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PRIMROSE (The Final Film)

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Experimenting Further With My Exhibition Space

Today I began to decorate the space a bit more as opposed to just building it. As mentioned in the plans in my sketchbook, I did want to turn the room into somewhat of a shrine/bedroom. I brought objects in that were reminiscent of each character/context of my project. The cherries, sunglasses and lollipops for Lolita; the basket of cherries for The Amish and the halo for The Virgin Mary. I did like the monochromatic look of the red and white together- it gave a more sinister undertone to the room which is what I wanted to do. The way the objects are laid out as well, I wanted it to feel like a bedroom and for the considered spacing/positioning of the items to look effortless and carefree. 

I experimented with different means of hanging the lace over the television, I’m still not completely sure if I want it to be covered all over, as I do want the film to be on show and not too hidden. I am glad I painted the plinth white as well as it just unites the colours even more and does not draw the attention of the eye to an unexpected place. What I really liked was the subtlety of the red against the white, and how it did feel like it was still poking through a little and not completely overpowering the white- white still felt like the main colour. I didn’t want the red to overpower as the colours on the prints may clash with that and I don’t want the room to feel too crowded and busy.

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Challenges with Storage/Uploading

I have tried multiple times to upload my trials to Tumblr, yet they continuously keep being taken down for ‘sexually explicit’ nature even though there is NOTHING of the sort in any of the videos at all. Also when posting to Tumblr I was restricted with storage size which forced me to lower the resolution of the trialled films/slow them down but this was not ideal. In regards to this issue, I have simply used a USB/folder to put all of the trials in and they correspond to the correct entry on Tumblr. I know that this is not the most ideal way however I have no other choice. I did attempt to use YouTube as well however each video takes far too long to upload and there could be issues concerning privacy (if private settings are on videos cannot be viewed etc.). 

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Primrose w/ ‘Stargirl Interlude’ song

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Experimenting with the Exhibition

So I have created plans in my sketchbook for the end product of the exhibition. Today I got the chance to experiment with actually hanging the lace and visualising what the installation could look like. 

I was concerned previously about buying the lace and enquiring on where to buy it. I did want to speak to the fabric store owners at UCA Epsom to possibly get some fabric or maybe just advice, but by the time I had realised what I was looking for it was too late to contact them. I did look for net curtains as I felt that the fabric with a hem would be great for Dowling and suspending the material for the ceiling which would ultimately be what was happening. The problem was, the longest net curtains would be 229cm which is only 7.5 foot, and for the lace to reach the same length as the boards it would have to be 8ft. So, my next stop was searching Amazon and eBay for cheaper fabrics that would still be high quality. I searched through several different listings but a lot of times, the fabric did appear quite cheap and tacky which is expected for a lower price.

I finally did find a decent listing for £3.99 a metre for white ‘vintage’ lace with a rose pattern which looked very sweet. The width was automatically 150cm which is around 5ft which suits the room perfectly as I was looking for 4ft and the standard for fabric is 150cm long. I had to convert one metre into foot and calculate 8 which came to 2.4M meaning that I would need 3M four times over to create a room which is 12M and 12M multiplied by £3.99 would cost £47.88 not including postage.

I did order this fabric just because I did not have much choice as it was the cheapest it was going to get, the reason it was so expensive was just because I would need so much. I ordered it hoping that part of the university’s funds for FMP would possibly reimburse at least part of the cost just to reduce the expense. 

Today I actually started suspending the fabric with some assistance. We made incisions in the fabric to work out the lengths (the lace was sent in one continuous length sadly and there was no option to separate that). We did this by measuring the lace against the already built 8ft boards in the room and cut that. We would then cut the other amounts on the floor by seeing how long the cut one was. 

I had the choice to slightly drape the fabric or to just hang it straight. At first I decided to hang it straight because I was unsure of the amounts and using too much and not having enough for the other lengths, but then after beginning to hang the fabrics together I saw that there would be plenty left over to allow me to experiment more. From here I decided to add little ‘flourishes’ to the corners to just decorate the space a bit more and give it more personality too. 

We hung the fabric from the ceiling using fishing wire as it is so thin, that is may as well be invisible and because of the light weight of the fabric there wouldn’t be a safety concern over any fabric falling down. 

I also experimented with placing the plinth in the room and placing lace over that to match the walls. Because the plinth was still unpainted the brown did look out of place and made the cosy room feel a lot more industrial so I decided to paint it white to match the room. 

I had the chance to play around with prints in the space as well and I realised that A2 was quite small for the space and that I could fit more than one big A1 print for all of the photos inside the room. I had the chance to see one print A1 and it was The Virgin Mary photo. I was concerned at first because the colours did come out a lot darker than in Photoshop and the grain from the 35mm film was noticeable however I just learnt to accept that that would be the case with film. The digital images would probably come out at a higher quality because of their resolution on the dslr anyway so that was to be expected. 

Furthermore, I realised when playing with the space that the images would appear as just blank pieces of paper when not inside the installation. At first I thought of placing the images on the outside as well but then chances are, people already see the photos they won’t bother to enter the installation. So what about if, the prints were double-sided and the lace somewhat concealed them from the inside, but when entering the installation you can clearly see what they are. 

I liked that idea just because it matched the concept as well and the idea of hidden secrets and illusions, and the good girl ‘not existing’. 

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THE FINAL FILM/EDITING

Here is where I played around with two different soundtracks. The ultimate chosen one ‘Lolita’ but also, ‘Stargirl Interlude’ by Lana Del Rey and The Weekend. I did like the slow, steady pace of the song and the mellow vocals against the imagery, however the lyrics weren’t as punchy and relevant as the ones sung in ‘Lolita’. I thought Stargirl would work because of the icon side of things, the good girl is a star girl. 

This is where I started to introduce text, I did really love how it had appeared on trials I had previously done, and I chose the same font ‘Champignon’ to give that vintage, classy feel. I was very careful as to where to place the text and introduce it, and I made sure it’s entrance was on typewriter, so to match the pace and lyrics of the song. I chose to introduce text when I felt a lyric perfectly matched the concept of my theme, for example ‘shining like a God’ related to the religious side but also the iconic side. ‘Kissing my fruit punch lips’ the raspberries were very prominent in the film so that matched that perfectly and the whole correlation between fruit and virginity. 

I did also experiment with speed and slow motion. I was wary of this too. When I set up the studio camera on the day of the shoot, I set the frames to 50fps so to make the slow mo transition a lot smoother and not as choppy as say 30fps. This worked really lovely as there were some clips which I felt had to be slowed down to really make the viewer think. For example, when the Amish character feeds Lolita a raspberry, she appears as a child, unable to eat the fruit from her own hand she takes it from someone else. I kept the percentage on 25% so as to not drag it for too long but still have the noticeable effect.

I applied the custom generator at the very end of the film so to just black out the ending for me to apply credits, and also so the ending is considered and refined, not rushed. 

As mentioned before, a lot of my time was spent waiting for clips to stabilise however I had to be cautious of this as well. If a clip was particularly shaky, sometimes the stabiliser would make it worse and rotate/distort the clip so I only added it whenever I felt it was optimum or required.

When slowing down the footage, I did apply ‘optical flow’ afterwards from video quality, as it reduces the choppy effect and smooths down any jolts or blurs. I did have to wait for this as well, it takes around the same time as the stabiliser so I made sure to leave enough time to edit and to wait for effects to take place.

In regards to editing, in complete total the process took me around four hours and I really enjoyed it. I did use techniques that I had already tested from previous trials such as music, text and filters and to me they worked really seamlessly together. I chose a song which I had not yet experimented with, ‘Lolita’ by Lana Del Rey. Evidently, the song was perfect for the theme however the vibe and mood of the song felt very rebellious and naughty but also had some kind of superior presence to it which worked well with the icon side of the interpretation. I was concerned about the clips lacking fluidity because of the stark differences of the characters, but as mentioned prior I styled them in such a way that they looked like they were meant to be together. 

In regards to clips, I had an entire range from pans, close-ups, low-angle shots as well. The imagery did come across as quite sexual which I was wary of however it did quite honestly sum up my theme of this romanticisation of youth in fashion. This film has quite a shock factor to it which I was not expecting if I’m completely honest but, it works a lot more in terms of spreading a real issue instead of just being interesting visually. 

When editing the clips I wasn’t sure whether to keep the characters clips together and then at the end show them all together, or to allow each character to have their own separate moment and put in clips here and there of them together to serve as a reminder that they are all one and the same in regards to being ‘a good girl’. Ultimately, I chose the idea of letting the characters have their moment as to reflect my project too. I caught clips of the Lolita character sucking raspberries off of her fingertips, (I really wanted to use cherries but the real fruit was out of season, and I did order some fake realistic cherries but they arrived too late for the shoot) also sucking her red lollipop, adjusting her iconic sunglasses, painting both her finger and toenails, and just fidgeting really to capture the essence that SHE IS A CHILD. For the Amish character, I kept the shots quite simple to reflect that of the personality, she would stare at the berries, have them in her lap, poke them and touch them but also thoughtfully stare at a flower as if planning a rebellion to leave the community. The Virgin Mary shots were meant to come across as subtly (so as not to offend) seductive, she would be touching the roses in an inappropriate manner, ripping them apart and destroying the petals - reflecting the idea of virginity being cursed by modern society. 

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THE RESULTS (Photography)

(written reflection in sketchbook)

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THE FINAL CONCEPT (written in my sketchbook)

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TRIAL 8 (CONTINUED)

APPS AND OTHER FILTERS

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TRIAL 8 (CONTINUED)

APPS AND OTHER FILTERS

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TRIAL 8:

APPS AND OTHER FILTERS

I did discover an iPhone App called 8mm Vintage Camera which cost 99p and supplied a wide range of different film camera effects to apply over normal footage. This was also a great alternative in response to my Super 8 problem, however, my iPhone did not have much space and there was nothing for me to delete so I had to be careful as to what I recorded. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to use this effect on the final film but it was fun to play around with and the effects were very authentic as well. 

I tried a variety they had 60s, 70s, Sakura (a pink toned filter that worked really lovely for the theme too), and other colour reducing/enhancing fx that were interesting but I did feel like I was slightly cheating by just downloading an app. I would have felt more comfortable adding the effect manually in Final Cut Pro even.

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TRIAL SEVEN: Putting Everything Together

Alongside all the other elements I have been playing around with, I have merged all the successful trials together and added other techniques such as text and voiceovers. I really love the clips all together with sound and text as it unites the film and makes it relevant to ‘what does a good girl look like?’.

I did include some clips of the face explicitly however, I did this very sparingly and only when I felt that it worked alongside the others. I do feel though, that for the final film, I should choose whether to see their faces/bodies completely or to deliberately make it known that they ‘don’t exist’ by not using any obvious images. I really liked that the message was conveyed with the idea of ‘gestures’ and associating that to a character as well and being able to bring that to life.

The text I chose in the font ‘Champignon’, I really liked, the vintage, cursive style as it didn’t appear as ‘just text’. To me, it looked like a decoration as though it was initially already part of the image. The song I tried it alongside ‘dream a little dream of me’ made the film feel very nostalgic and vintage. 

I really liked how it felt that each character had their own story, and the visuals helped to narrate how they all shared similarities in their concept, even though all their aesthetics are so incredibly different. As mentioned though I do feel that for the final film as well, I do need to use a common aesthetic that keeps the film consistent and clear whether that is colour, props or even text and that is something I’d like to focus on next.

The mood and pacing of the film felt very sweet and innocent which definitely reflects the project however I would like to make the concept appear deeper to completely compliment the depth and development of the project.

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TRIAL SIX: What She Left Behind + Image Association/Gestalt Theory

If I am completely honest, I feel that the concept for this trial was more successful than the images I produced at first. This is just because I had a clear image of how I envisioned these images to come out as from inspiration I had gathered, and it may just be down to my lack of experience with still life however I am happy that I pushed the trial forward nevertheless.

This trial just saw me photographing and filming objects that represented a ‘certain type of girl’. Gestalt theory suggests that we picture a stereotype or just a familiar character because of our association and comfortability with it’s traits - for example, if you see a set of red heart sunglasses next to cherries and coke, you instantly see Lolita. If you see a halo, a bunch of roses and a Bible, Mary comes to mind. If you see a straw hat next to an apron, basket or bonnet - a traditional farmer/ The Amish come to mind. 

I also looked at how objects can show dimensions to a personality. I quote an essay from the ‘Girly’ project over on SHOWStudio:

��This idea that you can take an image of a Riot Grrrl and put it next to an image of one of the Spice Girls and put a Hello Kitty sticker near it and you get a kind of common aesthetic out of that, even though those things all have very different intellectual starting points. I think that's quite interesting...”

Putting a fluffy diary, unicorn pen and pink heart-shaped perfume next to a packet of cigarettes or a bottle of alcohol really opens up a deeper context about that certain person - ‘she’s a good girl...but she does this...’ . I wanted to put realistic materialistic objects like bubblegum and perfume in the images as well to portray this idea of a ‘normal girl’ as well. She smokes cigarettes outside her bedroom window, but still cuddles teddy at night. Another comment on how ‘the good girl’ is unattainable, unhealthy perfection. 

I did lightly play around with bringing my three chapters into it too by image association as mentioned before. I do feel that this is only part of what a final piece could be though, there is more to it than this definitely but this is a great foundation to work with. 

My favourite imagery seemed to be when there was a lot of texture in the photos, for example, the fluffy pen, the sparkly diary and the soft, plush teddy. Those textures also bring more depth to the image I am trying to convey so I would definitely like to push that forward.

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TRIAL FIVE: Bringing The Amish and The Virgin Mary into it too + Challenges

I did want to do exactly what I had done with the Lolita character, in terms of experimenting with symbolism and image association. I felt that my trials with capturing this Lolita personality in her home were very successful. I captured her doing simple ‘girly’ activities such as painting her nails, braiding her hair, applying lipstick and more questionably, smoking a cigarette and rolling up her skirt. I felt that capturing these two polar personalities in one character complimented the idea of the good girl ‘not existing’. 

Down to issues of timing and availability, I was unable to carry out this idea to experiment on The Amish and The Virgin Mary. By this I mean, I wanted to capture these characters in the same light. I had made attempts of planning these as well with models and hair and makeup artists but the time was never right.

In regards to planning, for The Virgin Mary I would have styled her with a long blue hoodie (reminiscent of Mary’s iconic long veils and cloaks) with the same lace blue nightgown underneath as used in ‘The Virgin Mary’ shoot, along with a pair of ‘Virgin white’ socks and converse. This idea was meant to continue the theme of replacing iconography, so mixing society’s ‘normal girl’ with what Mary has been known to look like. I could picture her dancing around the streets outside her home potentially listening to music or lost in a book. I would have kept her makeup the same as the previous shoot as well with the black tears, so to build a familiar face. I would have also kept her religious jewellery and cross-referenced as much as I could. I could have also pictured her holding a bunch of pink roses and wandering down the street aimlessly, deep in thought. I would not have revealed her face explicitly so to keep that theme going.

For The Amish trial, I would have filmed clips such as a girl putting on her straw hat with her back towards me so to not reveal her identity. Also I would have put the model in front of a tv, or as close to as much technology as possible to juxtapose the idea of what an Amish girl would actually do. I could also picture having these Amish characters standing in streets in rush-hour, packed with rushing workers just standing there staring. Just like The Virgin Mary, I would have kept the makeup and styling the same so to build an actual familiar character. 

So if I’d have had the time and resources (the studios were also always more-or-less fully booked) to perform these trials, I would have had a clear idea as to how they would have been executed. Because my vision was so clear for them, I feel that expressing their potential in writing is fine as I do have a clear direction as to where the project is going now anyway. 

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TRIAL FOUR: Clips From Previous Shoots

From the previous shoots I had done i.e. The Virgin Mary, Lolita and The Amish, I had filmed a few clips just to record the imagery and styling for future purposes such as combining them in the future to produce a final piece. 

In this trial I simply combined all those clips together to see what I could make but to me they lacked substance. There was no obvious meaning for the clips besides the point that I was recording what I had done. It was quite useful to see how I had shot the clips to inspire ideas for how I could portray my message in the final film. 

This trial also aided me in viewing how the three chapters work together in my project completely separate. From this I realised that for the final shoot, I would need to find some kind of prop, colour or trait to aesthetically merge these characters together in order for the visuals to be as solid and as understandable as the concept.

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TRIAL ONE: Who is She?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYHjGhoojDs&feature=youtu.be

I chose to use Final Cut Pro as my editing software as well because of timing. As a prior owner of a blog/youtube channel anyway I am use to editing with the software and I feel for time’s sake to just push my knowledge of that program rather than take the time to get to grips with a completely new one. Final Cut Pro has a wide array of effect as well to play around with and is great to create visual pieces, Premiere Pro can be more limiting in that aspect. It is also just another hassle to download the software when I already have Final Cut Pro installed on my mac at home. I could use Premiere from uni only but that means late nights and no ability to edit anything from home.

Within this trial I filmed clips of a model dressed up ‘questionably’ as Dolores Haze (Lolita). I deliberately only caught clips of ‘gestures’ and ‘actions’ to basically paint a picture to the viewer of what this ‘good girl’ could look like - this communicates that the ‘good girl’ could arguably be ANYONE. I captured imagery of what a rebellious 12/14 year old Dolores would be doing if she was already going as far as entertaining an older man sexually. I caught her painting her nails RED, braiding her hair (Lolita ALWAYS has braids), tying a RED ribbon at the bottom of her braids, unbuttoning her shirt, rolling up her skirt and lighting/smoking a cigarette, whilst cradling a childhood teddy bear and watching kids tv programs. This allowed the viewer to see how there could be two parts to a ‘good girl’ - who she really is vs. what her parents see/what we expect her to be. 

I felt this trial was really successful because of the restricted colour palette and truthful nature of her character captured in the gestures. I also was really happy with the close-up imposing shots which gives the viewer the impression they are spying/watching this character through some kind of secret. I definitely want to keep these trials up and explore them with the other characters as well.

TECHNICAL CHALLENGES:

I did face some difficulties when editing the footage such as stabilising it. Because the clips were handheld (to give the effect of watching as well), some of them were a bit too shaky so I had to add the effect. Unfortunately, if the clips are particularly long or if I have to select more than one the effect can take up to 10 minutes (sometimes longer) to apply. Due to the software’s handling rate as well, I’m not able to continue with any other editing without the stabiliser slowing down further too so I HAVE to wait for it. It is a bearable issue and I do just have to have patience however it can be a pain when I have to edit so many mini-films. Sadly, I can’t do anything about it bar be patient.

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TRIAL THREE: Introducing Music

In regards to music choice, I did have some songs in mind. I was concerned about issues of copyright, just because I did want to use the film for my own portfolio/website in the future so I was considering contacting a smaller artist, maybe through SoundCloud to not have to worry about creative commons and what not.

I have looked at songs that are copyrighted just because they tend to be a lot easier to access and there is definitely a wider range of them available. ‘Dream A Little Dream of Me’ by The Mamas and Papas, was I song I really liked just because it had that dreamy, nostalgic feeling which would match the Super 8 filter. The lyrics are also very suited to the concept of the good girl not existing because they paint this picture of this desirable, young female who everyone dreams about but is only a dream. I feel that that song worked with the pacing of the clips as well and the slow, dreamy feeling.

Another song I looked at was ‘My Kind of Woman’ by Mac DeMarco. This song is just about a man begging for a woman and wanting her desperately so that works in regard to her not existing as well. Just like the previous song, the pacing is quite slow but it is very consistent - so it doesn’t feel like the song particularly reaches a climax, so I don’t want my viewers to get bored but I did quite like the acoustic feel. It was very stripped down and worked just as well.