Sourcing for the Styling Shoot.

I've managed to only purchase two of the items I needed for the shoot, the rest has either been owned by me or borrowed which is great!

Left Character

  
In addition to black leggings and long white socks.


Right Character

In addition to blue t-shirt, denim shorts, long white socks with stripe. 

And then all the skate gear for both!

Shoot Day!

So yesterday was the shoot day! We met bright and early at 7:30 and were on set by 8am.
The set was this amazing run down farm building, with one end filled with all sorts of interesting bird cages, which were added to with 5 more cages containing 6 very sweet birds. It had this great antique feel to it among the dusty run down space. 
As the only internal space was the shooting area we had a gazebo for our green room and costume area and a tent as our changing room! This actually worked really well, and luckily after some initial rain in the morning we had some great weather and our giant umbrellas were left unused!

Initially the plan was to get the actors on set for 10:15 to start shooting at 10:30, though with a combination of a bit of heavy rain and some electrical problems with the lights we had a late start at around 11:30. 

I had been a little worried about the costume the day before as we hadn't been able to arrange any fittings for any of the 3 actors. I'd taken a variety of potential costume items so we had the option to mix and match on the day, however my 1st choice items worked exactly as I had wanted them to and the girls fitted perfectly in everything! Des had bought a selection of shirts, trousers and shoes for me to chose from. I wanted a plain white shirt and plain black trousers, with black shoes, and he had perfect items for what was needed. I had two waistcoat options and the preferred one fit perfectly.

 Hattie Gotobed - Girl 1

 Melissa Gotbed - Girl 2

 Des Barron - Aviary Keeper

It was amazing to be on set. I'd worked on films before but nothing with the high level of equipment and planning as this shoot. Even when costume wasn't particularly needed it was really great to be able to watch on the monitor and see how the shots were looking. It was also great to have Charlie assisting me, as sometimes it felt like I needed to be in 2 places at once! 

Even after the late start, the rest of the day went relatively smoothly. A couple of shots had to be cut because of the delay as the birds were due back early, but they got everything they needed and I thought it looked amazing! We managed to wrap on time just before 5.

It was such a great experience and a really enforced for me that film is definitely where I want to be working! I literally can't wait to see how the film's final edit will look, and it seems sort of strange that even though my job as costume is done there are still so many steps before we'll see the finished product. I'm really proud of the work I've done for the shoot. 

Here are a few more detailed pictures of the set:

Final Options for the Shoot

So the shoot is tomorrow and I'm really looking forward to it! I've put together my final design choices and am excited to see them on the girls for the first time. The main dress for the young girl is an adult size 50s dress that I think will work really well and can be easily disguised as the Victorian era with the additional details. It'll be interesting to see how everything fits, though luckily the design choice for both girls includes a tie around the waist which will pull them in nicely. 
These are the quick sketches that I've done with the final designs for them. 


 

Characters Cast!

So finally today the characters have been cast! Which is very exciting. I have measurements for the girls so have collected the right items from Hirearchy today. I don't have measurements for the Aviary Keeper and have found out today that we will be unable to have a fitting prior to the shoot. As this is the case I have asked him to bring a selection of white shirts, black trousers and black shoes for me to chose from, as its unlikely I'll be able to get the right size from the store. B has given me a rough sizing and the waistcoat should fit, though I have taken a 2nd slightly bigger, though not as rustic, waistcoat just in case. 

Hattie Gotobed

Melissa Gotobed

Des Barron

Hirearchy Visit!

The children haven't yet been cast, though it is likely that now it will be 2 girls instead of a girl and a boy. B is seeing 2 girls later today. 
Despite having no measurements yet I wanted to at least get an idea of what was available at Hirearchy in Boscombe, so that I could make quick decisions as soon as I did have measurements! Here are some photographs of what's available.

The white pinafore is an almost definite yes. Obviously size dependant, though as it's tie at the back it should be fine whatever size. 
The coats are lovely, however I don't think the budget will allow me them, and actually for the film I'm not sure that they fit with the feel. I do really like the black shawl, though again I'm not sure it's necessary.

Aviary Keeper at the Costume Store

I think the Aviary Keeper should be quite simple. 
B has asked me to use the set as influence for this character and keep him textual and so he would be "at home" in the set.

We've agreed to keep him very basic, a white shirt, black trousers, black shoes and a rustic waistcoat. He hasn't yet been cast, though she has someone in mind. Today I went to the costume store to see what they had in terms of waistcoats and this is the one I've chosen. It's a very rough fabric and looks very worn down. I'm hoping that it will fit as this is the best option that we have! 

Character Change

Today I heard from B that as they've been unsuccessful in auditioning any appropriate young boys the character has now been changed to an older sister. This will probably mean I will need to spend more on the costumes, but I think I prefer designing for girls, as it gives me an extra level of freedom and creativity in terms of colour and style. 

As the majority of my research on young girls has been geared towards the innocent younger sister I've had a look at a few more paintings that encapsulate an older sister. I've decided I want her to be in dark tones, probably navy as a representation of her bad side. 

I love this painting by Kate Perugini. The girl is a little younger, but the dress is perfect, and this is definitely a similar style to what I will be looking for. 

Kate Perugini, Dora (1892)

Victorian Photographs

The next step for my research has been to look at portrait photos from the Victorian era. The pictures are all very posed, as they would be an expensive and rare occasion. All the children are dressed in their Sunday best, so I will need to soften that for my piece. I love the quality and atmosphere these photos have. 
These are some of my favourites:

I've also come across the photography of Lewis Carroll under the alias Charles Dodgson. These pictures have an eerie creepiness to them and have been seen as very controversial as he only photographed young girls. Some of them are really interesting in terms of dress and fit in really well with the feel me and B discussed for the film. 

A Bit of Attitude!

To replicate the Lord Stuart's regal attitude in the original painting I've been looking at a bit of derby attitude. The image of girls who play the sport is of strong, independent, feisty women, so for some inspiration I've turned to the Dorset Roller Girls latest promo shoot with photographer Tim Churchill. He really captures the feisty essence of what I'm looking to replicate in my shoot. Here are a couple shots of Boots Electric and Naz T Bitch from the team.

First meeting with Director B Emck

So today I had my first meeting with B Emck, the director for the film who also pitched the idea. It went really well, I think we're definitely on the same page, and seem to have a lot of similar tastes and ideas in terms of the design for the piece. I already knew that we would see eye to eye as she mentioned Colleen Atwood in her pitch who is one of the costume designers I admire the most, and I found that we talked a lot about films she had worked on today! 

Notes:

Victorian was the era that she had initially mentioned, and we agreed that this would work well, with the children being middle to upper class (though nothing too fancy). For colouring we're looking at the young girl in predominantly white, with possible black or coloured touches. She loved the idea for the bow around the waist and we're looking at the green to blue colour spectrum, mirroring some of the original colours of the painting. She wants it relatively plain with small details and loved the idea of the stripy tights. 

The aviary man with be 60+. She wants lots of texture with him so to match the set. Simple with waistcoat. 

Shoes will be seen. For the girl possibly laced boots.

Everything we discussed confirmed all the ideas I had started to envisage. She also showed me a couple pictures of the set which will be great to help envisage the costumes! 

None of the actors have been cast yet. B is meeting with a girl and boy tomorrow and will let me know asap if they are right for the parts. As we are filming in exactly a week I will start looking around without measurements for the basic items and get some fabric samples for colour so not to waste time. Hopefully we will have measurements by Monday. 

Tutorial 3: Girl with a Dove Starting Points

Tutorial with Bunny Winter 19.4.12

Notes:

The complication for this piece is children's clothing. Places to enquire - ArtsEd, Flame Torbay, Hirearchy. Also enquire with local schools with acting departments.
Look at Colleen Atwood. Child in Sweeney Todd. 
Boy should be fairly basic. Shirt, short trousers. 
Girl, use pinafore as a base and add. Belt with a bow as in research images.
Check costume store for smaller clothes that could be used on children. 
Stripey tights for both children to add small detail?
Aviary man should be easy, all items in costume store. 


Reflection:
I'm anxious and excited about this project. I know that finding kid's clothes that work will definitely be a challenge, but it's one I'm happy to accept! I have a meeting with director B Emck at 2pm today so will post again after.
 

Film Research

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Dorian Gray (2009)

  
I wanted to look at some other films set in the Victorian era. Sherlock Holmes and Dorian Gray are some great modern examples and have some fantastic costume. I've focused quite strongly on The Prestige as the opening and closing scene is set in an aviary with a young girl. The feel of this scene is very reminiscent of how I picture The Girl with a Dove. I anticipate we will be using a very different colour palate, though the essence of this scene is what has interested me the most.