Fashion: Day 4: 'Shoot' Day

Today was our production shoot day, therefore we decided to arrive at 8:30 to give us and the hair & make-up artists plenty of time toget organised, get the models prepared and finalise any issues with styling and set.
While Tom Williams & Maria Leao did Esteph's styling Marin, Sacha & I decided on the clothing for Ollie to wear in our shoot, he had with him a variety of shirts ranging from white to blue to lilac, ties from simple black to woolen & two jackets- a grey tweed and a dark navy. After trying on different combination we decided that the best combination for our shoot was the white shirt, navy jacket with a blue woolen tie which was a good contrast and conflict against the red dress as well as linking in with the blue of 'The chinese Girl' painting. Once Esteph was made up we got her dressed and had her put on some high heels with platforms to enhance her height in the image, these were her own as we were not goin to see them therefore did not need to be 60s themed.

Tom Williams styling hair

Maria Leao doing makeup

Female model in place looking photographed through window

When repositioning Esteph after each break we carefully flared out the train to our desired directionality and length directed by someone always looking through the camera.
After checking of the list of things to look for and change in the image mentioned in the previous blog:

1. Do grey card test and alter lights eg. gels to cancel out unwanted corrections.

2. Make sure there are no reflections from lights in the TV, window, picture & clock.

3. Make sure props are correctly positioned and can be seen when models are in place eg. TV, curtains, bedding (duvet, towels, cushions), mirror and desk.

4. Decide on clothing worn by Ollie.

5. Check lighting positions on both models.

6. Check for shadows on door from Esteph’s arm due to position of lighting.

7. Check the lamp shades material is not flapped down and noticeable.

8. Decide whether to use Arri 650w light on goal posts to highlight Esteph more.

9. Take biscuits out of packets and place on doilies. 

10. Get out guns, camera, cigarettes & jewellery ready more dressing models. 

we did final light testing on both of our models, figuring out exactly where they had to stand and sit and how they needed to angle themselves etc. to look effective in the shot as well as well lit. We decided to experiment with some more highlights on Esteph's hair to distinguish it slightly from the background as well as highlighting the grand hairstyle; this was done by adding in the Arri 650w light from above which Jonathan helped us to test.

 

Light experimenting

After this was tested and figured out we moved on to test shots where we begun to direct both the models as to the exact feeling we wanted them to express; for Ollie he was to look unaware of what danger stood behind him looking involved in photographing secret documents.

Meanwhile Esteph was to aim the gun at Ollie creating a sense of dominance in the room (although in reality aiming above & behind his head) with her chin raised to give highlights on her cheek bones, with a superior, slightly arrogant but powerful expression almost smirk-like; as the shoot progressed both models relaxed into their roles particularly noticeable in Esteph as the facial expressions become more natural and despite fatigue she was able to keep the gun position well.

Throughout the shoot we also constantly checked hair and make-up for any tweeks we needed to make such as counteracting any sagging of the beehive and retouching lipstick etc. We also experimented a little with a different jacket for Ollie near the end of the shoot to see the look of this colour giving us the ability to compare and decide our preference in post production.
When taking our photographs our final settings were at 80mm, F:8, shutter at 1/15th & ISO 100; I also took a photograph of the focus when we got it perfect to allow me to check for any changes after breaks as the depth of field was still very shallow due to the sensitivity of the Hasselblad.   

We took several short breaks and lunch break throughout the shoot to allow our models to rest from posing and exposure to the hot lights as well as turning the lights off to allow for them to cool for a while. 
For most of the shoot we photographed through the persepx as I feel there is a slight density change with and without it in allowing the audience to realise whether there is a plain between them and the scene. However we also did a few tests without the perspex as we did have difficulty with the sharpness of the focus due to the perspex; so we did this to experiment with difference in density.

Cleaning/removing perspex

After the models had left we exported all of the images on to a back up hard drive to make sure we had a set of safe copies. We switched off and unplugged all of the lights, then we removed any of the little props that we could, to allow for a much safer studio space to take down the set tomorrow.   
In the morning Sacha and I are planning on taking some of the props be had borrowed back to the shops and then will return and continue to help dismantle the set. We have transport organised to remove all of our large pieces of furniture away and taken back to the drama society we borrowed them from by 5. We will also try to sort out some issues with have with dirt on the dress that occurred during the shoot so that we can return it to the store we pruchased it from for a pre-arranged 90% refund.
Finally if we have time we hope to go through our images and make a choice or selection of final choices to do a test print so that we can see how it appears printed and figure out changes that will need to be made to it on photoshop in our post-production.
Overall we are all very pleased with how the shoot went today as there were no major hiccups or issues that weren't easily resolved; and the group seemed to work fairly well as a unit supporting our make-up artist, hair stylist and models throughout the day without any fallouts or arguments.