- There were 3,346 drug poisoning deaths registered in England and Wales in 2014, the highest since comparable records began in 1993
- Of these, 2,248 (or 67%) were drug misuse deaths involving illegal drugs
The bedroom series of images is based on a suicide by a drug overdose, the character is a 'party girl' this is conveyed through all elements of makeup, hair, styling and the misc en scene. The character will look as though they have just come back from a night out and are at an after party. The concept behind this photoshoot is to communicate that even glamorous people who appear to be having an incredible time partying have their dark moments and it can sometimes be a caution or a cry for help that they are having a bad time, although it may seem that partying and taking drugs is a form of escapism when all the people leave the party and the serotonin levels fade, the person is left in darkness.
A drug overdose is extremely relevant in the uk as it is extremely accessible making it easier for some to turn to the substances rather than to seek help.
Drug Addicts in the media & in fashion. Industry. Reflection on research.
https://youtu.be/Gg3G6smr7M0
https://youtu.be/qLgrTk7Gr38
(https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/513551163739732007/)
Within fashion in the 90's Heroin chic was a huge trend, the trend portrayed a glamourised look of a drug addict. The trend came about due to the influx of Heroin in the uk as the price decreased making the drug more accessible than ever. The makeup look has derived from the heroin chic of the 90's the heroin and other high class drugs can be symbolic for being 'obsessed', the look demonstrates the power that a substance can have over a person ultimately making the character powerless.An exploration of sexual desire with drugs.
An idea I want to explore is, do some have a sexual relationship with drugs? When researching the effects of drugs I came across interesting forums of which where those who have taken heroin have described the sensation as a lucid, beyond euphoric experience "no one should feel that good", "Take the best orgasm you’ve ever had multiply it by a billion "(http://highexistence.com/topic/heroin-effect-feel-like-total-body-orgasm/) it is fascinating to compare the feeling of a high to sex, simply sex posses the power to cause and addiction, power and also has the authority to be powerless and a victim to the feeling.Not only when reading about the effects of the substances but when analysing images the users look as though something euphoric has entered the body and is possessing them. I need to display this within my images by posing and facial expression.Setting, styling and inspiration. Reflection on research.
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In the proposal I was going to shoot this scene in a nightclub, however as I have designed my narrative around a house, I decided that a bedroom would be the most likely place that someone would overdose, why? as it is a personal comforting space where we often explore personal experiences, in the sense of sexuality.
As the images above communicate I have been inspired by many images regarding this subject, I feel as though there is a lot more freedom in terms of posing, and in creating the mise en scene. Francessca Woodman has been a huge inspiration by her use of props as well as the subjects explored, Woodmans pieces with mirror in are so effective as it could be communicating blending into the background of society or even loosing a part of yourself, or not knowing who you are as a person. I have chosen to use a mirror in this image series as it helps to show an image from more than one angle, using mirrors helps to explore identity, they are symbolic for how we see ourselves and how others see us.The use of mirrors in these visuals helped to explore themes of identity manipulation as in the mirrors you can see the shape of the body but cannot actually see the substances communication to the viewer that character cannot see that they are doing anything wrong whereas from an outsiders point of view.
Styling.
The character is dressed in a provocative way, that suggests she has low self-worth and perhaps no respect for her self as she barley feels like a person, she feels numb so why would it matter what others think of her? The underwear represents a sense of vulnerability she has taken her clothes off at the party as she is hot, it could also be connected to sexual desire, she desires the substances, and her desire is to die. The images will have a sensual feel to them representing her intimate relationship with the substances.
Makeup and hair.
The makeup and hair look is inspired by the 90's heroin chic trend.The makeup and hair design for this photoshoot will be considerably heavier than in my other photoshoots, this is due to the character is communicating the message that she is a party girl, therefore she has just arrived back from a party meaning the makeup will be heavy and slightly smudged, the hair will look effortless and messy as if someone has been running their hands through her hair in an aggressive way as they kiss. I have opted for black eyes, not only is this because it is typical of evening makeup but it can represent masking her issues behind issues, especially as the yes are noted to be the windows of the soul, it would be interesting to make the eyes appear as two empty black holes.
The character is self-destructive and fights the negative voices in her head with substances that create an escapism.
Body Makeup.
As inspired by photographer Laura Makabresku it is important to include details of the skin to help to tell the background story, having heroin tracks indicate the character has an addiction, I will place the marks on the inner side of the arm as this is where the veins are prominent making the drug easier to inject. The appropriate products to use I discovered was drying liquid latex and then picking at the latex with a fine pin, to ensure that it look realistic and not just like dry skin, I then filled in the marks with a dark red grease paint. I feel as though this looked realistic and communicates to the viewers that this is an addiction scenario it is not a recreational occasional activity.
For the bedroom series I used a different photographer to the previous photoshoots, I chose him as I loved his style of photography http://www.mitchellcahoonphotography.co.uk/home/. I also felt as though Mitchell would be perfect as he has had images published in 'Dark Beauty' magazine of which is one of my main goals of this project, so I feel as though he would be perfect at creating my visuals. Although he is talented he was not particularly good taking direction from myself, he had his own visions and I had mine, although I had already communicated to him my ideas he still did his own of which was extremely frustrating for me. Like myself he wanted interesting shots however after explaining that once we did exactly what i wanted to do he then could experiment. Although our opinions clashed we shared our ideas and they both seemed to work really well that created an intriguing outcome- Mitch's idea was to use gel lighting of which I did not want to begin with as I want it to look realistic, but it actually worked really well and at after parties many people have lights, it also helps to create a euphoric feel to the image's where the gels are used, the stronger the colour the more euphoric the character feels. Although I was pleased with the images I had a previous photographer Toni Ward retouch some of them as she has a strong understanding of how I like the images to look realistic and rural, where as mitchell likes his visuals to be in the style of beauty images of which is not my desired outcome.
As the makeup was supposed to appear as though it had been worn for a night out I decided to not wear foundation simply as I feel as though in harsh lighting my skin looks better without it, I love how you can see the texture of the skin with the type of lighting I have chosen not just for this photoshoot but for all of them. I love how the lighting almost makes the makeup look 'dirty' of which is perfect for this character. There was a constant need for my hair to be back combed and for concealer under that eyes to be applied as the dark eyeliner kept on going in the creases beneath the eyes of which i did not want to happen, however although powder would prevent this from happening unfortunately I have dry skin under my eyes making it difficult for me to apply any form of powder products around the eye area, therefore I had to keep on re-applying concealer every ten minutes. During the shoot I decided that I wanted to make the character look as though she is sweating as this is a symptom of an overdose, I quickly applied some baby oil however this was not showing in the natural light but worked well with the gel lighting.
Using artificial drugs actually became quite a problem as I used Corn Flour to substitute Cocaine and when the substance is mixed with anything wet it expands, I accidentally kept snorting it up my nostrils of which caused the product to expand- although this has a humorous side to it I feel as though I maybe should of experimented with other products to use as Cocaine that perhaps wouldn't of stuck to my nose.
Overall I am pleased with that images and feel as though our disagreement, and the point that we took both of our ideas and combined them together resulting in intriguing images that are different compared to the rest, giving the project balance and a different outlook, from this I have learnt to be more open minded when working with other creatives and have trust in their ideas as well as my own, although my stubbornness was only because I feel extremely attached to my project and want it to be interpreted my way as it is the only project at university where everything is proposed by myself.
Bedroom.
Reflection on production.
Collaboration. (Problem solving)
For the bedroom series I used a different photographer to the previous photoshoots, I chose him as I loved his style of photography http://www.mitchellcahoonphotography.co.uk/home/. I also felt as though Mitchell would be perfect as he has had images published in 'Dark Beauty' magazine of which is one of my main goals of this project, so I feel as though he would be perfect at creating my visuals. Although he is talented he was not particularly good taking direction from myself, he had his own visions and I had mine, although I had already communicated to him my ideas he still did his own of which was extremely frustrating for me. Like myself he wanted interesting shots however after explaining that once we did exactly what i wanted to do he then could experiment. Although our opinions clashed we shared our ideas and they both seemed to work really well that created an intriguing outcome- Mitch's idea was to use gel lighting of which I did not want to begin with as I want it to look realistic, but it actually worked really well and at after parties many people have lights, it also helps to create a euphoric feel to the image's where the gels are used, the stronger the colour the more euphoric the character feels. Although I was pleased with the images I had a previous photographer Toni Ward retouch some of them as she has a strong understanding of how I like the images to look realistic and rural, where as mitchell likes his visuals to be in the style of beauty images of which is not my desired outcome.
As the makeup was supposed to appear as though it had been worn for a night out I decided to not wear foundation simply as I feel as though in harsh lighting my skin looks better without it, I love how you can see the texture of the skin with the type of lighting I have chosen not just for this photoshoot but for all of them. I love how the lighting almost makes the makeup look 'dirty' of which is perfect for this character. There was a constant need for my hair to be back combed and for concealer under that eyes to be applied as the dark eyeliner kept on going in the creases beneath the eyes of which i did not want to happen, however although powder would prevent this from happening unfortunately I have dry skin under my eyes making it difficult for me to apply any form of powder products around the eye area, therefore I had to keep on re-applying concealer every ten minutes. During the shoot I decided that I wanted to make the character look as though she is sweating as this is a symptom of an overdose, I quickly applied some baby oil however this was not showing in the natural light but worked well with the gel lighting.
Using artificial drugs actually became quite a problem as I used Corn Flour to substitute Cocaine and when the substance is mixed with anything wet it expands, I accidentally kept snorting it up my nostrils of which caused the product to expand- although this has a humorous side to it I feel as though I maybe should of experimented with other products to use as Cocaine that perhaps wouldn't of stuck to my nose.
Overall I am pleased with that images and feel as though our disagreement, and the point that we took both of our ideas and combined them together resulting in intriguing images that are different compared to the rest, giving the project balance and a different outlook, from this I have learnt to be more open minded when working with other creatives and have trust in their ideas as well as my own, although my stubbornness was only because I feel extremely attached to my project and want it to be interpreted my way as it is the only project at university where everything is proposed by myself.
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