The importance of Continuity in TV and Film

As a Make up Artist, continuity is extremely important. You will be required to work to a project brief to create a look that has been approved and expected to be able to re create this look identically every time. Wether this is on a film set, TV set or doing a catwalk show it is crucial that a make up artist has the ability to create an identical look regardless of weather conditions, different locations or different times. This is particularly important when working in TV and Film as a Characters make up must remain uniform throughout the film, even if the scenes are shot weeks apart in real life. A script supervisor keeps track of the exact look for each character that has been created and any alterations are taken down. They are in charge of keeping track of the props and details that ensure continuity between scenes. There is usually a Make up Supervisor on set, who usually won't do any make up themselves. Instead they are in charge of overseeing the Make up supervisor responding to the needs of the make up artists, logging details of the make up for continuity purposes and organising and scheduling the Make up Artists that are on set. The Make up supervisor is the connection between the Hair and Make up departments and the rest of the cast and crew, that make sure they are communicating efficiently and everything is running smoothly.

Film Making: The Filmmakers Guide to Continuity (no date) Available at: http://nicklongfilmmaking.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/the-filmmakers-guide-to-continuity.html (Accessed: 5 May 2015)

Film crew (2015) in Wikipedia. Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_crew#Continuity (Accessed: 5 May 2015)

Best movie mistake pictures of all time (no date) Available at: http://www.moviemistakes.com/best/pictures (Accessed: 5 May 2015)

Mahadani, B. (2014) ‘What Is Film Continuity? Top 5 Mistakes Of Film Continuity’,

Gothic Photography

Here is the Gothic Themed photographs I took at a local church. The slanted angle and black and white effect help to create an eerie feel, with the leafless trees blowing in the foreground. I like the fact the picture is taken over the wall as it gives an onlookers approach, as if they are afraid to go in so are viewing the church from a far.

Research on the Gothic Horror Genre *

When we were first introduced to the topic of Gothic Horror and the Victorian Era, it seemed a strange time for such dark literature to be so popular. The Victorians took huge steps industrially, but in many ways this era was much more reserved than in previous years. Britian was very much governed by a strict class system, with only a small number being considered 'upper class'. It was a time of great gender inequality, while in the lives of Men a lot was changing due to economic changes, Women were still very much housewives serving the same role they had for years. The rules on fashion were possibly stricter than in previous era's as more of the body was covered by layers of heavy clothing and Women were supposed to refrain from wearing make up and being sexual as it was frowned upon in the eyes of God.

The word Gothic originated from the slightly eerie look of Gothic Architecture such as Westminster Abbey, as most Gothic Horror novels dealt with dark themes and so their natural settings were in buildings such as Churches, Monasteries, Abbeys and Castles

The Gothic genre started in the 18th century and followed through into the 19th, with novels such as Frankenstein, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and in the late Victorian period - Dracula. I did some further research into the time and found that it was in this time that being a Scientist became a respected profession, and drastic Scientific progress was made. In 1859 Charles Darwin released his novel 'Origins of a Species' telling his theories of evolution, which caused huge controversy and led to much discussion of the battle of science vs religion.

Most people use literature as a way of escaping, and reading transports them into a world more interesting than their own. I feel for the Victorians, this is exactly why they enjoyed the Gothic Genre so much. Novels such as Frankenstein link in with the Scientific discoveries that were being made, but really pushed the boundaries on what people had previously believed to be possible. Although this era was very forward thinking in the development of machinery and science, socially people were still very stuck in their ways which could of lead to a feeling of boredom.

Old Hag Make up

This is an ageing tutorial I found on line that I thought could be helpful for me creating Miss Havisham. Obviously this is a more Theatre appropriate look at the make up is unrealistic and is very heavy, but it contains some useful tips and tricks for example how to create warts and texture on the skin, and the placement of wrinkles. I like the use of the prosthetic chin, it really compliments the make up by drastically changing the face shape and it is something I will consider if I go for a look suitable for theatre.

Miss Havisham Hair Charts

This first look is very Georgian inspired, the period in which Miss Havisham would have been jilted. i have taken a classic style, but obviously, where the she would have been inside for years it would be very messy so i have included long tendrils falling out of place. 

For this next look I wanted Miss Havisham to seem very old and frail, with white balding hair. The hair would still have flowers left over from her wedding, whoch have died. To create this i would use a bald cap and pull out tufts of hair

This is my final miss havisham look. I hae created a early victorian style, but this is miss havisham towards the end of the book. For this reason her hair is very very messy with lots of backcombing and peices faling down from the plaited bun. 

Miss Havisham Face Charts *

 For my first Miss Havisham design I wanted to create a theatrical look. This look would be suitable for the theatre or where the make up will be viewed from far away. The look features deep false wrinkles, age spots and dark heavy brows that would be easy to see from far away.

This next look is the most subtle of the three which focuses on skin tone and texture to show how tired and run down Miss Havisham is. I have focused on the redness around the nose, heavy contour to create a sunken look and the flakiness of the lips.

This is the look I used for my final design as it incorporates my favourite elements from the previous two. I have used the countering and redness from the second look, and the redness around the eyes. I have added some ageing elements from the first look such as some subtle wrinkle lines, and a mole.

Death Masks *

Another way the Victorians remembered their dead was by creating Death Masks. These masks were a clay mould of the deceast's face. A particularly famous example of a Death Mask is the face of a woman who was pulled out of the river Seine in the 1880's. Her face is now used as the face of a First Aid CPR training doll.

I unfortunately missed the lesson in which we were shown how to create death masks, but I asked a friend how she achieved hers and gave it a go.

I sat in my corner window, so more light shone on my face from one side. Using a dark grey powder eyeshadow I shadowed the spaces that were naturally darker such my right eye, and around my right nostril area.