Unit 04- Female Charater Body Shapes

Before I had all the style to my character, I have to come up with a good body shape, which will convey beauty as well as sensuality. keeping the stylized factor present. So I decided to research some famous characters that could be related to the body shape I'm looking for.
I found that the one which really portrays what I'm looking for is the character Jessica Rabbit.


The sensuality provoked by her body shape is complete by the design of the face and the clothes she is wearing. Even though, I'm opting for a more discreet character sophistication and charm have to be present.
Another example is Elastic Girl from the film The Incredibles, I would say I really like her body shape with extremely narrow waist and huge hips. I would say is one of the features I want to add to my character, which will be accentuated by the dress that I will use.


After researching , I made up my mind, my female character has to be completely opposite to my beautician, while he is big, rough, but yet pleasant. My female character will be delicate, sophisticated and small. with features like big head, narrow waist and huge hips creating the sensuality. I can say it will be the difference between an elephant and a dove.

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Unit 04 - 50's Fashion

To complete my character style, I had to look over the fashion of that time, and how they could create so sensual, but yet so sophisticated outfits.
The 50's fashion is one of the most reminded to date, as it offer a wide range of accessories for special reasons, keeping the quality in them.

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Unit 04- 1950's Female Icons

After having pretty much my Beautician character ready to go to photoshop and apply some colour, I wanted to go forward with the Female Customer character. Being the sequence set in the 50's and once again to create a more believable space, I decided to research some 50's female icons to complete my research on this time.

I came across with a term, used in cinema, in the 40's and 50's, the femme fatale, the term comes from the French for "deadly woman". A femme fatale tries to achieve her hidden purpose by using feminine wiles such as beauty, charm, and sexual allure. Typically, she is exceptionally well-endowed with these qualities. In some situations, she uses lying or coercion rather than charm. Although, my female won't have anyone to seduce, i found this term useful to help me create the sensuality and charm lived in that time.

Female Icons - 1950's

1950's was a time where women, tried to show how sensual and charming they were without losing sophistication, with a lot of them featuring in films and in music, they were starting to play their part in society.

Marilyn Monroe


One of the most famous women in the world, her face is know almost by anyone, and at that time it conveyed the supreme symbol of charm.

Sophia Loren



Grace Kelly


Ava Gardner


Audrey Hepburn

Brigitte Bardot


Doris Day




For my character, I am looking to create a young 50's woman, bearing a lot of charm and beauty, but also adding a really extravagant haircut which ,as we can see, was fashion at that time.

After researching this , I realized how the term, femme fatale could actually exist with women like this holding the title.

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Unit 04- Script Draft 2

According to Tutor Phil, the dialogue in Act 1, as being just a bit pointless.
So I decided to take it out and add some more dynamic performance, the actions will convey much more than the talking, a case to say that the actions will do the talking.
I had to fill in that gap with something dynamic, so I decided to apply a more theatrical and dramatic performance by the Beautician. It would go like this:

Script:

1st Act:

(Full shot of) Lady customer entering 50's Beauty Parlour. Zoom out to a establishing shot revealing this really cluttered, pastel-coloured site.

Cut To:

(A full shot of) this Middle-aged " Greek- Sculptured" Beautician behind the counter.

As she approaches the counter. ( Medium Shot following the lady to the counter.)

Cut To:

(Medium Shot)The beautician looks at her.

(Following shot) of the Beautician walking towards the Hairdresser's Chair as if he is doing ballet, surrounds it and turns it to face the customer, as if in a act of invitation

Cut To:

(Full shot) of Lady approaching the hairdresser's chair and sits facing the mirror.

Cut To:

(Extreme Close-up of) Beautician's hand turning on a small 1950's radio, which starts to play " In Dreams" by Roy Orbison.

2nd Act :

At the sound of the slow part of the song, first 15 to 20 seconds

(Medium shot of) the beautician gently spreading a salon gown over his customer.

He gentle moves the customer head around measuring her features.

Everything so theatrical.

Cut To:

(Extreme close-up of) Beautician's hand opening the equipment drawer revealing all sorts of tools , from axes and chainsaws to draw knives and wooden mallets.

As the song fastens up, the beautician starts to perform is job.

On the flow of the melody.

Cut To:

(Medium Shot of) Beautician using axe to cut the customer's hair on one side.

Cut To:

(Medium Close-up) from the back of the beautician using a bow saw to comb woman's hair.

Cut To:

(Medium Close-up of) Beautician using chainsaw to file the lady's nails.

All this excitement leads the beautician into a flashback of his past years working as a lumberjack.

Zoom To:

(Extreme Close-up of) Beautician's happy face, leading the shot to the flashback of when he was a lumberjack. showing a transition of features and face expression.

Camera zooms out to:

(Medium shot of) the sad lumberjack trimming a bush with a chainsaw.

Cut To:

(Medium Shot of) the other lumberjacks looking at him oddly and others laughing. (Music stops abruptly)

This happening wakes our beautician/lumberjack up from this sad flashback.

Cut To:

3rd Act:

(Medium Close-up) from Beautician/ Lumberjack's back showing the lady running away from the Beauty Parlour with her hair destroyed.

Cut To:

(Close- up of) the Beautician's face looking confused.

(Fall down shot) revealing what is in his hands. The colonoscope.

(Following shot) to what is connect to, a Colonic irrigation machine.

End.

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Unit 04- Edward Scissorhands Cutting Hair Scene

When writing the Script for the cutting hair part, I remembered the cutting hair scene in the film Edward Scissorhands, and how an amazing score setting the mood of the whole scene. Starting with Edward just measuring the face and then 'attacking' with the scissorhands, the sensuality of the scene, is interrupted with violent entries of violin music.. really communicative.




P.S- to really find the scene I'm talking about, you have to forward the video until minute 8.

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Inspirational Music

I would say, I'm a lot into soundtracks music, although they not contain any lyrics they can be really emotional. I want to share something that is most of the time on while I'm riddling throughout my projects, and it becomes an inspiration sometimes.

It is the soundtrack of the French film Le fabuleux destin d'Amelie Poulain, directed by Jean- Pierre Jeunet. It is a beautiful classical music soundtrack composed by the Composer Yann Tiersen, that to me gives many emotions about childhood and fantasy, hapiness or sadness.
I would like to share to you because it is fabulous. :)

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Unit 04- Script Draft, W/ and W/out Cam Directions

Yesterday, I have started to write my Script, based on actual film scripts that I have been looking at. Although, I was still confused If, I had to apply the cam shots in it or if that was part of the pre-production design. Anyways, I have done one without Cam directions and other with Cam Directions, which will help me to depict my pre-viz ,as I can see every shot in my head, I just have to put it into paper.
All the camera directions were based on the book Directing Shot by Shot by Jeremy Vineyard.

Pre-Viz Script ( No Cam Directions)


Pre-Viz Script (Cam Directions)



Although, the cam directions will help me on my storyboard, later Phil mention to me they are not really important to consist in the Script ( just if is really significant), and that belongs to the visual department or pre-production. Also, they may change if I come accross a new idea.

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