Simulacra Studio Placement Project

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Simulacra Studio LSBU Placement Report Joanna Castle


Contents 4 I - Introduction: Context is half the work 4 II- The Project 13 III- Simulacra Photographs 34 IV - Career Tools 34 CV 36 Online Portfolio 37 Cover Letter

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I - Introduction: Context is half the work The concept of the artist placement and the principles of “context is half the work” is about placing an artist in an organisation which would not normally be the subject or focus of the their work. In the case of the APG these were mainly government organisations, as it was a government sponsored programme, leading to artists being placed within government hospitals, National Rail, etc. The placement allowed the artist to enter and examine a world that normally would not be accessible to most outsiders, but more than that the artist is in a position not just as an observer, but also can suggest affective changes to the organisation. In this way, this type of placement gives the artist a new perspective, and the work they produce is not just art but can provide a new way of thinking about the organisation itself, and what improvements and changes could be made in it’s operations. Art also serves to act as a document for the organisation, and so captures and preserves it’s workings, people and history. For my placement I aimed to show a true representation of the daily reality of working in a photographic studio. I believe that many photography students have quite an idealistic view of what it is like to work in the photographic industry. The general notion is that it is glamourous and exciting, yet it seems more probable to me that the reality is a lot more mundane job, and that in order to make a living the interesting aspects of photography in the studio must fit into a standard day of administration and paperwork, much like any other job.

II- The Project My intention was to show this through detailing and communicating exactly what it is like on a typical working day in the studio, and documenting the tasks that I perform in photographs. In this report I will present images of the general location and work I took part in, my own images made within the studio, as well as my communications to my fellow photographers on the subject through Twitter. Presenting this as a kind of diary of my experiences I hope it will give an accurate portrayal of my time at the studio. All text indented and in italics are my Twitter entries.

# Starting a work placement tomorrow = A month of unpaid labour in a photographic studio. Should be fun.8:56 PM Mar 4th from web # #pha09 just realised she should have been tagging her tweets. . . um . . . oops.9:58 PM Mar 4th from web

At this point I am still too used to Facebook status updates and am following that model for my Tweets. # #pha09 has just spent the morning at Simulacra studios with the excellently cool Chris and Francois. They don’t like twitter, though.3:21 PM Mar 5th from web # #pha09 is going to have to put more time in to think about this placement. Its not just a case of showing up and doing what they ask. . .2:16 PM Mar 9th from web

# #PHA09 Finishing writing up cost sheets and blurbs for Simulacra studio headshot and model z-card packages.4:46 PM Mar 9th from web Simulacra Studio Studio Hire Packages Basic Studio Hire  Full day (9am:6pm) - £155.00  Half day - £85.00  Extra hourly rate - £22.00  Weekend hourly rate - £25.00 Intermediate Studio Package - £260.00 • Studio • Colorama x 2 metres • All kit • An extra light • Fan • Burn dvd’s Pro Studio Package - £300.00 • Studio • 8xbeers 8xjuices 8xwater • breakfast for 5 people • colorama x 2metres • all kit • an extra light • Fan • free backing up to server • burn dvd’s • technical assistant x 2 hours Studio Extras Special FX • Industrial Fan - £15.00 • Smoke Machine - £15.00 Cameras • Phaseone digital - price on request • Nikon D3 • Nikon D200 • Nikon D70 + lenses - £60.00 • Nikon Flash head speed light - £25.00 • 1G media card - £5.00 Bowens S Fit Accessories • Snoot and honeycomb - £5.00 • 56cm Beauty dish and honeycomb - £5.00 • 80cm reflector - £5.00 Continuous Lighting • 2 blonde kit (2 x 2k) tungsten with stands - £115.00 • 3 red head kit (3 x 800 watts) with stands - £115.00 Background Paper (colorama) We have a wide range of colour background in stock - £6.50 per meter • Additional roll - £65.00

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Make-up Artist • 1 make-up session only - £80.00 • 1 make-up session including touch-ups as required - £100.00 • 2 make-up sessions including touch-ups as required - £160.00 • 2+ make-up sessions and artist available all day - £35.00 per hour

Simulacra Studio Website  Split website 4 main sections  Photography ■ Photographic Studio = All information about the studio currently on the site, plus: • New photographs of the space (make-up area, bar, stairs, balcony, frontage) • 360o view • Floor Plan • Drawn map from Loughborough Junction ■ In-House photography • Images on left side of screen • Links to photographer’s sites. • Full pricing breakdowns in internal scroll on right, packages, services, additional equipment • Retouching services • Examples of work • Clients  Web • Pricing and examples of work (Websites, e-Newsletters, Banner Design, e-Cards, etc) • Digital Consultancy  Printing • Well shot examples of printed material  About us/Contact

All the above prices are based on daily hire: 9am-6pm day, in-house only. All the equipment is available for location shoots, prices available on request) Photography Packages Basic Photography Package - £470.00 • Full day studio hire (9am:6pm) • Professional Photographer Intermediate Photography Package - £495.00 • Full day studio hire (9am:6pm) • Professional Photographer • Make-up artist for one make-up session + touch-ups Pro Photography Package - £650.00 • Full day studio hire (9am:6pm) • Professional Photographer • Make-up artist for two make-up sessions and the artist available all day • Digital retouch – 10 images • All images supplied on dvd Actor/Performer Headshots - £65.00 per slot. Simulacra hosts a monthly studio session dedicated to Headshot photography. We provide a fast, professional and comprehensive service showing performers in the best possible light while representing value for money. The day is made up of individual slots, each comprising of: • 1 hour photography session with a professional photographer (I think we should put an approx number of shots) • Professional makeup artist – Extra charge of £35.00 • Digital retouch – 3 images • 10 images – printed or supplied on dvd Model Z-Cards - £200.00 Z-cards are an essential tool for any model wishing to show their ability in creating striking imagery. As well as offering dedicated Headshot sessions Simulacra Studio runs monthly Model sessions in which we will work with you to produce images showing your full range and versatility. After the photo shoot you will be able to select the final images and the layout for your z-card. Once the card is complete we will burn it to dvd. Each z-card slot consists of: • 2 hour photography session with a professional photographer (approx X shots) • 3 clothes changes • Professional makeup artist – Extra charge of £35.00 • Digital Retouch – 4 images • Choice of Z-Card layout • Completed Z-Cards, with images and full contact details, supplied on dvd.

# #PHA09 trying to write blurbs in hard but I’m seeing this as a first draft that needs refining, with input input from Simulacra5:21 PM Mar 9th from web # #PHA09 ‘is’ hard, it ‘is’ hard. Also it appears typing in general ‘is’ quite hard for me at the minute.5:22 PM Mar 9th from web These first tasks for the studio were exactly the kind of things I expected to be doing. Every organisation has paper work and administration that has to be done to keep it running. Chris and Francois have shown me the studio and I’ve seen it in use (currently hired out) but haven’t participated in any actual photography at this point. # #pha09 not going into the studio tomorrow because the guys will not be there. Oh well, more time to do my learning outcomes, etc.10:34 PM Mar 10th from TweetDeck # #pha09 needs to get actors and models for a photoshoot next Friday. Need to make some phone calls. . .4:45 PM Mar 12th from TweetDeck So, I have gone from documentation to cold calling, a rather daunting prospect and not something I am at all good at.

Additional Services that can be provided extra to the Model Z-Cards are: Printing - £150.00 • 1000 Z-Cards, printed front and back. e-Card - £119.82 • Domain name • Web hosting (for 1 year) • Single page website consisting of the Z-Card, and associated email address page6 Placement Report

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# http://twitpic.com/28weh - #pha09 The model Zcard form I have just created for Simulacra Studio3:57 PM Mar 19th from TwitPic

# #pha09 And probably of much more interest . . . the studio itself (+Francois setting up for headshots) http://twitpic.com/2gjcw1:02 PM Mar 26th from TweetDeck

I would include the image but for some reason TwitPic is telling my my images no longer exist. # #pha09 Spent all day in the studio, assisting in the shoot. Its quite a lot of standing around, punctuated by flurries of activity6:55 PM Mar 20th from web # #pha09 two actors and two models were shot and I took a tonne of photos of the goings on. Watch this space ;)6:56 PM Mar 20th from web # RT @Pro_Photo: If you’re into photography - follow @twitographers - a project to connect photographers on Twitter #pha099:55 PM Mar 21st from TweetDeck # RT @magnumphotos: Advice to young photographers: Wear good shoes http://tinyurl.com/6y5a2j great article from the Magnum blog archive#pha0910:54 PM Mar 21st from TweetDeck # RT @DaylightOnline: Photographers - Time to get a real job? http://tinyurl.com/c2hkd6 #pha093:52 PM Mar 22nd from TweetDeck

! # #pha09 Actors headshots at Simulacra Studio http://twitpic.com/2j9fg Francois shoots Lizzie5:02 PM Mar 28th from TweetDeck

# #pha09 A few PSD tips from Simulacra: Use surface blur to remove background spots, and a low opacity brush on overlay beats the burn tool.10:09 PM Mar 22nd from TweetDeck # #pha09 And always copy files from place to place instead of moving, because moving (like power) can corrupt.10:11 PM Mar 22nd from TweetDeck # #pha09 Been very lax on the twitpics lately, so gonna make up for it now. The office at Simulacra Studio http://twitpic.com/2gjbc12:57 PM Mar 26th from TweetDeck

! # #pha09 and Chris shoots Chris http://twitpic.com/2j9jx5:04 PM Mar 28th from TweetDeck

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# #pha09 The results are downloaded http://twitpic.com/2j9ml5:05 PM Mar 28th from TweetDeck

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# #pha09 and the images are uploaded to a micro-site and emailed to the subject, to choose which ones they want retouched and printed.5:06 PM Mar 28th from TweetDeck

# #pha09 First model, so far so good. http://twitpic.com/2kp8r6:00 PM Mar 29th from TweetDeck

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# #pha09 Second model just doesn’t seem to have the stuff. But its cool if the photographer can get creative. http://twitpic.com/2kpb66:01 PM Mar 29th from TweetDeck

# #pha09 Doing research on making Google search notice you, as Google Addwords may not be the best option for Simulacra.6:28 PM Mar 28th from TweetDeck # #pha09 Testing the lighting setup. Chris tried 4+ setups before being satisfied. Francois just did one. http:// twitpic.com/2kp5p5:59 PM Mar 29th from TweetDeck

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# #pha09 I need to work out how to go back to my job and still carry on at Simulacra Studio10:18 PM Apr 1st from TweetDeck

III- Simulacra Photographs

# #pha09 I thought the outcome of this project would be to highlight how working in a studio is more mundane than the ideal we students have10:19 PM Apr 1st from TweetDeck # #pha09 But at Simulacra I have been pleasantly surprised. Yes there are mundane bits but overall its excellent experience and a lot of fun10:21 PM Apr 1st from TweetDeck The photoshoot and the general working environment at the studio were not at all what I expected. Contrary to my original thoughts I was a great fun experience, even though we were mainly watching others shoot and helping out where needed. I felt I learned so much about the workings of a shoot and the studio, as well as getting some very good shots for myself. In conclusion I would say that in some cases the working environment of a photography studio can prove to be as interesting and, while in this case not glamourous, as fun as many photography students believe. While I experienced this at Simulacra I feel it is more due to the fact that Chris and Francois are working for themselves and enjoying what they do, and because of this they are enthusiastic and interested in getting us involved. In larger, more well established studios I believe this may not be the case.

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IV - Career Tools CV

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Cover Letter

Online Portfolio http://joanna.clickgarden.net

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