I have loved every second of this project; it has been so exciting and seems to have flown by! I have achieved some work that I am incredibly proud of and gained some valuable skills that I will be able to put into practice in my career.
This project revolved around knowledge of contextual and theoretical issues, styling to fit a certain look and capturing the essence of a painting which has pushed me to gain a further understanding of what I am dealing with. The film part of this project is what has given me the most chance to do this as I chose to replicate my painting as closely possible and I still think that was the best option, before deciding on my final painting I looked through options as to what could be made in a modern or different setting. The film really required me to be as historically accurate as possible, I have loved finding out about the background of fashions and the reasons behind fashion influences. I know that my knowledge of the 1920's has greatly improved, not only in costume but in the politics behind it all too which gives my knowledge a deeper understanding. Working along side Maria, the production designer was amazing, we could give each other insights into the reasoning behind each of our areas to make the result feel more cohesive which in return has made the development of the project more through and hopefully more historically correct!
Working with a team of people, on both the film and the styling project has been fabulous, there is so much more room to bounce off one another and to get more from the brief. Decision making has been made easier through discussion with the other parties involved so that we are all on the same page and knowledge in other areas highlights issues that I personally may not have considered.
Learning independently has also had its benefits; I know I juggle a lot of things outside of university anyway so it is fundamental for me to plan my life well. Since the start of this year I have made a spread sheet for what I will be doing each day, I like having the knowledge of what is happening the next day, week and month and it allows for me to fit everything in that I need to and I will continue to do this next year and so on. I have loved being able to work to my own time table, setting things up when it is most appropriate for me, which most of all means that I have been on top of things from the start! I can honestly say that with this project I have used my time a lot more effectively than with any other project but I also think that may have something to do with the use of this blog!! It has been a fantastic way of displaying my findings and it is so much more accessible when just noting something down, I do not have to worry about the aesthetics as I can always change them at a later date, and pictures are so much easier to display, it has definitely been a time saver.
I could not be happier with the realisation of my ideas, I said I wanted to focus on getting the styling of 'Portrait of Dolly' and 'Rudyard Kipling' as exactly as I could and I am SO proud of what I have achieved. I think I have used good time planning; I have done extensive research into the 1920's and learnt a lot about photography. I have learnt some fantastic new skills with photoshop, CosPlot and dealing with a team which is amazing as it has completely backed up that I want to go into the film industry after university.
I cannot wait for next year!
