Fluorescent Disposition Production Dossier
Concept We decided to choose the critique starting point for our fashion film. We both were really interested in playing around with the idea of gender. In the current society, gender is discussed quite frequently. Society is still trying to figure out what gender is and what is considered acceptable. as time goes on, people are becoming a lot more open minded to gender blending, people mixing up and breaking stereotypical male and female elements. Our concept is to show that gender is a construct and that it can be fluid; people are more free to play around with their identity in the modern day. We wanted to convey that gender is a performance, each person is their own player and if they do not like the part their playing, they can stop and change it up. We wanted to address that gender is a current issue, however we want to portray that it should not be an issue, overall giving out a positive message.
Our main inspiration was a fashion film by REN called Gender Bender. We were captured by the cinematic style the film had, as well as the lighting and the styling. We also loved how they experimented with gender stereotypes and breaking them. We had three different scenes within our fashion film, Including three different looks. For the first scene we set up two painted white boards to resemble a corner of a room. We hung neon lights down from the ceiling on chains. In the next scene, we set up the studio to look like a room. We used a chair and a mirror in this scene, and had the model getting ready; putting on clothing and make up. In the last scene we had a simple white background. This was to focus on the clothing more, and create more of a dream-like scene to break up the darker scenes. We had the model throw around petals to represent the femininity within him. The point of having three different scenes and looks was to show the character experimenting with different looks; incorporating feminine elements into his style and having fun with it.
Concept Board
The first thing we did in the film making process, was to undertake a lot of research. Once we decided what the film was going to be about, we did a lot of research into gender and gender blending. We then looked at many fashion films, directors and photographers for inspiration. As mentioned before, we got a lot of inspiration from the fashion film Gender Bender by REN. We loved the way it was shot in slow motion and the moody yet colourful lighting. The whole vibe of this film is something we knew we wanted to recreate. Further research entailed looking into editorials for styling references. We found a photographer and stylist, Sebastian Simanowski, that we look a lot of our styling inspiration from.
methodology
The next steps we took were to come up with a detailed concept of what would happen in the film, start to finish. From this, we then created styling, lighting and model mood boards. Then we drew up storyboards to visualize each shot we wanted to capture. Then we started to do research into music and how we would get a track for our fashion film, considering copyright issues.
After this, we started to contact modelling agencies to get a model that fit our concept. At the same time, we began sourcing props and working out logistics of how we would pay for them and get them into the studio. By this time, it was time for us to do our test shoot, which helped us to work out the lighting set ups that we wanted for the actual day. We then started to purchase and source garments for the styling. Also, we began looking at the different makeup and hair looks we wanted for each outfit. This coincided with the search for a makeup and hair artist to be able to realize our vision. Before the shoot, the final step was to write up a detailed shot list so that we were completely prepared for the shoot day. The shoot day ran smoothly after sorting out our model issue. It was then time to begin editing the film; the final step in creating our film so it conveyed our concept.
storyboards
These are our storyboards we created before filming our fashion film. We tried to draw as many different shots as possible to ensure that on the day, we got as many different and interesting shots. Drawing the storyboards was a really useful tool to decide exactly what we wanted to happen within our film as well. As seen in the stroyboards, we wanted to start with the scene of the character getting ready and then we cut to the two other scenes. the neon light sceneand the white background scene.
makeup Boards
styling board We were heavily inspired by photographer and stylist Sebastian Simanowski. We loved the use of lace, mesh and accessories in his styling. We were also inspired by designehrs such as JW Anderson and Duckie Brown's SS16 Collection. The colour palette we went for is quite monochrome, however the lighting and scene set up added colour to our film, making it much more vibrant.
These are our three makeup moodboards. We created 3 different ones for the 3 different looks that we had throughout our film. The silver and the spiked eyebrow images came from a magazine called Fucking Young! that we found in our research. The other image was found on pinterest, we decided to go for a blue eye on the actual day though as it worked better with our look.
This is the board we created for our lighting references. The neon lighting scene and the bedroom scene were the more complicated scenes to create the lighting for so we created this moodboard. A massive inspiration for the neon lights scene was the image on the far left, which is by Edina Csoboth. It enabled us to come up with the idea of how to set up the studio and how we can use the neon lights within the scene. The other images are all from Pinterest and they were there to show how we wanted the lighting to look like in the getting ready scene.
Lighting Board
Budget Budget Sheet Clothing - 100 Props - 100 Model - 20 Hair & Makeup - 50
This is our budget sheet for our fashion film. We had to account for quite a lot of money. Our neon lights cost 85 pounds to rent for one day. We then had to purchase chains to hang them from and white paint to paint the set. We set aside 100 pounds to purchase clothing and accessories for the styling aspect of our shoot. It was 50 pounds to hire our hair and makeup artist for the day. Finally it was 20 pounds to pay for the travel of our model. We were able to get the money back for our clothing purchases through returns, however everything else was out of our own pocket. Doing this fashion film has definitely made us realise why film budgets are normally so high.
Technical equipment and props
For our fashion film we used two different cameras and a number of different lighting set ups. The first camera we used was a Canon 5D Mark II with a 24-70 lens, we filmed these shots in 25fps. This was so we could get the non-slow motion shots for the neon lights scene. For the rest of the film we used a Canon 7D and interchanged between the 24-70 lens and the 70-200 lens. The 70-200 lens enabled us to get better zoom on shots. We also used a video tripod throughout the whole film for stability and smooth pans. For the first scene, the neon light props emitted quite a lot of light, which meant we only had to use one ARRI light 1000 watts, with a blue gel to light the model. For the second scene we used two ARRI lights; one on a Boom crane to create the overhead bedroom light effect. The other light, we just used on a normal stand, again with a blue gel. For the final scene, we used four ARRI lights with diffusing paper to soften to light.
For the first scene, we hired two neon lights. One of which we hung from the ceiling with chains purchased B&Q, the other we rested on the floor. We also used 8x4 wooden flat walls to create the look of a corner of a room. We painted these white, as the neon lights emitted a lot of colored light, so we opted for a neutral colour. For the second scene, we kept the flat walls and changed the lighting set up. We also had a mirror hung on one of the walls and a leather armchair placed into the scene. We used the mirror so we could get shots of the model looking into the mirror and applying makeup. The chair was used for sitting down shots and the model putting on clothing and shoes. We got the model to hold a makeup brush too, to give the illusion that he was applying makeup. For the final scene we purchased flower petals, which our makeup artist sprayed pink. We used a ladder for Callum to climb onto and throw the petals over the model for our slow motion shots. We also got the model to throw them around too.
Name - Anthony Coburn Age - 20 Hair Colour - Dark Brown Eye Colour - Blue Clothing Size - W26 L28 Shoe Size - UK6
Casting
We originally sourced a model from Bookings model agency. However, on the morning of our shoot, we received an email from the agency saying that the model was ill. We then had to improvise; luckily we managed to source a model from our makeup artist. She had a friend that she had in mind that fit our brief. He had some previous modelling experience and was very confident in front of the camera. Overall, we were very pleased with his performance.
Post-Production
Music
In terms of music, we had a very specific idea of what we wanted. We looked at some numerous different songs to get a clear idea of the sound that we liked. We looked at Acid Rain by Lorn, Wilhelm Scream by James Blake and Without You by Lapalux. These songs were all quite dark and mysterious with a strong beat. With this music brief, we consulted Lucys partner, who is a music producer. He created a song that was perfect for our fashion film. This also removed any issues that we may have had with copyright, as it was a completely original track.
For post-production we used Adobe Premier Pro. This is one of the most professional editing softwares available, as we wanted a very slick and industry standard finish to our film. For the most part, we used quite simple editing techniques, such as cutting and cross dissolves. We also used some more techniques such as reducing the speed of most clips to 50%, allowing it to be in slow motion. We also used reverse techniques in the white background scene to create a more dream like feel to it. We also used the music to edit to; making sure that the shots cut on the beat, making it more refined. As the colours in our film were already very strong, we have not needed to use colour correction in our film.
Concept Directors, Stylists and Editors
Anthony Coburn Model
Callum Smith and Lucy Ford
crew
Callum and Lucy had very balanced roles in the making of the fashion film. We both came up with the concept and directed the film. We also sourced the clothing and styled the model. We took turns in the filming process; while one person was filming or photographing, the other would be styling or directing the camera person.
Shannon Spinks Hair and Makeup Artist
Paul Astley - Studio and Lighting Setup