Digital Image Production; Shade Parade Chanel Makeup.

Shade Parade!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BteXbY44a7U

Video sourced from Youtube.com.

I have chosen to analyse the beauty ad by Chanel called 'Shade Parade'. I chose to discuss this advert as I found the theme and overall filming of the advert really beautiful and unique. This particular ad is focused on selling the new collection of Chanel nail polishes, and Chanel have decided to do so by creating a musical of dancing hands, all showcasing the new beautiful range of colours. The them of the advert makes me think of the Great Gatsby and Moulin Rouge, as each hand in the advert represents a different girl/personality but the hands all mimic sultry and showgirl like dance moves with their fingers to act as legs. The classic black, gold and red colours in the background of the ad also add to the Great Gatsby style theme as everything is so glamorous and perfect, from the symbolic Chanel sign featured in the beginning end and middle of the ad, to the application of nail polish to each set of nails. 

I feel that as a occasional consumer of the brand Chanel, this advert for me was nothing less than all the other glamorous and perfect ads Chanel has already and continues to make. From an audiences perspective I feel that this advert would be very entertaining, humorous and admirable, as it is so well thought through in regards to the dance moves on the hands, it brings a real sense of nostalgia wether it reminds you of the Moulin Rogue or even Las Vegas. You see these beautiful nails in this gorgeous backdrop and you instantly think of becoming that show girl who is admired and perfect all the time and being on stage yourself. Its tricky to think of who the main audience of this product would be as nail polish is really for all ages, I think this advert focuses less on the age range and more on making women feel like a star or beautiful showgirl. All the colours featured in this nail polish collection seem to be more than appropriate for all ages. 

Overall I feel this advert has a very positive, nostalgic and magical theme to it as it entertains you whilst you realise the advert is simply only for their new nail polish collection but the ad is unique and charming, making you want to either watch it again or go and see/purchase the product. Everything in the ad catches your attention from the glittery lights, complimentary colours and beautiful glossy finger nails to the charming names of the nail colours added in the end of the ad, each name of the polish representing each showgirl finger dancer. The names of the colours also create a more sultry theme to the ad as some of the titles of the polishes are words associated with make-up looks and clothes that attract men etc 'rogue noir'.

http://www.wgsn.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/chanel-shade-parade-dragon-nail-polish.png
Sourced image from Google.
'Shade Parade' Commercial by Chanel.

http://geniusbeauty.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Shade-Parade-Commercial.jpg
Sourced image from Google.
'Shade Parade' Commercial by Chanel.

Digital Image Production; 'Macabre' research.

The word Macabre originates from the Old French Language in the 9th-14th century, pronounced as 'Danse Macabre' meaning 'Dance of death'. 

"The association with the dance of death seems to be from vivid descriptions of the martyrdom of the Maccabees in the Apocryphal books. The abstracted sense of "gruesome" is first attested 1842 in French, 1889 in English.

"The typical form which the allegory takes is that of a series of pictures, sculptured or painted, in which Death appears, either as a dancing skeleton or as a shrunken corpse wrapped in grave-clothes to persons representing every age and condition of life, and leads them all in a dance to the grave. ["Encyclopaedia Britannica," 11th ed., 1911] " Information found from online source http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=macabre owned by Douglas Harper 2001-2016.

From the starting information above I found that 'Macabre', has a history of being a very morbid, dark and deathly word with an interesting origin. I love how in the last section of writing, the explanation of Macabre and its deathly history is described through the use imagery, dancing and a 'shrunken corpse' as it makes the history of the word seem almost animated. 

Something I also found interesting was the difference in meaning compared the English 'Google' definition I also looked at. The definition above discusses the origin and historical background of the word, exploring France and its language, where as the Google definition simply explains how the word would describe something from someones perspective. 

"Disturbing because concerned with or causing a fear of death."

Sourced from Google online dictionary.

Moving on from the Origin and history of my word I began to explore the synonyms and antonyms associated with the word Macabre also.

Synonyms 

- Cadaverous 

-Morbid 

-Dreadful 

-Offensive

-Unearthful

-Ghoulish 

-Deathly 

Antonyms 

- Common

-Normal

-Cheerful

-Happy

-Pleasant 

-Living 

I began to think of ways that I could create some make-up looks that would mix two of the opposite words together, to present a 'Haute Macabre' look of my chosen word. what I mean by this is, I would take the word 'Pleasant' and think of ways 'Macabre' could be appealing in an ad but also scary and deceiving. I also thought about the word' Offensive' and how I could create an scandalous ad that could have the same effect as the old fashioned ads we saw in the previous seminar which pushed the boundaries of hair and beauty products causing controversial trends. But while keeping my ad creepy too so that it relates back to my word, I wanted to experiment by creating some veins, organs, sagging skin, hollowed facial features in make-up designs, so that it looks as if the model in the ad has translucent skin. 

I became inspired to create a 'Translucent Haute Macabre' make-up look, because of some really amazing images I found on Pinterest which showed pin up style girls in awkward positions with exposed skin and organs, but they look really beautiful. 

References.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_French
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=macabre

Digital Image production; 'Macabre' My Pinterest and sample mood board.

In response to the last Digital Image production seminar with Sharon, I have created a Pinterest and sample mood board so that I can develop and record my ideas in regards to my given word 'Macabre'.  My Pinterest board has been really fun to create so far as the website has a variety of different sources and categories to choose from, all providing inspiring imagery. When selecting my images on my board I have tried to be very selective, picking images that are unique and creative but not too obvious in relation to the word Macabare. I am still currently developing and working on my Pinterest board and aim to look at imagery from all the categories I have not explored yet.

My sample mood board is forming well and I have found it helpful to record all my ideas onto paper first and then pushing theses ideas further alongside facts, colours, words, meanings and cosmetic productions. I feel that I am great of thinking of numerous ideas but struggle to choose a main idea and then develop it further and further. Since exploring my word Macabre I have started to look further into French History and and language and it has resulted in me thinking of make-up looks heavily inspired by French history and looks that people may find disturbing and offensive. I feel that I initially started researching and felt very confused and worried on how to explore my word further but now I am much more motivated and inspired. 

Keywords and ideas for makeup design.

'Haute Macabre' 
Creating disturbing effects/make-up, that still looks beautiful
masks, studs, bumps, skin, disturbing, black, lace,skeletons, ghosts, dead bride
stitches veins, red, blue, grey, decay, bandages, sunken face, shadowing

Below is my sample moodboard I have started creating; I plan to create many more mood boards but this holds my starting ideas for this project.

Digital Image Production; My evaluation in response to feedback.

Feedback from Chris Overhand, from last semesters Digital Image Production project. 

"I've enjoyed reading your research into photography and portraiture in particular and it shows in your images. They are really well composed and well exposed, your colour images have a slight warm cast but it doesn't detract from the images enough for this to be an issue. Moodboard is well conceived and does reflect your images well with regards to colour and posing. Presentation could've been a bit more polished, remember every element of your hand in should be an opportunity to be creative. An excellent effort and a great start to your time here at Solent. well done." Chris Overend. 

My evaluation of my feedback.

In response to my feedback from Chris Overend, I was initially quite surprised that he had enjoyed the development and final outcome of my images. When I first began to plan and practice technical skills learnt from Chris's studio sessions, I felt very intimidated and unconfident. Before attending Southampton Solent University, I had previously studied an Art and Design course, where I was able to explore all different aspects of art and design etc Graphic, digital, fine, contemporary and photography. Although, I had already produced work before through the use of photography, It was never the same as working at University level as Chris encouraged us to be very independent with our photography practice and ideas, creating work that is unique, professional and most of all creative. Because of these factors I feel that  both Chris Overend and Sharon D Lloyd, inspired me and my final ideas as I always felt encouraged to push and develop my ideas more, pushing me out of my comfort zone.


Throughout the brief, I enjoyed the theme and also the final photoshoot we had to plan and shoot, in order to create our final images. I do feel that I struggled slightly in computer sessions with Peter O'Keefe, as I was able to use programmes such as photoshop already, but not Indesign and also understanding how to change and improve the color cast of my final images. Although Chris, had mentioned that my images had a slight warm cast and it wasn't really an issue, I feel that to improve and avoid this in the future I would take the time to contact Chris Overend or Peter O'Keefe and ask them for feedback and advice to develop and perfect my final images.
I am happy that Chris enjoyed my research into photography and portraiture as this is something that I also enjoyed a lot when developing my ideas for the final outcome. But I do feel that my research could have been developed further as I wanted to make more comparisons between portraiture, artists, photography and re production of iconic photographs. Lastly, to improve my work in the future I would also take more time to make sure my final submission, images and blog are all up to professional standard as my work reflects on me and my performance as an artist and creative thinker. I am more than pleased with my final feedback and appreciate the constructive comments a lot also, I aim to further develop and perfect my skills and ideas so that I can push myself and creative thoughts more with every project.

Digital Image production 2; 'Beauty and Advertisement' seminar.

I enjoyed my first seminar for the new brief and felt that it was helpful in explaining advertisement and its meaning, concept and aims when selling to consumers. It will be interesting to create my own ad for consumers whilst thinking of all the things I would want in an ad alongside what to put into an ad so that people want your product. 

These are some notes of the recent seminar with Sharon explaining Advertisement, Gender, Products and photography.

-The main focus of Beauty Advertisement is making your audience/consumers want to look like the model in the advertisement and want to buy products to look like the ideal beautiful woman
-Beauty Advertisements focus on making the product appear and look better than it is, (false advertising, photoshop, extensions) 
-Beauty advertisements reinforce stereotypes and encourage the 'male gaze' by making models of a product appear a certain way because of this one product they are using etc sexy,desirable girl next door, perfect housewife
-Advertisements made usually portray women as sexual objects & obedient housewives
- Many woman are unaware that a lot of advertisements for beauty products including sexualised ads are normally created by female advertisers as they understand what stands out, appeals to the female brain
-women and makeup where innovated by companies & brands etc Maxfactor, as they embraced how you looked and celebrated beauty 
-In the 1910/20's a lot of advertisements were normally illustrated and had a lots of narrative and description about the product or company and even instructions for the beauty product
-In the early 1920's women with a shy and demure nature began to feature in beauty ads and became sexier by the end of the era, this encouraged different depictions of women

'Palmolive company's Palmolive soap' 1924
Sourced from website;
http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/beauty-and-hygiene-ads-1920s.

The image above is an example of a beauty advertisement from the 1920's selling Palmolive soap. When you read the advertisement it first questions the models beauty shown on the poster and then questions her intelligence to then finally explain that her beautiful complexion is the way it is because of using this companies product. I found this advertisement strange and slightly unnecessary as in beauty ads today, we don't see many ads with a lot of narrative or information about a product it is normally very simple, with something humorous, mysterious and with interesting imagery so that if we want to find out more, we must go online, or on social media or make the effort to visit a store and see the product. 

- In the 1930's more refined, 'Hollywood' inspired beauty and trends became popular 

- Stars featured in ads became household names, creating more business for the companies also

-Thin arched brows became popular in this era also 

-Maxfactor introduced the first cream eyeshadows, lip glosses, and pan based foundation products

- In 1931, 1,500 lipsticks were sold and the popularity of beauty products began to go through the roof

-In the 1940's Maxfactor was still very popular and film stars became a major part of the brand advertising world 

-More younger women became interested in makeup also which was unheard of 

-The 1950's was seen as the 'Golden Age' of makeup and advertisement became much more powerful and influential as technology improved and encouraged more families to but tv's for their homes

-Print Advertising was still used 

-With a rise of products and ads became a rise of models also

-60's looks; 'Classic','Mod','Hippie', the Mod look was most popular and distinctive 

-Advertisements tell you how you are going to look

Why has narration disappeared in advertisements through time?

I feel that the use of narration and instruction in beauty advertisements has disappeared dramatically and this is due to the available advertisement of products everywhere. You can see ads on the internet, train stations, magazines, shops, games, apps etc and it is getting to the point were you rely on your phone or the internet to research a product in a ad which had little to no information. So we can be lazy and just look up the product, or we make the trip to the shops to see this product and are more likely to purchase it. I feel that ads with simple images and information creates more interest as you want to find out more about the product or company. Some of the best ads these days, only feature a new song by a very popular artist with a silent video of a model moving and in response will encourage millions of men and woman to research or purchase this product because its mysterious or interesting. I feel that It can be very frustrating at times when advertisements do this as it often leads to the ad not relating the product at all. 

Woodburys Facial Soap Advertisement

1895.
Sourced image from Google.
Image sourced from https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/88/6a/67/886a67da23657eb6152d64db28561749.jpg

Woodburys Facial Soap
'A skin you love to touch 1915'
Sourced image from Google
http://www.magazineart.org/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=17039&g2_serialNumber=2

-'Woodburys Facial Soap' advertisement was taken over by a woman who focused more on skin and different ad areas e.g. pores/blackheads/gender/concept, consumers wants and needs

-'A skin you love to touch',Woodburys', this sexual slogan used in their ads subtly sexualising the products and its consumers 'sex sells'

-Advertisements tend to point out insecurities or 'eye sores' to create and advertise new products etc 'body hair' 'nails' 'hair dye'.

Digital Image Production; Seminar 1.

In todays Digital Production seminar, Sharon explained in further detail the brief for digital production and how we are expected to present our work, develop our ideas and create some professional mood and story boards. I found the seminar very inspiring and intense at the same time as there was a lot of information and ideas to consider. I feel confident and excited to start creating mood boards for the project and everything else I feel unsure about I will make sure to see Sharon or Chris for help. Sharon also provided us with our chosen key words today, that we would develop and use for our final outcome, my word is 'Macabre'.

On google dictionary the definition of Macabre means, 'disturbing because concerned with or causing a fear of death'. When I first received this word I was very confused as I had never heard the word before, after researching the definition of the world i felt less confused but more nervous on where I would start my research as it seems to be a very dark word and meaning. Sharon went through a helpful presentation which provided me with step by step information and aims were are expected to reach etc, mood boards, storyboards, pinterest, layout, concepts, meaning, development of our work. 

In response to todays seminar I aim to create a more developed mood board for next lesson which shows my starting ideas,thoughts and outcomes in response to research and I am also going to begin creating some Pinterest boards online also to develop different ideas of the word 'Macabre'.

Digital Image production 1 'Advertising' studio session.

In Chris's studio session today, he explained the new brief for this semester and what we were going to be learning and practicing each week, we also got to practice shooting with some new lighting set ups. I enjoyed todays session and inspired, making me think of some ideas for my final advertisement images,which created really beautiful soft lighting.  Although I feel excited to begin the studio sessions again for photography I aim to become more confident in setting up lighting and equipment myself and using the programme capture one in this semester. Chris explained today that taking multiple images and comparing them in every shoot, really helps you to select your best images and also  show change and develop with different techniques used in your pictures. We practised three different lighting set ups today which all created some really different lighting and effects to the face.

Todays focus was to practice different soft lighting set ups and taking some images of our partner in a beauty and advertisement style, focusing on the face, hair, nails, eyes lips etc. Chris also said to always consider and plan the concept and overall look of the images you are trying to achieve and consider, color, nails, hair, makeup, product, theme, audience, mood
-All images must have the correct exposure


















Equipment and Set up.

- 3 light set up (main light & 2 back lights)
- Diffusing panels (Use c stands to hold up panels)
- 50,80,95 ml lenses
- Camera Settings 5.6>ISO 100
-Check lenses are always clean and smudge free for good contrast in pictures
-Diffusers create really soft lighting
-Chris explained that creating a good balance of contrast and brightness in a beauty image consists of increasing the contrast of an image and decreasing the saturation to get the correct medium
-Changing the aptitude of an image makes it darker, to do this you must hold AV on the camera and then move the wheel on top
-100ml lense is good for zooming in if you want to take close up images etc eye, lips
-To bring the brightness of an image down, reduce to exposure
-Always move the camera and never the model
-You can create a more private area for your model to pose in by facing the lights and diffusing planes towards each other on a 45 degree angle and then taking a picture between the panels, this technique is great to use when trying to achieve more shadowing around the face/cheekbones

Capture 1.

file>newsession>-SurnameInitialBriefName>saveinpicturesfolder.
To compare photos on capture 1, you have to click the multiple box on the side bar at the top of the programme.


Being confident and understanding how to use the Capture 1 programme and also tripods and setting up are important to know in this brief, as computers will be used a lot, when editing and developing work.