Evaluation

I chose to work on the Painting for Inspiration route for my SDP project and I am very pleased that I did as I have really enjoyed the whole process. The project has been a challenge in more than one way; I have found the time management side of it quite difficult to organise and I have entered into a new environment; working in film sets.

For the first part of the project, I really enjoyed being able to experiment with textile techniques and use my imagination when it came to how I wanted to recreate the painting. It took on a lot of work recreating this painting as I used only sourced fabric, different samples of hand dyed and machine embroidered fabric and hand embroidered beading. The set up for the photograph took several days, which was really time consuming, but overall I am quite pleased with how it has turned out. There are certain areas of it that I would like to redo but I feel that it is a very successful recreation. It is not exactly the same as the painting, but then again, a lot of the recreations I researched at the beginning of the project are not either. I am pleased I used Photoshop to touch up certain areas and to make the background look more swirly and painterly- exactly the look I was going for. It was a challenge using Photoshop again as it has been a while since I last used it and having to recap on the tools took a while to do. I have created a strong sketchbook to support this project, showing all of my research and my design process, which I am really happy with. I would like to have spent more time on this sketchbook but overall I am pleased with it. My time management was not great for this part of the project; I had not completed it whilst working on the second part of the project, so after the filming I have had to cram a lot of work and time consuming tasks into under two weeks which has been a real challenge.

The second part of the project, I found the most exciting. I assisted for two films and designed for one. Just being part of the film team was a new experience and I felt it is really going to help me, as it has been a nice introduction into this world. I will be embarking on work experience in the summer in New York (the placements are yet to be confirmed) and may be working on a film set, so it was really helpful to have gained at least a little but of knowledge before embarking on such a daunting venture. I loved designing for Fair Belles; I also enjoyed sourcing and adapting/ breaking down the costumes. I had to not only go to high street shops but also to charity shops and also the costume store at Uni. The film department, despite the fact we were warned of their often negative attitude towards the costume department, were really fun to work with and very much respected my design decisions and my role as the costume designer. Just being on the different sets showed me how differently shoots can go and the different styles directors like to shoot with. Despite these differences, time management on all films were very much the same: ‘running late’! With Bunny’s permission, I have created a strong film file/ sketchbook collaboration (as opposed to two separate books) in which I have evidenced all of the paperwork, my research, design process (including sourcing and adaptations) and photographic evidence of working on all of the different films. I feel this film file/ sketchbook is very thorough, clearly laid out and informative and I have spent a lot of time ensuring I included every aspect of my journey through this part of the project.

Overall, I am really happy with how both parts of the project have gone; I feel I have gained new, really useful skills which I will be able to translate into a work experience and hopefully eventually a work environment. This, surely, is one of the most important aspects of this course; gaining experiences which you can eventually use in a work environment. I have gained contacts and connections with people on the film course, some of whom have asked me to work with them next year on their Grad films, which is a really exciting thing to look forward to.

Photograph

Today I took the photograph of my painting recreation and I am really pleased with it, especially as I also imported it into Photoshop and tweaked the colours and blurred area of the background to create more of a painterly effect. I am really happy with how well this painting recreation has gone and, despite their being certain parts of it that I would like to redo, I am very happy with the final outcome.

Photograph

For the past few days I have been setting up the backdrop and cape to be photographed. It is a very time consuming process and I have to pin a lot of different fabrics and details to the backdrop and keep having to refer the the photograph to ensure that the composition is the same/ very similar. I have enjoyed the process but it has taken such a long time!

I sourced a lot of the fabrics in charity shops and also the model's outfit was sourced and the headband was handmade by myself.

I am really hoping this photograph come out well, I have invested a lot of time in ensuring it is accurate to the photograph. I have really enjoyed the process of creating this piece as it has encompassed a lot of my different skills.

Shoot Day- 'Fair Belles' and Evaluation

It was really nice that today I was able to see the costumes I designed, sourced and made being used in a real film environment.

Having already bonded with the actresses, actor and film crew, I found it very easy to be on set and thoroughly enjoyed the environment and got on very well with everybody. Having Ellen there as my assistant worked really well, especially during the sex scene, as we were both there to give Annabelle and Dan dressing gowns in-between takes.

I am very happy with how well this project has gone and I would definately do this again. I am planning on working with the film course next year as I have made strong connections with certain people and they have requested to work with me again in the future.

Costume Sourcing, Adaptations and Breaking Down

This evening I went sourcing again to find the 2 remaining accessories to my costumes. I managed to find a necklace and make a necktie from a scrap of brown fabric.

I also adapted the chemise for Belle and I am really happy with the result.

I broke down Dan's trousers and they are now perfect for his character as Belle's client.

I am very happy with how well everything has gone, despite the few jobs I had left today tonight. I am very much looking forward to working on set to see how my costumes look on film and how well they work with the set design and lighting etc.

Fitting and Costume Sourcing

Today I had a fitting for both of the actresses, Annabelle and Caroline, and the actor, Dan. I am thrilled with how good everything looked. I have an adaptation to make to Belle's costume but it should be fairly simple. I also need to break down the trousers for Dan to make them look more worn and source a necktie for Dan and a necklace for Annabelle. I had a look in the uni costume store collection of jewellery but the only thing I could find that may have worked is an earring that I would need to attach to a chain but i am not 100% happy with that so I will try to source a necklace later.

Caroline (Adelita)

I feel I have really successfully done my job as a costume designer so far and due to my organisation skills I have managed to keep on top of everything.

Shoot Day- 'The Chair'

Today I assisted Ellen on set for The Chair. It was an interesting experience working on this project as they used a green screen, something I have only ever been seen done on DVD extras! It was really interesting and a totally different experience to working on set on Ophelia as they did many different takes from all different angles in all different ways.

I felt a bit useless on set as there was only one actor and Ellen was very much in control of his costume. It was an interesting experience and learning curve but as an assistant I did very little despite being very willing to do anything!

The day was an experience but I wish I could have been more of a help. For example, if there had been two actors on set I could have been in charge of the continuity for one of their costumes.

I am very glad I assisted as I was able to observe Ellen doing her job which gave me confidence in myself for my film in a few days time.

Costume Sourcing

Today I continued with the costume sourcing and found some black shoes for Belle after finding out the red shoes would not fit her. I went to the uni costume store again and found a nice pair but they are not as good as the red pair. However, they are going to have to do as the shooting starts in 2 days I have arranged a fitting for tomorrow.

I am pleased with how all of the costumes look and am excited for the fitting tomorrow. I think they are going to look even better on the actresses/ actor.

Project Documentation

I have printed off all of the information posted on Dropbox and read through it all so I now have a better understanding of what the film is about/how it is going to be shot/ in which order it is going to be shot. I am pleased I have read through all of the information and I feel very involved with the whole process of the filming and with the film crew.

Costume Sourcing

I carried on with the costume sourcing again today and found tights and underwear. I now don't have much left to get which is really good as I can focus on carrying on with Part 1 of the project and assisting the other film. I feel very in control and pleased with the progress I have made.

Costume Sourcing

Today I carried on with the costume sourcing. I went to pick up cowboy boots and a poncho that the Set Designer, Dec, offered to lend me. I am thrilled with both of them. I remembered a leather hat my Dad has and he has leant it to me. It goes perfectly with the cowboy boots. I also went charity shopping and found two chemise options for Belle that I am going to bring to a fitting I will arrange before the shoot.

I am very pleased with my progress so far with the costume sourcing and feel I am doing a really good job with keeping the Producer, Director and Set Designer up to date with everything I am doing.

Costume Sourcing

I met with Bunny to discuss the costumes I still had left to source, and after sending an email round to my course I managed to already source a corset. I am very pleased with it and it is exactly what I was looking for. It is the perfect colour. Being organised is really paying off as I am very in control of the situation and have sourced a lot of the costume components already.

Costume Sourcing

I went to the uni costume store to see if they had any relevant and appropriate costumes. I am really pleased with the costumes I managed to source as after I had gathered all of the costumes I had a production meeting to show them to the producer, director and set designer and they were really happy with what I found. They assured me that they would post the actors measurements on Dropbox in order for me to ensure the costumes I have already sourced will actually fit, and that what I have left to source will fit.
I am very happy with my progress so far with this project and feel very in control and not too overwhelmed.

Audition Monologes and Character Breakdowns

I have done some character analysis and breakdowns from the audition monologues which have really helped me in working out what the personalities of each characters are. I feel that this was really important for me to do before sourcing the costumes as I need to know who the characters are. This work is in my film file/production journal. These character breakdowns, along with research I have done in my sketchbook into the era etc have helped me to do initial sketches of ideas for the costumes. I feel very positive about this project still and I am now ready to start my costume sourcing.

Shoot Day- Ophelia

Today I was assisting on the set of Ophelia for Danae. It was a very interesting experience but was extremely long. The shoot was 15 hours, despite the fact it was only supposed to be 10 hours. For a HUGE amount of the time we were sitting and waiting. We had Harriet, the actress, ready, in costume by 11am after arriving on set at 9am. However, we did not actually have the first take until 11.30pm. The lighting and focus took several hours to set up and then was all lost and had to be all set up again, hence the lenght of the day! Due to the fact that the filming took so long to set up, instead of several takes, there was only infact one which meant our jobs were easier as we didn't have to make sure the costume was clean and dry ready for the next one.

Once the shoot was over, Harriet was cold, muddy and very wet. It was a huge task to clean her hair, wash her body and dry her off, clean and dry the costume and make sure she was warm and comfortable. This was the part of the day we were most busy.

The shoot was definately an experience that I have learnt from but, as with most shoots, was a lot of waiting around which was quite boring and frustrating.

I think I did a good job but I would have liked to have more to do and have more responsibility.

Colour Scheme

I looked on the Dropbox folder to see if any new documents had been added and found the images for colour scheme inspiration, a colour scheme pallet and the set design had been added. This is absolutely fantastic as it is really helpful for me in designing and sourcing the costumes for the characters. The colour scheme is really nice; warm, Mexican tones, which contrast with cool tones. I will easily be able to work with this colour scheme. I need to know a little more about the characters and the actors measurments etc before I start to source costumes.

Production Meeting

Today I had a production meeting with the Producer, Director and Set Designer for the film I am designing for. I showed them research I had done over the past few days and they showed me some ideas they had. They loved the research I had done which was really promising. I am very happy with how the production meeting went, they respected me and valued my ideas and thoughts. I did not feel at all taken for granted and they were very apologetic for the changes they had made as they realised this was going to effect my job. I took notes from the meeting and after I have gathered a bit more information I will start sourcing again. I am confident that I will be able tot get all of the costumes and accessories together in time.

Script and Character Changes

Due to the changes in the script, I am going to have to start all over again with the costume souring. This is quite frustrating, but I feel the new location for the script is much more interesting for me to work with. I will start again with the costume sourcing by researching the era and location again. I will analyse the script again and look at any information the film crew has posted in Dropbox. My motivation for this project is still strong; despite this setback I feel I am more than capable of sourcing everything in time for the film shooting.

Film Meeting

Straight after the film pitches were assigned to each of us, I immediately went to find the producer for The Combing of the Hair; the film I will be designing for. We briefly discussed their basic idea for the film. My brief was:
*red, oranges, terricottas- Spanish colour scheme
*1940's
*Set in Spain- look into historical elements of the time

The first thing I did was to have a look on the internet to get an idea of what the fashion was like during the 1940s in Spain. I then went to have a rummage in the costume store to see what costumes were available. I found several costumes that fitted the brief I had been given and put them on a rail and immediately called up the producer to see if he could have a look at them to see what he thought. He was really pleased I was so on the ball and was happy with my selections. When I get back after my easter holiday, I will continue to source costumes etc.

I feel that I have already started to gain a relationship with the producer for the film. I feel I conducted myself well and have shown that I am hardworking and willing. So far, my organisation has been really good. I will have to ensure I conduct myself correctly and fight my corner if I feel that I am being taken for granted or being used to do jobs other than my own, but so far I feel that this project is going really well!

Film Pitches

This morning we went back to the seminar room to find out which pitches had been chosen by the tutors. I was really pleased with the choices; only one of the nine i wasn't keen on working on. We then discussed in our group of six, with Bunny, which pitches we 1. wanted to design for, 2. wanted to help assist and 3. wanted to co-create. Due to timetable issues with filming there had to be a slight change to our first schedual but I got to do the three I liked the most which is a total result! Due to the schedual change I am assisting two films and designing for one. These are:

1. Van Gogh's Chair by Vincent Van Gogh (ASSISTING)
The film is based on the idea that the chair is an animate object. It is pining for attention from an artist who is trying to paint still lifes and is nudging into every one, attempting to be painting. Eventually the artist gets fed up and attempts to bury the chair and then decides that actually it might make a good subject. The chair is then painted and is happy. The closing shot is the artist getting back to painting his still lifes and then the table slowly nudging forward. (in the studio)

2. The Combing of Hair by Edgar Degas (DESIGNING)
This film is about lust. The maid combing her mistresses hair is deeply in love with her. She is passionately combing her hair. We see flashback style intimate close ups of body caressing which we assume is a lesbian love affair. The combing becomes more agressive until we see the mistress in pain due to the tugging. We then see last nights passion is between the mistress and her male lover, not between the mistress and her maid, she is meerly peering through a crack in the door. (in the studio)

3. Ophelia Among the Flowers Odeon Redon (ASSISTING)
This is the painting that I have been recreating for the first half of this project! For this, the plot so far is just that Ophelia is reaching for some flowers whilst balancing on a tree branch and then falls into a stream and dies (on location).

I feel, for each of these pitches, I will be able to bring specific skills to them. I would love to work on location and I feel my organisation skill would really come into their own on such a project. I am also really looking forward to working on these films and forming relationships with the film crew.