Specialist Practice

Notes:

Promote an ideal lifestyle

Semiotics, the study of signs, what they mean and what visual messages they convey

Can be interpreted differently, culturally and globally – HSBC advert

Understanding of visual text, every picture tells a story

Ferdinand de Saussure – gave semiotics it name, (on MyAUB)

Dior ad, angelic, white light, gold, dressed in jewels – colour connotation of gold with rich, luxurious, power. Her clothes mimic the bottle, the ringed necklace, she is the perfume.

L’Enfant (1986) Spencer Rowell – man and baby
Two attractive elements in human nature, human desire to procreate.

Vogue 2011 Tom ford beauty, 3 page spread,
Image 1  sex and health helps to sell, alpha male, masculine. Focus Is her, making her more powerful, she’s controlling his hand, as if to reject. Attention is drawn to her lip colour, green eyes, envious colour (jealousy). Nails match lips

Image 2 Colours change to plumb tones, he’s below her, she’s more powerful, hands have swapped roles, he’s stopping her from touching his face. Vamp-like look. Some sort of transformation from previous image. Does this makeup allow you to change form and identity. Idea of metamorphosis.

Image 3 glossy long nails holding gold cased lipstick.

Mark Tungate – looks at these ideas (in handbook)

Illamasqua aimed at the younger generation who may be starting out, they will start there and possibly be loyal customers. Money making tactics, when seasons change, new ranges.

 

Semiotics of characters: how do you know who’s the bad guy?
                How many female leads are unattractive?

Bridget Jones, Krystian Mallett-  making her pregnant stomach, foam and silicone skin.

 

 

Thoughts

 

From this session, I have learnt to look at my character from an outsiders point of view, and to think about how they may be percieved.

As I want my makeup to reflect a sinister, beastly human hybrid, I wanted to make her dog-like appearance weird and creepy. I think my idea owuld successfully make the viewer qustion what it is, as I plan for her to look partly transformed, like a human undergoing a painful transformation. The skin tone should be unsettling as she will look cold and of strange texture. I also think that keeping her skin hairless is an interesting way to play with the viewer, as they are then unable to pinpoint what she is becoming. 

 

Referring to Morawetz, within his book he discusses many ideas of transformation of image. This encouraged me to suggest what elements of my character determine whether she is scary or not. In relation to this, I feel that the teeth, claws and idea of using yellow eyes is scary in itself. The teeth are supposed to look uncimfortable as they are breaking through her face on top of her existing mouth and teeth. The claws are something we already relate to wiches, animals and creatures who require them to survive. The length, thickness and the dirty colour of the nails are quite grotesque as they look uncomfortable. To put a finishing touch to my makeup, I wanted to use yellow contacts, or edit in yellow eyes to make a subtle but powerful statement that she's losing her humanity. Yellow, associated with fire could give a hellish look and a definite sinister look to my character. Also I hope to shrink her one pupil, to give a first impression that she is an unapproachable and possibly dangerous beast. As she is unidentified, I think leaving her without a label is intersting to give the viewer the option to sum up their own opinion. The pin-head pupil should make her uncomfortable to be looked at.