Thursday, 12 February 2015

BBC Documentary on Art and Gothic, review


BBC Documentary on Art and Gothic, review - 

Britain's midnight hour bbd 4 consisted of three sererate parts, Blood for sale, The city and soul and Liberty diversity depravity.

The Gothic revival came to influence popular art, architecture and literature. , a sinister style of the dead, became popular in the 19th century and has now become a viral sensation and has been spread into novels, painting, poets, film makers. When it comes to anything gothic it all comes down to Dracula- figure of the vampire . A very popular phenomenon influencing gothic horror. Capitalism, drop of the workers blood working for the masters, ‘the time during which the labourer works, is the time during which the capitalist consumes the labour power he has purchased. Wackily court hotel , a gothic horror setting in the 1960’s , once was owned by the 19th century politician Otto Fitzgerald , was used in many successful British films as a set. Hammer horror studios a gothic styled mansion where the gothic horror films were made, a few 100 yards from the hotel closed down in 1979. To the gorgeous gothic meant architecture, a edit evil style of building brought to life and novels a fantasy of surreal life and fears. However as the 19th century grew fears deepened, revolution in science and industry was destroying the old social order and threatening moral oblivion. The British landscape was being transformed and urbanised, and Britain became a battle ground. As the modern world begun to take shape fed on anxiety and alienation. victorian city was a divided place , monuments and museums, slums and factories, science or faith. In the late 18th century , technology was about to shape the world scientists were mapping and labelling the earth. God being killed by science, or is science the source of new fears, new terrors and a new sense of darkness. Painters creating modern paintings however finding different ways to add a cold dark gothic horror sense to their images. Escaping your happiness by turning to drugs. Castles and London. Gothic horror included castles and The city of London. media evil architecture dedicated to the art of god. Pugins church , filled with art and design into one building, sense of madness within plugins creations which were barbaric and gloomy with visions of heaven and warnings of hell. Stow house, crumbling remains, ruined remains of a vanished past of henry the 8th and church of England. terror of revolution and terror of gods presence and fantasies. gothic bonfire. For my own work i will look at the artwork created and each individual detail of the buildings and cathedrals and experiment in ways i could use these details within my own work. By looking at the artists names researching what influenced them and what they used in their artwork to show the gothic horror setting. Such as Magia Posthuma - a gothic horror book written by Karl Ferdinand von Schertx in 1704, London castles and Walpole’s Strawberry Hill house - a Gothic Revival villa in Twickenham, London by Horace Walpole in 1749 famous for its architecture. The house includes many different gothic features such as the decoration within the towers, basement and decoration inside and outside which brings gloomth. One of the main gothic horror elements of this house is the fire place in the round room.




Continuity and its importance in the TV and Film Industry

Continuity and its importance in the TV and Film Industry - 

Continuety erros can range from almost anything from the length of a cigarette in mouth, the amount of liquid in a drink or even a chair moved a tiny bit to the left.

When applying makeup and creating hairstyles in television and film it is very important to take notes   to help create the exact same final outcome whether its yourself or another designer creating the look. Everything has to be exactly the same such as clothing, skin tones, same hair length and same makeup. If one or more of these aren't the same it is easily recognisable. If done correctly the final out come is successful. 

Below are a range of example of continuity errors in Television and films -

Example 1
Hanna Montana - Season 1 , Episode 1



As you can see within the image above, the trays change position, partially the milk carton, and whenOliver stand up the apple has changed trays and milk carton and juice box is lying flat.

Example 2 - Pirates of the Caribbean, label of hat on show 'addidas'

 Example 3- The Twilight Saga, the hair has moved from in front of the ear to in front of the ear.

Example 4 - Within the titanic the makeup artist has failed to put the beauty mark onto the right side from left to right.


In many TV productions and films , scenes are often filed out of sequence. This can be due to a variety of reasons such as locations, availability of actors and weather conditions.


http://www.delamaracademy.co.uk/the-make-up-artist/film-tv-make-up/makeup-continuity



Death mask

Death Masks -


Death masks became popular in the 1800's. These masks were usually made out of wax and plaster. The victorians had a love affair with death which they expressed in a variety of ways, both intensely and macabre.

Deaths within the victorian era - 

Infant mortality and child birth
Fatal diseases 
Death in the city
Cholera
Industrial deaths

The art of death - 

High mortality
The rise of the lark cemetery.
Memento Mori
Mourning Jewellery 
The death of prince Albert and queen Victoria's 40 year old mourning period influencing fashion.

Queen Victoria and Albert were a trend setter as how she looked after her family, people were watching everything that she did.

Morning traditions of the Victorian era - 

'wake' - where the body was watched until the burial
Keepsakes - examples of this are invitations, funeral cards and memorial cards were produced and distributed.
Family of the passer would surround the bed.
Value the very last words which were said
Photographs and death masks were produced
House were filled with moments.

Mourning Etiquette-
Cover mirrors with black fabric
Friends and family might stay with the bereaved overnight since that is the time of day when deep sadness typically sets in
Wrapping door handles black crepe tied with a white ribbon to let people know they shouldn't ring the bell as it could jar the nerves of the mourners
A person in deep mourning did not attend social events or places of amusement for up to a year
It was suggested that the calls of condolences be made 10 days following the death or when the person felt well enough to show up for church services.

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The victorian era was known for its traditions surrounding deaths and the dying, these include: curtains were drawn, clocks stopped at the time of death, mirrors were covered with crape or veiling to prevent the spirit from getting trapped in the looking glass, wreath, yew, or boxwood tied with a crape or black ribbons were hung on the frontier to alert the passerby a death has recently occurred also at the wake the body was watched at all times until the burial.

Overall i am happy with the way my death mask came out however i feel that i could practice more on enhancing highlighting instead of focusing on the shadows too much. Experimenting with the different ways the light and shadows can hit the face was intriguing to see each of the different outcomes. With enhacing the two shades the final outcome would look much more realistic.

Tuesday, 10 February 2015

Fim or tv series with Victorian hairstyles

The Young Victoria - 2009 


This film is a dramatisation of the turbulent first years of Queen Victoria's rule, and her enduring romance with Prince Albert. This film was directed by Jean-Marc Vallee and written by Julian Fellowes. Emily Blunt as Queen Victoria. 


As this film was set during the victorian period you can see many victorian outfits and hair styles created for each character such as the image below. Below you see the hair has been created into an updo. The hair has been centured parting and has been braided at the back of the head into a bun will flowers around. At the front of the face their are two barley curls on each side going inward which was typically seen around this period of time.






Questions answered -

How is the Gothic depicted in Great Expectations?


Satis House - This is a gothic setting within Great Expectations, this house symbolises Pip's romantic perception of the upperclass. The crumbling stones, darkness and dust of the house symbolise the decay of the past and the atmosphere of the house. The house is full of victorian detail and has many aging crumbling objects around the house. The house is shown to be very dark and gives the viewer/reader a cold atmosphere.



The mists of the marches - This is another setting in the novel . this setting symbolises danger of pips childhood. In the book Pip is kidnapped by Magwitch and faces many dangerous consequences. Pip is left alone with Magwitch away from the real world hidden away from any safety.



Bridal Dress - Miss Havisham is wearing a traditional wedding dress, this dress becomes an iconic symbol of death and decay. The dress symbolises Miss Havishams past, frozen in time, refusing to change anything from the past.



• How is the grotesque depicted in Great Expectations?
The grotesque in Great Expectations, an example this is when Pip first met Magwitch (convict). The author highlights small details about Magwitch's clothing such as broken shoes, iron on hid leg and the old rag tied around his head. Grotesque can be the blending of humans and animals, an example of this from the novel is when Magwitch says ' I wish i was a frog'. When pip returns the next morning with some food for Magwitch. Magwitch is very hungry he swallows up the pork pie within a matter of seconds with his strong sharp sudden bites' - symbolising a dog. Life and death - Their are many aspects of death in the book following Estella first husband and the way he badly treated her. Death can be seen in Miss Havisham as she is very frail, week and lifeless.


Uncanny - mysterious, supernatural and peculiar. 
When Pip experiences the uncanny he is confronted with that which he most reviles, the familiar thing he tries to keep secret, and the thing of which he is most ashamed. The return of the repressed is all the more terrifying, and its appearance engages with our most primitive selves. Estella is an uncanny character as she is heartless and has no feels emotions, she has been brought up into Miss Havishams unrealistic would and has been turned into a character of Miss Havisham. 

Analysis of Estella.

Estella - 

Estella - Estella is an orphan who's was taken in by Miss Havisham. She undermines the notion of romantic love and serves a bitter criticism against the class system. Raised by Miss Havisham to torment men with her good locks and to break boys hearts. She is admired deeply by Pip and wins his love however Estella is cold, heartless cynical and manipulative. She is victimised by her adopted class. Miss Havisham has made Estella emotionless and has no interaction with the outside world.  She firstly marries a cruel nobleman Drummle who treated her harshly and makes her life miserable for many years. I feel within this book Dickens shows class and money doesn't buy happiness and if she was poor she many have been better off and living a much more happier lifestyle.




Although Estella is cold and heartless Dickens also shows that she has a sympathetic side by showing the struggle between her personal life. By finding it hard to show feelings from her upbringing. She hurts Pip several times however does not want to intentionally hurt him. She wants him that she has 'no heart' and says that leaving her behind will leave him to find happiness. In the end of the book you see Etella become who she really is as she begins to trust and begins to carry emotions. In the final scene Estella says '“Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching. . . . I have been bent and broken, but, I hope, into a better shape.”



For my final Estella design i plan to do her hair in a elegant and beautiful way. By creating an up do with many flowers around the curls at the back of the head. Her makeup will be very natural with a light coverage of foundation, and natural eye shadow with blusher and bronzer to soften the face.










How high definition broadcasting affects makeup and hair artists

How high definition broadcasting affects makeup and hair artists- 

High definition is displaying high definition images on a widescreen format, picking up on each individual detail in a clear and crisp image. Many people believe that makeup is for people who want to look better on tv or film however makeup can be required to just retain a person's original appearance. This is because some film equipment can make undesirable attributes to the skin. Digital camera set up can have skin enhancing options that can reduce but not eliminate , this is where makeup can help. Makeup can smooth out wrinkles and conceal minor blemishes. 




Basic makeup can be needed for people who would be on camera for a lengthy amount of time. Normal skin contains a certain amount of oil, this oil tends to go un- noticed until the camera goes cloud to the face. The shine can be exaggerated by the heat of the studio lights and personal tension. To prevent this makeup artists can use powder.


You must take lighting into consideration, the look may change once under the lighting. Even when camera's are properly colour balanced, sunlight, incandescent and fluorescent lighting will affect the makeup look in many ways.  


High definition powder can also be put onto the skin, this helps sets the foundation and slightly ratifies the skin reducing any shines and gloss. This product helps reduce fine lines and softens the overall appearance. 


Miss Havisham

Miss Havisham -

Miss havisham, is a gothic figure in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens who is on borderline of sanity and madness. Within films she is appeared to be much older despite being in her late 50's with.




Within theatre Miss Havisham is seen with exaggerated cheek bones, highlights and shadows, wrinkly, yellow stained dress, raggedy, dehydrated skin and poor personal hygiene. She is a wealthy women living in a wealthy historical gothic styled mansion. She has no heart and is very withdrawn from the real world, people are made to feel sorry for her as she appears to be lonely and delicate.

Helena Bonham - 2012 film


Helena Bonham Carter was born on the 26th of may in 1966. This film was directed by Mike Newell.  Helena was concerned about playing this character and questioned the director when he was asking her to take the part. Her main worry was the typical appearance of the character, describing her as a 'pensioner in a bridesmaids dress' Max assured her she was the right age for the character in the book as she is in her 40's and then went on to accept the role.

Gillian Anderson - 2011 three part tv series.


Gillian Anderson born August 9th 1968. Within this television series Miss Havisham is much more appealing, attractive and young than the typical old and frail used in many television and films. The Guardian said'  "some people have been moaning that Gillian Anderson isn't old enough to be Miss Havisham, that she's a cougar rather than a crone, too ravishing for Havisham'  The daily telegraph praised her by saying "this pale yet still beautiful wraith, mouth in need of lip salve and Baby Jane ringlets slowly unravelling, speaking in insidious singsong instead of the usual dotty dowager tones. This was a Miss Havisham who has never really grown up." 

Sian Phillips - Theature


Sian Phillips was born on the 14th of May 1933. Theatre production at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Here they have chosen an elderly women to portray Miss Havisham. She has long weak grey hair, frail  skinny body and is in old looking clothing. 

Introduction to Gothic Horror

Introduction to Gothic horror - 

Gothic horror was firstly introduced by Horace Walpole in 1764 in his novel ' The castle of Otranto, which includes gothic fiction and romance with angst of dark emotions.

Gothic horror in books and films are usually unpleasant, scary and intense. This genre often includes candles, chandeliers and dark black settings to set the scene. Horror and Gothic horror are both tense and scary which makes them very similar however horror is not usually gothic.

Key features usually seen in gothic horrors include:
settings - graveyard, mists, storms, midnight, full moon, and castles
Characters - Vampires, wolves, witches, monsters, ghosts, bats, owls, cats, wizards and corpses.



Literature
Gothic horror is a genre of literature that combines fiction, horror and romanticism with a sublime sensation. The novel makes you feel nervous and tense as the story line puts you on edge. The genre is changing, developing, corrupting and decay. Gothic horrors are filled with many strange places, clashing time periods, power and constraint, a world of doubt, castles, darkness, churches, madness, secrets and curses. An example of this in the novel 'Great Expectations' by Charles Dickens is the 'satis house'. Satis house is a cold gothic setting with its gloom and its atmosphere of decay and ghostliness.

Satis house , Great Expectations -



i looked at a range of book's, some of these were called 'The gothic vision : three centuries of horror, terror and fear by Dani Cavarlloro, Gothic Pathologies and Blood is the life : vampires in Literature. By reading these books helped me understand the sort of characters which were used and how they were portrayed. Exploring the costumes and setting each of the characters were seen in and the atmosphere the books giver to the reader. The descriptive details helped me when it came to creating my own looks. 



Great Expectations Review

Great expectations review - 


Great Expectations is a gothic horror novel written by Charles Dickens. This novel is gripping, makes you feel very tense and has your adrenaline rushing however has a fairytale element to it. The novel includes love, living in poverty and rejection. The plot of events has taken place in the past. many mysteries and puzzles about identity and concern with the source of fate, large sums of money and includes a combination of gothic and sublime sensation elements, terrifying you, however enjoying it.



The time period is in 1812 in the location of south east England, thirty miles from the city of London.
This novel shows the differences between the classes within the victorian era. The main characters being Pip, Miss Havisham and Estella. Pip is a poor young orphan who has big dreams to do well for himself to become rich and become a gentlemen. He lives with his sister and husband however one day comes across magwitch (escapee from the local prison) where he feeds and gives tools to until he is recaptured. Pip is one day taken to play at wealthy Miss Havisham's house where he meets Estella a beautiful orphan adopted by Miss Havisham who he falls in love with and desperately wants to become a man worthy to marry her. Pip believes it is Miss Havisham funding with him with the money to form the perfect ideal husband for estella however it reveals Magwitch was the one funding him with the money. Later on Miss Havisham dies in a fire and Estella marries a wealthy country man despite no love in the relationship and being treated cruelty. Pip and Magwitch leave the country to prevent Magwitch being caught and taken into prison and earn there money by hard work. Pip eventually returns to England where he finds Estella in a graveyard widowed. It is untold of what happened to Pip and Estella at the end however all is to believe it worked out in the end.

Estella and Pip - 



 Magwitch and Pip-



Miss Havisham and Pip -



Victorian hairstyles 1837 - 1901

Victorian Hairstyles


The victorian age in British history is named after Queen Victoria who was Britain's queen during 1837 till 1901. This period was a time of piece and prosperity.

'A women's crowning glory' - This is an expression relating back to the Victorian period, women's hair was usually styled and badly damaged due to the use of hot iron to produce a curl rather than a crimp. This lead victorian women having to overlay the unpleasant scent of burnt hair with perfume. Typical women of this era had hair at a wool- like texture. The hair was only cut due to serious illness.

Hair for the average face included graceful waves, coquettish curls and plaits of hair arranged to create a unique interesting piece. The hair was often braided and twisted and arranged to either create height or to help make the shape of the face appear oval or round. Curly hair was to indicate a sweet, kind temperament however strait hair was considered much more reserved or awkward. Within undo's the hair was often lifted up however when the hair was down their was often a smooth, slick centre parting commonly worn in the 1870's.

Barely or sugar curls, 1843 - This hairstyle was based on making tight curls with long hair. the style was created by using hot irons to cripple the hair. This style was seen to be very elegant, feminine and glamorous as helped to frame the face. Later on in the 19th century women began to adapt and experiment with the curls typically leaving one or two ringlets down the side of their face.
These were often seen worn by children with ribbon and lace secured designed to match their dresses.


Crimping, 1872 - As the use of hot irons was growing in popularity during the victorian era, many women were experimenting with crimping. this lead to many crimped updo's. Accessories made a huge difference when it came to the crimping style as the hairstyle looked very elegant and glamorous when braids, flowers, strings, beads, lace and ribbons were added. Many women would also crimp their fringe leaving a short curly fringe framing the face making several appearances in Victorian era portraits.


The Marcel wave , 1872 - M. Marcel Grateau was a Parisian hairdresser who created a natural looking wave by turning the curling wand upside down. In the Victorian era the curling iron was heated over a rectangular shaped gas burner between 6-7 inches long and two inches wide. Due to the way of heating the hair was challenging to create the wave as the hair may not set as the iron had cooled down or the hair got burnt. To tell if the iron was too hot to use on the clients hair the hairdresser would test it out on a piece of plain paper, if the paper burnt the iron was too hot.




Pompadours, 1880's - Pompadours were worn by the end of the 1880's. This is where the hair is lifted up from the forehead. Many would add height and volume by adding padding or fake pieces of hair. Full pompadours were worn on special occasions however low pompadours worn daily as it was much more casual. Hats were also worn with this hairstyle held in place by long hatpins. As time went on and progressed the trim on the hat decreased as brim increased.



Titus , late 1880's - This hairstyle was very short where the hair is cut around the head, the hair would then be curled and various ornaments or flowers would be added. Unfortunately the titus hairstyle didn't survive for a long time as women were afraid and had very little courage to wear this hairstyle in a conservative society.


Braids - Early in the victorian era braids were worn by most women with long strait hair. The hair was often pulled into a pony with braids that include 1, 3, or 5 section braids, each section braided individually. Many victorian undoes were complimented with braids as either a finishing element or a flourish. Within the link below i have found a tutorial of a victorian era hairstyle including a three strand braid created by many women in this era.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N7_7_NlnF0



Chignon - Chignons hairstyles are formed by pinning the hair low into a knot at the back of the head. Chignons were extremely popular during the victorian era with people adding false hair or padding to create height and volume. Chignons are traditionally placed at the nape of the neck however can be positioned in any area of the head. Chignons can also be positioned anywhere on the head from a few inches from the hairline to the middle of the back of the head between the crown and nape of neck. 


Loops - During the beginning of the victorian era it was widely popular for women to arrange their hair into a middle parting and create a loop at either side of the head down beside covering their ear then towards the back of the head into a bun. At times the hair was braided and then formed into loops. This hairstyle is simple, easy yet effective and wasn't damaging to the hair as it required no heat onto the hair. In several Queen Elizabeth portraits her hair was placed in a centre parting and looped around the sided and secured in  an undo. As the hairstyle grew in popularity one or more loops were formed leading from the front of the hair and arranged into the back looking like sash.



The Gibson girl, 1890's to early 1990's - This style was known as the century first pin up created by illustrator Charles Dana Gibson in 1902 to represent the image of an ideal women. The Gibson girl consisted of a soft pompadour puffed up to add height, volume and a cloud effect. The gibson girl is a loose soft bun which represented and an independent, sporty and simple type of women with the hairstyles loose and care-free not like many of the victorian era updo's. This hairstyle is effortless, simple and graceful.


In conclusion, as time progressed so did the styles. Women began to experiment with hot irons, curling techniques, undo's and braids. Curls were created and women's hair became much more individual and unique. The hair became much bigger and volumous to make women  much more feminine and elegant. This era was considered by many one of the most contributed era in the fashion and beauty industry for both women and men. Many say this era contributed and opened many doors to both industries.

List of websites used -  http://www.1920-30.com/fashion/hairstyles/marcel-wave.html
http://www.hairarchives.com/private/victorian1new.htm
http://www.crystalinks.com/hair.history.html
http://slodive.com/inspiration/victorian-hairstyles/
http://www.stylisheve.com/glamorous-victorian-hairstyles-for-women/
http://www.crystalinks.com/hair.history.html
http://slodive.com/inspiration/victorian-hairstyles/
https://pntheatre.wordpress.com/2012/11/10/diy-victorian-hairstyles-inspired-by-a-little-night-music/