FInal Shots

After thinking about different ideas for where to shoot my final images, I kept landing on the idea of shooting them in water, as it would tie in to the theme of the shoot taking place on Earth, as most of the planet is water. I also found this a lot easier to shoot as there wasn't as many issues with the back-rounds of the images being too distracting.

 

 

 

 

These images were taken together in a bath, with Vaseline and glitter on the skin that then transferred into the water.

This image I took after I had finished shooting other images, and decided to use it as my front cover.

 

I shot this image in the bath after painting the hands using supra-colour and adding some glitter.

I then edited using the clone stamp feature on Photoshop to get rid of the little finger, to create alien looking hands.

 

 Overall I included over 2o images, mostly close-up and cropped images so it wasn't always clear what was being looked at, creating a sense of unease.

I was very happy with my final images, much more than my first attempt and am very happy that I had the chance to retake.

Test Shots

I decided to do test shooting outside for this project, mainly as I wanted to see if the glitter/shimmer looks worked better in natural sunlight. I didn't add too much to this look as I just wanted to see how the colours and products would show up.

 

I played around with changing the eye colours at this point, as I knew I wanted to incorporate the yellow eyes in my project as this is a heavy theme in 'The Man Who Fell to Earth.'.  I decided that this would definitely be included in my final images.

 

I decided after doing these that maybe shooting outside wasn't the best option to do the majority of the shoots just because  I felt that the look wasn't 'alien' enough as the back-round made it look more like test shoots overall as opposed to being my Final Major Project.

 

Retaking

After I received my final grade for my FMP, I was very disappointed. I decided that I definitely wanted to try again and after a tutorial with Sharon, decided  to rename my project, 'The man who fell to Earth'. This will be inspired by the David Bowie film of the same name and will look at the idea of texture of the skin rather than creating a full SFX alien look. This will be presented in an online magazine rather than a file. This will be an easier and clearer way to display my images and work.

It was clear that I needed to produce more looks images for the project so I started test shots and ideas on my own skin of the kind of things I could use, including glitter, crystals and other colours.

 

Day of Shoot

Materials used:

·        Liquid Latex

·        Bald cap

·        Spirit Gum

·        Snazaroo Dark Green Paint 

·        Aqua colour palette

·        Spirit Gum remover

·        Acetone

·        99% alcohol

·        Translucent powder

·        Contact lenses

·        Stipple sponges and brushes

I found all of these products easy to use (most likely as I have used them all before) and am glad I decided on these ones. It was important to me to haver a list of everything I was planning to use, even if they weren’t obvious in the end look (such as Acetone) as I wanted to make sure there was nothing my model was allergic to and gave her a list before hand so she would know everything that was being used.

 

Method:

·        I started of my prepping the skin using with a toner and asking my model to put her contact lenses in (she prefers to do it herself than have someone else doing it).

·        I then applied the bald cap, first cutting it to shape and then applying spirit gum around all edges. After this had dried I applied my pre-made latex prosthetic covering the forehead and nose.
 

·        I then used a stippling sponge to apply latex to the face, chest and neck to create a more rigid and more alien-esque appearance. This required a few layers in order to get rid of some of the edges for the bald car and latex piece.

·        I had to then wait for this to dry before I could apply anything else. I used a hair dryer on a cold setting to help speed this process up.

·        I then used my foundation brush and another stippling sponge to apply to colour all over. For my colour I used my Snazaroo Dark Green mixed with the black from my Aqua colour palette, both of which are water activated.
 

Problems and Solutions

Due to focusing my attention on one look, I only needed to find one model to work with for the shoots. I had a lot of issues early on as I find bald caps difficult to work with. I think that this is mostly due to the fact that I don't have a lot of practice and find them very difficult to use in models with long hair.

I decided on my model, Fran, as she has a shaved head and I felt it would be a better application for the bald cap. The bald cap was a really important part of my look as I wanted it to be as alien-esque as possible.

I found myself having problems during this year related to different medical issues. At one point I didn’t think I would be able to finish the course and thought that I might give up and drop out or try to defer.

I eventually decided as I was already so far in and close to the end that I really wanted to finish. I definitely didn’t get to put in as much time into this project as I would’ve liked to and feel that I did let myself down due to this.

Creating My File

As this project is a physical hand in, I decided to create something a bit different. As I am focusing on the Roswell crash that was supposedly covered up by the government, I have decided to hand in my project in the form of a classified US government file.

To do this, I had to look up real US government files in an attempt to create something similar. I found various websites containing files that looked very real.

Design Process

I based my look partly off real accounts and ideas and was also inspired by different looks from films. I know I wanted to create a face piece to make sure that my look didn’t just look like a person covered in paint.

I researched many different ways of working with special effects materials and I originally wanted to work with silicone pieces, however after testing different ideas I decided that I wanted to use latex and putty instead so that I would have more freedom when creating my look.

I started off just practicing layering the skin with latex to create a skin surface that didn’t look very human. This was easily achieved using a stipple sponge with latex and stippling it all over the skin, waiting for each layer to dry and them applying another one. I really liked the way this looked and it was a much better alternative than just leaving the natural skin texture as it was as it did look very alien.

I also tested with different colours on top of this such as black, grey, green and brown shades. I decided one the green mainly because I felt that most of the accounts I researched appeared to include this colour.

I created my face piece using latex. I did this by using my KATE head from first year as a base to build clay onto the face. The piece would just be covering part of the forehead and nose. I found it quite difficult to sculpt the piece when it was on the face, I think because it was hard to reach different angles to blend and because it’s a different shape to a real face.

 I covered the clay with 99% Alcohol and then applied my latex onto using a stippling brush. It took me a few different attempts to get this right as this isn’t really a technique than I am used to. I did find this way a lot easier than using silicone though, as it was a more simple and faster process. Overall, I did find that the more I practiced the better the pieces looked and I as very pleased with the final outcome.
 

(practice pieces)

Film Inspirations

I was heavily inspired by different films when it came to this project. The different films I watched in preparation for this project were:

·        The Alien Franchise: These films are arguably the most famous and successful films about extraterrestrials. The films have been going since the 70s and are still incredibly popular today, with sequels and prequels still being made in present day. These were helpful to watch to see the physical aspects of an alien, although they are mainly CGI.

·        Prometheus (a prequel to the Alien franchise: This film was helpful to see the story behind the famous films and to see more examples of aliens being represented.

·        Area 51: This found footage horror film was a good look into the alien conspiracies surrounding Area 51 in Roswell. We see the characters own perspective as they break into Area 51. This gave me more inspiration for my idea, as it explores the mysteriousness of the whole site.

·        District 9: This film is set after there has already been an alien invasion, however the aliens are treated badly by humans and are made to live in a separate area. This again gave another insight into alien features.

·        Interstellar: This film explores different ideas about outer space including different dimensions, time travel and focused heavily on the physical appearance of other planets.

·        Life: Another look at the depiction of aliens, this example was not a humanoid type but the creature was able to mimic cells it has come into contact with, so can partly take on forms that are human.

·        Dark Skies: Tells the story of an American family who are being watched by aliens getting ready for abduction. The aliens in the film are very typical of the stereotype with tall, grey aliens with big black eyes. Based on aliens known as ‘The Greys’.

·        The Box: This film begins as a thriller, giving a couple the chance to win $1 million if they press a button in a box knowing it will kill another person. This escalates into a story about aliens testing human kind.

·        All Star Wars: These werethe best series to watch in terms of getting inspired for an alien look as there are so many featured. This helps by showing the way different features can be used to make them seem alien.

·        Arrival: This film was one of my personal favourites. It follows a language professor who is brought by the government to work with translating and communicating with the aliens inside one of the UFOs that have appeared in eleven different areas across the world. This gave a real insight into how aliens would actually react and communicate if they were to come into contact with humans. It also plays with the idea of time, and how we only perceive it a certain was because that is the only way humans understand it. The aliens in this film are huge, with tentacles that they used to communicate.

·        Cloverfield: Another found footage film, we see an attack by aliens on the city shot through a camera belonging to a party guest. The aliens in this film are depicted as massive, much more powerful than human and only seem interested in destroying the earth.

·        Men in Black: The famous action/comedy series starring will Smith that follows two ‘men in black’ agents working to defend from aliens. This is an interesting example due it being a comedy when most accounts of the ‘real Men in Black’ are often quite disturbing stories.

·        E.T.: This well-known film involves an alien stuck on earth and his bond with a child.

·        Attack the Block: This film is a different take on the sci-fi genre, being a British comedy rather than a Hollywood thriller. The watch another comedy example, this film depicts a more humanoid look.

·        Bright: Another Will Smith film, this one looks at human being integrated with mutants. Obviously this is different to aliens but I wanted to include it as I was heavily inspired by the make-up when it came to creating my face piece.

These films were some of the highest rated and most popular when it came to the alien, space and sci-if genres. Not all of them include aliens but do give a good representation of space, which is why I also included them, for example Interstellar.

Other Sightings

1896- Colonel G.H. Shaw stated that he had been in contact with aliens. He described them as seven feet tall and in a human-like  form with no hair . he claims that they were chanting. This would imply that they could speak.

1952 – This was the year of the sensationalised ‘Flatwoods Monster’. In Flatwoods Town, West Virginia, multiple people claim to have seen the same alien . They described it as (again) seven feet tall, with a black body and a dark face that glowed. They said that it had an elongated head and an exoskeleton that looked like a long skirt. Some reports stated the creature had long arms and claws, while others say it had on limbs at all.

1957- Jesse Long claimed to have first been abducted in 1957, but this was not the only time.  He claimed it happened on many more occasions afterwards. He stated that me had nine crossbreed children in total with the aliens and that they were living in space.

1975 – Travis Walton claimed that he had been abducted by aliens and that the beings that were small, with big eyes and chalky skin. He later wrote a book called the Walton Experience that

1988- Peter Khoury claimed to have been visited twice by aliens. The first time he said that three aliens visited him, that they were gold, with big eyes and slits as mouths. The second time he stated that they looked more that human females, with long blonde hair.

These accounts were particularly helpful when thinking about the design of my alien look, mainly because I really want to create a look that is realistic.

Area 51 and the Roswell Crash

I wanted my project to be based around the UFO crash conspiracy in Roswell and what happened in Area 51. I had been reading through different accounts of people who had claimed to work there, watched films and documentaries about it and did a lot of research into the real details that have been released. I gathered lots of different information on this subject.

The story of the Roswell crash is often disputed. UFO enthusiasts often claim that the US government have been hiding the existence of aliens for years and that the Roswell crash is a huge cover up. The information given out by the government in response to the interest of conspiracy theorists at this point has been pretty minimal, although they have before suggested that it is in fact a testing ground for different government projects such as aircrafts. It was argued that it was in fact one of their own creations involved in the Roswell crash (a weather blimp). However it is a fact that the activity that goes on there is in fact so secretive that even the President himself does not have high enough security clearance to access it. This has left a lot to the imagination in terms of what the government do not want the public finding out.

There have been many accounts in the years since the crash in 1947, with different people claiming to have worked for the government at the time and been present during the aftermath of the crash, in which they claim a surviving alien from that craft was taken to Area 51, interrogated and dissected.

The Deputy Sheriff of Roswell at the time claims that he saw a "100ft flying saucer" and "four dead aliens" at the crash site. Charles H Forgus was one of many people to claim that they say the aircraft and the dead alien bodies.

Of those that have claimed to have seen the aliens themselves, the descriptions are all pretty similar. For example, Grady L. Barnett, who was a civil engineer, claimed that "their heads were round, eyes were small and they had no hair. The eyes were oddly spaced. They were quite small by our standards." He also claimed that their head were not in proportion to the rest of their bodies as the heads were big.

Richard C. Doty, a former special agent in the US Air Force, claimed that he saw these aliens. He claims that there were three or four of them, all around four feet tall with grey skin, big head and eye, as well as no ears and an indent for a nose. There are various former members of the US Government that have backed up these claims.

One of the most interesting things about this story is the fact that the military actually announced in a press conference that they had found a UFO before retracting the statement the next day, which definitely asks the question about whether they were mistaken or whether they were made to change the statement by someone higher up. Radio stations were also told to cease transmissions about the crash on the day it happened.

I felt that the Area 51 idea was a better idea than my original one as it was a more creative way to display my work. I think the big reason I changed my mind from my original idea was due to the fact that I’ve had a massive personal interest in the Area 51 crash since I was very young, and have come across sites similar to the one I wanted to create containing information, personal accounts, photographs and possible theories as to what happened.
 

Introduction

I originally (as seen in my proposal) wanted to do three separate looks and base them as an editorial online. My idea was to create three different make-up looks based on three different planets, I did a lot of research on the different surfaces of each planet to come up with different looks that would work for each, for example, as it rains diamonds on Saturn, I was going to create an alien look involving diamonds coming out of the body from under the skin. I also wanted to create a reptile look for Mars, due to it being very dusty but having some evidence that there has been water there at some point. The last planet I picked was Venus, as there are volcanoes and eruptions, the look being one incorporating ash, burns and lava. I was having a lot of issues when coming up with the designs for the different looks due to the fact that I wanted each of them to look very different. I think I struggled with this as I have never before created three different extreme looks like this involving special effects. I found it was a little bit too much for me.

I have since decided that I would prefer the idea of setting up a file so that it looks genuine, as though it is a real classified government file.. I decided it would be better to do one in detail look than try to do three different ones as I was struggling with coming up with in depth ideas that were very different to each other.

 I wanted my project to be based around the UFO crash conspiracy in Roswell and what happened in Area 51. I had been reading through different accounts of people who had claimed to work there, watched films and documentaries about it and did a lot of research into the real details that have been released.