WORKSHOPS
FAKE FINGER- We started of by watching a demonstration from Mel. I found this very helpful. The first thing we had to do was take the alginate and the water, as soon as we added these together it turned from grey to pink. We had to mix very quickly then put it into the bottom of a shallow bottle. This activates instantly so you have to be quick, you then stick your finger in and wait for it to set. This took a coupe of minutes and turned back to grey once it was set. We then took our finger out. After we mixed the two types of silicone together well then poured into our mold. after this it was simply a case of waiting for it to set. Once it was set we removed it from the mold and began to 'paint' it. We used color correcting palettes to do so. Once this was done i painted red on the bottom so it looked like it had been cut off and added a fake nail to it with spirit gum. It was very fun and i really enjoyed it!
SEWING- This was a fairly basic sewing introduction workshop. It was very simple, but it allowed us all to go over the basics and recap after a long time of not doing it. This was very helpful, and I always enjoy sewing. It was fun to be able showcase it in a different way as well, doing a basic stich over two pieces of material is great but I wanted to make it more fun. This is why I chose to demonstrate my skills through a small bag that holds your phone around your neck.
LIGHTING- I really struggled with all of the lighting workshops I took part in. Whilst I did eventually understand everything I found it really difficult to get to that point. I took several amounts of recap at home and writing notes for me to be able to understand it. Whilst nobody ever likes to be out of their comfort zone. I felt it was important that I pushed myself to try something new. The first session we learnt about patching. In a nutshell it is about telling the lighting desk and the computer where each light is. This is the first and one of the most important steps. Because without patching you cannot do anything else because you wont know what your telling what to do. Once we understood patching we could move onto grouping. This is when we say right collectively pushing this button will turn on all of the LED'S or all of the Source 4's. So the second session was based around looking at this. The next session was about colours. Using the red green blue and UV to determine the colours you wanted and making a note of them in the system. This makes it easier if someone says I want pink. It will then be in the system already. Overall I really enjoyed being able to learn something new and I did find it very interesting. However, I did really struggle in this subject.
PROPS-
For this workshops we had to design a scale model of a moving 6ft dragon for a show. In the photo on my left you can see my design plan for this dragon. We had to finish up our designs, select our materials and crack on. The day before we had all worked out how big each elements of our dragon would be. We then used the scale of 1:30 and created a scaled down model. In the photo on the right you can see the first element I have been able to create, the wings. These wings are one of the biggest elements of the dragon. I decided to use wire to form the basic structure. I then wanted to cover them in calico as it is a light and cheaper material. I used hot glue to attach them and then cut around the wings to make them as identical as possible. I am very proud of how they have turned out and enjoyed making them.
TATTOO COVERING - This make-up task was definitely a more challenging one for me, However, that being said I enjoyed every minute of it! This challenge was to cover up the tattoo seen in the photo. I started of with the base of a dark pinkish colour. This cancelled out the dark colours of the tattoo itself allowing us to cover it with the correct skin colour without any darker spots shinning through. We needed to outline it sticking to the physical tattoo as much as possible. Once it was done we powdered it over, then began mixing colours from the palette to create the perfect match. I then applied this over the top gently blending it into the skin so there are not too many harsh lines. Finally I powdered over the top. I was happy with the outcome, however if I was to do it again I would try much harder to find a perfect match as the colour was slightly too light for Mel's skin tone. This would however been ok for theatre work as the audience would not see that from on the stage. It would not be suitable for up close camera work and shots though.
MAKING A CORSET
STEP ONE - The first step to making this corset was cutting out all of the pieces. This included pinning the templates to the main material (silk), The lining and the interfacing. This was a very long process and took an entire afternoon. This was one of my least favourite stages as it took so long and I kept pricking my fingers when I pinned the template to the material.
STEP TWO - Step two meant laying everything out in the way it would need to be sewn and putting the material and interfacing with each other ready to be sewn as well. I really enjoyed this step as it was like trying to solve the worlds most difficult jigsaw puzzle.
STEP THREE - Step three was sewing! I needed to sew each piece of interfacing to its matching piece of material. This started out very difficult as I found the interfacing almost stretched leaving parts of it bunched up, at one point we even had to unpick this and start again but i got there in the end with some help from my tutor! I sewed each piece together using a straight stitch and I didn't mind this step but it was challenging and not my favourite.
STEP FOUR - Step for was pinning all of the pieces together. whilst I do not enjoy pinning I really enjoyed this step as it was the first time I realsised I had made something that semi resembled a corset! When I got to this stage I was so happy, I know I still had a long way to go but it made it all worth it being able to see it start to come together!
SOUND - I really struggled with this task today, I didn't particularly enjoy it as I didn't fully understand what I was doing, I am not very good at editing sound affects! However, I gave it my best go and tried as hard as I could to get the best outcome I could however, it was difficult! I used several tools on audacity including the envelope, repeat slowed tempo and decrease in pitch. T try and get this sound affect as close to the real deal as possible. I am not happy with the outcome though to me it sounds too tiny and not like foot steps but more like a basket ball.
MAKE-UP
Today was a practical session done virtually. I decided to use this time to create a make-up look. I chose to create a clown that had been hit over the head with a baseball bat. I was very happy with how this looked from the picture. It would have been great for theatre work as it looked very effective from far away. However when you look up close it was not as great. The eyebrows n particular I had chosen to block out. I tried using a new technique I had seen where you use scar wax over the eyebrows to make the surface look smoother as if the eyebrows have been shaven off. In my mind it was a great technique that I thought would look really effective. However, when it came to the point of putting this skill into practice it did not achieve the effect I was hoping it would. Therefore, I will stay using the spirit gum as it works more effectivley.
PROPS-
Today was another online practical session and for this I chose to create a prop. I chose to try and recreate a small gnome. I saw these going around the internet known as 'norm' and I really liked the look of them so I decided to make a baby one that could sit in the bottom of my tree. I really enjoyed making this prop it was really fun and enjoyable. I started using a base of tinfoil and molded the basic shape. I then used small pieces of Modroc and coated the whole figure in it. I then let it completely air dry before painting it.
Additionally in this same session I made my wheels for my unit nine model box and one door knob out of Femo, these are shown in the image. You had to warm the Femo up in your hand before molding it into the shape you wanted to be. After this I cooked in the oven for 15 mins and then once they had hardened and cooled down I put them in a jar ready to take into college and add to my model box.
FINAL UNIT 9 REVIEW:
One of my favourite workshops I did in this Unit was the fake finger and the Tattoo covering. I really enjoyed both workshops a lot. The Fake finger workshop was interesting for me, I had never made anything like this before the closest I came was to creating a mould of two hands holding together to make a plaster version. This was a very quick process when it came to making the finger, and I was nervous when I was completing the stages. The initial stage when you must mix the water with the powder, it turns pink very quickly and you have a limited amount of time to mix this before it starts to set. I watched others make the mistake of waiting too long and the mixture would set too quickly. However, I really enjoyed the workshop. Some feedback that was given to me by my tutor was that if I were to do it again, I needed to mix the powder that settled in the bottom of the cracks of the cup. When I was applying makeup to the finger to make it look more realistic, I found it difficult because there was no prior colouring added to the silicone, so it was done purely on concealer which did not blend onto the finger. When me and my peers discussed it, we felt it would have worked a lot better if we used a colouriser in the mixture first. For the Tattoo covering we got to cover a tattoo using concealer and powder as well as a different shade that cancelled out the darker tones to make it easier to cover. When I was doing this, I made some mistakes and did not do as well as I could have after some more practice. My tutor told me to try to be more concise with the shade that helps cancel out the darker tones and additionally to be more precise when mixing different shades of concealer together to make a perfect match of the skin. By doing so it would allow the tattoo to be covered up more accurately and it would look a lot better up close. One of the workshops I was most proud of was the lighting workshop. Whilst I was not particularly interested in this at the start, I became more invested in this as time went on. I felt that I developed my technical skills well throughout the series of weeks we participated in this workshop. I felt that I was gaining knowledge and improving as each week went on. Even after missing a couple of weeks due to isolation I still felt as though I was doing well. When I returned, I could answer all the questions that were being thrown at me and I did so with key professionalism and confidence. This was one of the key areas that I was hoping to develop skills in at the start of this year. I felt that I have done this successfully as I have more knowledge and understanding around the subject. So now if a director were to ask me a question regarding this subject, I would be able to understand what is being asked of me.
I really enjoyed our main Unit 9 assignment regarding Alice in wonderland. It was interesting and engaging for me and I thoroughly enjoyed being able to create set designs and makeup looks for this book. The main things I have learnt as a result of this assignment revolve around set. Before this I did not know what, a truck was or what marine plywood was or how to make a flat. However now after research and guidance from both my tutor and my peers I have learnt more than I thought I would know. I also learnt all about different materials and the pros and cons of using one over the other. These are skills that may not seem transferable on the surface but when you look closer are key. The likes of comparing materials has allowed me to expand my skillset around comparisons and weighing up the good and bad qualities of anything. Additionally, being able to research into the costings of plywood has improved my researching skills. Finally seeking guidance from my tutor and peers has made me more confident in asking for help when I need it. If I were to this project again there are some key targets, I would set myself to be able to do things differently. The first of these targets is to research everything. Whilst I did complete a large amount of researching around different aspects of this unit I did not research everything that I could have. If I had spent more time researching into fabric dyes and how they work materials maybe that would have swayed my decision. Or if I had spent more time researching solutions to a TV that someone had to come out of, then maybe I would have problem solved the issue I was having instead of trying to find an easier way out. My second target is to pick something other than makeup for a change. Whilst this is my favourite aspect I feel like if I had chosen the likes of lighting then I could have pushed myself out of my comfort zone and improved my skill set even more. I could have researched things I did not know and found out interesting facts I wouldn’t have known if I didn’t choose it. My third and final target that I would take forward into my next project would be communication. Whilst I feel that I have particularly good communication when it comes to the likes of shows, I do not always feel I communicate on a deeper basis with my peers. If I took the time to show more interest in what their ideas were maybe it would have helped me to build upon some of mine and be able expand what I was doing. Overall, I am incredibly happy with how this unit has gone, it was very enjoyable, and I learnt so many new skills I did not realise that I was capable of learning.
Using audacity I merged two sound effects together I used repeat and a number of other tools, Whilst I found it difficult I did complete it! But I found it very challenging and this is not my favorutie subject. However, I did try my hardest and tried to get the best outcome that I could. I know that this is not my best work however I did do the work to my best of my abilities. This is not really my thing but I still done it and I am proud of myself for completing it.