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Shoot Day

Behind the scenes of the shoot. We had a great morning, the looks came together just as we hoped they would, the model was amazing and so easy to direct. I took the roll of being the hairstylist and was so impressed with how it turned out without any practise prior to the shoot. We managed to capture both the looks of Madeline and Helen with how we styled up our model, really happy with how everything turned out. We may not have managed to create all the poses we researched due to being short for time, but nonetheless we got some amazing shots and I'm thoroughly looking forward to see how they came out.

The photo's taken in the blog post were taken by myself and Sally on our iPhones.

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All photos used have been previously referenced throughout this blog apart from the bottom left taken this morning on my iPhone of the banner we created to be used as a prop and the Surgical Lines Make-up photo, reference: https://www.fashiongonerogue.com/procedures-combine-facelift/

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All photos used have been previously referenced throughout this blog.

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I created an action plan for each of the looks we were creating in the shoot. I've included references for make-up, hair, poses, lighting, costume and props. I will show this to the group, model and photographer so everyone knows what we're aiming to achieve.

All photos used have been previously referenced throughout this blog apart from the bottom left taken this morning on Charlie's iPhone.

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As a group we requested to have a dark red backdrop and a black backdrop if we have time to do two. We talked about wanting to try some of the different gel’s the photographer has to achieve some shot with red lighting. We also liked the idea of having a spotlight or using light and dark photography to create shadows. I think this would be really interesting effect when shooting our first look with the detached mannequin arms. I have found some photography images that I thought would be a good reference for the photographer on shoot day to see which direction he thinks is best to achieve similar lighting effects. The images I have found are from a variety of sources listed below.

Photo references: (left to right)

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/536209899368475360/

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/522980575476911134/

https://livcps.org/2019/10/03/entry01-3-61/

https://trendland.com/portraits-by-david-benoliel/

https://www.richpointofview.com/richpointofview-blog/2019/2/3/vibrant-colored-gel-portrait-photography-examples

https://www.fashiongonerogue.com/5-beginner-fashion-photography-mistakes-avoid-all-cost/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7SCn7-0DDA

https://vintagetopia.co/2018/04/07/24-light-and-shadow-photography-for-inspiration/

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Our first steals visit was also a success. We managed to find two dresses that fit the looks we were hoping to create and a pair of statement gold earrings. The red dress was a great find as it was a very similar design to Helen’s “glow up” moment red cocktail dress in the movie. As I mentioned earlier, we planned to style the dress up to create a grungy vibe using Mariam’s black boots and my oversized leather jacket. From adding the leather jacket to the look, we decided that we could put one of the mannequin’s arms through the jacket as if it were the model’s own, as the plan is for Jess to just wear it draped over her shoulders, that way it shows our ideas of the broken dolls.

We decided that the pearl necklace we put together would look better with the black dress, so we put it on a dress form to see what it looked like all together. Sasha and Holly commented that the black boots wouldn’t really go well with the black dress look, so we decided to perhaps put a court heel with the look, so it stays true to looking like an evening outfit.

We have two pairs of satin gloves, a white pair and a black pair that has tassels, we said we would decide on the day which looked better with the outfits as we have so many ideas for potential shots.

I have also added photos of me modelling the pearl necklace as it was being put together by Jordan, Charlie and Mariam. We used invisible thread to lengthen some of the necklaces to achieve the desired look. There was one necklace that we decided against using while putting the necklaces together as the colours didn’t really match. I suggested that we use it as a prop instead, I thought the model could wrap it around her hands pulling it like Helen’s handkerchief motif. I have demonstrated the shot in the top right photo using some beads I found at home as we forgot to take a photo of the necklace we will be using on the day.

All photographs on this post were taken between the group on our iPhones.

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Our first trip to the flea market was a rather successful one. The lady on the store had an offer for any 6 pieces of jewellery for £5, so we gathered loads. Charlie, Mariam and Jordan found a selection of pearl and beaded necklaces perfect for us to alter to mirror Lisle’s extravagant necklace. I found 3 very similar pearl bracelets to style on top of some satin gloves that Charlie had ordered and 2 almost identical broaches. At the time of buying the broaches we still weren’t 100% sure if we had secured 2 models however, it’s worked out in our favour having two broaches because we can put one on each of the dresses, so we don’t have to rush around during the shoot.

On the walk back from the flea market Holly, Sasha and I took a photo of the XL martini glass Jordan had spotted in a shop window a week before. We were going to ask the store owner if we could borrow the glass for the shoot but it turned out it was a prop renting store so we decided against the idea as it would be too costly and not extremely necessary for our shoot.

Around the fashion building at uni we managed to gather a few props to borrow for the shoot. The glass bottle to represent the potion vial, handheld mirrors, we decided to go with the one with the pearls on the back as it would match the model’s accessories and a candle holder that we may or may not use in the background of the shoot dependant on whether we can have an open flame in the studio or not.

The photos above were taken on mine and Holly’s iPhones.

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When researching into current fashion trends in LA, I decided to look at well-known LA Fashion Bloggers and how they style themselves. I found the bloggers through an article posted on Locale Magazine, “Top 10 Fashion Bloggers in Los Angeles” by Brianna Romano. I categorised the different looks by items that I found reoccurring throughout the different blogger’s Instagram feeds. I have mainly stuck to fall fashion going into A/W.

Tops:

Oversized shirts

Corset tops

Cropped Tops – tight fitting

Bottoms: Wide-leg loose trousers

Relaxed jeans – loose straight leg

Mini and Midi skirts with slits

Outerwear:

Loose Oversized blazers

Trench Coats

Leather Jackets

Fabrics:

Leather everything from blazers to jackets to pants

Oversized Knitwear – jumper/cardigan

Satin Fabrics

Shoes: Knee Length Boots

Chunky leather boots

Heeled Boots

Platform shoes

Colours:

Warm Colours- Autumnal

Bold/Bright Colours

Monotone – classic black & white looks

Accessories:

Statement Sunglasses

Mini Bags

Shoulder Bags

Slit Dresses were also coming across as quite a staple dress which I found interesting as Helen’s red dress in the movie had a slit in the front too and the dress we sourced for the shoot also has a slit in the front.

I also looked at an article posted on whowhatwear.com, “I Just Got Back From L.A.—These Are the Trends I Saw Most Out and About” by Bobby Schuessler. Posted on 3rd August 2021, and the trends she saw were similar to the ones I picked up from browsing on the different Instagram accounts.

Overall, I personally found that grunge is the in trend at the moment for fashion, so we are going to style up one of our looks with an oversized leather jacket and bulky leather boots to give the costume a modern twist.

https://www.whowhatwear.co.uk/los-angeles-fashion-trends-2021/slide32

Top 10 Fashion Bloggers in Los Angeles by Briana Romano

https://localemagazine.com/fashion-bloggers-in-los-angeles/

Blogger’s Instagram Handles used above:

@caitlynchase @brittanyxavier @lillianbabian @helloitsroxie @racquelnatasha

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Getting Creative with Make-up

On the day Holly brought her make-up in to experiment on me, we later learnt that we were no longer creating two different make-up looks as we didn’t hear back from the Uclan Drag Society and it would’ve been too short notice to find another model, especially if we wanted to go down the drag model route. We put our heads together and decided that to use both the outfits we had sourced and create the desired looks, the blue eye shadow wasn’t going to work with both outfits. We decided that we will stick to the plan of creating a soft glam base but change eye look so it is less dramatic and classier to match our model’s outfits. Holly showed us a look that she often does on herself which has a hint of light blue in it and suggested it would be better suiting for the two looks. We decided it would be better to add make-up as we go during the shoot to capture all the characteristics we were aiming for. For example, smudging the model’s lipstick, drawing the surgery lines around Jess’ face with the eyeliner I bought initially for the blue look, having someone wear red lipstick and kiss Jess on the cheek (if she feels comfortable) and adding the tape to her face. That way we won’t need to worry about ruining the make-up, we will still be able to achieve the more glam shots at the start of the film and the grungier shots towards the end.

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Make-up and the make-up industry have come a long way since Death Becomes Her was made. Make-up is now seen as a form of artistry and it’s unbelievable the looks that can be achieved with make-up, there’s so much that you can do with it. As the task is to put a modern twist on the film, we didn’t want to just copy the looks completely, so I had a browse through some make-up artists and influencers I follow on Instagram to see their modern take on the classic blue eye make-up. Everybody experiments with make-up and colours differently and it’s amazing how many outcomes you can achieve from using a few different shades and textures of blue. Some of the examples in my blog post include; classic blue winged liner, overexaggerated eyeliner over the lid, eyeliner on the upper and lower eyelid, reverse cat eye techniques, cut crease designs and smoked out blue shadow designs. The options for inspiration for our shoot are endless.

Photo references:

Instagram:

@bethpainterartistry @mmmmitchell @hollyboon__ @danielaxalves

Youtube:

Jordan Lipscombe - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5y2fZ9dYFA&t=38s (top right)

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We decided that we definitely want to take a variety of close-up portrait shots. Using idea’s we’ve discussed, and Jordan as the model, we manage to create some poses to represent some of Madeline’s characteristics. The aging theme is quite prominent in these shots, we decided to use the medical gloves and have Jordan pull his face back to signify Madeline having multiple facial uplifts to prolong her good looks. We decided towards the end of the shoot we will draw surgery lines onto the models face to enhance this look and possibly stick tape onto the sides of her face where her temples are to again pull back her face if she’s comfortable to-do so.

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As we were closely approaching shoot day, we decided to go down to the studio to play around doing some different poses using the research we had collected. Using the photos as a reference Jordan and I tried to re-create the poses while Holly directed us, and Sasha took photos. We now have a good idea of the poses we want our model Jess to do on the day and in which outfits. The only thing we needed to have a look into was lighting and how we want to use it in the shoot.

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These were poses taken out of a varied selection of fashion magazines provided in our classroom. As a group, we picked out poses that we thought would be interesting and could be linked to our movie. We said we could recreate the bottom left photo but with a surgical glove to link the pose to all the plastic procedures taken place in the film and how Madeline's character was so obsessed with plastic surgery and maintaining her youth.

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After starting to develop ideas within my group, I wanted to source a wide range of photos and poses as a reference for the model on the day of shooting. After getting confirmation from Jess, I investigated into difficult yoga poses, it seemed the more difficult, the more it fitted with the broken doll vibe we were going for. I have added some photos from the film that I took on my iPhone whilst watching, to show the initial inspiration and the shapes created.

Whilst researching yoga positions, I discovered a term called Voga (Voguing + Yoga) which brought me to a Vogue article that states, “One amalgamation that is actually catching on is voga—yes, a fitness routine that fuses **Madonna’**s nineties dance moves with sun salutations.” In 2014 the exercise trend, a cross between yoga and voguing, voga was taking London by storm. The idea was created by former fashion and filmset designer Juliet Murrell, a fully trained yoga instructor. She claims, “It’s more of a homage to voguing but it’s all about feeling empowered, strong, aligned and having fun.”

I found another Vogue article from researching Yoga poses in fashion photography which was more recent about how to find your flow at home during the pandemic. I have included the photo used in the article to my blog post as I loved how the model was wearing a gorgeous satin dress, although in reflection I’m now thinking it could be a nighty, while doing obscure poses and still looking elegant. I thought this would be interesting to recreate with our model in the chosen outfit as I think we are hoping to find an expensive looking dress.

When initially discussing poses within the group, Holly mentioned how she was inspired by Ariana Grande’s 34+35 music video. As a group we watched the video and took a photo of the pose Holly had mentioned finding as it was perfect for our shoot. On the topic of creating shapes with poses I suggested we used Victoria Beckhams iconic leg pose which can be found across her Instagram feed in a variety of different outfits and in varies locations. The group agreed that the sassy pose would be a great way to add a modern twist into our shoot.

References:

Difficult Yoga Poses – One-legged King Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana), Forearm Hollow Back Pose (Pincha Mayurasana), Scorpion Handstand (Vrschikasana B) https://www.purewow.com/wellness/advanced-yoga-poses

Top right, second photo down – Photographed by Steven Klein, Vogue, October 2002.

https://www.vogue.com/article/voga-fitness-trend-london-voguing-yoga taken from the article “Strike a Pose: Voga (Voguing + Yoga) Is London’s Latest Fitness Craze” by Lena De Casparis 12th September 2014

Top right, orange dress – Photographed by Steven Klein, Vogue, January 2003. https://www.vogue.com/article/at-home-yoga-gaia-repossi taken from the wellness article “9 Ways to Find Your Flow at Home, According to Gaia Repossi and More Fashionable Yogis” by Zoe Ruffner 24th March 2020

Ariana Grande 34+35 Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6_iQvaIjXw

Victoria Beckham Instagram Handle @victoriabeckham­

Other fashion photography included in blog page: Photography By Steve Neaves https://www.cuded.com/photography-by-steve-neaves/ (broken doll pose surrounded by toys on the floor)

Photography By Tim Walker http://fashion-salad.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/dolls3.jpg (broken doll sat on bed leaning against headboard)

Photography By Jim Jochetz https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/93942342200705473/ (broken doll against brick wall)

Bottom left shoulder stand photo was found on Pinterest

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Death Becomes Her, released in 1992, was set in 1978. However, the film has a timeline of around 14 years as I pointed out earlier in my make-up research. I decided to research into some of the main cultural and historical events that took place in the 70s, 80s and 90s. In my post above I have written some facts I discovered that I found interesting.

References:

My 1970s facts were found in an article called "The 1970s" by History.com Editors https://www.history.com/topics/1970s/1970s-1

1980s facts: https://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1980s.html

1990s facts: https://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1990s.html

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Gathering Our Ideas

After doing our own individual research into the film, on our first session back in the classroom together we shared our thoughts and finds and started to develop ideas for the shoot. I’ve created a mind map of all the things I jotted down in my notebook.

Props:

Mannequin’s: At the end of the film when Madeline and Helen fall down the steps, they break into parts like broken dolls. I thought we could use this idea but twist it by taking apart some of the mannequins in the building and either using them by having the arms/legs on the floor and having the model positioned in the middle of them like a broken doll or by having the model hold the mannequin’s arms to her face as if they were her own.

Candle Holder: Throughout the film there are many old-fashioned baroque candle holders within Madeline and Ernest’s house. There is also a baroque candle holder used on the poster/DVD cover of the movie. We didn’t want to copy the film, but we thought we could get one just to be in the background of the shoot.

Stone/Marble: Jordan noticed how the extravagant houses in the movie had stone/marble staircases, so he said we could perhaps incorporate that into the shoot. However ,when looking into it further we decided against the idea as it would be difficult to create a modern twist using the marble.

Mirrors: With aging being a very strong theme across the whole film, we thought it would be important to include a mirror in our shoot. We could’ve also got some cool shots using the reflection of the model. Jordan suggested bringing in one of his standing mirrors from home, so I suggested we could create a shot where the model is looking into the mirror being glamourous, but her reflection back would be a horror/dead looking image. I realised we could only create this shot after the shoot using photoshop to edit the photos together but as we’re not being marked on the outcome of the shoot, we decided against it. We were still open to the idea of finding a handheld mirror that the model could pose with to show the aging them and how women can be so obsessed with their appearance.

Spray Paint Cans: Ernest confesses that he uses spray paint when doing mortuary make-up at the undertakers, he later uses his skill to touch up Madeline and Helen after they realised that they were dead. As a group we decided we could use either a spray paint can as a prop that the model will hold or use a hairspray can and have one of the models spray the other leg or even someone out of the shot spraying the model to look like they’re being painted.

“NEVER AGAIN” Banner: As mentioned earlier in my blog I thought it would be a good idea to re-create Helen’s banner on her Madeline revenge shrine. I told the group my idea’s about either using it in the background or as a prop that the model could wrap around her or using different typography techniques to create graphics that we could potentially project across the model with lighting.

Handkerchief: We discussed Helen’s twisting handkerchief motif and thought it would be good to incorporate in the model’s poses.

Costume: We talked about creating two looks for the shoot, so we decided we should source two outfits for the two models. We planned to walk into town to see what we could find in Steals, but we were hoping to find a red dress inspired by Helen’s “glow up” moment and a structured outfit perhaps blazer inspired by Madeline’s wardrobe.

Models: As we talked about creating broken doll-like poses, we figured we would need a flexible model. Jordan said he has a friend called Jess who is a Yoga Instructor but also models alongside, so he said he would get in touch with her as she would be perfect for the shoot. Charlie told us that in her individual research she looked more closely into the LGBTQ+ community and how they resonated with the film. She proposed we get in contact with the Uclan Drag Society to see if anyone was available to model for our shoot. She suggested a drag look would be perfect to exaggerate Madeline’s glamourous look.

Accessories: All the female characters in the movie wear fabulous jewellery and accessories. We decided to venture out to Preston Flea Market to see if we could source any jewellery. We were specifically going to look for beads/pearls to recreate Lisle’s beaded necklace and pins/broaches inspired by the ones Lisle gave to Madeline and Helen post potion.

The photo in the middle was taken on Jordan’s phone as we were discussing our ideas.

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Feeling Inspired

I was so inspired by Madeline and Helen’s outfits throughout the film that I decided to draw a line up of some of my favourite looks featured in the movie. Helen’s “glow up” moment in the red dress was stunning, I loved how simple yet chic the dress was and the cross over detailing on the back was so elegant I just had to draw the back view too.