Claudia - Hair Charts

 Claudia - Hair Charts

For Claudia's hair I wanted to do something that was messy and warn like she had this hair style when she got caught by Mrs Laderman but hasn't done anything with it since. The model I am using she has got extremely long hair so also have to work with her hair as well. 

My first hair chart you can see on the left is a top knot bun, which would be quite high up on the head. I would like to have bits pulled out and messy around her face as well as round the back of the neck. 

I decided against this hair style when I decided what model I would be using because in the past when I have worked on the same model, it is extremely hard to get that messy bun look because of her hair being so long and heavy. I think the main reason for this is because she doesn't have any layers which means you cant pull whips of hair out. 

In this hair chart I have created a classic school girl look by parting it in the centre all the way down the back and then also having two plaits down either side. 
The plaits are going to be just normal plates because this way I can make them as baggy as I want because I feel like if I use a french or fishtail then it becomes quite tight and harder to make it look messy. 
I decided I didn't want it go with this idea just because I prefer my last hair chart because I want a slight hight at the back of her hair because even though Claudia is young she's not really young and maybe wouldn't wear this type of hair style reading over hair profile again. 

In my last hair chart I have created a half up, half down look, I will be using a messy side parting which I slightly off like its been pulled and pushes around a bit. I will then sweep the hair back into half up ponytail  Once this is secure I will then start pulling parts out to make it look messy and bed head style, like she's had that hair style in for a while. I also want to back comb parts to make it look unwashed.

Mrs Laderman Face Chart Designs

Mrs Laderman - Face Chart Designs 

Below I have three face chart designs which are for Mrs Laderman a character which we were given but we had to slot them into a TV series of our choice. I have chosen Bate Motel which is also inspired by the film Psycho which I have done a lot of research into and also done other research into film where there is a woman as the villain in the story line. 

I also watched The Others because that was a good example as well as Psycho of a woman which has gone crazy, in Bate Motel and Psycho its Norman Bates which is crazy and ends up being the killer for all the innocent people. 

I have taken parts from all my research and put them into face charts below...

In this face chart I have got a smokey black eye, with thick eyeliner and dark long lashes. I have also got a bold strong red lip and a full face of foundation. I have also done a strong brow to create a more intimidating look on my model. 

I have also aged this model by creating subtle wrinkles on the forehead to show that she is older. 

I was inspired to do this look when reading a artical about how they make woman scary in films. I decided on doing a face chart like this because I think having a sharp stern looking makeup could create an intimidating effect on the audience and the other characters. 

I decided not to use this one as my final outcome because I didn't think I would come off as well as I would have wanted it too. 

Plus I have wrote in my story that I wanted her to look slightly ill and I don't know how I would make this look work when being so made up.


In this face chart I have based my ideas on her looking skinny and ill. I really wanted to focus mainly on the fact of her not looking very well in this face chart by creating harsh contour on the cheeks and nose. I would do this in greys so it would create slightly more ages effect.
I haven't chosen this face chart as my final design because I would like to shoot my ideas in the studio to get the best quality images I can but using studio lighting normally cancels out a lot of makeup because of the lighting which I experienced in the past. The only way I could keep a defined line would be through using the supra colour but I feel like that doesn't look as effective and realistic. 

This is the face chart I have decided to take forward, this face chart design would be done by starting off with a base of latex over the face to create the old age looking skin. I would then powder the face but I wouldn't be putting any colour on top because I don't want to make it look too fake and stand out which I feel like if you put foundation on top it doesn't look effective. I also wanted to use my Charles Fox bruise wheel under the eyes to create a tired stressed look on the face. 

This look was inspired by the old lady and the mother of the children in The Others because I really liked the idea of using the old woman looks to create the same effect with the wrinkled skin and also the pale skin, I am going to do this by just not adding colour to my model. 
In the film The Others the old woman has grey hair but this is to replicate that she is quite old which Mrs Laderman isn't old she's 40. My model has blonde hair so I'm not going to colour her hair because I didn't want her to look too old as that doesn't suit her character profile  I was also inspired by Psycho but more in the way I would like the model to pose more than the face chart. I would like a slightly creepy and eerie look in her eyes. 
Bate Motel and Psycho they have the same character of Norman Bates, like I said in my earlier post I want the makeup to be obvious that I have done something too the face but at the same time not extremely obvious because having a split personality doesn't make you look any different on the outside, its all inside their heads which I would like to capture while taking the image. 

Claudia Face Chart Design...

Claudia Face Chart Designs...

After doing all my research on Bate Motel and watching the whole series i understand how i can properly slot my characters into the series like i explained in a previous post. I also done other research that linked to the film. Looking at other films which shows a link.

I then gathered all my research and my main idea of the characters background and story of what happened. 

I then came up with three different ideas of how to create a look for Claudia based on this research. I decided that i didn't was to go too extreme for the makeup on both of my characters because I felt that it wont look real which is what i'm going for. 

Also the reason why she as been beaten and bruised is because Mrs Laderman is in love with Claudia so she wouldn't have properly beaten her up. I also wanted my model to have a slightly dazed look in the images which i couldn't show on a face chart because Mrs Laderman is ill and weak so shes had to drug Claudia so she can stop her from leaving which is the reason she is slightly bruised and cut because shes had to try to restrain her. 

Claudia's designs are very much influences by the film Pycho from the woman in the shower, the makeup isn't inspired as much from the film just becuase you dont really see much special effects makeup but its more like the look of being vunerable and scared which i would like to capture in my images.

In my first face chart i have done shows a very tried scratches look. To create this look i would use a very light weight base of foundation and then i would create the scratches with wax and blood. The just do light scratches using a sponge and the blood and just do light scratches on the skin. I also would have no eye makeup on in this design. 










In this face chart i have just done a dirty, bruised look. To do this look i would use mostly the Charles Fox colour wheel as it has really good greens and blues in it which work really well for this look. I think i would also use real dirt on the arms and chest to create that dragged effect on the skin.











In this face chart i have decided to do a slightly bruised effect up the side of the face and then also give her a black eye. I also like to do a few scracthes on the face just using a sponge not using wax. 
I really liked this face charts compared to the others becuase i wanted the bruiseing to be suttle. This face chart i think i have done them slightly darker than i am going to do them on my character but it shows what im going to do. 
I will be using my Charles Fox Bruise Wheel and a slight bit of blood across the bruising and on the forehead. 

Bate Motel - Psycho

Bate Motel - Psycho

Bate motel is very similar to the 1960 American film called Psycho directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The film psycho they have the first killing within the first 20 minuets, and it's a murder you cant quite work out. Bate motel is a series which means they went it to a lot more depth this time because they had time to add more interesting stories in but also add in more mystery.
I wanted to watch the film which it is based on to get more of a feel for the characters because I will be taking some of the characteristics of Norman Bates and putting them into my character Mrs Laderman.

Norman Bates-

Appearance: How is the character presented visually via facial look, body shape and costuming? What do these attributes suggest about the character?
In the beginning when you are first introduced to this character he meets the woman for the first time, he is dressed smartly, clean looking for example got a nice hair cut, clean face etc  He also has white pale skin like he doesn't get out a lot.
Towards the end when people are getting suspicious he doesn't really change anything with his appearance.
At the end when you find out the person that killed the investigate was the mother but it was actually Norman dressing up as his mother that was dead in the basement. This shows that he has some sort of split personality disorder. 

Voice: How do the character’s words and voice help to establish the character? What does it suggest about the character

In the beginning his body language comes across by being quite nervous when he was talking to the woman but his voice seemed pretty confident like he knew what he was talking about and wasn't scared to make conversation. He also wanted to find out more and more about the woman.

Throughout the film even when he is being intimidated he keeps the same tone of voice which is quite firm. When he looses it at the end and runs up to the house that is the only time you see him raise his voice when he is panicked about his mother. 

Action: How do the character’s actions and behaviours help to establish the character? What other personal traits are evident? 
In the start of the film you see all the stuffed animals around his office which he then talks very confidently about to the woman which is slightly strange thing to do as a young boy. 
Throughout the beginning of the film and the end you don't need Norman kill anyone but you have a slight suspicion it was him. You only see the mother kill someone, but in the end it comes out that he was dressing up as his mother and then killing people. You also see him be very shocked when he sees the dead body of the girl in the shower. This is because he doesn't remember doing any of it which shows that he has some sort of split personality and doesn't understand what he's doing. 

Role: How does the character relate to the other characters? What effects does the character’s behaviour have? Describe the character’s role in the overall storyline.
He relates to the other characters like the woman by being nice and making conversation, he comes across slightly shy and weird but nothing that panics the woman. He is also very controlled by his mother which you see when he gets told he cant make the woman a sandwich. In the end when you find everything out his main role changes from being the son into being the son and the mother, who is dead in the basement. He dresses up as her.

How the setting has an effect on the audience?
The setting in this film is very important because I think this really sets the eerie theme of this film. There is an old eerie house which is the main house on the motel but the motel office where Norman works its full of stuffed animals which he has made himself and is very proud of, this creates a freaky and slightly uncountable atmosphere.

I think it's really cleaver how Bate Motel have taken certain parts of this film and recreated them but also adding in a few other story lines but keeping the main character and also putting some of the other characters personalise into theirs. 

Watching this film it as really helped me to decide what I want my characters to look like because having a mental disorder doesn't fault your appearance in anyway because in the beginning of this film you wouldn't have even known Norman was the Psycho which really shows anyone could do anything even without you knowing. 
This has really inspired my Mrs Laderman character because I want her to look completely normal but at the same time have a slightly crazy look in her eyes to show maybe she has a slight split personality. 
The other character which is Claudia I will be taking parts of the film where the woman in the shower looks helpless and out of control. I will be capturing this though the look and mood of the image. 
I also would like the images to be slightly dark and shady like the house and motel are in this film and also Bate Motel the series. 

Film Review - The Others

Film Review - The Others 

In the beginning of the film they get told all the blinds must be shut at all times because of the children, they have an allergy to light apparently. The maid is then in the kitchen with the children and they start arguing about the mother and how last time she went mad. 

This is the first tip you get that the person that is starting to look slightly suspicious is the mother.

About quarter/half way through the film you find out that the little girl has been seeing a boy around the house but the mother doesn't believe this, it then carries on and the mother believe that there is someone in the house. 

After this the little girl does a drawing of the people she has seen and mentions that she has been a mother, father and a little boy called victor and then an old woman which she calls a witch. This is the introduction of a the other main characters of the film. The main evil woman I thought at the beginning was the mother but turns out half way through that it is the family that lived in the house before and this old woman the little girl calls a witch.

She then finds a photo album of what looks like the family before hers, where it is full of photo's of the dead which is what they used to do in Victorian times which is meant to let the spirit pass on. All these little things they have put into this film all add up to the creepiness of it and I think that is what this film is built on, it builds a story and at the end it all makes sense.

Towards the end of the film the staff become more and more suspicious like they are planning something, by this time we haven't heard anymore about this weird family that are living in the house accept from when the daughter looked like the old woman, towards the end it focuses more on the main character which is the mother. She starts acting very crazy and everyone is treating her that way which doesn't help, she starts to act very freaked out and panicking.

In the end it turns out that the staff was dead all along and were trying to tell her about the house and that everyone in it was ghosts, they were trying to take the house back from them. The old woman that we saw a drawing of in the beginning comes back and tries to take the children by saying come and join us.
This is the first time you see her the ghost of this old lady which is the scariest character so far in the film, she has white curly/waved hair and wrinkly pale skin. The main part of this look is the wrinkles on the face and the eyes which are white with no puple. This creates a reaction from the audience because of the eyes because she doesn't look human, this links her to the fact she is dead in reality.

At the end of this film there is a twist that the mother was the evil bad character out of all this and came to light that she killed the children in one of the rooms in the house with a pillow. This came to light when woman that was said to be a witch all along were the ones that were really alive. This has such a twist to it because it changes it around to be the family that are all dead.
The real people that are alive say that the woman went mad smothered her two children with a pillow and shot herself. The whole time it was all her and in her head.

I wrote out some questions for myself to answer to help me understand the characters profile.

The Mother: 

Appearance: How is the character presented visually via facial look, body shape and costuming? What do these attributes suggest about the character?

-At the beginning of the film her makeup is very basic, light foundation, pale looking eyebrows and lips look like they haven't got anything on. The main thing that stands out to me when you first see her character is that she has very pale skin.

Her body shape is very slim and slender which is shown by the tight corset, with a dress which covers everything up to the neck to the wrists. 

Further into the film her hair starts to be slightly more loose which shows a slightly softer look to her appearance but also shows more of a vulnerable side. 

You also see a scene where she is crying and he looks very tired and run down because of everything that has happened she almost looks like she cant take any more of it. Maybe on the brink of going crazy like the children said in the beginning. 

After she gets a scare from the ghosts half way through the film there is a scene where she is talking to the maid and her whole look as dramatically changed. She now looks very run down, her hair is very messy curly not brushed, her eyes are bloodshot and very red, her skin is also very unmade up so she has slightly red patches on her cheeks and nose.

Towards the end her hair is very looking very rugged and unbrushed, she has extremely pale skin and crazy look in her eyes, they are very bloodshot and red. 

Voice: How do the character’s words and voice help to establish the character? What does it suggest about the character

-In the beginning of the film she is talking to the new maid in a very stern and controlling voice. This shows that she has a lot of power and control over herself and others around her. She also talks down to people slightly by treating them as slightly lower class than herself.

Her tone of voice gets slightly softer when she opens up the new maid and shows a vulnerable side to herself. 

Half way through she has a scare by the ghosts in the house and her voice then changes to being very whispery and stutters, almost sounds like she doesn't believe what she's saying. 
Her voice changes towards the end being very loud and screechy, and sounds very out of control and panicky.

Action: How do the character’s actions and behaviours help to establish the character? What other personal traits are evident? 

-In the beginning of the film her actions make her look slightly over protective mother which has some sort of secret but you cant tell what it is in the slightest. You can also tell that she is very very religious person when she is talking to the kids about where children go when they lie and the kids know all the different hells off by heart. This shows that she might believe in things that aren't actually real. 

She starts to be very jumpy and hesitant half way through the film once she thinks there is people in the house,  she then starts acting very out of character compared to herself in the beginning. 

Towards the end of the film she starts to act crazy by seeing an old woman as her daughter, and attacks her daughter. Everyone thinks she's crazy.

Role: How does the character relate to the other characters? What effects does the character’s behaviour have? Describe the character’s role in the overall storyline.

-The role she has in the beginning is a very controlling mother which her children almost seem scared of in some points. She also has a big authority over the staff which have turned up for work and doesn't take talk back to her, which shows it's her way only. 

The role of this character changes thought out the film, she comes across in the beginning as very in control of her life and everyone in it. But then things in the house start to happen and she now shows a more vulnerable side to herself as you are introduced to the family which are made out to be ghosts in the house as well, which are tormenting her and the family. 
In the end you find out the big twist to the story that all along the family and the mother were the ghosts in the house no the other way round.

How the setting has an effect on the audience?

-The location in the beginning of the film shows a huge old house in the country side, which is slightly run down and very dusty and worn. Straight away this creates a slight eerie mood to the film.

The film is mainly set in darkness because of the children condition to light, this means it makes the audiences minds wonder because there isn't so much to focus on. Also in normal horror films its always at night when the scary things happen, in this film is constantly night because all the blinds are always shut. 
You also see parts of the garden which are covered in fog, which also add to the atmosphere. Creates an eerie look to the gardens which also have graves which have the staffs names on them. 

Over all from watching this film it has really helped me understand the woman role in some horrors I have seen as well as this one that normally they are either ghosts like the old lady in this film or they are metal and go crazy. These are the two main things you will find in scary films if the main villain is a woman. 
I think this will really help me develop my character for Mr Laderman because i would like to take a few things from a few of the main characters, for example in my story i have added on to Bate Motel is that she used to own the house which she got thrown out of which made her go slightly crazy as well as being ill, the main thing i noticed of the mother which is the one that went crazy was the eyes. I really like the veins in the eyes being visible, and also the the redness under the eyes to show she's tired and hasn't got much sleep, I think I will be using this for my character for Mrs Laderman. I would also like to take features from the old lady that we saw in the film where she is wrinkled and paled skin I think this would also add to my characters profile of being the evil villain in my story.

Horror Films - How Women Are Portrayed

Horror Films - How woman are portrayed 

I wanted to do some back ground research into the types of characters women play in horrors because stereotypically woman are always the one in danger and in need of help or rescuing. I wanted to find some films where the woman is the evil Lillian and see how they have been portrayed in the film. 

I wanted to write this post explaining how I think they are portrayed before I watch some of the films which they are in and explain how the makeup, hair and clothes have been styled. My personal view on women being the bad guy in films I feel like they always go over the top with the makeup so that its clear to the viewer who is the evil one because it's so normal and stereotypical that it's normally a man in most horrors that they need to make it obvious to the audience that it is the woman by dressing them different and going to extremes with the makeup.

While reading an article which was called  "Horror: the film genre where men don't have all the fun" was really interesting because it quotes peoples reviews on horror movies and how other people think about them, one of the quotes that was on the article was this:

"This article also talks about the horrors where women are the ones incharge and mentioning some horrors where its all about the women being able to make an impression just as well as men do in horrors. The artical quotes :

makes you wonder if the writers have ever even heard of, let alone seen (to cite only a few examples) the original Cat People, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Others or The Woman in Black, where it's women - or their ghosts - who call the shots."

I will be watching as many of these as I can find online and in the library and do an in-depth analysis on how I think they make woman scary in films, compared to men. 

Claudia & Mrs Laderman

Bate Motel - Claudia & Mrs Laderman

In this unit we need to create two characters which will be from the chosen series, which for me is Bate Motel. I have chosen the characters Claudia and Mrs Laderman because i think i can fit them into the series quite well with changing a few events and characters around.

I have been watching the series and have nearly finished season 1, the part of the season i enjoyed the most and found most interesting was the part about Norman finding the book of drawings in the motel room. 

This scene starts off with Norman cleaning or tidying the motel rooms, he comes across a book which is full of drawings of an Asian girl which has been tired up and abused, Norman doesn't think that much of it to begin with but keeps it on him and has a slight obsession with the book. He looks through the book all the time but doesn't show anyone. 

He ends up telling his friend Emma which wants to do something about this book and find out if its true. 

Their is a drawing in the book of an old shed in the forest which Norman and Emma go and investigate wanting to find out more information on the book. They end up finding the abandoned shed but nearly get killed by some guys protecting the weed crop fields so they don't want to go back to find out more. 

They also investigate more about another drawing because it has this girls hands chained to the bottom of a sink which matches the sinks in the motel rooms, they then look for the exact tap and find there is a Chinese writing on the bottom of the skin which tells Norman and Emma that it is true all the drawings in the book. 

Norman's mum was dating one of the cops which was helping her get out of a sticky situation with the police, Norman breaks into his house to find out more information and comes across the girl in the book, shes been chained up in his basement. 

This part of the series was very thrilling and had me on the edge of my seat, i think this would be a really good way to interpret Claudia and Mrs Laderman into the series by using the same idea of the drawings and the girl in the basement. 

I want to change around some of the characters and mix it up a bit by saying Mrs Laderman used to own the motel but was made to move out because she couldn't afford to run place and pay all the bills because she got ill and couldn't run the place on her own. Next door lived Claudia, Mrs Laderman was the only one that's ever been in Claudia's house and no one in the area even knows who Claudia is as she doesn't come out of her house. Mrs Laderman is her only interaction with the outside world. 
Mrs Laderman has always had a soft spot for Claudia and had a slight unhealthy obsession with her and very protective. 
When Mrs Laderman gets evicted from her house Claudia said she can live with her while she gets herself another place. 
Norma and Norman then move into the motel, Claudia is spotted by Norman and then Norman goes round and knocks on her door to introduce himself. This is where Norman instantly falls for her beauty, Mrs Laderman sees this and gets jealous and to stop them from ever meeting again she drugs Claudia to get be able to tie her up in the basement to keep her all to herself and doesn't want to share Claudia with anyone. 
Norman doesn't know that Mrs Laderman is doing this to Claudia and carries on with his mum day in day out trying to set up the motel. One day he was in one of the motel rooms trying to sort out the rooms and came across the a book which had drawings of a girl which had been tied up and abused in the drawings. He keeps the book but doesnt think much of it and carries on. 
He takes another look at the book and starts to think about how much it looks like Claudia who lives next door, one night he goes round to knock on Claudia and Mrs Laderman answers the door she says Claudia isn't in at the moment and shuts the door in Norman's face, he has a hunch that something else is going on and breaks into the house from the back door. The house is dark and gloomy and looks like no one lives there, he hears noises from the basement and goes down and see's Claudia tied up to the wall. She has been beaten and has got bruises all over her. He saves her from the basement and as they are escaping Mrs Laderman stops Claudia by grabbing hold of her, Norman goes behind her and hits her round the face with a rolling pin which was on the side in the kitchen. Mrs Laderman was out cold and they escape the house.   

This is the story i have made up to base my characters on by using facts which happened in the series and then also changing a few of the characters and adding in scenes. I now need to do some face and hair charts for Claudia and Mrs Laderman. I will be doing a face chart for Mrs Laderman showing her after she is hit with the rolling pin and then Claudia with rope burns and bruises from being tied up and beaten up and also needle wounds from Mrs Laderman drugging her.