SKIN DEEP – IDEA
EXPOSURE 2
Layouts – INDOI
From the start of the project we’ve had workshop on indesign. We where told that me must create a layout. The approach i took to that was i wanted all the pictures to be as clear as possible, potentially taking up the whole page. However as one of my themes for this project was “emptiness” i looked at some references that involved tearing the edits by hand and piecing them back together but with different photos.
I did a test of this idea but i did not like it. However i have incorporated the tearing idea in to my film, i feel the idea works best within a film format. The layout i later did on indesign doesn’t distract you from the images.
The Idea – INDOI
After I chose INDOI I was inspired by the foundation of the brand family and spirituality. The strong connection between mallika and her aunt (founders of indoi) resonated with me. The close family bond is something I want to capture within my project. Using my aunt as my model as she is of Asian decent. I want to create a narrative of the modern Asian housewife also I want reference her family back home India through old family archives.
INDOI connection to family is something I personally connected too. As I come from a large ethnic family, Fashion although on the surface can be seen as vanity but it can also be used as an extension of who you are as a person. What country you come from? What culture you belong to?
INDOI celebrates a legacy of the women who have come before us’. This quote is directly taken from their website. Their vision is inspired by the cultures, stories and precious relationships that we share as families. The owners roots go back to India and Pakistan.
Influenced by the brands strong ethos on family i want to look in to the archives of my potential model as she is of asian decent. The backdrop for my project will be my aunts house. Her house is very spacious and open planned. She also has very large windows that let in loads of light. I will most definitely will be making use of that. I want to only use natural light not a light source as i feel it will create a different narrative with my photos. The use of shadow is something i wish to explore further in this project.
Final Shoot & Film – INDOI
I am very pleased with how my final shoot turned out. In my development for shoot two i expressed that the theme of emptiness is something that i wanted to be clear. Choosing an older model benefited my shoot as i feel she was really able to connect with the clothes. The poses i chose where purposeful as i wanted the shots to look and feel as natural as possible. I did this by simple following the light around my aunts house. I wanted to use the shadow the light cast.
In conclusion for this project the themes of emptiness and family are my foundation for both the film and stills. For my stills i definitely used my theme of emptiness to shape my shoot. Using my aunts house as the backdrop allowed me and my model to be more at ease when the shoot took place. My aunts house make use of space and light. She has a few room where it may look that nobody even lives there. Her aesthetic of minimalism within her household is something i utilised to the best of my ability in my photos. As you can see i chose my edits to be in black and white as it links back to my research of 1960s horror films also it adds a sense of class and elegance to the stills. I also purposefully chose edits of where my models face is not present. I did this because influenced by 30s/40s photography (Paul strand, Man ray etc.) they also played with the idea of body modification though the use of light. I wanted to expand on their works by coming at it from a modern point of view. Playing with the shadow i was able to almost create almost a mask over my model. Using photoshop i was able to darken certain areas to bring my model forward in the photo, making her the soul purpose.
The dynamic of family is something i wanted to explore especially knowing that my model is of asian decent like the brand. This connection i find interesting because when assigned this project my aunt came to mind straight away. In my personal work i wanted to use an older model at some point in a shoot. I hadn’t done so up in till this point, in saying that i feel my film is a strong representation of original idea. Having a DIY element to it referring to the making of the paper signs. I made the signs and featured them in the film because it takes the viewer to a personal place. I wanted to create a solemn atmosphere but intertwine that with the dynamic of the family. I used a VHS filter to reference an old family film. Mixing both emptiness and family at start seemed to me strange then i released how this marriage strangely works. My aunt has a long corridor filled with family pictures. I recored this corridor by highlighting certain aspects of it. Then putting this footage in to a sequence. For my audio in the film i have a 1min snippet of the song Mala – Changes (James Blake) remix. I connected with this song because of its eerie, ghostly sound. I feel this brought my whole film together as it was the last piece of the puzzle i needed.
Video test – INDOI
For my video test i put together a collection of clips that i have been filming from the start of this project. Using my phone i was able mimic VHS video style using an app. It definitely benefits my idea as it links back to some of my earlier themes for this project.
Using the VHS style i wanted it to feel like a home video throughout the film i show brief clips of old family photographs, art and past picture of my model. I did this because indoi’s brand is strong on family values this something i connected to personally. Using my aunt i was able to play off the theme of family from a modern day asian wife. My aunt is a very interesting woman her life experiences are something i wanted to show using her archives.
Using my phone it allowed me to recored freely. The unsteadiness of the camera movement was purposeful i did this so the viewer can make the easy connection with my theme of “homevideo”. Doing this video test helped me understand the importance of editing, piecing together this short fashion film to create a slight narrative. For my final edit for this film i may use some footage that isn’t filmed on my phone but with a camera. I am interested to see and explore that by using both VHS clips and camera shots will improve my film as a whole.
Film Idea – INDOI
For the film aspect of the project I have been influenced by black and white cinema. The film eyes without face defiantly inspired me to potentially film in black and white. The use of lighting and shading creates a dynamic that I feel will compliment my narrative. In the film I want to play with the horror dynamic slightly using idea from William Castle film loge. I am sure i’ll be able to piece together an obscure marriage of visuals and audio.
The title of the film is something i questioned from the start but in order to come full circle with my idea i am yet to reference old Bollywood. I want to call my film “a mothers love” but spelt in Hindi.
VHS clips will be the style of film i am going for. I did this because i wanted the film to almost be a mash up between a home family video and a fashion film. Furthermore i want to have in between shots of still life flowers, cups etc. I’m doing this so the theme of “emptiness” is clear to the viewer. Showing personal items of my model in the film will hopefully build a small idea of who she is.
The pictures above are stills from fashion films i have drawn inspiration from. These films all have something similar about them besides the obvious connections of the use of black and white imagery. Each film is able to entice you in to the fantasy they are portraying. DAZED x Saint Laurent – VERTEX use of snappy imagery pushes the film to be more compelling, creating more of a narrative with the audience.
I created storyboard for me to look too if i get stuck on editing. My storyboard gives a loose idea of what my film will consist of. Referencing the horror aesthetic in my film can be seen through the use of shadow, old archives pictures and single face shoots etc. I wanted to make use of the slow zoom. At first i thought it may restrict me in some shots but i feel it will definitely expand my narrative further of the relationship between emptiness and family.
Development for shoot 2 – INDOI
For my 2nd and final shoot i developed my idea further to explore the theme of emptiness. Im going to be doing this by playing with space and shadow. Drawing inspiration from classic horror movies ( psycho, eyes without face) i want to create ghostly world where fear and fashion collide. The pictures i have gathered below are a representation of what the shoot will potentially look like.
The shoots backdrop will be my aunts house. i feel the backdrop will work as the house has a lot of windows giving me the option to use natural light. As you can see in the images below the house has character to it i want to utilise this aspect.
The poses i will be focusing on are clean portrait shots. I am doing this because the model i have selected has a very striking face. Having this in mind i want to play with the idea of emptiness. All my final pictures will be in black and white as this is referencing my vintage glamour and horror aspect of my idea.
The layout i’ve been experimenting with rob in our workshops. Using indesign i was able to create a template for my potential book. I have also printed my stills and used manual manipulation on them putting them in to a collage. Ripping and tearing the paper i was able to adapt my idea further. I feel the use of manual manipulation benefits this project by allowing me to see visually what works and what doesn’t. I also used this method within my film.
Shoot 1 – INDOI
In my first test shoot i was able to play around with poses. I am very happy with the way the pictures turned out as it opened my eyes to what i should be focusing on. Staying close to my asian housewife idea, i developed the idea further to cater to my Black and white fashion film. Although my pictures was good i feel it deferred away from my idea. After my tutorial i was advised to strip down my idea and simplify it. After this review i started to begin looking deeper into black and white photography. Photographer Richard Avedon approach to black and white photography has influenced my next shoot. Referencing Avedon’s style within my work will be done by using his portraiture photography. His attention to detail within them shots create depth to photos.
what i learned from this shoot is that i should be taking more of a simplistic approach Taking inspiration from 1930s fashion photography (man ray) used lighting to reimagine the human body. He masterfully manipulated the light to shape and shade what he was photographing. Using man ray as a reference in my next test shoot i will be exploring this style further.
FINN MOORE 