Creating My Instagram Account

I want to create an Instagram account to follow my project development as a promotional tool, to hopefully create awareness for my educational fashion film. I want to use all my own images of behind the scenes, for example design sketches, face charts or me doing the model's hair etc. I want to give the viewers sneak peaks of what the final outcome may look like to gain their interest and create suspense. I will plan my posts prior to their posting date as I want the layout of the images to be carefully considered, for example, I want all my images to be square so they fit the Instagram layout perfectly and I want the content to be evenly distributed to keep it interesting and diverse.

I will post an image or video on the Instagram page every two or three days, so Monday and Thursday one week, followed by Tuesday and Friday the next. I want to post enough so my film stays on people's minds but not so much that it becomes annoying and excessive. I will use my existing Instagram account that I created to promote my makeup work because it will then not only promote the film, but me as an artist.

I have created a rough plan of the images I want to post in order; however I don't want this to be set in stone as I want to post my genuine progression to keep my viewers updated. I have included the chart below:

28th February  - Title/Introduction

3rd March        - Images of sketches

6th March        - Sneak peak of society styling

9th March        - Scattered face charts

14th March      - Show structure of white styling

17th March      - Hair test on model

20th March      - Test shoot boomerang

23rd March      - Music sneak peak

28th March      - Closeup of mouth piece

31st March       - Boomerang of storyboard

3rd April          - Behind the scenes, shoot 1

6th April          - Sneak peak of dance's full look

11th April         - Behind the scenes, shoot 1

14th April         - Sneak peak of look 3

17th April         - Behind the scenes, shoot 2

20th April         - Sneak peak of look 1

25th April         - Behind the scenes, shoot 2

28th April         - Sneak peak of look 2

1st May             - Image of university viewing

3rd May            - Link to final film on website

Post 1

Below is the first post on my Instagram page. I chose an ambiguous image to inflict uncertainty and fear, from the cold concrete walls to the hanging rope, but also to reveal the concept gradually to sustain interest. The blurred image reflects the film's avant-garde style and society's shielded view of discrimination and its damaging effects. The black and white format reflects She's depressed emotions as she feels frustrated and drained by her losing battle. I explained the film's overall concept in the image's caption, as seen below. 

Post 2

I will be revealing face charts and styling sketches to my Instagram in the trending style of flat lays. Flat lays are images taken from a birds eye view used to display different objects. They are aesthetically pleasing as they can include a variety of objects in an organised and classic way. I thought I was going to be able to choose some items, lay them out on a table and take an effective image; however I found it more difficult than expected to lay them out in an organised and interesting way without looking messy or too disjointed. I read many articles giving advice, including Five tips for taking the perfect flat lay Instagram photo by Amanda Mabel in Vogue Australia (Mabel, 2014), to understand how to create my desired aesthetic. They advised to use a simple background, natural lighting, leave space between the objects and stick to a theme in the photograph. I experimented with using naturally; however unless the sun way directly above the flat lay it left shadows between the objects; I therefore used a soft box and held it directly above my objects to give a clean and crisp look.

(Nuchylee Photo, 2017).

I was inspired by the layering of objects in the above image as I had tried to do a flat lay with all my objects spread out but it looked too simple and I had to zoom far out to fit the sketches in, losing the detail. I was inspired by the diagonal layering in the background and decided to create a similar effect using folder material I was using for my designs. I then collated objects I used when drawing the sketches, including pencils, paper and my laptop for inspiration, and then experimented with their positioning. The sketches are central as they are the main subject but I layered them so not all of them are revealed completely to add suspense to the build up of my film. I was nervous to put my sketches on my Instagram page as I am not a confident drawer; however I wanted to showcase a variety of mediums and sketches were a vital factor in deciding my designs. 

I will continue to use flat lays to reveal different aspects of my film to its viewers, including sketches and styling sneak peaks, as they are a clear, aesthetically pleasing and organised way to show a variety of objects.


References:
MABEL, A., 2014. Five tips for taking the perfect flat lay Instagram photo [viewed 28th February 2017]. Available from: http://www.vogue.com.au/blogs/spy+style/five+tips+for+taking+the+perfect+flat+lay+instagram+photo+,30509

NUCHYLEE PHOTO, 2017. Creative flat lay design workshop [viewed 28th February 2017]. Available from: https://creativemarket.com/Nuchylee/697298-Creative-flat-lay-design-workspace