Scene 1 Development and Concerns

Setting

Sebastiane suggested using a more normal looking bed as he felt the bent bed was too loaded, so I asked my dad to straighten the broken bed by fitting some stands in the middle. Sebastiane said I should make the bed look more everyday as opposed to a dramatic setting so I will add some white sheets over the top that are hanging off the bed slightly to make it look more worn in; I will positions these to hide the fixed joining in the middle of the bed. I didn't discuss what colour the bed should be, but I got the impression he wanted a wooden, slightly old fashioned bed that looked very homely; however I wanted to keep the bed and sheets all white to give a clean, clinical look to reflect that She has admitted herself to a mental asylum in her subconscious as she no longer feels part of society; this all white look also mirrors the second scene.

(O'Brien, 2011).

Above is a theatre set by Mark Obrien made completely out of cardboard. The rooms looks cold, bland and lifeless which inspired me to wrap She's bed in brown parcel paper to create the same effect. I want She to look extremely out of place, to reflect her emotions towards herself not fitting in to society. I will still keep the background and floor black to continue that theme throughout the film; however the set above inspired me to add other objects in the setting that reflect random objects you would have in your bedroom, for example, a book, lampshade, slippers or a teddy. The bed and surrounding objects will look unwelcoming and inhospitable, making She look extremely uncomfortable in her surroundings. I will experiment with wrapping different objects up in brown parcel paper to see which look the most effective and I will choose a couple to include. I still want the bedroom to look minimalist, so I won't add too many props to make it look crowded as I think that will send a different message of her feeling claustrophobic when it is supposed to reflect her social ostracism and depression.

Styling and Makeup

(BOOHOO, 2017a).

(BOOHOO, 2017b).

(BOOHOO, 2017a)

As discussed with Sebastiane, I think She should wear something appropriate for everyday wear to contrast against the abstract background and makeup/hair. I initially wanted her to wear something more avant-garde; however I think if the styling is dominant as well as the makeup and background, then it will look too confusing and busy and the emotion will be lost in the overpowering visuals. I chose to order the baggy t-shirt dresses above because they look very relaxed, they are neutral colours and they are plain, which I think make them very relatable to the young audience as loungewear or pajamas.

Face Chart

I am concerned the makeup and hair, together with the new dominant background may look too overpowering and confusing all together. The black mouthpiece is a bold statement and I am concerned it may reference S&M which is definitely not relevant in my film. However I do like the reference to victorian mental asylum head braces and operations, so I may use a lighter colour to make it less sexualised and more like a human body extension, distorting the mouth. I may try to match the colour of her top with the mouth piece to keep the colour palette small for a minimalist look. I may also consider painting the spikes in the hair design the same colour; however I will discuss this with Sebastiane in my next tutorial and experiment to see if this works. 

I am concerned I still haven't practised this makeup look. According to my production schedule I should have already practised the look and done it in a shoot; however because all the equipment was booked out and the studio wasn't available on the Sunday I had planned to shoot on, we had to postpone the shoot to 10th April. I will ensure I practise this makeup look, with the mouthpiece, this week to make sure the application and outcome work.

Filming and Editing

When I directed this scene for my last test shoot I was mostly inspired by the filming of Screw by Nick Knight, with the ambiguous closeups of the styling and pans up and down the body. The opening was very focus on the fashion element as it was so avant-garde, with textured mesh and depth in the layering; however after changing the styling to be more wearable I don't think these closeups will work as effectively because the material will be so recognisable and uninteresting. My model will also be sat on one side of the bed, with closed body language, instead of laying down in a contorted state, so panning her body will not be as ambiguous as it will be more obvious it's a human. 

Screenshots of Insanitarium (2008) made into collage.

The image above shows a collage of different screenshots of the film Insanitarium by Jeff Buhler. There is a scene where Jack has been locked in his cell and the editing used shows that time is passing. The same shot of the cell is used throughout but Jack is shown in a number of positions, cutting out the transitions of him moving, and therefore speeding up time. It almost looks like still images have been put together, adding a different media to the film and slowing its tempo, to show him moving from position to position in despair. I want to incorporate this editing technique in my film to emphasise the amount of time She has felt trapped by society's rules, in a depressive state. I want She to be shown in a multiple of positions portraying her deteriorating emotions into depression. I will experiment with this to make my storyboard ready to show Harrison. 

I want to include a combination of mostly slow motion and slow movement footage in this scene to reflect her depressed state; however I want to entwine some sped up movement, as seen in Screw by Nick Knight, to show glimpses of her panic and anxiety. I also think this will break up the otherwise slow paced scene. 


References:
O'BRIEN, M., 2011. Cardboard Set - Bedroom [viewed 3rd April]. Available from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/62492512@N00/6520388145/

BOOHOO, 2017a. Katie Brushed Knit T-Shirt Dress [viewed 3rd April 2017]. Available from: http://www.boohoo.com/day-dresses/katie-brushed-knit-t-shirt-dress/invt/dzz59866

BOOHOO, 2017b. Ultimate T-Shirt Dress with Rolled Sleeves [viewed 3rd April 2017]. Available from: http://www.asos.com/asos/asos-ultimate-t-shirt-dress-with-rolled-sleeves/prd/7712749?iid=7712749&clr=Nude&SearchQuery=tshirt%20dress&pgesize=
36&pge=2&totalstyles=736&gridsize=3&gridrow=4&gridcolumn=1

Insanitarium, 2008[film]. Directed by Jeff BUHLER. USA: Stage Six Films