's really dissapointing when people cancel so last minute and i'm feeling very stressed out about it! Main reason being that i had been planning on using a wig for one of the looks today which isn't my strong point. 

Styling has also been a bit of a problem! It's hard to source people to colaborate with, i post on the facebook groups and get no response and the stylists i already know have been busy with their own projects. I've pulled out a few pieces from the styling cupboard that i thought could work and i have also asked my models to bring in particular items for me so im hopeful i will work something out!

I need to be more confident in my hair and fashion styling skills incase this happens again. I know i am able to do both i just let the work overwhelm me and feel like i can't do it all myself.  Preparation is key so i need to work on my organisation skills in order for this to be successful.

Rowena Inspiration

Rowena is the opposite to Ligeia, shes fair and soft. I'm very set on styling her in white, preferably something long and lose that flows.

Third time lucky

After the last shoot i did with Danika i have decided to made a competley new plan for the look of Ligeia. I've e-mailed a different model that has more of an editorial look called Alejandra, she models quite often for other students and outside of university.

I'm completley changing the makeup as what i had designed originally came across "glam" and thats not how i want the character to be portrayed.

Seeing as i struggled with hair so much during the last shoot i asked Lottie to suggest some level 2 hair students that i could colaborate with. I messaged a handful of people and got chatting to a lovely girl named Teri who seemed really happy to help me and excited to work on my project.

I have also found a model for my Rowena. She is called Presiyan, she is fair skinned with blue eyes so would be the perfect contrast against Alejandra who is darker. She also models for students around uni so i know she is confident in front of a camera.

Ligeia 2.0

Today i did my reshoot for Ligeia. I felt it went well and i got a great variety of different stills and clips for my film. Danika is really confident infront of a camera and photographs beautifully so she made it easy for me to direct the shoot.

As i stated at the beginning of this blog, my film student had been incredibly slow with responding to me and is obviously not going to be reliable. I have struggled to find a replacement so i asked Sam if he was confident to just film a few clips for me. He didn't use a tripod which concerned me a little but i was limited on time so we just got on with the shoot. I knew that this could act as a test shoot if it didn't all go to plan.

I left feeling pleased with how it all went and i got the images and video clips from Sam a few hours after. I really love the shots, Sam did a great job. I feel the lighting is a little dark in a lot of the images however, the angles are great and the skin looks beautiful and glowing in the close ups. Unfortunatley i dont feel that the character of Ligeia shows through in the images and that's a fault of my own.

The images are too sexy when what i wanted was editorial. The stylings all wrong too, i had an image in my head but it didnt work. Perhaps with a different model that has more of a boyish figure would have worked better as Danika is a curvy woman with more of a sexy look as opposed to editorial.

Though i thought i liked the makeup during the last test shoot, i can now see it's not right for this particular character. It looks more like clubbing makeup to me, especially alongside the outfit. I have to admit, i was lazy with the hairstyling. Hair isn't something im particular confident in but i know i need to come up with something a little more interesting to finish off the look.

The movements worked out great, we did "live modelling" so i had Danika pose while making small movements in her body or face. We also did some walking shots and hair flips which would look really interesting in reverse. I would definitley like to use a tripod next time to get a steady shot and will also help to get the frame straight. It's dissapointing to me that i will have to reshoot this character again but hopefully i can come up with something more fitting for Ligeia and the images from this shoot definitley won't go to waste.