Our film draws on the distinctive relationship between fashion and noir, particularly in the use of ‘reflection and distortion [and] urban locations… resulting [in] a dramatically shadowed, psychologically expressive visual approach and a semi-documentary style’ (Cecil 2012). Despite this, the film recontextualises the conventional definition of noir in that the subject matter and hence, the fashion presented has been altered for a contemporary context. The overall styling selected complements the androgynous image of the eponymous Gongini while also drawing attention to the constructed nature of gender through fashion.   

Duality is a significant theme within the film, ascertained by two settings, two characters and ultimately, two running narratives. The film has been shot entirely from a third-person perspective as ‘human vision becomes an adjunct… instrument and automation of the scopic regime’ (Feldman 1997), providing voyeuristic power regarding the ‘iconography of the image itself: content, compositional clues, focus, colour, and the response of those photographed to the presence of the camera’ (Frosh 2001). 

The multiplicity of bodies, none of which are fundamentally tangible thus reveals the nature of the body as permeated by discourse, where ‘clothes and objects are an intrinsic part…[of the] body exposed to transformations…a body that will feel and taste all that the world feels and tastes, if it simply lets itself’ (Calefato 1997).  The fusion of both the masculine and the feminine and the eventual metamorphosis into the solitary figure further personifies this, but also demonstrates the reconstruction of contemporary gendered identities.

After our previous day of editing, all our clips were now in order and ready to be effect edited put to music. We all decided that putting frames to the beat of the song was SUPER important in order to create a professional film which was easy to watch. Final Cut Pro allows 'markers' to be added to an audio track which in turn allowed us to ensure frames were shown exactly on the beat. We had decided at the beginning of the film planning process we all really liked the effect of glitch transitions which was advantageous when fitting frames to the beat. Also the incorporation of long empty shots of either blank wall or blackness added to the eery haunted atmosphere we were wanting to create. 

glitch filters

The main effects we added in After Effects were:
- The adjustment of light balance and exposure for the frames where lighting discrepancies were evident. Some of the subjects from the green screen series also had a slight sickly/green tinge which we needed to correct via colour filters. 
- 'Fun effects' which included reversing and repeating actions, as well as VCR glitch filters and effects which were crucial in establishing the intentional glitch nature of our film. 
- Extending our audio track. Unfortunately the total length of our music track was about 2:20 so I had to play around with audio editing and choosing sections of the track we would be able to seamlessly extend. I think we did an incredible job at this and not only is it near impossible to pick where we mixed the track, I think it adds tension to the song as it builds up towards the end. 

Throughout the editing process everyone worked really efficiently and effectively as a team. We all delegated different sections of the film to edit and discussed our rationale and processes together. This resulted in a very equal distribution of work load as well as equal input from each member. I think the excellent collaboration of all three of us was key in the creation of such a great film.

and let the editing begin...

I knew editing was a lengthy process but I don't think I realized just how time consuming and involved it was. We began by going through all 4GB of film we recorded and selected the individual frames from each shot we wanted in our film. Having zero experience with any film editing software we decided to use After Effects as it seemed easier to organize clips having multiple timelines. Once everything was in the right place we planned to export it to Final Cut Pro where we could add filters/effects as well as audio (apparently After Effects audio is complicated to use) 

Figuring out the program and how it worked took a long time but once I got the hang of the it the process of compiling the timeline was fairly straight forward. Keylight (the tool used to remove the green screen) on the other hand, was quite annoying to use. After trial and error we realized we had to mask out any major shadows or objects and if the subject was moving within the frame it would be cut out of the mask as well. I think despite this, we all worked really well together and decided that not only was a black background more effective for our narrative it also made the editing of shadows significantly easier.

I got a little bit obsessive with the editing at one point and spent a very long time trying to figure out how to create a Matrix effect on Campbell's back bend... which I finally did! This short sequence is my pride and joy and I can happily say it was worth spending as much time on it as I did.

 This is our final frame which I am also really happy with. We always knew wanted the two subjects to somehow merge, however it was only after experimenting with a few different masks that we finally got the two figures (which are very different heights) to align and look 'natural'. This shot was very important in conveying the fluid nature of gender and the total unisex ability of the garments.

We also reviewed our music options now that we had a clear image of what footage we were putting to the audio and decided that we really wanted an eery track with a solid beat and a gradual build up. We decided our initial music choice Zebra Katz- Pulla Stunt was too slow and hip/hop for our walking movements and did not fulfill the haunted sound we were after. Instead we ended up choosing Von Haze- Mother Mountain which was perfect!

original track

final music selection

Today was our major day of filming where we shot the main narrative for our film. We moved all our equipment, garments (re-pressed from the day before), makeup, lif and tripod to our Newtown warehouse location where we had chosen to shoot the main narrative of our film. We chose this location as it provided a really urban atmospheric backdrop for our clothes, however was still quite plain and as such would not overpower the garments. The styling of the clothes was the same as the second green room narrative however we simply swapped which model was wearing each look. This in turn showed off the unisex nature of each look and supported our concept of gender performativitiy.
We also decided to make the makeup more natural/smokey as we thought this gave both looks more of a commercial vibe and was more appropriate for the main narrative of our film as we were branding the commercial diffusion line of Barbara I Gongini.  

After watching both some good and mediocre fashion films in class from previous years it became apparent that attention to detail and finessing the appearance of both the clothes and models could make or break a film. Due to this I took it upon myself (as the 'makeup/hair artist') to make sure the slick hair remained slick throughout the day and that collars and lapels were sitting as they should. I even taped the inside of Sarah's hand with duct tape at one stage so the knuckle ring in one of the close up shots was sitting correctly!

To counter act the shakiness of filming on an iPhone (which would be fine if it was part of our concept) we created the most ingenious dolly in the industry. A shopping trolley with a tripod set up inside with cardboard boxes to prevent the tripod falling through the gaps, and finally my iPhone taped to the tripod mount. I'm not going to lie, I was quite nervous at times that my iPhone would get some battle wounds from the exercise, however our dolly proved reliable and my phone no worse for it! This device allowed us to film walking sequences and panning shots with minimal shakiness so we could achieve the professional smooth frames we desired.
 

Our next issue was lighting, as the warehouse had a sunlight on one side of the space, such that as the day progressed the lighting inevitably changed as well. We did anticipate lighting in a foreign space could be problematic so we brought with us 4 flood lights however due to the nature of the space and a lack of power points in the areas that needed extra lighting they were not really that useful. Luckily the door leading to the street was on the side without the sunlight so we opted to have that open as the afternoon progressed to try and counter balance the moving sunlight. 

Our last obstacle was shot alignment. One of the main concepts within our narrative is a series of shots back and forth between the two characters walking towards each other. This meant that it was integral for each frame to line up correctly in regards to the level of the floor, the depth of field of the subject walking and the distance from each subject. Limited by materials and equipment at hand we made do by marking on the group with tape both where each subject started and where we (the ones filming) were standing. This gave us a rough guide for go by for each time we re shot the sequence (which was many!) Whilst this was a good starting point, it did not prove accurate enough to satisfy my slight OCD tendencies, which led me to create a sort of make-shift grid using duct tape on the iPhone screen. This was a stroke of genius and made the following shots after this invention a lot easier and more accurate. 

Today was a bit of a whirl wind and went super fast! After a finishing perfecting hair and makeup we went into the green room, which turned out to be in use by a few other groups so time management and coordination were essential in making the most of our resources.
Lighting proved to be somewhat problematic at first as none of us were particularly familiar with green room shooting and how to minimize shadowing. We found at first that our models were either too washed out or due to the stark white of the facepaint, and the black of the clothing they appeared over exposed. After finessing many different lighting angles we found that lighting from both sides of the subject as well as from behind and in front allowed a bring clean image.

too washed out                                                                                                                                        over exposed

 perfect!

The next task was to get our subjects, Sarah and Campbell to move in such a way that looked natural, whilst still showing off the garments. I thought it was important for details and fabric movement to feature quite strongly in the second narrative of our film as we anticipated the warehouse shots would be more atmospheric and narrative based. We made use with the equipment available to us in the green room and ended using the light reflectors to create makeshift fans which in turn created movement in the clothes. Due to the reflective material of the boards, moving them up and down to create wind also threw light on the clothes which is quite effective and turned out to be of advantage to showing the garments off.

We taped my iPhone to the tripod for all of our filming today as we wanted smoothly shot professional frames  and did not want any shaking camera shots which would come from filming by hand. Lastly we took some 'lookbook' images to supplement our fashion film which will also be great to have in our portfolios. I was really surprised by how well the iPhone 5 peformed and the high quality appearance of this particular image.

Today consisted of revising times for our story board shots, choosing final locations, styling looks and practicing makeup.
After a second presentation to the class and tutors of our branding and film intention we decided it was important for us to revisit our branding concept and clarify what we were trying to communicate through our film. ie) make sure it is clear to the viewer what look or style we were trying to sell. We initially decided to create our own hypothetical brand which would be advertising either an androgynous or unisex minimalist urban style, however, choosing a designer with an established philosophy and aesthetic removed the ambiguity and lack of coherency in our films vision.

This led us to further research of brands and designers which held a similar aesthetic to that which we were wanting to feature. From this we discovered the Nordic designer Barbara I Gongini whose styling and garments fitted the brief of what we needed. We also found her fashion film was along the lines of what we wanted to create, with a very eery, disturbing feel to it. 

In order to have a successful shoot tomorrow and to make to most of our precious time in the green room we decided it would be integral to have our individual looks styled, pressed and prepared before hand. We used Barbara I Gongini and other nordic designers with a similar aesthetic such as Acne for styling inspiration which as with most androgynous/unisex styling created a very minimalist edgy look.

look 1                                                                                                                                                      look 2

It was also important for us to test out makeup options and trial different inspiration we had found. This image formed the basis of our makeup styling for the looks filmed in the green room . The performative nature of using face paint and the white foreheads cultivate a benevolent facade that externalizes the symbolic nature of gender and identity as a performance.

Through trial and error I discovered that 3-4 layers of white face paint was required in order to achieve the stark white contrast we desired. These are some shots from our dress rehearsal of our styled looks and make-up we tested on camera to ensure the overall aesthetic was that which we desired. We also decided on slicked back hair as not to distract from the clothing and to complement our minimalist vision.

 

After 2 coats of white face paint                                                                                                             Finalized looks!

"Our identities and gestures are transferred from our cultural memory. Photography, movies, and more recently, virtual reality, are cultural and social markers that juxtapose the "ideal image of self" with the self as experienced in everyday interactions." -  Susan Serafin


Our aims for the initial design studio working on our film together was to discuss our brand aesthetic, devise a either a narrative or abstract story for our film, develop a storyboard, choose film locations and create a realistic time frame to complete different elements of the film. Although initially this seemed like a lot to accomplish in our first studio session, we quickly realized it was necessary to move at such a pace in order to complete our film on time.

This was out schedule that we devised of events for the week

Monday- Brainstorm aesthetic, choose narrative Vs abstract story, create story board
Tuesday- Revise timing for story board shots, choose final locations, style looks, practice makeup
Wednesday-Full test run of makeup and garments, Shoot all green room frames
Thursday- On site filming at Newtown warehouse
Friday- Begin editing, choose successful shots, go through timing of shots
Next week- Complete editing process, add audio, collaborate on rationale


Brainstorm was both challenging yet rewarding. I find beginning a creative process difficult at first as I am often unsure of my own ideas. Putting this process in a group context only makes it more difficult. At first we were all quite hesitant to share ideas (Sarah, Jess and myself) however once we got the ball rolling we all brought different ideas to the table and could begin to bounce ideas off each other. Despite individual differences everyone was super flexible when it came to collaborating and merging ideas. I also found working on a the storyboard really helpful in solidifying our groups vision as it forced us to thinking critically on how exactly we were going to execute our film.

By the end of Day 1 we decided we wanted to create a Gareth Pugh aesthetic within our film, with more of an abstract narrative. After considering shooting the entire film in the green room we thought choosing a more urban location with a second narrative shot in the green room would add more depth to our film and better suit our brand aesthetic.

We ended up choosing to present a unisex or androgynous collection which would in turn double our target as well as making it more viable from a business and marketing perspective.

Inspiration: Gareth Pugh Autumn/Winter 2009 by Ruth Hogben

We continued communicating via a facebook group we created, sharing makeup inspiration, possible branding, audio choices and other fashion films that had created atmospheres similar to those that we wanted our film to have.


Essay development:
I decided to choose film as my fashion media and will be looking at the use of costume in constructing and disseminating gender ideals focusing on femininity. Initial I was going to focus on Billy Wilder’s 1950s black and white Hollywood classic Some Like It Hot and The Matrix, however after consulting my tutor, Justine suggested looking at two films from the same genre would provide a more relevant comparison. From this I have turned to analyze Sydney Pollack’s 1980s hit Tootsie which is a comical parody on gender roles, as is Some Like It Hot. I will be examining the extent to which drag within films effectively challenges heterosexually orientated perceptions of 'gender' whilst operating within societies binary frameworks of femininities and masculinities.

Sources
Serafin S, 2009, Multiplying The Body: Gender Performance Remembered and Reconstructed thesis.

It is important to distinguish between fashion, dress and costume, particularly when analyzing their relationship to films and their role within in films. Whilst there is considerable academia written on each of these three, reduced to their most basic;
- fashion is a discourse that holds commodities and markets at its crux
- dress is located within ethnicity and anthropology, embedded within kinship, class and society 
- costume is the fabrication of an overall appearance of a character or performer through the employment of both fashion and dress. 

Cinema is the ideal marketing tool for fashion. Collaborations and exclusively commissioned couture designs for films can be traced as far back as the likes of Paul Poiret’s dressing of Sarah Bernhardt in her costumes for Queen Elizabeth (1912) and Salvatore Ferragamo’s commissioning as official shoemaker for the film The Ten Commandment (1956). Such collaborations offered designers a public platform to disseminate their designs, and were integral in establishing a designers reputation and brand. Chanels current status of success can be attributed to its cinematic revival of the 50s and 60s, where by Coco Chanel employed the cinema to reach out and re-establish her fashion house. 

Fashion film is a genre in itself and can be divided into 3 distinct sectors;

1) Fashion Film in place of catwalk- demonstrated by McQueen’s live streaming of  Spring/Summer 2010 'Plato's Atlantis'

2) Fashion Film as installation- as shown by Burberry’s celebrated 2011 digital “Holographic” fashion show.

3) Fashion Film as art/architecture- first seen by Ralph Lauren and Drive Productions collaboration in 2010 of 4D architectural projection mapping, creating a sensory experience, including sound (music), touch (breezes) and smell (fragrance).

4) Fashion Film for cinema audiences- generally narrative base, big budget affairs involving major fashion houses and renowned producers such as Dior’s collaboration with David Lynch to produce Blue Lady Shanghai (2009), a 16-minute film noir production surrounding the mysterious appearance of the featured Dior handbag, starring Marion Cotillard. 

Blue Lady Shanghai

Like most fashion films Blue Lady Shanghai is extremely mythological and plays on the idea of film adding time whilst in time and fashion existing within time creating a great sense of nostalgia and memory. The film noir element furthers this notion of time caught in time establishing a sense of uncertainty and dreaming as it immerses the audience in the hyper-reality of 19^th century Shanghai and positions us as observers of a bygone era. The credibility of Lynch as a producer means the film acts as a vehicle for establishing the luxury label Dior within the Chinese market as a real and authentic product which in turn creates a nexus between good and bad, playing on ideals of eastern orientalism as touched on by John Berra (2012).

Ultimately Fashion Films come down to the marketing or promotion of an object or garment, which we as the audience are positioned to desire. As such fashion films are designed to immerse the audience in their productions creating highly attractive fantasy worlds or magic, beauty and luxury. 

Sources

Sue Osmond, Guest Lecture at UTS (13 June 2013)
Vicki Karaminas, Guest Lecture at UTS (14 June 2013)
Berra J, 2012, Blue Lady Shanghai: The strange case of David Lynch and Dior, Film, Fashion and consumption, Volume 1, Issue 3

The Wachowski (brothers) highly successful 1990 film The Matrix explicitly deals with the body, intellect and gender roles and identity. The Matrix contains very intentional manipulations of gender and gender boundaries in both its narrative as well as casting and costuming. One example of this is the character of Trinity. Our first introduction to her is in the films opening scene where a police says, “I think we can handle one little girl,” before Trinity proceeds to outrun and outfight the male officers and agents. She appears feminine through her leather clad costuming although she is infact one of the key action hero’s of the film.  This play on gender roles becomes evident again when Neo discovers her identity and connects her with her impressive hacker past, “Jesus! I just thought you were a guy.” It is Trinity’s female character that excels in activities reserved for males, further evident when Trinity takes on the role of Prince Charming, saving Neo and awakening him with a kiss. 

The Matrix further communicates an agenda of gender role confusion with Reeves playing Neo. His slim relatively unmuscled body and androgynous features, place Reeves is at the opposite end of the spectrum from overly hypermasculinized action icons like Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Blurred gender identities are further highlighted through the costuming of Neo and Trinity where by one can appreciate that fashion defines gender, manifesting it into visual means.

Gender identities are fluid and in a constant state of change, and as Oakly (2000) observes, we have reached a point whereby dress and behavior are as much a function of the male and female identity as is having either male or female genitalia. As such clothing is more than its physical manifestation as a means of protection, modesty, and comfort. Craik (2005) proposes, the very nature of clothing and its intimate relationship with the body render it an integral tool in the representation of gender and identity and is layered with meaning that communicate social and cultural roles.

These ideas are supported by Gilligan in the extract "Becoming Neo: costuming and transforming masculinity in the matrix films" (2009) as she states "Although the material body may still be biologically defined as male or female, it is no longer the site at which masculinity and femininity becomes constructed. Thus, rather than the excesses of muscularity or the hyper feminine body, gendered identity becomes constructed at the level of performance." It is evident from the above academic perspectives that whilst traditional gender and sexual binaries have been delineated in fashion and costume, films such as the Matrix offer alternative queer spaces. Through the portrayal and costuming of characters such as Neo’s a crossover appeal for the straight female and gay male has been created.

Sources

Sue Osmond, Guest Lecture at UTS (13 June 2013)
Vicki Karaminas, Guest Lecture at UTS (14 June 2013)
Craik J, 1993, The Face of Fashion: Cultural Studies in Fashion, London: Routledge.
Gilligan S, 2009, Becoming Neo: costuming and transforming masculinity in the matrix films, in McMeil, Karaminas, V and Cole, C (eds) Fshion in Fiction Berg, p149-159.
Oakley A, 1972, Sex, Gender and Society, London: Maurice Temple Smith Ltd.

‘Film capitalizes on our most primary means of communication, employing visual images that move us deeply… Each decade’s cultural anxiety and hope about gender is coded frame by frame in the celluloid representations of gender nonconformists’. Mackenzie (1999)

Stephan Elliott’s acclaimed film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) and award winning costumes by Tim Chappel marked a major shift in Australian cinematic representations of transgender as well as traditional ideals of femininity and masculinity. The story centers around the adventures of 3 drag queens travelling through the outback and was the first Australian film to make the lives of gender-queer individuals its main focus, overtly addressed issues surrounding non-normative gender-identities and sexualities. Transgender theorist Gordene O. Mackenzie (1999) proposes, ‘images are part of a complex system of symbols that reference the world around us and within us… Much of our sex, gender and nationalistic identities are drawn from the bodies and discourses of our celluloid heroes and icons’.

It is interesting to draw on and compare representations of masculinity in both Crocodile Dundee (1986) and Priscilla (1994) as explored by Rose Lucas (1998).

In Crocodile Dundee, masculinity is portrayed as rugged and fearless which is indicative of societies expectations and ideals of the quintessential man.  ‘Solo Man’ is another example of this uber-masculine persona of the 80s. 

This portrayal of masculinity is adapted to some extent in Priscilla with the scene where Tick (or Mitzi) talks with his son. As opposed to the highly flamboyant drag dresses we see him dressed in for most of the film, Hugo Weaving is costumed much like this 80s symbol of masculinity, in traditional Australian outback attire of jeans, shirt and Akubra hat. The incorporation of a widely accepted ‘normative’ gender identity within the film makes the character more relatable and thus makes the film accessible to a wider audience. It is also indicative of the fact that whilst Tick chooses to dress and present himself as a drag queen throughout their journey, elements of his masculinity are still very much intact. This in turn raises the notion of gender as an act or performance and not essential to one’s sex as examined by Judith Butler (1990). She terms this fluidity as gender performativity ‘the fluidity of identity and the construction of that identity simply at the moment of performance’. An individual puts on a gender performance whereby he/she can reject gender roles, and in doing so, challenges the masculine/feminine binary. Alternatively or he/she can conform to gender roles, and thus, maintain gender identity normativites.

Sources
Tim Chappel, Guest Lecture at UTS  
Butler J, 1999, Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity, New York: Routledge.
Mackenzie G, 1999, 50 billion galaxies: Transgendering the millennium. In Reclaiming
Genders: Transsexual Grammars at the Fin de siècle, eds. Kate More and Stephen
Whittle, p193-218. London and New York: Cassell. 
Lucas R, 1998, Dragging it Out: Tales of masculinity in Australian Cinema, from Crocodile Dundee to Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Journal of Australian Studies, 22:56, p138-146.

While fashion publications are dedicated to providing readers with interesting information and exciting new content they are ultimately in existence to generate revenue and make profits, and GQ (Gentlemen's Quarterly) is no exception to this phenomenon. Wayne Gross, Fashion Editor and stylist of GQ Australia commented on some of the ins and outs of the publication business and attributing factors that influence the magazine.

Context: GQ is a men’s lifestyle magazine, which offers their readers insight into Style, Luxury, Life & Girls, presenting an almost fantasy like escapism presented by Hollywood talents set in nostalgic backdrops and by appropriating elements of style and popular culture icons such as David bowie and James Dean. While designed to appeal to male adults, generally businessmen, who have some sort of interest in style, the magazine has cross over appeal between readers as it presents an image of masculinity that men want to be and women want to be with.

Gross touched on parallels between GQ’s media coverage, publicity events and reader engagement and the importance of releasing publications synonymously with highly broadcasted social events. A prime example of this is GQ’s annual Man of the Year award ceremony and corresponding publication, which are both treated as major marketing projects for GQ, producing high exposure and ‘brand’ awareness. The intense media coverage of the event generates excitement and anticipation for the publication, which naturally leads to an increase in readerships.

Another way in which GQ exploits media coverage to their advantage is through Hollywood talents with highly anticipated film releases illustrated by Leonardo DiCaprio’s June/July Cover coinciding with the release of the Great Gatsy. 

Another integral element of the publication business within today’s highly competitive market is financial backing and support from leading international brands through advertising. There is a fine line between managing brand commitments and upholding creative integrity, and finding this balance is vital for the survival of any publication. This notion is examined by Sean Nixon (1993) who delves into an in-depth analysis of the complex nexus, which exists between publishers and advertising. An example of disparity between brand expectations and magazine intent, which Gross offered, can be seen in the International design section of GQ. Instead of displaying editorial spreads with one major label per page GQ’s decision to focus on seasonal looks, displaying multiple models from differing major labels on the same page of one particular issue generated backlash from brand supporters. This leaves us with the question of whether it is justifiable for magazines to present particular trends and brands over others in order to satisfy brand expectations. Publications need financial backing from advertisers and advertisers need exposure, although is it ok for this relationship to affect the content and ideals presented within a publication?

Sources

Wayne Gross, Guest Lecture at UTS

Sean Nixon (1993): Looking for the Holy Grail: Publishing and advertising strategies and contemporary men’s magazines, Cultural Studies, 7:3, 466-492.