Youth , Cinematic devices and standards vs reality
Youth
For this word inspired piece I want to show the youth culture from a person of youths perspective. Due to COVID being in and out of isolation for nearly two years teenagers and young adults are now able to be free again to do what they to do this summer post pandemic and post restrictions.
Larry Clark
kids
Larry Clark was born January 19, 1943. He is an American film director, photographer, writer and producer who is best known for his controversial teen film "Kids" (1995) and his photography book "Tulsa". His work focuses primarily on youth who engage in illegal drug use, underage sex, and violence, and who are part of a specific subculture, such as surfing, punk rock, or skateboarding . I like Clarks work as it shows both the good and the troubled side of youth. His images are real, raw and show the division of the different groups in youth and how everyone is trying so hard to fit in but still be individuals. He captures the best and worst parts of youth from having fun with your mates through to pure teen rebellion such as smoking and drinking. I particularly like the stills from the movie Kids as they capture the attitude, personal torment and sense of belonging all in one image.
His work inspired my shoots as after the past year I knew there would be a sense of freedom and release for all of the young people and that's what intended to capture from a close up perspective.
My shoot
For this shoot I wanted to capture youth from a close up perspective. So took my camera with me on holiday as this summer was filled with an amazing upbeat energy and a strong sense of freedom from late teens. I tried to capture candid shots of kids laughing and having fun. whether it was them on the beach, in the sea or just sitting together spending time as a group of kids.
Edits
I chose to edit these images as I felt they captured a small glimpse into the lives of the youth. Most of the images I chose captured people smiling, laughing and having fun. I also changed the images to blackened white as I prefer a more stripped back look to my photographs.
development
For this shoot I changed the location of the shoot. This was the first night people where allowed to dance in the club and create an amazing atmosphere as its was a strong sense of release from everyone there and is what I wanted to capture in the youth section on my weebly. Not only whee people dancing people where standing on the bar on each others shoulders and just taking in the experience. For most of the people there it was there first time in a club due to the pandemic making it an even more exciting experience.
development 2
Iconic
For this word inspired piece I wanted to show my representation of iconic characters in movies. Most movies consist of three or four main characters and Dynamic relationships that consist between the characters. These characters are the main good girl, the nasty girl , the jock / popular boy and a geek . And how all these characters are portrayed to the viewers.
Standards vs reality
For this word piece I want to look at how people are viewed by others if it’s Instagram or any form of social media vs reality. Most images put out by big brands, magazines and celebrities/ models are air brushed and edited to give an example of a “perfect reality “ and give people the expectation of how they are supposed to look. Even make up and posing can change the face and body to what you want people to see. I want to show people in their desired view vs their reality.
Amalia Ulman
In 2014 the artist Amalia tricked almost 90,000 by creating an Instagram profile that documented the life of a wannabe it-girl trying to make it in LA. We watched as Ulman’s story unfolded, climaxing with a (fake) boob job and public apology.The performance piece was titled “Excellences & Perfections” and it was an art world sensation. Not only had Ulman shone a light on social media’s ability to dupe, she had also created what critics heralded as the “first Instagram masterpiece”. Today, we are fed advice about the importance of developing “personal brand” on Instagram – we’re told that we can achieve this by sticking to a consistent theme; creating a simplified character that others can consume. Ulman went through different stages trying to find what would make her an Instagram success
My shoot
For This shoot I went through my different shoots I had taken over the summer and found candid images of people where they are unaware of the camera. Most of these images are most likely not images people what put onto any form of social media as its not the way they would want to be presented to their followers. On social media people want to present the best version of themselves whether is there experiences or the way they look. So I went through these people unstraps and found posed images and placed them side by side to the candid images.
Cinematic devices
For my word theme project I looked into Cinematic devices; the use of lighting , pose and looking into extreme or artificial set ups to help develop a mood or ideas. I chose this theme to develop when working on our foundation project. We looked into the use of film cameras and when looking into this, we looked at artists that linked and film noir came up and I thoroughly enjoyed looking into this topic.
Film noir-
The first influence on the development of my project was Film Noir. The term “film noir” is typically credited to French critic Nino Frank, who apparently coined it in a 1946 essay published in the magazine L'Écran français to describe American crime films.The actual words come from France and mean "black cinema." It was in France during the post-war years that the term was used to describe a certain set of Hollywood films that were saturated with a darkness and cynicism that was not seen before. Directors that are notable for this style of work are Billy Wilder who made films such as double indemnity and the lost weekend, I also looked at Fritz Lang who released films such as Scarlet street and The woman in the window, both directors use film noir techniques such as sharp-edged shadows and shots, strange angles and lonely Edward Hopper settings. When casting women in film noir could be divided into three categories: the girl-next-door, the femme fatale and the good-bad girl. The girl-next-door is characterised as being ordinary, approachable and innocent. She is honest and pure, and known to be naturally sweet. The term refers to the fact that she usually lives right next door to the male protagonist, having grown up with him and known him his entire life. An example of the girl-next-door would be Keechie Mobley (Cathy O’Donnell) in They Live by Night 1948. The femme fatale, considered by many critics the central figure of film noir, is mysterious and seductive, known for using her charms to ensnare men and get them into dangerous, and most often, deadly situations. Her main characteristic is using her feminine sexual traits as a way to achieve hidden purposes. One of the most infamous femme fatales in film noir is Barbara Stanwyck’s Phyllis Dietrichson in Double Indemnity 1944. The good-bad girl stands in between the girl-next-door and the femme fatale, which highlights her moral ambiguity.As Andrew Spicer explains: “The figure of the ‘good-bad girl’ combines the sexual stimulation of the femme fatale with the fundamental decency of the girl-next-door and constitutes a central modern American type. Her importance to the noir cycle is difficult to overestimate. She can appear to be cynical, wilful and obsessed with money, but this stems from disillusionment with men and the frustrations of a circumscribed life.” For example Lauren Bacall’s role as Vivian Sternwood in The Big Sleep 1946. What I was initially intrigued by was the shape , atmosphere and lighting used in film noir. I then knew I wanted to develop it so I began to look into the modernization of film noir.
My Inspiration
First shoot idea
For this shoot I wanted to capture the mysterious and sensual side of film noir. I loved the idea of cigarettes and there smoke also the use of shadow upon a face. I got my model to pose with a cigarette as I feel that is a prominent object seen in film noir and I love the idea of some in the images. My model sat by the window as the sun beams came through the blinds hitting her face creating the diagonal lines upon her face. I feel as if film noir is mainly set at night and that's what I wanted to capture however I feel even with editing out the background with black marker on photoshop it still looks like day time. I then took the shoot to a vanity mirror as I feel as if the girls in film noir are presented as always being "perfect" and I feel their looks where a very important part of there identity.
The edits
For this shoot I set up my model in my living room against the shutter blinds that created the lines across her face to begin to look at shadow and create the intense atmosphere. I then used makeup, hair , clothes and props to develop to build the story and scene I wanted to create. To edit I made all the images black and white like the original film noir and for the image that had modern day items in the back edited them out by using a black brush tool on photoshop. I also brought down the brightness and brought up the contrast to create strong defined lines and bring out the important features.
Development 2
For this shoot I wanted to get a second attempt at creating the shadow effect how ever this time round it was made by a projection rather than natural sunlight through the blinds. I also wanted to give the effect of thinner more office like blinds which are normally seen in film noir shoots. Another thing I wanted to play around with was colour ad expression soother is more of a story and meaning behind the shoot. However for this shoot I knew I wanted to keep my images in colour to experiment
Edits
To edit this shoot I wanted to bring out the contrast between my mode and the shadow on her face so brought up the contrast fairly high and then adjusted the brightness accordingly. I then used the black marker tool on a low opacity to god over the shadow lines again bringing them out even further and if I felt the lip colour wasn't as bright I went over that with a red brush agin in a really low opacity so I could build up the colour.
My favourites
Shadows and figures film noir
Brassai Paris by night
Brassai's urban photography shows us a romanticised view of Paris night life. when 25-year-old Gyula Halász arrived in Paris from his native Hungary in 1924 he’d been trained as an artist and soon found his way into the circles frequented by Picasso, Miró, Dalí and Henry Miller. Continuing his work as a sculptor and painter, he supported himself by working as a journalist. Obliged to use photography for his assignments Roaming the city at night, he brought his camera along and began to capture the unique atmosphere of night-time Paris. Shooting at night was a technical challenge, and the photographs display an intriguing variety of light sources—gas lamps and their reflections in the Seine, a glowing brazier, the sparks of a workman’s grinding tool, a burning building with silhouetted firefighters, a checkerboard of lighted and dark windows on a façade .I liked his use of shadows and silhouettes as it inspired me with later work and also allowed me to look into the use of adding a meaning of setting behind each image.
Edits
For this shoot I wanted to create an mysteries yet slightly romantic atmosphere. so I got my model to stand under street lights on slightly more empty streets with less cars and things going on as it begins based on film noir there wouldn't be modern cars. I also wanted to get images in front of car lights to create a fog like look to the images. I also used cigarettes and the light from the lighters upon my subjects face to develop the sense of atmosphere. I waited till it was dark outside and took photos along an empty street only lit by street lights. I used the prop of a lighter to relate my artist and light my models face I also got my model to stand in front of my cars light to again be the light source of the image. I placed the iOS of my camera at 1600 and adjusted the shutter speed accordingly to get the desire effect. To edit I made my images black and white and played around the the brightness and contrast . Looking at this shoot the use of lighting and narrative I knew this was a key theme I needed to run through my upcoming shoots as it creates the atmosphere of what I really want to project but I now knew I wanted to modernize it.
Nick Knight
Nick Knight was born in 1958, and studied at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design. He is one of the most hunted fashion photographers in the world. In 1982, he published Skinheads, his first photography book, while studying at Bournemouth. Knight has worked on both commercial and editorial projects for customers, such as Audi, Christian Dior, Calvin Klein, Yves Saint Lauren, Levi Strauss, Mercedes Benz, Royal Opera House, Swarovski and a few more. Fashion photography has rapidly developed and transformed since its inception. In the 1930s Edward Steichen brought in flavors to this field and later Richard Avedon added his creativity in the 1970s. Now, with the advancement in technology and the availability of highly technical cameras, associated tools, digital photography and image editing software like Photoshop is open for people like Knight to continue experimenting and creating remarkable pieces of art. The first shoot of Knights that I looked at wasspring 1998 Shalom Harlow for the dior campaign. This shoot was to show what the brand stands for glamour and luxury. For Knight's first campaign with them he wanted to present a poetic elegant and fantasy dior woman. The campaign symbolizes an advertising campaign that is attractive and unique compared to what Dior normally does.Knight has created a feminie woman in a modern way creating a timeless element to the shoot. The images have a painting feel to theme and look less so like photographs. The images create a story of a woman living in luxury but feels bored. This shoot is very different to Diors normal style which is a lot more sexy and edgy.
First attempt
For my first attempt of this shoot I placed my model around my house and got her to pose in different positions. However I didn't feel like the final outcome had the desired effect, yes it used colour but in and extremely artificial way and I wanted to try again to see if I could use studio lighting to develop this shoot and highlight her face with lighting and not through dodge and burn on photoshop.
Edits
Second attempt
However for my second attempt of this shoot I took it in the studio. I used a grey back and placed lights around her to highlight the key points of the face and places I wanted to highlight. I got my model to pose in strong positions with her arms and and face.
Lighting set up
For this shoot lighting was key I had my model sat and placed a light above her head to the back of her shoulder and one to her shoulder closest to the camera. I then got someone to hold a black border to ad shadows exactly where I needed it. You can see my set up the was used below.
My edits
To edit this shoot I adjusted the blue or red tint over the whole image which darkened the background of the image and added a slight sense of colour to the images. I then adjusted the brightness and contrast to where I wanted it. After this shoot I knew I wanted to continue to look at colour in my upcoming shoots which led me to look at artist such as Alex Prager and the next Nick Knight shoot.
Nick Knight
Nick Knight's fashion film explores and unpicks society's obsession with images of celebrities and our voyeuristic tendencies when it comes to icons. The film was shot in 1995 during Knight's first ever session working with Moss, who was twenty years old at the time and fast becoming a worldwide star. It features footage from security cameras - a nod to the debate and controversy that surrounded surveillance culture at the time of filming - and presents Moss going about a normal day, from waking up to visiting a Madison Avenue studio, to returning home. It is only as the film progresses that the viewer realises Knight is watching Moss from a stalker's perspective in a sinister play on anonymity, fame and privacy. Knight's work inspired me as he used dark atmospheric lighting like traditional film noir however with a modern twist in this case the slight use of colour. The use of silhouettes and shadows help build the atmospheric tension. When looking at this shoot I used lights from three angles and blocking with black borders to highlight the parts of the body I wanted to highlight also adding a blue filter over my images to have the similarity to knights. After looking at this I knew I liked the striking angels and the use of colour and wanted to develop by continuing to modernise in different ways.
My edits
For this shoot I took my model to the Dorchester hotel in London and tried to capture her walking around but capturing her from afar and different angles and behind doorways to give the film noir atmosphere and sense of being watched, stalked and followed. The sense of mystery and yet a storyline flowing through. To edit I made some black and white an left some in colour. I wanted to play around with colour again but have that graceful elegant look of a black and white images. This led me to think more about my angles which led to my next section of looking at Hollywood glamour photography.
George Hurrell
George Hurrell was an American photographer best known for his portraits of Hollywood movie stars such as Joan Crawford and Marlene Dietrich. Hurrell’s style of lighting and composition enhanced the glamour associated with Hollywood during the 1930s. Born on June 1, 1904 in Covington, KY, he grew up in Cincinnati, OH, developing an interest in painting and photography as a child. Hurrell went on to study at the Art Institute of Chicago, and initially used photography as a way to document his paintings. Well living at a painting colony in California during the mid-1920s, photography had started to become his preferred medium.He gained success after the actress Norma Shearer showed Hurrell’s photographs to her husband, Irving Thalberg, who fortunately for Hurrell was the head of production at MGM Studios. During the golden decades of glamour that were the 1930 and 1940s, Hurrell had the opportunity to photograph every star that worked with MGM: Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, Rita Hayworth, and Humphrey Bogart, among many others. His black and white portraits, composed with sophistication, portray an unforgettable and iconic elegance. Unlike other “studio” photographers he printed his own work and had the highest standards for the quality of his images.In the 1950s, Hurrell worked briefly within different photographic realms. First, he made training films for the Motion Picture Unit of the U.S. Air Force, then in New York,he did freelance work for fashion advertising campaigns, but in 1965, an exhibition of his work at MoMA revived his fascination with celebrities. He returned to portraiture of modern-day stars like Brooke Shields, Sharon Stone, and John Travolta. He continued to work in this original motif until the end of the career, dying in 1992 having left behind an important record of Hollywood glamour.
My attempt
For this shoot I placed my model on the floor with a piece of silk material beneath her to work with using texture and help build the romantic Hollywood glamour feel. But being at my house there wasn't many lights so i used a small ring light and placed it to the side of her face and trying to create shows upon her face.
Edits
To edit I made them black and white and used the didge and burn tool to bring out the highlights and shadows on her face and on the silk material beneath. However I knew I wanted to try this shoot again to but in the studio to create shadows upon her face with more control.
Second attempt
For my second attempt I shot it in the studio and placed my model lying down on a pillow with the material beneath it to create the illusion of lying in bed like the original Hollywood glamour shots. I placed the light above my models head to the side to create the shadows on her face. Then to edit I again made them black and white and used the dodge and burn tool to bring out the shadows and highlights where I wanted them. After doing this shoot I knew I wanted to keep the atmosphere and mood the same but play around with colour so I looked at the artist Alex Prager.
Alex Prager
Alex Prager is an American photographer and filmmaker known for her cinematic colour photography featuring a hyper-real, Old Hollywood aesthetic. Her work often uses trained actors in staged settings, acting out ambiguous melodramatic narratives in colourful costumes. Prager has expanded her practice into film: in 2011, she directed Touch of Evil, a video series featuring some of the year’s best cinematic villains for The New York Times Magazine, for which she won an Emmy Award in 2012.
I was inspire by Prager's work to create a shoot that mimicked iconic moments yet use bright contrasting colours and a 1950s wash of colour over the top. So for my images I dressed my model in bright colourful clothing such as reds , greens and blues. I also used bright props and backgrounds to add to my images.
Marilyn Monroe in "Bus stop"
For this shoot I mainly focused on the close up image of the woman with red hair. I felt this Photo looked a lot like the still of Marilyn Monroe in bus stop ( the image I've put above) and loved the use of colour contrast of her pale skin and red lipstick and loved the emotion and depth in both. I also looked at the image of the woman in the car as I loved the angle that the shot was taken from and again the use of colour. I felt Pragers images all tell a story and have meaning behind the photo and that what I wanted to re create .To edit I highlighted each section I wanted to brighten then adjusted the saturation to make the key features pop. I also did this by using the “dodge and burn tool” to highlight features on the face and certain colours such as white. I looked at Prager as I liked her modern day twist into film noir. I also liked the programmatic feel to her images with a story running throughout her series.
Prager's series
My work
My Series
Luigi & Iango
Luigi Murenu and Iango Henzi also known as Luigi & Iango are a fashion photography duo. They started working together in 2013. Murenu began as a hairstylist in 1983, and worked with celebrities such as Madonna, Jennifer Lopez and Charlize Theron. Henzi studied photography after working as a professional dancer. Luigi & Iango have shot stories for leading magazines such as Vogue Japan, i-D, Vogue Germany, W Korea, Harper's Bazaar US and Vanity Fair. They photographed advertisements for top brands including Blumarine, Versace Jeans, Puma, Tom Ford and Cartier. The pair also captured famous faces such as Rihanna, Gigi Hadid, Claudia Schiffer and Gisele Bundchen.
My work
I looked at Luigi and Lango as i liked their use of shapes and sharp and striking edges. They strayed away from my initial route with developing the use of colour. However I felt drawn to their work as it linked to film noir and hollywood glamour photography as it has the image of a strong powerful woman yet with the themes of shadows and lighting running through their images. The shoot also differs as it uses full body shots with striking intense poses drawing the viewer in which differs as I had only shot from the chest up. When taking my images I placed my light to the side as it created a shadow upon the models face and highlighted her facial features, clothing and silhouette. To edit I made the images black and white then adjusted the brightness and contrast till i liked how it looked. I wanted quite a high contrast and brightness as I wanted there to be sharp lines and striking edges. Then I used “dodge and burn tool” and used it to emphasise the areas I wanted to highlight and lift areas of that black background and make them a lot more bold.
My Edits
Final project
For this shoot I took all the ideas from this unit of work and all the skills I've learnt throughout to come to this final idea. I used the idea of shadow, lighting, Pose, atmosphere to create this final piece. Throughout this unit I have worked with colour and different ways to modernize the classic style film noir and Hollywood glamour photography but to end this project I kept it black and white but used modern clothing and poses to project the modernized style I have been trying to achieve in the unit of cinematic devices.
My Photographs
Edits
For this shoot I took it upon a blue backdrop ( to create grey once edited) and white backdrop. I placed my model in modern clothes that I felt where striking and powerful and used inspiration images to help find confident and strong poses. To edit these images I made them black and white in photoshop and adjusted the brightness and contrast accordingly. I then used the dodge and burn to to highlight and shadow where I felt was needed to show off the key points of the face and body.