Freezer scene

Freezer Scene

After our tutorial we each chose an idea and each looked int different ideas for scenes. We were most keen on the idea of having a man tied up in the boot of a car with the femme fatale character standing close by smoking or something along these lines. We decided to look at other ideas anyway just incase it is not possible to recreate a car in the studio.

I started by looking at having a man tied up in  freezer. This would be a fairly modern interpretation of a film noir scene and is would be more a combination of film noir characters and a modern horror scene. I thought that we could maybe have the women opening the freezer door and looking inside at he kidnap victim. The location would probably have to be something like a basement or a utility room as it is isolated but still a room that a freezer would actually be found.    

This images shows how we wish the man to be seen. He would have be be tied u and perhaps gagged or blindfolded to make the situation obvious to the viewer. We also discussed maybe having a lipstick mark lift n his cheek to show the way that the femme fetale has used her sexuality to get the man in this predicament. We also want our male character to be wearing a suit but need to decided if we want his to look as if he has just been roughed up a bit or if we want him to still appear in pristine condition.   

If we did have the man in a freezer we would have to experiment with ways to make him look frozen like in the image above. The best way to do this would probably be to get our make up artist to make him extremely pale with slightly blue lips an then cover him fine ice not just on his clothing but also hair eyebrows etc.

Misfits

I found this image above from the scene in the channel 4 series misfits. This shows a character standing above the open freezing with a body in it. I chose to look at this image because of the lighting. I we chose to create a scene like this we could make it seem like all of our light is sourced from the freezer as it created a glow on the face on the person looking into it. I think that it could create a dark atmosphere and really bring the viewers attention the the face of the murderer and draw them into the emotion on the image. 

Rise and Fall of Idi Amin

This image is from the film 'Rise and Fall of Idi Amin'. This is quite far from our original idea of a kidnapped man but was something i came across when looking at images of frozen people. The idea of just using a head could be quite easily done in the studio as we could just have a board or something covering the body for example if the head was inside a kitchen cupboard we could have the body standing behind the board (wall) then have a hole cut for the head to pop though. If we used this idea though I think that it would be more fitted to a twisted 50's housewife scene as it would be set in a kitchen which would then mean completely reevaluating our characters and narrative. 

Bathroom scene

Whilst looking at the freezer scene it gave me the idea to also look at other kidnap type scenes we could create within a house. Below are examples of 50's bathrooms.

Here i have done two very rough mock u images of how we could create kidnap scenes in  bathroom. The most obvious place to have the tied up body would be in the bath as it is the right size and shape. In the first mock up image i have the women perched on the sink and have chosen an image where her leg are cross so that her stockings will be an obvious feature to show the element of seduction. 

In the second mock up below I decided to play on the idea that a bathroom in a room that a women gets ready in. By having the women touching up her make up in this scene it would show that she is in complete control of the situation and is not worried about the man that she has tied up. I love this as it really shows the characteristics and power of the female character.  

Basement scene

After suggesting that the freezer scene could be located in a basement I thought that it could be an idea to look into further. Basements are often used in horror film and in kidnap scenes as they are underground and hidden and seperate from the conventional areas of the house. The main problem with setting our scene n a basement is that it may contradict with our female character. Is it really a place that we can see her being? They are often dingy and dirty in films and that is not the sort of place that you would expect to see a beautiful women in heels and a fur coat.  

Here is a quick mock up of how a basement scene could be set our with the male character tied to a chair  and female in a strong a confident pose by the stair case. 

Street Scenes

Street Scenes 

We have decided that we are defiantly going to use the man in a car boot idea for our image so we are setting our scene outside. We know that we want some sort of street scene but are unsure on details so I have found some examples that may help us below. From a set build point of view it would be easier for us to recreate a back street than it would be to create a whole street scene like the last image on this page. I think that a back street would be more suitable for our story line as well as kidnap is not something that would want to be displayed in a openly public area. 

From these images we could take the idea of using brick walls and I also like the idea of the wooden double doors have been used in two of these images. Street lights or how to create the illusion of street lights are also something that we could look into. A smokey mist has been used in quite a few of these images Which help set the scene and create a mysterious atmosphere so we could see if using a smoke machine is a possibility in the studio.    

We are also going to mimic these classic film noir scenes by setting our scene at night.

Commission Task (Harry Scott's Research)

Research task


For this task I have been paired with Harry Scott. We had to discuss our ideas for our commission project and once we have an understanding of our partners work we then go on to research three artists that we feel are relevant and could be beneficial. He described his idea as 'the waste of land for the almost fake need of chain food and meat'. Firstly I am going to research the effect that livestock has on the land as it is not a subject that I know much about but also to find information and statistics that could be useful to Harry. I shall then look at green peace as they had a campaign on this specific issue. Finally I hope to find photographers and artists that could be of use.


FAO News Room


Although the main aim of this task was to look at art forms that have explored are partners chosen subject Harry wanted me to also look at the statistics of the impact that the increasing amount of livestock is having.


FAO news room was a good source of information when looking for statistics on the affects of lives stock. On the website it said that 'Livestock now use 30 percent of the earth’s entire land surface, mostly permanent pasture but also including 33 percent of the global arable land used to producing feed for livestock, the report notes. As forests are cleared to create new pastures, it is a major driver of deforestation, especially in Latin America where, for example, some 70 percent of former forests in the Amazon have been turned over to grazing'. 


'Global meat production is projected to more than double from 229 million tonnes in 1999/2001 to 465 million tonnes in 2050, while milk output is set to climb from 580 to 1043 million tonnes'. 


I found this image below on the Green peace website of a large area used for livestock photographed from above. I think this kind of shot is far more effective than it would be if it was taken from the ground as it shows the grosse amount cows that being farmed for food and how much land they are actually taking up. The united nations food and agriculture organisation have said that the livestock sector generates more greenhouse gas emissions than transport. It is also apparently a major source of water degradation so these might be other directions to take with the project as well as looking at the use of land.

Green peace


Green peace campaigned against the destruction of the rainforest due to cattle ranching which they say now covers nearly 80% of deforested amazon land. When Harry was telling me about his idea he spoke mainly of how the cattle was to produce food but leather is also a huge contributor so could be beneficial to research into as well as meat production.

Green peace organised a fashion show and photo shoot during 'Linea Pelle' which is the largest leather industry fair. Their campaign was called 'Slaughtering the amazon' as the purpose was to link leather production to the destruction of the rainforest. They did this through their clothing by using recycled materials as an alternative to leather.

The executive director if Green peace is is calling it "a significant victory in the fight to save the Amazon". in result of their efforts four of the largest cattle companies in the world are joining forces to ban the purchase of cattle from areas of cleared rainforest in Brazil. I think that this is a positive approach to the issue as instead of presenting the viewer with the effects of mass meat and leather production, it instead presents them with alternatives and a way to move forward. This could be a different angle for Harry to take for his project but it depends on the message that he is trying to put across.

Denis Darzacq

Consumerism is a huge part of the issue that Harrys idea is based on as there would not be such a high demand for livestock if people would stop consuming so much of it. We have reached a point within the development of meat and protein supplements where as humans many of us would be able to sustain a diet without meat. This make the fact that people are increasing their meat and dairy consumption every year just seems completely unnecessary. 

This lead me to research photographers that had looked at anti consumerism. I found These images above from his series 'Hyper' taken by Denis Darzacq. He has photographed street dancers in various poses in supermarket isles and makes them appear to be levitating. By not showing the models face he has taken away their individuality. This along with the way that they appear to be floating through the store as if they are not in control is symbolic of mindless consumerism. This is the issue with our current society as we over consume meat without considering the repercussions purely because that is what we consider to be normal and do not stop to question it. 

        I think that consumerism could be a interesting approach to this topic as it is the part of this whole cycle that people especially in countries that are not directly effected by deforestation and land waste will be able to relate to. This of course depends on the message that Harry wants to make through his imagery and the audience that he is targeting. 

Time Machiene

Time Machine

Task one 

 The Sleeping Venus 1510, Giorgiorne

Although both 'The Sleeping Venus' and 'Olympia' are paintings presenting the female nude they are often compared for their contrast. Giorgiorne has shown the women to be a goddess type figure as if he is painting an idealised vision of what women should be. The most apparent difference to me between these two images is the character of each women. In this painting the female looks down and is also passively lying down and yet in Olympia she props herself up and gazes directly at viewer. This use of eye contact causes confrontation and displays her dominance completely contrasting with the passive nature of 'The Sleeping Venus'. 

Another interesting element of the image is the way the hands are positioned. The women above is seen to be sensually covering herself with her hand becoming a quite erotic feature of the image however the women below has her fingers widely spread and firmly on her leg. To me this shows her control over her sexuality. 

The female in Manet's painting is being presented with flowers from what you presume to be an admirer. It is very empowering how she does not even look at the gift in rejection to the man who has sent them. There is also the fact that her jewellery and shawl symbolise her wealth which gives the impression that she does not need men to shower her with gift as she has her own wealth and independence. This is a very strong contrast to the women in Giorgione's painting. The creased sheets that she lyes upon along with the red sheet beneath her upper body leave the impression that she is not pure but it appears to me that she is lying there for men to enjoy her sexuality and not to show her power of it like Manet's painting.

Olympia 1863, Manet

Iconic Fashion Image

Task One 

I have chosen Corrine Day's image of Kate Moss to deconstruct as my iconic fashion image. 'The daisy age' series of photos were featured in 'The Face' magazine and launched Moss's career. The image above was chosen for the front cover of the third summer of love edition in 1990. I chose this image of Kate Moss because although there are many iconic images of her, these were among the first and Day's style stood out from other fashion photography at the time. 

In general she found fashion photography 'superficial' resulting in her work looking more documentary of British youth culture at the time. This style can be see by Moss's lack of make up, props or high end fashion worn in the shoot. By having the model with a wide toothed smile and scrunched up face is very unusual for a fashion image but really represents Days fresh approach to fashion photography. The expression along side the lack of make up or clothes really strip down the model to create a natural and innocent look. The feather head dress relates back to nature but also comes across as playful as if it could be fancy dress. Day has managed to capture a natural beauty and playfulness of the model which is suitable for the time it was taken as Moss was only 16. 

The pair lived together se were very close. I fell that this relationship can be seen when looking at this image and the rest of the series as there is an intimacy. By this I am referring to the fact that the camera has been positioned at eye level with the model and is also up close to the face. The model also has eye contact with the photographer making it instantly more intimate. 

Task Two

I have chosen this image from my street casting. In camden I was expecting to find more unusual dress sense but found that this guys style caught my eye. His stance and jeans put across his character to be casual and relaxed. This combined with the shirt, pullover and thick rim glasses also show a conscious descision to make himself appear smart and well dressed. The elements of the outfit that I found the most interesting were the the fur collar and military boots. Although they are subtle features of the outfit, they gave me the impression that the model followed and was interested in current fashion. This was confirmed after the told me that he was a fashion student. I chose him as he stood with confidence and combined current fashion, smart and casual wear. 

The commission

The Portrait issue

Finlay Mackay

Toby Glanville

Ulrich Gebert