'Day' Advert Shoot

This was my favourite image from the advert shoot, unedited:



I chose to change the top light from red to orange, and kept the bottom light blue. This gave a gradient from yellow, to orange, to purple which I thought matched more with the coral colours and general colour scheme that I intended for the shoot, and gave more of the impression of daylight than my night shoot.

When editing this photo, I filtered her face and body etc as I felt that there was too much exposure on the face and this has a more red/pink tone that I thought was recognisable as an 80's themed look, and also made it look more realistic that she is in the sun and has tanned skin. I also edited the nail again in order for the nail polish to be visible, as the nail polish is part of the collection. 

I chose to overlay a light opacity photo of water on the background, which was inspired by Chanel's own LA Sunrise promotional video:

I loved this look and thought that it was modern and retro. I am fond of adding such effects in post production as I feel that this can add a sense of realism and uniqueness to a photo that is shot in the studio. This makes it a lot more obvious that the model has just come out of water, and also lends to the fact that this collection is based on Los Angeles. The effect of the sunset colours behind the water makes it look as if there is a neon effect, which I think is very representative of the 1980's where neon was popular. 

In terms of the logo, I chose to use these colours and to have a layered effect because of the inspiration I took from the opening scene of the LA Sunrise promotional video:

I think that this layering effect takes inspiration from a sunrise/sunset, namely the gradient of colour that it provides. For example:

 

Therefore I decided to use this as inspiration but create my own version. 

Shooting this image was relatively stress free, and the only problems I faced were with the set up and the time management again. I found that doing the makeup and hair meant that I ran over into studio time, however this was not from fault of my own. My model was modelling for another makeup student just before my shoot, and so had I been able to start the makeup earlier this would not have happened. 

When it came to the set up, because it was more complicated than my catwalk lighting and some of the equipment is scarce and so often not available, I had to actively look around and search for some items which cost me time too. However once this was set up I was very happy with it. Moreover I had an assistant with me who was on hand to keep the hair and the skin wet, meaning that I didn't have to solely focus on the hair and makeup myself. Overall I am pleased with how this shoot turned out, and pleased that my vision came together better than I had hoped.

'Day' Advert Shoot Ideas

I have decided that I would like the theme of this shoot to be by the pool next to a beautiful sunrise or sunset in Miami. I have compiled some photos that inspire the hair, makeup, lighting and styling roughly. This gives me a basis on what to design and decide for my shoot. The reason I decided to base this shoot by a pool is because of the fact that LA is known for being by the sea, with the people living there being avid tanners and swimmers. This look will also match the collection that is based on sunsets, sunrises and the sea.

I want to create this wet hair look on my model to replicate the effect of just coming out of the water. To do this I will have to use hair products such as sea salt spray and a water spray in order to keep the hair looking damp and realistic. I have also thought about putting accessories in the hair to break up the gap between the hair and the shoulders, and so this is something to consider too. It also brings the nature element into the shoot, which I think is also relevant in terms of L.A and also the feminine stereotypical look of Chanel.

My makeup moodboard shows that I want to focus on the orange and coral colours of the collection, and also have a wet look effect on the eyes, lips and skin which adds to the realism of the model coming out of the water. The orange lips have been inspired by the lipstick in the LA Sunrise collection called 'Shipshape', which is an orange, glossy lipstick. Moreover, the eye colour has been inspired by the blush from the collection called 'Sunkiss Ribbon'. The wet look effect on the skin will be achieved by rubbing coconut oil onto the shoulders and neck, and then spraying water on the skin. This means that the water sits on top of the skin and is more noticeable.

These sunsets have inspired the colours that I have chosen for the makeup look. Not only this, but the look of the water and the water on the skin has taken inspiration from the presence of the sea here. I want the viewer of the makeup to have a sunset come to mind as soon as they see the look. These are my facecharts:

  

They all consist of coral, glossy lips accompanied with eyeshadow that is either orange or orange, yellow and pink. These mimic the photos of sunsets that have inspired me and influenced this shoot. Moreover, as Chanel's adverts are focused on femininity and beauty, these looks need to be flattering and conform to beauty makeup which is the conventional placement of makeup on the face, eyebrows, eyes and lips. Moreover, the base will need to be heavy but look natural, as their beauty adverts are heavily edited and there are absolutely no flaws on the skin whatsover. I am aware of what products I need to achieve this look. 

Having considered the hair, the styling and the composition of the photo, I would like to create the makeup on the first face chart. I decided that a lot of colours on the eye would clash too much with the background of the photo, with the orange that I would like on the swimsuit, and also the orange lips. In addition to this, as there will be gloss over the eyelid, I don't think that multiple colours will be immediately apparent, therefore I will keep it simple with light and dark oranges. 

For the styling of this shoot, I want the model to wear a retro, 80's inspired swimsuit. This is to add to the realism of the context in which the shoot is set in; by a pool or by the sea. Moreover, it conforms to my 80's Miami theme, as the 80's focused on programmes with women in swimsuits in America. Such programmes include Baywatch, Miami Vice and Saved by the Bell:

Miami Vice

Saved by the Bell

Baywatch

After this, I was able to buy items from ASOS for my shoot. As the advertisement is only mid shot to close up, I don't need to worry about clothes from below the torso. Therefore I decided on a swimsuit with a halter neck as this means that it will still be visible. In addition to this, it has orange straps on the swimsuit which matches the makeup and conforms to the sunset theme.

I chose the flower clips as I thought that this would provide aesthetically pleasing decoration that would fill dead space between the hair and the shoulders in certain positions that I would like the model to be in. As mentioned earlier, I think that it also adds a feminine touch and draws in the natural theme. 

 

Finger Waves

We were taught two methods to create finger waves. Firstly, the method with a curling tong, and secondly the finger method.

Equipment needed for tong method:

• Pintail comb
• Paddle brush
• Curling tong
• Sectioning clips

Method:

1. Firstly, section the part of the hair that you would like to curl with a pintail comb, and section it down the hair. 
2. Starting at the top, curl the hair in a downwards direction, and once it is curled, use a sectioning clip to clip it to the head to cool.
3. Repeat this process down your sectioned off hair. 
4. Once they are all cooled, brush them through with the paddle brush. 
5. Next, following their direction, place clips in the areas where the hair changes direction (refer to photos). 
6. Wait for 5 minutes and take the clips out. 

 

Equipment for finger method:

• Pintail comb
• Water spray
• Sectioning clips

`Method: 

1. Wet the hair thoroughly and brush through. 
2. Next, place your finger across the hair at the top. Using the pintail comb in the other hand, place it on the head upright, not flat. Then drag the comb in the direction that you want the hair to go and push up. 
3. With your index and middle finger, grasp this pushed up bit of hair between your fingers and keep them there for a minute. 
4. Continue with the next finger wave, and once this is done, clip the previous wave so that it can stay in position. Make sure you have cards in between the clip and the hair so that there is no indent. 
5. Repeat this process across the hair, and you are left with finger waves. 

 

'Night' Advert shoot

Here is the image from my 'Night' Advert shoot. I am very happy with how this image turned out and how the post production turned out. Next to no editing went into the skin. The most editing went into getting rid of the stray hairs, lengthening the nails, creating this motion effect, enhancing the background colours and creating the text. 

There were several elements that inspired the post-production of this photoshoot. Firstly, the text was inspired by the text in Chanel's LA Sunrise promotional video:

My layering of text inspiration comes from the different coloured sunsets, this movement of the sun and gradients:

  

The repetition of her figure here has been inspired by the neon, experimental style of the video also. I wanted to incorporate this modern, game-like look into my shoot. Not knowing how to add shapes like these into the shoot, I thought that creating a look of motion and an almost altered state of mind was another method of imitating this style. I think that this video and my shoot has the intention of adding another dimension to the look:

The neon colours in the background has been inspired by the highly filtered and contrasted scenes in the video, and also neon lights of 80's LA. This was my allusion to the 80's and gives the look of not only a sunset but being around the city at night:

 

   

This shoot was helpful in teaching me the skill of enhancing the nails, as this is an important aspect of the Chanel collection. I managed to find a colour that was similar to that of the LA Sunrise collection. I watched a youtube tutorial that taught me how to enhance the nails, and here is the before and after: 

I believe that this photo is replicative of the 80's, Miami Vice style that I was intending, and I believe that the makeup, hair and styling contributes to this.

On the day, my time management wasn't very good. Unfortunately I was unable to get a friend to help me with the setup of the lighting, and so makeup, hair, styling and photography was all down to me. I started the makeup at 9:30AM and my studio time began from 11AM to 1PM, and unfortunately the makeup and hair ran over and I was done with the makeup and hair by 11:30. Then I had to set up the lighting, which took another 45 minutes by the time I had got the desired setup and lighting look, which still wasn't perfect. In addition to this, the tethering to the computer wasn't working and so I had to look at the photos via the camera, and so by the end of the shoot I was very underwhelmed. This was due to my lack of time to shoot, the stress of setting up quickly, getting the lighting right and making sure the makeup and hair looked good.

Despite this, once I looked at the images on my laptop after and started editing, my confidence grew and I created a photo that I am very pleased with and am happy to use in my portfolio. I have a few other images to edit that I could also use for the project or my portfolio, here is an unfinished example:

There is more editing that I would like to do to the nails and the neck here, however I have not edited the lips and am really happy with how neat they are, which was the intention as the Chanel photo of the makeup is clean and neat. 

Advert Test Shoot

During Simon's lesson I tested the lighting that I wanted for my two shoots. The two shoots will have the same lighting as it replicates the look of a sunset in a fashion context. A lot of experimentation went into the process in order to get the exact effects that I wanted, those being the gradient background and flattering lighting on the face that highlights the face and body in order to replicate the effect of the sun.

We encountered trouble in terms of the colour gels mixing on the background and finding their position that looked as if they have a gradient effect. After much testing we got the position right and I got the desired colour and effect that I wanted that was very much like my inspiration photos.

Here are my inspiration images:

 


Here are the progress photos:

 

 

As shown in the photos, there was a reflection of the boom lighting colour gel holder behind Amelia. We adjusted positions of the lights and the intensity several times with no avail, until we moved the light on Amelia's face to a side angle, which got rid of the reflection on the background.

Testing the lighting for this shoot was extremely helpful; there was so much experimentation and testing that went into getting the look that I wanted, and overall it took about an hour and a half to get it right. Had I gone into this shoot without practicing the light, I would have not been able to get this effect that I desired. Therefore this has once again shown me how important it is to test shoot before the real shoot as it saves a lot of time and gives you more confidence to set up and shoot quickly.

I took photos of the setup of the lighting for ease on the day: