Final Evaluation

Overall I have really enjoyed this project. I found the book of Great Expectations enjoyable and really enjoyed the opportunity to put my own spin on the characters. I loved that we got to learn such a variety of special effect techniques during this project and I enjoyed using these techniques when recreating the Great Expectations characters. I had no option but to have a young model to portray Miss Havisham, I would have preferred someone middle aged as then I could of done a more TV and Film appropriate look, but as my model was young I had to use some theatrical ageing to get my desired effect. I didn't want to go all out and apply heavy wrinkles, so I used a colour only slightly darker and only added wrinkles in the most obvious of places. I am happy with the way this turned out as it definitely aged my models face but not to the point where the look is overly heavy and dramatic. Before creating the look I looked into Miss Havisham's lifestyle and the toll it would have on her appearance. I took this into account when creating my character. I wanted Estella to have very fresh, pretty, Victorian make up, which was opposed by the ugly bruise on her eye. I took time looking into different bruises and working out if I wanted Estella's to be old or new and practising bruising to perfect the tones I wanted to use. I knew that I wanted Estella's hair to be a main focus in the look as late Victorian hairstyles were far more elaborate and pretty. I was happy with how the hair turned out as I found the style hard when practising. It does need polishing but I am pleased I managed to create the correct structure. With both shoots I made sure to practice before hand, giving extra focus on any SFX I had to create to make sure I was confident in the looks I was creating. In our second project on contemporary Gothic Horror, I have loved getting the opportunity to create my own characters for a TV show and the amount of flexibility we had to use our imaginations and artistic licence. I am a fan of the Gothic Horror genre so it was great to learn more about a topic I already loved, and pick from TV Series's I enjoy to introduce my character in. I had already watched AHS, True Blood and the Vampire Diaries, so I knew I wanted to introduce my characters to a show I already loved and understood as it would be easier to imagine how they would fit into the plots. True Blood was the one I had watched most recently and I love the dark, southern themes running through it with links to religion and prejudice, so felt it was perfect to introduce my characters into. I loved continuing to learn about special effects I could use to make my work more original and creative, and researching some techniques out of class. I found some of the techniques challenging at first but have practised a lot more in my own time this project to gain confidence. I made the decision to use the same model for both characters, as I wanted Quentin to be a reflection of Claudia as he is a figment of her imagination, and also for him to have a more feminine look about him as he is so emasculated. I wanted my characters to be original, but still recognisable as True Blood characters, which is why I chose to use the word 'mine' which has a lot of meaning within the show, and I chose to add a blood tear to Claudia's look. I think my favourite thing about this project has to be how flexible the brief has been, I find it easier to think of creative ideas and complete my own research when there is more room for imagination and creativity.