The Make-Up Room: THEATRICAL AGEING

Equipment needed:

-       Foundation palette

-       Concealer palette

-       Supra Colour palette

-       Latex

-       Ben Nye wrinkle stipple

-       Kryolan coloured hairspray

NOTES TO CONSIDER:

-       Always best to create your own imperfections rather than use existing ones -> continuity purposes

-       How old is your character? How much work is needed to make their age correct?

-       Remember to age their neck and anything else that will be in shot

-       D11 concealer = good for ageing

-       Supracolour palette = grease based, good to blend

-       Latex should be tested on the model 2 weeks prior and taken off with warm water

-       Ben Nye Wrinkle Stipple should be applied with a sponge, either underneath or on top of make-up

How to:

-       Apply a base all over the face, including lips, being sure to block out any skin imperfections BUT DO NOT POWDER

-       Use a thin pointy brush to apply the products

-       Get your model to frown/smile/crease their face to see where natural lines and wrinkles will occur

-       In the creases, apply your grease based product (either one of the concealer shades or the supra colours mixed together to make a brown)

-       Blend with your fingers

-       Remember to apply under the eyes as well, though no further than the socket crease

-       Be sure to blend into the hair line

-       Create light and shade -> use 1 or 2 shades lighter and a bigger brush to create more definition between the light and dark, highlighting along the crevises

-       Use coloured hairspray for the eyebrows

-       Spray it into a palette lid and use an eyebrow comb/mascara wand to apply

-       Be sure to go against and through the hairs of the eyebrow

-       Dab a paler colour onto the lips using your finger

-       LATEX = apply this with a sponge

-       Stretch the area of skin you want to apply it to tightly and apply the latex

-       Dry the skin with a medium heat hairdryer

-       When dry, apply more layers -> 2/3 layers applied, scrunch and squeeze the skin to help it wrinkle

EVALUATION: I found that this is an easy yet effective way of giving an aged effect, and that by simply just adding some darker shades to areas of the face I was able to change the face shape completely.

The Hair Studio: FRENCH PLEATS

Equipment needed:

- Hair brush

- Batiste dry shampoo

- Sectioning clips

- Pintail comb

- Curling tongs

- Hair grips

- Geisha grips

How to CREATE A FRENCH PLEAT:

- Begin by brushing the hair and add batiste dry shampoo to sections of the hair to add texture or to take out grease

- Section the front of the hair from ear to ear using your pintail comb and create a middle parting within this section

- Clip the front sections with your sectioning clips

- Using your curling tongs, barrel curl the top layer of the back section of hair and pin into place using hair grips

- TO BARREL CURL -> wrap the ends of the hair around the tongs and roll the tongs under the hair, down towards the head.  Pump the tongs to loosen the hair around the tongs and slide them out from the curl before pinning.  NOTE: pinning the curl helps it to set properly before the hair cools.

- Curl the hair in a brick formation -> place a curl inbetween the breaks of two curls

-      - Start working from the side, barrel curling the hair backwards/sideways onto the head and then repeat this on the other side

- Then curl the front sections of hair back onto the other curls

- Take both of the side sections of curls out and brush them using your hair brush

- Then backcomb the side sections of the hair, starting at the middle of the hair and backcombing towards the scalp, holding the hair in the direction that you want it

- Brush out the backcomb lightly and pull one of the side sections of hair around the head and pin using hair grips, crossing the over to make anchors

- Take the other side of hair and bring it across the head, rolling the hair around your fingers and pinning using geisha grips into the crossed hair grips, creating a roll

- Ensure that all ends are tucked into the roll

- Take out the curls of the first layer of barrel curls that you created and backcomb in the direction of the hair

 - Lightly brush out the backcomb and curl the ends of hair around your fingers - following the other roll round and pushing the ends inside the roll using geisha grips

- Take one of the front sections out of the curls and backcomb to the roots

- Brush out the backcomb and bring the hair around the shape of the roll

- On the other side, backcomb the section, brush it out

- Bring it round the side and tuck the ends of the hair into the existing roll and pin it

EVALUATION: I found creating a French pleat difficult.  Curling the hair was fine, however when it came to actually creating the shape of the French pleat I struggled.  I found it hard to keep the roll tight when I started to pin it into place.

'Havisham' by Carol Ann Duffy

When I was told that we would be creating a Miss Havisham period look, I remembered a poem that I had studied for my GCSE's.  The poem is called Havisham and was written by Carol Ann Duffy in 1993.  I like this poem because it has been Duffy has written it very cleverly, with her use of metaphors and the stuttering effect at the end of the poem, making it sound as though the character is about to start crying.  I also like how Duffy has written the poem as if she is Miss Havisham and is experiencing her pain.  This is quite different to a lot of other things I have found about Miss Havisham, as many of them describe her rather than put themselves in her position and describe how she might have felt.

The poem is shown below:

Beloved sweetheart bastard. Not a day since then 

I haven’t wished him dead. Prayed for it
so hard I’ve dark green pebbles for eyes,
ropes on the back of my hands I could strangle with.

Spinster. I stink and remember. Whole days

in bed cawing Nooooo at the wall; the dress

yellowing, trembling if I open the wardrobe;

the slewed mirror, full-length, her, myself, who did this

to me? Puce curses that are sounds not words.

Some nights better, the lost body over me,

my fluent tongue in its mouth in its ear

then down till I suddenly bite awake. Love’s 

hate behind a white veil; a red balloon bursting
in my face. Bang. I stabbed at a wedding-cake.

Give me a male corpse for a long slow honeymoon.
Don’t think it’s only the heart that b-b-b-breaks.

References:

http://www.thegrid.org.uk/learning/english/ks3-4-5/ks4/prose/documents/HavishambyCarolAnnDuffy.doc

Miss Havisham

Miss Havisham is a significant character in Charles Dickens' novel of Great Expectations.  She is a wealthy, eccentric old woman who lives in Satis House.  She is portrayed as manic and seen as insane because she moves around her house in an old wedding dress, having kept a decaying feast on her table.

Miss Havisham's life is defined by her being jilted by Compeyson on their wedding day.  From then onwards, she is intent on never moving on from her heartbreak.  She stops all the clocks in her house to moment when she found out that Compeyson was gone; twenty minutes to nine.  Miss Havisham adopts Estella and raises her as her 'weapon' in order to achieve her revenge on men.  She brings Estella up to have no heart and teaches her not to love.  She is unaware that her actions are destructive to Pip and Estella's relationship.

In a lot of film versions of the book, Miss Havisham is portrayed as a very elderly woman, whereas Dickens himself notes that she is only middle aged.  It is indicated that her cooped up lifestyle away from daylight and the sun has aged her more than necessary, and Dickens does describe her as looking like 'the witch of the place'.

Sketch of Miss Havisham and Pip
Available: http://fluffernutter.co.uk/?paged=2. Last accessed 21st Jan 2014.

References:
- Unknown. (2012). Great Expectations Character List. Available: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/greatex/characters.html. Last accessed 21st Jan 2014.
- Unknown. (2012). Great Expectations Analysis of Major Characters.Available: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/greatex/canalysis.html. Last accessed 21st Jan 2014.
- Unknown. (2014). Miss Havisham. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Havisham. Last accessed 21st Jan 2014.

The Victorians

The Victorian era lasted between 1837 and 1901.  During this time, Britain was the world's most powerful nation, which was able to maintain world order which rarely threatened Britain's wider strategic interests.  The Victorians believed in peace and that it was a necessary condition of long term prosperity.  During the Victorian era, Gothic Revival architecture became increasingly significant.  Gothic Revival styled buildings have some very identifiable features.  These include pointed arches as a decorative element or window shape, front facing gables with a decorative incised trim, decorative crowns over windows and doors, and castle-like towers with parapets.

Victorian Corset
Available: http://www.delilahscollection.com/aboutcorsets.htm.
Last accessed 19th Jan 2014.

Fashion during the Victorian era was mainly based around corsets for women.  During the 1830s, corsets were thought of as a medical necessity, as they believed that women were fragile and needed assistance to be held up.  However instead of helping women, the corsets actually deformed the internal organs, making it impossible to draw deep breaths, when both in and out of a corset.  This caused women to constantly faint.  It was believed that women should wear heavily reinforced layers of clothing and tight corsets so that undressing was a long and difficult task.  This was supposed to act as protection from lustful men.  Working class women, however, would not wear tight corsets unless it was a special occasion.  They wore looser corsets and simpler clothes with less weight, making it easier for them to work still.

During the Victorian era women wanted to appear fragile because it emphasised their femininity - they wanted to look pale and interesting.  To induce this, they would drink vinegar and avoid fresh air, as people who spent long periods of time outdoors had darker skin.  People with darker skin were generally the working class because they spent the majority of their time outdoors working.  Sometimes women would add slight rouge to their cheeks, but make-up was not seen as very good, especially during the 1870s, when social etiquette was more rigid.  The only females who were allowed to wear make-up and it be acceptable were actresses.  Even then, their cosmetic products would have been homemade from kitchen colouring, such as berries.

A woman's hair was the most valued thing on them.  They rarely cut it, and if they did it would only be because of illness.  Victorian hairstyles for women were very complicated and a woman's hair was very thick and long.  Their hair was often pinned up and only in informal occasions would they wear it loose around their shoulders.  Below are some examples of Victorian hairstyles, and to see more have a look at my pinterest account: http://www.pinterest.com/elliesimons94/victorian-women/

Available: http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/0c
/01/ba/0c01ba14879c95a151a9c21091a63ff6.jpg.
Last accessed 19th Jan 2014.

Available: http://www.gdfalksen.com/post/
51183094054utm_source=feedly.
Last accessed 19th Jan 2014.

References:
- Evans, E. (2011). Overview: Victorian Britain, 1837 - 1901. Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/overview_victorians_01.shtml. Last accessed 23rd March 2014.
- Unknown. (2014). Victorian Era. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_era#Culture. Last accessed 23rd March 2014.
- Unknown. (n.d). Gothic Revival Style 1830 - 1860. Available: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/mid-19th_century_period/2386/gothic_revival_style/293443. Last accessed 23rd March 2014.
- Unknown. (2011). History of the Victorian Corset/Fashion. Available: http://victorianeracnr.blogspot.co.uk. Last accessed 23rd March 2014.

Gothic Imagery

St. Paul Cathedral in Calcutta
Barua, N. (2011). Available: http://adayinlife.timesofindia.com/photoDisplay.php?photoId=109255. Last accessed: 19th Feb 2014.

I think that the building in this image looks quite gothic, because it is very pointy, tall and it is a cathedral/church building.  I think that church buildings have quite an eery and gothic feel to them, and they often feature as a part of a scary film or music video.  The above building is very tall and grand, and it is what I would have imagined Satis House to look like, only not as well maintained and the walls not so bright.

Victorian Painting of London Bridge
Atkinson Grimshaw, J. (1836-93). Available: http://www.period-art.com/Victorian-Paintings(1401033).htm. Last accessed 19th Feb 2014.

This painting by John Atkinson Grimshaw looks quite gothic and eery, as the colour palette that has been used is very dull and gloomy.  The painting looks like it was trying to capture London Bridge in the evening, and the thin clouds  shown in the sky surround the moon, which looks full in this painting, making it all the more eery.  This image also reminds me of the scene in the 2012 film version of Great Expectations when Pip and Herbert Pocket try to help Magwitch escape.

Unkown. (2011). Available: http://gothicdivinemagazine.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/gothic-photography.html. Last accessed 19th Feb 2014.

This is a classic form of gothic imagery, with the lonely girl walking through an abandoned wood.  The photographer has also produced the image so that the trees and figure are blocked out to make silhouette shapes, rather than showing detail within their forms.  The fact that the photo is in black and white makes it more gothic as well.

Gothic Elements of the Novel

Great Expectations holds many gothic elements within the story.  These being included in the setting of the novel, the characters involved, and characteristics of the storyline in general.  I have selected five elements of the story that fit with my understanding of it so far.

SUFFERING

I believe that suffering is a key element to the text.  This is because Pip and his family are living in poverty, as many others did during the Victorian era.  They are what would have been considered a poor family, and don't have the funds to afford expensive clothing like the wealthier characters, such as Miss Havisham or Jaggers.  Other examples of characters that suffer are Miss Havisham, who suffers from heartache, and I think Estella suffers to an extent.  Although she has a very wealthy lifestyle, Miss Havisham has almost destroyed her in her up bring, teaching her that love is a destroyer of people, leaving Estella cold hearted and unable to love.

DEPRESSION

I think that this is another key element.  Although quite similar to the idea of suffering, depression is definitely also featured within Great Expectations.  The idea of depression only surrounds a few of the characters, but I think that the key example is Miss Havisham.  This is because she is a woman who has been jilted at the alter and she has never quite got over that heartbreak and the constant heartache that she still feels.

MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE

This is another key element, as there are plenty of twists and turns that aren't quite expected in the novel.  For example, when Magwitch is first introduced at the beginning of the book, I didn't think much of the character, just that he was maybe there as an extra part to the story.  However he comes back into the story later on and is linked to Pip's fortune, as well as the scam with Miss Havisham, amongst other things.  I think that Magwitch is central to the main twist that causes suspense in the book.  This being that he is actually father to Estella, as well as Molly being her mother.

UNREQUITED LOVE

Unrequited love is a characteristic that surrounds Pip and Estella's relationship from the beginning.  I think that Pip is in awe of Estella from the moment that they meet, but he is intimidated by her attitude and her beauty.  Pip's love for Estella grows throughout the novel, although his love is not returned by her until the very end of the book.

FAIRYTALE CHARACTERISTICS

I think that although this isn't an obvious element to the novel, there are definitely some fairytale characteristics within Great Expectations.  For instance, Mrs Joe (Pip's older sister who 'brought him up by hand' after their parents died) is a prime example, with the 'cruel stepsister' motif'.   This is because she is not the kindest of people to Pip, or her husband Joe Gargery, as she is always telling him off and telling him that he's up to no good or that he has no respect for his elders.  Another example is Miss Havisham.  I believe that she is another example, although not an obvious one, because she tries to stop Estella from having any strong feelings so that she doesn't get heartbroken as she did, but in doing so she moulds her into a heartless monster.  I think that this fits the idea of a 'cruel stepmother motif' that you see in fairytales, as she has affected Estella's love life and got in the way of her blossoming feelings for Pip, even though she didn't really mean to.

What the Dickens?!

To begin my new 'Gothic Horror' hair and make-up project at Southampton Solent University, we were asked to read Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.  Before the start of this project I had never read the novel before, and so far I am about half way through the book.  I have seen two different remakes of the Dickens novel, these being the television BBC version (starring Gillian Anderson and Ray Winstone) and the 2012 film version (starring Helena Bonham Carter and Robbie Coltrane).  I found both of these interpretations very interesting, especially the way in which Miss Havisham was portrayed by the two different actresses.

Gillian Anderson as Miss Havisham

In the BBC version, Gillian Anderson was made up to look very ghost like and pale, with dark grey circles around her eyes and her lips chapped.  Her hair looked well kept, though disheveled, with tight ringlet curls framing her face and the rest of it pulled back into a bun like shape.  Her dress is a floor length, white wedding dress, that falls straight down to her ankles.  Also, she doesn't wear any shoes around her house.

However in the 2012 film version of Great Expectations, Miss Havisham was created in quite a different way.  In this remake, Helena Bonham Carter was made up to look very old and more like an old widow who was close to her death bed.  The make-up applied on Helena Bonham Carter was a lot more theatrical compared to that applied on Gillian Anderson, with really dark circles around her eyes and her skin being made to look grey and dusty.  Her hair was made to be very big, quite frizzy and untamed.  This, combined with the make-up that had been designed, made her appear like a crazy old lady.  The dress is a floor length, dusty wedding dress that has quite a puffy skirt and bigger sleeves.

Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham

I feel that Gillian Anderson portrayed Miss Havisham in an unstable way, acting very distant and speaking with a smooth, high pitched voice that made you feel slightly uneasy.  Whereas Helena Bonham Carter portrayed Miss Havisham in a much more theatrical way, acting quite over the top and as though she had a screw loose.  I think that Miss Havisham in the BBC television version seems a lot younger than the Miss Havisham in the 2012 film version.  This is interesting, because the book portrays her through the eyes of Pip, who sees her as a mad old spinster, which is similar to how Helena Bonham Carter portrays her.  Furthermore, during the Victorian era people didn't have great life expectancies, so what might have seemed elderly to Pip probably wasn't that old compared to what we perceive as old today.  I think that Gillian Anderson's portrayal of Miss Havisham fits more with this idea, as she is not portrayed in that version as an old spinster, as Pip would have seen her, but as other Victorians would have perceived her.

When watching the different remakes, I found it interesting to see how Miss Havisham had been portrayed in such different ways.  The first adaptation that I saw was the 2012 film with Helena Bonham Carter.  I found that she portrayed the character more in the way that Pip would see her and the way in which the book portrays her.  When I then watched the rendition with Gillian Anderson, I was quite surprised at how she portrayed the character of Miss Havisham.  This was because I had expected her to have the same characteristics as the Miss Havisham in the book and the film.  However since having thought about the ideas behind the way in which Gillian Anderson portrayed the character, I feel that it was done very cleverly, as it gives us a different perception of Miss Havisham.  This is because in the BBC version, we see Miss Havisham in a way that she would have been seen by other Victorians, rather than just seeing her through the eyes of Pip again.

References:

- Nikkhah, R. (2012). Helena Bonham Carter plays Miss Havisham in new Great Expectations film. Available: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/9622620/Helena-Bonham-Carter-plays-Miss-Havisham-in-new-Great-Expectations-film.html. Last accessed 27th Jan 2014.

- Buckland, L. (2011). What the Dickens? Critics in uproar as BBC alters ending of literary classic. Available: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2075956/BBC-alters-endings-Charles-Dickenss-greatest-works.html. Last accessed 27th Jan 2014.