February photography post

Due to current national lockdown measures that mean going into university is not possible, it has become a challenge to produce showreel footage. While continuing to work from home some footage has been able to be produced, however, filming has been limited to the space in and around the home and it has been difficult only having one person to use as a model. It has also been limiting to not have the software available on university computers such as Premier Pro, so the aim has been to continue to build up as much of the showreel footage as possible at home and then purchase a software trial before going back to university.

Being in lockdown has been a great opportunity to focus on improving close up shots of make-up products and sculpting work (figure 1). The shots currently being filmed for the showreel were included in the first plan of action, and show the makeup artist working in the preparation stage of projects by sculpting and mixing colours for trial and errors (figure 2,3). So far the footage that has been captured is from the makeup artist’s point of view, for example holding the camera in one hand and dipping brushes into water with the other to create a slow motion colour sprout, or mixing colours in a palette and capturing the powder in the air. It is difficult to film more footage from different angles due to working alone, but experimentation with panning shots of makeup looks that have been created on the model in my household may be usable for the final edit of the showreel (figure 4).

Going forward, when the university has reopened the aim is to capture high quality footage of working on shoots, close ups of makeup products and the final images. At the moment the outcome of the showreel is not as strong as was originally hoped for as it is difficult to make the setting look professional from home, and professional lighting cannot be set up to capture the final images in a high quality. However, lockdown has provided an opportunity for reflection, which Schon (1983) defines as “the practice by which professionals become aware of their implicit knowledge base and learn from their experience.” As a result, the makeup artist has adapted to the surroundings and had to use their creative skillset to produce the final images and as much showreel footage as possible.

When back in the studio it will be a lot easier to film as there will be someone else helping with filming work while the makeup artist is touching up a model’s makeup or taking photos in the studio. The plan for the opening shot of the showreel will show the makeup artist in close up beginning to apply makeup to their own face, while the final shot of the showreel returns to this image but pans out to show the completed look on their face. This will be the twin face look of half glam and half gothic makeup that is used as the logo for the artist’s business (figure 5), so that the show reel overall represents the style and image of the makeup artist’s brand.

References

Schon, D. (1983) The Reflective practitioner: how professionals think in action. German, Basic books

Buwert, P. (2012) [internet]. The reflective practitioner by Donald Schon. Available from: https://graysreadinggroup.wordpress.com. [Accessed Thursday 25th March 2021

Figures

Figure 1: sculpting in process (Gaylor,2021)

Figure 2: Mixing in process (Gaylor,2021)

Figure 3: Colour mixing (Gaylor,2021)

Figure 4: Applying makeup for final image (Gaylor,2021)

Figure 5: Business logo (Gaylor,2021)