DIGITAL PRESENTATION FASHION MEDIA AND MARKETING
CLIENT: ABIGAIL SCHAEFER
BAFM203 PART B BETHANY O’LEARY
CLIENT: ABIGAIL SCHAEFER
INSPIRATION
UPON DESIGN, ABBI’S INSPIRATION FOR HER COLLECTION STEMED FROM SURF CULTURE AND THE INCORPORATION OF STYLE AND CONVENIENCE THROUGH A “13 WAYS TO WEAR” COLLECTION.
THE CLIENT ALSO DREW UPON IMPERFECT TEXTURES TO FORM HER ILLUSTRATIONS FOR PORTFOLIO INSPIRATION AND FABRIC TEXTURES FOR THE COLLECTION.
CLIENT: ABIGAIL SCHAEFER
MARKET
WOMENSWEAR MID- MARKET SPORTSWEAR STREETWEAR
THE CREATIVE VISION THEME
FOR MY LOOKBOOK ADAPTATION OF THE CLIENT’S COLLECTION, I DECIDED TO DRAW UPON HER INSPIRATION OF DISTRESSED TEXTURES AND CREATE A VERY URBAN STYLED SHOOT; AS THAT WAS THE NARRATIVE THAT I FELT THE STRONGEST CONNECTION WITH UPON FIRST VIEWING OF THE COLLECTION. THE CHOSEN MODEL FOR THE SHOOT WAS A DANCER, AND HER MOVEMENT WAS SPECIFIED TO DISPLAY NOTIONS OF CONTEMPORARY STREETDANCE. THE IDEA OF THE DANCER WAS CENTRAL TO MY INTENDED NARRATIVE FOR THE SHOOT; I WANTED TO CAPTURE THE INTIMATE, BUT POWERFUL AND RAW SITUATION OF A DANCER FREESTYLING, AND RELEASING THEMSELVES, WHICH IS THE EXACT DIRECTION THAT WE GAVE THE MODEL DURING THE SHOOT.
STYLING
I NARROWED DOWN THE CLIENT’S DESIGN CONCEPT OF ‘13 WAYS TO WEAR’ TO ‘5 WAYS TO WEAR’, BY SELECTING THE BEST FIVE STYLING COMBINATIONS OF THE GARMENTS FOR THE FILM AND LOOKBOOK. NOT ONLY WERE THEY THE BEST FIVE DESIGNS OUT OF THE 13, THEY WERE ALSO THE MOST VARIED AND VISUALLY INNOVATIVE. THIS IS SOMETHING I WANTED TO PUT ACROSS IN THE LOOKBOOK IMAGES, TO CAPTURE ABBI’S EXTENSIVE CREATION.
THE CREATIVE VISION
HAIR
MAKEUP
BECAUSE OF MY CONCIOUS DECISION TO MAKE THE SHOOT VERY URBAN AND STREETWEAR ORIENTATED, I LOOKED INTO CONTEMPORARY STREET TRENDS FOR HAIR, PARTICULARLY ON WGSN. HERE, I CAME ACROSS THE REPETITIVE TREND OF CORNROWS, WHICH WGSN ANALYSED TO HAVE STEMMED FROM HIP-HOP CULTURE “AND HAS NOW BEEN SEEN FILTERING INTO THE COLLECTIVE HIGH FASHION SCENE.”-WGSN.
IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT THE MODEL’S MAKEUP DID NOT STAND AS A CENTRAL FOCUS OF THE SHOOT, AS I DID NOT VISION IT AS A ‘BEAUTY’ SHOOT IN ANY WAY. I ALSO WANTED TO ENSURE FULL FOCUS AND APPRECIATION OF THE CLIENT’S COLLECTION AND THE NARRATIVE OF THE LOOKBOOK ITSELF. THEREFORE I CAREFULLY SIFTED THROUGH CONTEMPORARY MAKEUP TRENDS THAT WGSN AND LS:N WERE DISCUSSING AND WAS PARTICULARLY DRAWN TO ‘THE PURIST’ LOOK, COMBINED WITH THE STRIKING WHITE STRIP ACROSS THE EYELID.
images sourced from WGSN, Pinterest
images sourced from WGSN, Pinterest
THE CREATIVE VISION
LOCATION BUILDING ON THE RAW, DISTRESSED, STREETWEAR STYLE OF THE LOOKBOOK, I WAS IMMEDIATLEY DRAWN TO ONE LOCATION IN PARTICULAR, WHICH NOT ONLY SUITED THE AESTHETIC OF THE SHOOT, BUT ALSO HAD A FITTING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE NARRATIVE. THIS LOCATION WAS THE DANCE ACADEMY BUILDING, SITUATED ON UNION STREET, PLYMOUTH. THIS GRADE II LISTED BUILDING, WHICH DATES BACK TO 1989 AS A MUSIC HALL, STILL BOASTS SOME OF THE ORGINAL ARCHITECHTURAL FEATURES. COMBINING THAT WITH IT’S RUN DOWN STATE AND FEATURES, LIKE PEELING PAINT AND GRAFFITI WALLS, IT MAKES A VERY INTERESTING VISUAL AND BACKDROP FOR A STREETWEAR LOOKBOOK SHOOT.
TECH
- MONOPOD: AS OPPOSED TO A TRIPOD. A MONOPOD
ALLOWS GREATER RANGE OF SMOOTH MOVEMENT WHICH ENABLED ME TO CAPTURE THE MODEL’S FREESTYLE MOVEMENT.
- NIKON D810: I CHOSE THIS CAMERA FOR IT’S STRONG
CAPABLITY TO SHOOT AT 60 FRAMES PER SECOND AT A HIGH QUALITY. THIS IS SO THAT I COULD INCLUDE FRAMES AT SLOW MOTION FOR AESTHETIC EFFECT, WHILST MAINTAINING HIGH QUALITY AND RESOLUTION.
- COLOUR CORRECTION: THEREFORE IN POST-PRODUCTION
I WISH TO MANIPULATE THE COLOURING OF THE SHOTS FOR BOTH THE FILM AND LOOKBOOK PHOTOGRAPHY TO GIVE A SUBTLE BLUE TONE. THIS WILL SOFTEN ANY BRIGHTNESS AND ALSO ADD AN EFFECTIVE ‘MOOD’ TO THE NARRATIVE.
RESEARCH PRIMARY & SECONDARY TO DEVELOP MY WORK FOR THIS SHOOT, I LOOKED HEAVILY INTO NARRATIVE THEORY, TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF NARRATIVE IN FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY AND FILM, AND HOW TO EXECUTE IT WELL. A NARRATIVE ENVIRONMENT IS A SPACE, WHETHER PHYSICAL OR VIRTUAL, IN WHICH STORIES CAN UNFOLD. I LOOKED AT PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO HAVE BEEN RECOGNISED FOR THEIR NARRATIVE SIGNIFICANCE IN THEIR WORK, LIKE MARGARET-BOURKE WHITE, WHO WORKED FOR LIFE MAGAZINE. BOURKE WAS LIFE’S FIRST FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHER AND HER PHOTOGRAPHY HAD NARRATIVE AND MEANING. IN THE IMAGE BELOW, A WOMAN IS DOWNING A DRINK UNDER A SIGN SAYING “NO BEER SOLD TO INDIANS.” BOURKE-WHTE PUPOSEFULLY CHOSE TO SHOOT UNDER THAT SIGN IN THE BACKGROUND TO MAKE A CULTURAL POINT. THIS IS WHAT AIDED MY DECISION FOR THE LOCATION OF THE SHOOT AND MADE ME REALISE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF CHOOSING A RELEVANT LOCATION, AND THE EFFECT THAT IT CAN HAVE ON THE SHOOT.
PRIMARY & SECONDARY
MODEL CHOICE WAS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR FOR THIS SHOOT, AFTER ACHIEVING A CLEAR IDEA OF THE NARRATIVE. I LOOKED IN DETAIL INTO THE DIVERSITY OF MODELS IN FASHION, WITH CONSIDERATION TO MIXED RACE MODELS, CULTURAL ASSOCIATION, WITH CONSIDERATION TO DISABLED OR PLUS SIZE MODELS, AND PARTICULARLY TO AUTHENTICITY. FOR THIS SHOOT AND THE NARRATIVE OF ‘THE DANCER’, IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT THE CHOSEN MODEL HAD RELEVANCE AND WAS NOT JUST THERE FOR HER ‘LOOK’. THE MODEL NEEDED TO BE AUTHENTIC TO THE STORY AND BE SOMEONE WHO SUITED THE CLOTHING. THIS PROCESS WILL MAKE THE END PRODUCT MUCH MORE SUCCESSFUL, AS MOVEMENT WILL FEEL REAL, RAW AND NON SCRIPTED WHICH IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THE NARRATIVE.
RESEARCH DATA//INSIGHTS
LS:N GLOBAL PUBLISHED AN ARTICLE IN FEBRUARY 2017 TITLED ‘BE BRA-ZEN’.
IT TALKS ABOUT UNIQLO AND THEIR LATEST AD CAMPAIGN FOR IT’S WIRELESS BRA. THE AD MOVES AWAY FROM THE TYPICALLY SEXUAL NATURE OF LINGERIE ADVERTS AND FOCUSES PURELY ON THE BRA’S FUNCTIONALITY AND PRACTICALITY THROUGH DANCE. “THE ADVERT ENCOURAGES WOMEN TO MOVE IN WAYS THEY AREN’T SUPPOSED TO IN RESTRICTIVE UNDER-GARMENTS.”- LS:N.
THIS FRESH APPROACH TO THE IDEA OF PRACTICALITY OF FASHION THROUGH THE MEDIUM OF DANCE WAS INSPIRING AND FITTING TO THE NATURE OF MY FASHION FILM FOR ABIGAIL’S COLLECTION. IT TRIGGERED MORE THOUGHT AND MEANING BEHIND WHAT I WANTED TO PORTRAY IN THE FILM, CONTRIBUTING THE IDEA OF FREE MOVEMENT WITHOUT COMFORMING TO ANY PRE CONCIEVED NOTIONS OF HOW A DANCER ‘SHOULD MOVE’.
DATA//INSIGHTS
I CONSIDERED CORNROWS AS THE HAIRSTYLE OF CHOICE FOR THE MODEL AT THE START OF THE PROCESS, AND ONCE FINDING IT’S REPORT ON WGSN, I WAS ABLE TO HAVE JUSTIFICATION AND CONTEXTUAL RELEVANCE FOR THEM IN MY SHOOT. THE CORNROWS TREND IS NON SEASONAL, AND “EXPLORES THE IDEA OF DECONSTRUCTED AND CUSTOMISED DIY PERSONALISATION...THIS LOOK HAS BEEN SEEN IN EDITORIALS INCLUDING AUGUST 2013’S FRENCH VOGUE...AS WELL AS MCQUEEN’S A/W 13/14 AD CAMPAIGN.”- WGSN.
CHOSEN MEDIUM LOOKBOOK
FILM
THE FINAL PRESENTATION OF THE LOOKBOOK WILL HEAVILY FEATURE THE CLIENT’S OWN ILLUSTRATIONS. THESE ILLUSTRATIONS WERE A RESULT OF THE DESIGNER’S INITIAL INSPIRATIONS AND THOUGHT PROCESSES, THEREFORE I THINK IT IS SIGNIFICANT TO THE FINAL PRESENTATION OF THE LOOKBOOK.
THE MUSIC FOR THE FILM IS KEY TO THE EDITING PROCESS, DRAWING UPON HEAVY BEATS OR TEMPO ALTERATIONS. 1920X1080 APPROX 1 MINUTE.
THE INDIVIDUAL LOOKBOOK IMAGE WILL BE PLACED ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF A DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD, WITH THE DESIGNER ILLUSTRATION ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE. DIGITAL A4 SIZE.
PLAN & PROPOSAL
MONTH
PLAN
JANUARY
FIRST MEETING WITH CLIENT
FEBRUARY
CONCEPT/NARRATIVE CREATION AND DEVELOPMENT
MARCH
MODEL CASTING/ FINAL CREATIVE DECISIONS/ SHOOTING
APRIL
EDITING OF IMAGES AND FILM
DESIGNER/STYLIST: ABIGAIL SCHAEFER MODEL: NADJESCHDA SCHAEFER PHOTOGRAPHY/FILMING/EDITING/CREATIVE DIRECTION: BETHANY O’LEARY