Quentin Storyboard- Character and Design Inspiration

Quentin Inspiration by hayleybennett featuring glamorous makeup

For me, my Quentin character is a weak, easily influenced young boy that has no say in anything, especially when it comes to his and Claudias relationship.  I want him to look sad, tired and his style to be very dark which reflects the emotional state he is in.

Claudia Storyboard- Character and Design Inspiration

Claudia Inspiration by hayleybennett 

When creating this storyboard, I wanted to focus more on the ideas I had purely for the character of Claudia, rather than just the idea of Gothic Horror.  As I said in my mood board post, I want Claudias look to be sleek, dark and harsh to reflect her controlling personality.  Therefore, I have included a lot of dark, sleek and sultry make up and hair inspiration. As well as including details to do with nails and posing. 

Claudia and Quentin...Gothic Horror Fashion and Make Up Moodboard

To start off our new Project, which will be based around re-creating characters Claudia and Quentin for a Music Video, I created a Gothic Horror inspired mood board.  I  have chosen images that have given me ideas for my designs for Claudia and Quentin, as well inspiration for styling, lighting and artists whose music and music videos I've found relevant to the term 'Gothic Horror'. 

Pinterest Inspiration- General Gothic Make Up and Hair Styles

I find Pinterest to be a really good place to find both general and more focused inspiration for my Make Up and Hair Designs.  These few images are some that caught my eye on Pinterest, these and more can be found on my Pinterest under the board 'Gothic Horror'. Here is the link to my Pinterest Page: http://gb.pinterest.com/hayleybennett50/ . 

All of the images below incorporate a style of Gothic Make Up and Hair, that I feel can be used on both a male and female character.  The use of blacks, deep purples and dark reds really help to emphasise the idea of a 'Gothic' style.

What is Gothic Horror?

When I first think of the word 'Gothic', thing like dark colours, blood and mystery come to mind.  However this is just a general overview of Gothic Horror, when actually Gothic Horror elements are found in fashion, make up, art, films and many other things. The elements of Gothic Horror will also be very different depending on what genre you are looking into. 

Gothic Horror Film Genre:

"Atmospheric Gothic Horror is based on supernatural creatures such as ghosts coming back from the dead to seek revenge. There are are bountiful amounts of graveyards, haunted houses, and victorian influences."

Available at: How would you define the gothic film genre?. 2014. (Online) Available at: https://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070906010638AAkKWi5.

When thinking of Gothic Horror in films, just like this quote I think of ghosts, graveyards, castles.  I would expect something mysterious or unusual and scary to happen within the film and the characters to be evil, sly and dark.  However, in most Gothic Films there is also a softer character, a person that is the good guy/girl. There style would usually reflect their personality. 

Gothic Horror in Fashion:

'Gothic fashion is a clothing style marked by conspicuously dark, mysterious, exotic, and complex features. It is worn by members of the goth subculture. A dark, sometimes morbid fashion and style of dress, typical Gothic fashion includes a pale complexion with coloured black hair, black lips and black clothes.  Both male and female goths wear dark eyeliner and dark fingernail polish. Styles are often borrowed from the punks, Victorians and Elizabethans.  Goth fashion is sometimes confused with heavy metal fashion and emo fashion.'

'Gothic-inspired clothing has always been a favourite amongst young teens looking to express their moods and personality, and this very distinctive genre of style can be seen as a source of inspiration for several modern day fashion editorials. Gothic style encompasses a variety of different elements which come together to create an overall dark and edgy feel. Utilising elements such as dark colours, strong and edgy makeup, and deeply emotional expressions, these editorials have all used the Gothic style as an inspiration for their collections. The beautiful part of these Gothic-inspired editorials is that each of them seem to have incorporated more than just one style of fashion. Whether it be Victorian Gothic couture or glamorous Gothic ensembles, the blend of Gothic style with other genres of fashion make for beautifully striking collections.'

Available at: Gothic fashion - (Online) Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_Fashion

To me, Gothic Fashion incorporates lots of dark colours but also lots of unusual patterns and textures.  I think of Lace, Ribbon and delicate, but dark jewellery, such things as chokers and big, stone rings. 

New Project: Claudia and Quentin

Recently, we have been set a new project to create 2 characters, a girl named Claudia and a boy named Quentin, who will appear in a music video.  We were given descriptions of both Claudia and Quentin to start our research and design process.

Claudia is a young girl in her 20's, she was left alone a lot as a child, meaning she had little parental guidance.  She doesn't really leave her kitsch style home, and has an unhealthy obsession with Horror Movies,  she spends most days watching them.

She is an AGORAPHOBIC, and models herself on the female figure of the horror movies she watches, changing her style in both hair, make up and styling to the different girls in the film each day.  Even though she seems quite guarded, she can also be seen as quite humorous sometimes. 

Quentin is Claudia's imaginary boyfriend, so is a constant disappointment.  He doesn't change his style often, but when he does…it again is influenced from characters from horror films.  Quentin seems very weak, and is firmly under Claudia's thumb. 

My thoughts on Claudia and Quentin

To me, Claudia is a very twisted girl, with a dark, almost sultry style.  She is controlling, and this is portrayed within her style using sharp, sleek shapes and dark colours. 

Quentin is a weak boy, with a rugged style, that is not at all polished. 

Miss Havisham and Estella Final Evaluation

For our Great Expectations Project, we were asked to re-create the characters of Miss Havisham and Estella.  With this project, we were given the chance to learn new Special Effects skills, which I have really enjoyed doing.  With the use of new products, we have created cuts and bruises, these are just a few of the new things I have learnt.  I have really enjoyed learning these new Special Effects skills, as I had not previously had any experience in this, and it is a stepping stone to start really improving my knowledge and skills used in Make Up for TV and Film.  With regards to hair, we learnt a lot of Victorian techniques and really focused on creating big shapes, that would look striking when photographed.  Again, I feel as though I have improved, I didn't feel as though hair was my strong point, but with plenty of help and encouragement from Seema, I feel confident in approaching and executing a design that incorporates big shapes.