Live Model Concept

1940's Wartime

The brief for our live model in the exhibition was to chose an era and create a concept inspired by this time period. Straight away the idea of wartime Britain popped into my head.

TV & Film being the genre of work I want to go into, I felt that creating a British wartime scene within my piece would be a great way to showcase my skills as an employable TV make-up artist. I've always had a love for modern British history, and took a keen interest in World War 2 stories, with my grandad being a soldier in the war he had millions of stories to tell about his days in the army. So as this is something I'm passionate about, it makes it really exciting for me to research and play around with ideas for. (Above image reference 1)

(Image Left, reference 2 & 3).
After the outbreak of war in 1939, Britain had to significantly increase its' army size in order to fight the larger armies they were against. In the October the British Government declared that all men between the ages of 18 and 41 who were not needed professions (such as doctors, farmers, scientists) would by law have to enlist in the army and be called up when required (reference 4). This meant that a huge proportion of the men during this era were soldiers, and so the basis of my era inspired piece. The war was such a huge part of not only the 1940's but of modern history - and so creating a look which depicts the soldiers and the war would be a smart decision for me.

War Injuries

I began to look at war injuries as the basis of my concept. I wanted to portray something different and with a gruesome twist; but also historically and medically accurate. As World War 1 and 2 were fought using similar weapons and in similar ways I also extended my research to WW1 injuries as a point of inspiration. (Warning I have included some images of injuries which may be a bit squeamish!)

• Mustard gas:

Mustard Gas is a chemical agent widely used in World War 1, and was refined for use in World War 2 to create worsened effects. When a soldier came into contact with mustard gas through artillery shells, the skin broke out into severe blisters and burns - which can cause long term dis-figuration, blindness and scarring (reference 5).

The image on the right is of a soldier who had experienced a severe mustard gas attack, and the scarring it left him with (reference 6).

• Trench Fever: 

Trench Fever was a condition caused by bad conditions in the trenches. Small lice would carry illness which would spread between soldiers and cause flu like symptoms, with blisters and sores all over the soldiers' bodies (reference 7).

• Gunshot Wounds

Gunshot wounds were the most common wound you would find on a battlefield. The invention of the machine gun in World War 1 meant that a soldier could experience a number of bullet wounds in rapid progression (Reference 8). This was usually used by the opposition when British soldiers would go 'over the top' of their trenches in order to conquer land and get closer to the German trenches for attack. Many soldiers needed limbs amputated as a result of gunshot wounds dependent on the severity. (Image right, reference 9)

• Artillery Shell Wounds

An artillery shell is a projectile/small missile which contains explosives, as opposed to a shot. These were widely used in World War 2, and according to an online source were the most common cause for the loss of an arm or leg (reference 10). Artillery shells come in many forms, but the most common is a shrapnel shell. When fired from a rifle, it is a single large bullet which opens to reveal many bullets inside it. This meant it would create a huge wound on the soldier - enough to take off a limb or fatally injure. The image on the left (reference 11) shows some of the larger artillery shells which were dropped by fighter plane onto German territory.

References:

1.         Keys, V. (2015). What was British life like in 1939?. [online] Telegraph.co.uk. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/lifestyle/family-history/11955017/wartime-britain.html [Accessed 20 Feb. 2017].
2.        Beevor, A. (2014). WW2: Britain's leading war historian tackles the greatest myths. [online] Mail Online. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/event/article-2656189/WW2-The-British-Tommy-fight-frequent-cuppa-breaks-SS-sadistic-fanatics-True-false-Britains-leading-war-historian-tackles-greatest-myths-WW2.html [Accessed 21 Feb. 2017].
3.        World War 2 | Second World War | British History. (n.d.). [online] British-history.co.uk. Available at: http://www.british-history.co.uk/ww2-index.html [Accessed 21 Feb. 2017].
4.        Tillman, B. (2014). World War Two - Conscription - History on the Net. [online] History on the Net. Available at: http://www.historyonthenet.com/world-war-two-conscription/ [Accessed 21 Feb. 2017].
5.        Palermo, E. (2013). What Is Mustard Gas? | Sulfur Mustard. [online] Live Science. Available at: http://www.livescience.com/39248-what-is-mustard-gas.html [Accessed 21 Feb. 2017].
6.       Carlton Ware World: Tribute to WW1 - Part 1 - The Military. (2014). [online] Carltonwareworld.com. Available at: http://www.carltonwareworld.com/ww1_part_1.htm [Accessed 21 Feb. 2017].
7.        BBC Schools. (n.d.). Illness and Medicine. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/0/ww1/25403864 (Accessed: 21 February 2017).
8.       Anderson, J. (2014) Wounding in world war One. Available at: https://www.bl.uk/world-war-one/articles/wounding-in-world-war-one (Accessed: 21 February 2017).
9.       Men of the Wehrmacht: German soldiers: Color images (no date) Available at: https://incredibleimages4u.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/men-of-wehrmacht-german-soldiers-color.html (Accessed: 22 February 2017).
10.   Loss of limb (2016) Available at: https://medicsinww1.wordpress.com/loss-of-limb-2/ (Accessed: 22 February 2017).
11.   Ritchie, A. (2014) Easter eggs for Hitler, 1945. Available at: http://rarehistoricalphotos.com/easter-eggs-hitler-1945/ (Accessed: 22 February 2017).

Birthday Photoshoot Concept

The Virgo

To start my research into my birthday photo shoot concept I began by looking at my star sign; Virgo. As my birthday is 23rd September I'm on the cusp of horoscopes, with some sources saying I am a Libra and some saying I'm Virgo. When looking into it further and researching the traits and tendencies of each, I concluded that Virgo is more representative of my personality and is the one I wanted to base my piece on.

Images 1, 2, 3 

When looking at the traits of a Virgo I discovered that unlike other star signs it is not represented by an animal. Instead the representation of the Virgo is the angelic virgin (as in images 1 and 2). Instantly this was something I felt I could connect with really interestingly on an artistic level. The notion of an angelic creature is something which has been portrayed so many times in all types of media and I wanted to take that and create an obscure or unusual concept of what 'the virgin' or angel is. As in image 2 above, I wanted to show a darker and more sinister side and put a twist on the notion of a character we think we know.

As TV and Film is the aspect of make-up which I want to go into after my degree, I feel it is really important for me to see this make-up as a character concept and creation. I believe this will allow me to become accustomed to the demands of being a Make-Up artist on set with the expectation of me making a character come to life.

I want every aspect of this character to be governed by traits and features of the Virgo, and allow that to dictate the direction in which my character takes. As I wanted to create more of a sinister character I decided to look at some of the less endearing traits of the star sign and allow that to guide me (reference 4).

• Critical 
• Fussy
• Hard to Please
• Straight Talking
• Judgemental 
• Cold-hearted 
• Prudish
• Vain

To add to this lovely list I also began further reading about Virgos being the most likely star sign to be hypochondriacs (reference 5). Although probably not the most scientific read of my life, it is something which rings true for myself as a Virgo and many others I know who share the sign. This is an element which could be almost humorous within certain contexts, so I want to include this but give it an evil twist in keeping with my theme.

The Initial Idea:

My Virgin character is a mythical creature within old legend, which is told to teens in an effort to prohibit their promiscuity. Cold-hearted and prude, she is a hypochondriac who constantly worries about her health and her beauty suffering as a result of it. She believes that the only way to keep her health and youth is to steal and devour the souls of those she believes to be 'impure' and not in alignment with her prudish beliefs. This is her way of ridding the world of 'evil' - and so a paradox is created - the evil woman who believes her work is bringing good to the world (very symbolic of many characters within today's society). This is the character which I have built in my head whilst researching the star sign, which I aim to develop. This concept may begin to alter as I continue my research and I delve deeper into the traits of a Virgo.

References:

1.      1.  Miarczynska, A. (n.d.). ‘"THE VIRGO" - Playing with Wings - Protective Angel for Zodiac Sign’ by Anna Miarczynska. [online] Redbubble. Available at: https://www.redbubble.com/people/annahannahart/works/10458948-the-virgo-playing-with-wings-protective-angel-for-zodiac-sign [Accessed 19 Feb. 2017].

2.       2. Virgo. (2014). [online] Orion35.deviantart.com. Available at: http://orion35.deviantart.com/art/Virgo-490121301 [Accessed 19 Feb. 2017].

3.     3.   Astrological Signs and Meanings. (n.d.). [online] Pinterest. Available at: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/364299057334452511/ [Accessed 19 Feb. 2017].

4.     4.   Virgo Sun Sign - Virgo Qualities and Characteristics - Ganeshaspeaks.com. (n.d.). [online] Ganeshaspeaks.com. Available at: http://www.ganeshaspeaks.com/virgo/virgo-traits.action [Accessed 19 Feb. 2017].

5.      5.  Fox, K. (n.d.). The Ugly Truth About Virgo by Kelli Fox, the Astrologer. [online] The Astrologer by Kelli Fox. Available at: http://new.theastrologer.com/fun/ugly-truth-virgo/ [Accessed 19 Feb. 2017].

Showcase Fundraiser: AMERICAN FRAT PARTY 01/02/17

As part of our fundraising attempts for showcase, I decided to host an American themed 'Frat Party' night at the University of Salford's Student Union. This took place on Wednesday 1st February 2017, with over 150 people in attendance!

As the event was American themed we invited all of our guests to come in American fancy dress, or wear their favourite stars and stripes themed get-up. I had liaised with the Student Union events management team in order to create the most fun filled (and alcohol fuelled) night for our guests, to raise money for our showcase. I decided to offer the following things to make it appealing for students to attend:

• DJ playing club hits into the early hours
• Raffle with some boozey and foodie prizes for skint/hungry students 
• Beer Pong Tournaments for the societies to get involved in 
• Prize for the best fancy dress costume 
• Free entry to Fifth nightclub afterwards for anyone who had attended my event - as agreed with Fifth management

I felt that a combination of all these things would make it appealing for students, and for only £2 entry on the door, it made it really worth their money.

To begin to market the night I created a Facebook event which I invited everyone from the University I know, and tasked everyone in the class with inviting a minimum of 3 guests each. This was a really great way to spread the word as Facebook is a really popular form of communication amongst University students and so became known about really quickly as people invited their friends and course mates. 

To spark interest further I would post on the Facebook page regularly with countdowns to the event and lists of what drinks deals and offers to look forward to at the event. This got people involved and encouraged people to click attending who were previously unsure. Creating this excitement around the event really helped to boost the amount of guests, as people didn't want to miss out!

Myself and Jen created a poster for the event on Wordpress to advertise the night which we shared on Facebook and on the student noticeboards. The Salford SU also added this onto their Facebook page and website to further promote the night. 

If we were to do this again I think it would be a good idea to have posters printed and handed out to students in the union so we are not totally reliant upon social media.

On the day of the event I arrived at the venue to begin setting the room up. With help from some first years I covered it with American flags, buntings, and posters. This really helped to transform the venue and make it a true American Night!

On the night of the event I had made a rota of 'work' for people in the class, we would take it in turns in pairs to take money on the door and go round selling raffle tickets inside. I felt that this was the fairest way to make sure everyone was able to enjoy the night but still contribute. 

Things which I found difficult were keeping up communication with everyone - for example who had the raffle books, where the prizes had been stored, who was next on the door. But I feel that on the night I worked hard to keep everything organised and running smoothly.

The night was a huge success and we managed to raise £381 towards our showcase funds. Lots of people got really involved and dressed up which added to the fun of the night. I feel that it was beneficial to have the theme whereby societies and sports teams could come down together in group fancy dress, and play beer pong for a sporty competitive edge. 
Take a look at some of the photos from the night and see for yourself. 

Here's to the next one!

Photo credits: Scarlett Meredith, Richard Totton, Mia Clayforth, Phoebe Cowell, Katie Price, Jess Lancashire