"Reverse" - 48Hour Film Project May 2014

We had 48 hours to create a short film in the genre of "film de femme" and had to include the line "it was in the papers this morning", a character called "James", a psychotherapist, and a tape measure.

I was part of a team called "you can't have a polar bear" and my role was to make a fake cut, which you can briefly sorta see at 3 min 40!

Director - Chris Kelly
Photography - Fiona Rix
Sound - Charlotte Aitken
Music - Luci Holland
Make-up - Miriam Wilson
"James" - Alex Donald
"Rachael" - Sarah Ford
"Nancy" - Liz Strange






Some of the team:

Selected Pics from 29.06.14 Photoshoot

Photography by Phillipe Monthoux http://philippemonthoux.com/
Model: Electra Gouni

Full Glasgow Grin

This is a little more OTT than the half glasgow smile before.

If you ever want to see me in an EXTREMELY ATTRACTIVE light, please look no further.

First without any fake blood (Most of these are without flash as the flash on my camera makes the red grease paint look too bright and the fake blood pops out even more later on)

Again I used a similar method to last time, although I struggled more with the scarwax this time as it seemed to melt rather awkwardly. I also used a bit of black and purple shadow around the eyes.

Now here are a few pics after the fake blood was added. WARNING these get sexier and sexier as you scroll down.

 

 

 All set for Halloween. Or if I need to blend in with a gang of particularly violent zombies.

Clay Beginnings

I decided to invest in some air drying clay to help make prosthetics. It was nice to work with a different material and I decided to do something a bit "monstrous". I was going for werewolf but it ended up being slightly pig-like. 

 Once this had dried I added about 8-10 layers of latex. However once I peeled this off I realised it was still too thin and lacked texture.

Here are a few things I've learned recently:

A more effective way to make facial prosthetics is to 1. create a life cast using alginate, cover in mod roc + removed then filled with plaster 2. once set either apply latex layers directly on to cast OR build up clay for a more structural feature along with adding wrinkles and skin texture if desired, then 3. take cast of the whole thing after rubbing with anti-mold or oil and finally 4. pour in a good layer of latex, thinning out at the edges to improve appearance when removed and applied.

I have gathered small pieces of information online from various articles, websites and "how-to" videos. I yet have put any of this in practice...

I have also watched a couple of wig-making tutorials which look fun but I will try that the day I get enough money to buy all those fancy hooks and batches of hair!

Drag Quain

Following on from my last post, I decided to once more subject Deebs to my make up experimentation. I also bought prittstick which worked well on the eyebrows, although you do have to be careful that it doesn't clump and that you wait for it to dry properly between coats.

I decided to us his fair skin to create a similarly gothic look to the previous post. I also used the stencil technique to help contour the cheekbones and temples.

The most challenging parts were hiding the stubble/sideburns and softening the face.

As you can see, the sideburns are prominent. However I wanted to show the stenciling of the darker contour colours. Basically I used the edge of a piece of paper across the temples and cheekbones then applied layers of darker colours and blush, creating a defined edge.

This all stems from watching a lot of RuPaul's Drag Race, and I thank Deebs for allowing me to do these things to him.

Classy Draggy Lady

My plan for this was to create an over-the-top drag look, however I quickly had to take it in a different direction after i couldn't block out my eyebrows properly.

Having watched a couple of youtube videos on this, I thought I'd have a go. In other videos people have recommended soap or pritstick glue, allowing layers to set then covering in layers of concealer and powder. I didn't have prittstick or a bar of soap, so I decided to try scarwax (pictured), which was ok but it doesn't really set it just melts further. Then I tried spirit gum which didn't flatten my brows, just made them rigid and looked messy. 

Lost a few eyebrow hairs in the process but gained experiece in return which is what really matters.

So after my attempts failed, I decided to just try out some draggy makeup, with heavy contouring and black lipstick. These photos don't show up the sheer amount that was on my face at the time. I would have done it with a white foundation Sharon Needles style but my skin had already gone through enough for one day.

Latex & Sponge Nose

Following on from my previous post, I decided to explore the use of sponge & latex to add bulk.

I found it took a while for the sponge to become tacky enough to stick, and to be moulded. Once it did, it was quite effective, although perhaps not suitable for creating a smooth natural skin surface, particularly as the layers created a lot of bumps and ridges.

 I constructed the nose using about 20 thin layers of sponge, cut into different shapes according to where they were being placed, and moistened with latex. I added a couple of extra layers of latex on top to seal the  outer sponge holes. If I had constructed the nose a little more neatly I think the result could have been smoother but this would do for a monster or witchy-type look. I added a little colour using a liquid foundation but I'm sure I could find paint more suitable for latex - will look that up.

All in all, the best solution is probably to create pieces out of silicone set in a mould to make a precise and realistic shape. But as I do not have the materials or space, I will do what I can with my sponge dipped in latex!