Main Feature Artist Development- MISE-EN-SCENE PLANNING AND SHOOTING PLAN

Mise-En-Scene Planning for Zara Leigh

Setting and Props

Example of subject in front of a white wall.

I feel the location (setting) of the photoshoot for Zara Leigh should be in front of a white, blank wall that would make the shoot look like it was shot in a studio which contributes to her professional look - if I were to shoot in the woods or a field however it would take away the feel to her career and make her look less of a celeb and that she's not a big deal - the audience should receive the message that she is a professional in what she does, even if she's an upcoming artist. I plan to photograph Amber both inside and out but still want to obtain/follow through with the idea of Amber being in front of a white wall. Being outside would enable me to capture Amber (Zara) in the most natural and best lighting, to incorporate the white wall element I will upload a selected image (once the shoot has been done) onto InDesign and cut the image of Amber out- this will get rid of any conflicting objects within the frame of the shot and will also allow me to have Amber against a background that makes her image look professional and heading towards established (upcoming artist).

Costume, Hair and Makeup

Above: Rock n' Roll artist Taylor Momsen -
demonstrating the 'smokey eye' look.

Above: Megan Fox with the

intended berry lip.

Makeup: Females that have careers in the music industry, particularly the rock music industry, typically have quite heavy eye makeup that creates a really bold, upfront look. It contributes to their rebellious look and loud personality and suggests they do what they want, despite negative opinion. Due to heavy eye makeup being quite a conventional feature of a ‘rock chicks’ look I plan to give Amber a very prominent eye makeup look- with liquid eyeliner on the upper lid sitting on top of a very smokey grey or purple covering the entire upper lid accompanied by a smudged, pencil eyeliner below her waterline. This not only creates the appropriate look for an artist in the indie rock music genre (the genre of my magazine) but will make Amber’s eyes appear bigger and attractive which could contribute to Amber being aspirational to female readers due to her looking appealing. To accompany the smokey eye look I plan to apply a layer of foundation on Amber’s skin to make her appear flawless and celebrity-like (minus the photoshop) followed by contouring (highlighter and bronzer) to define the structure of her face. I will fill in Amber’s brows to make them appear defined but not to the point where she begins to look artificial – I want them to look natural but compliment her face. Lastly, I plan to give Amber a bold lip of a berry colour which will correspond well with her eye makeup; creating a very indie and rocky kind of style.

Above: Image of Charlie XCX with potential hairstyle.

Hair: I want a really volumised hairstyle for Amber to reflect the loud and true-to-yourself personality Zara Leigh has acquired through her upbringing. In the music video for the song ‘Boom Clap’ Charlie XCX (the artist) has very big, loose curls that create a lot of natural volume. I will base Amber’s hairstyle on Charlie XCX’s hair as I feel it will contribute to the ‘indie rock’ look. Many girls obsess over straightening their hair but Zara Leigh could demonstrate how you can “rock” a curly style (aspirational qualities for readers).

Costume: I feel Zara Leigh should have a look that supports her ‘indie’ qualities and a costume that isn’t too try hard which will contribute to her individual (indie) image. A kimono with a fairly bright colour would be ideal, ideally with same patterning on the sleeves or throughout the kimono. I want this to be accompanied with a patterned top that is perhaps floral to reinforce her femininity. I feel simple black skinny jeans will compliment Zara Leigh's look without overwhelming it and making her look 'try hard' or too made up- having black skinny jeans as part of Zara Leigh's wardrobe will tell/remind readers that Zara is a normal human being just like them which makes her as a celebrity much more relatable.

Example of the type of costume I want Zara Leigh to be dressed in, her appearance would come across as trendy but quirky and different due to the loud patterns being mixed with simplistic tops which a lot of people aren't brave enough to wear (aspiring qualities from Zara to readers).

Further Ideas for costume (Mood Board)

My other ideas for costume are more simplistic, such as a checked top with a
black dress or crop top; this type of wardrobe suggests that Zara has the same
experiences as everyone else in terms of everyday life and makes her much
more relatable. Celebrities are often overlooked as normal human beings due
to their fame so adding a simple wardrobe will make it much easier for readers/my
target audience to like Zara and be able to relate to her.

Facial Expressions and Body Language

Subject smiling at camera - example of what I want Zara Leigh

to look like- happy!

The body language from Zara should be open and positive communicating that Zara is/will be/has been open and honest throughout her interview. It suggests she has nothing to hide and as a person is genuine and upfront. Body language like crossing your arms or not making direct eye contact with the camera comes across as negative and makes an individual look enclosed and reserved which in turn wouldn’t prove appealing for readers. I want Amber to make direct eye contact with the camera because it adds a personal element between the artist and the reader; the reader would feel more involved and almost welcome to read the article packed with personal, interesting information about the artist. When a person is looking directly at you it indicates that they are interested. Standing with hands placed on the hips can be an indication that a person is ready and in control which contributes to Zara Leigh’s individuality. Open posture involves keeping the ‘trunk’ of the body open and exposed. This type of posture indicates friendliness, openness and willingness. In terms of facial expression I want Amber to look happy which would convey positive messages to readers about the celebrity’s/artists attitude- if Amber were to look miserable it may take away the enticement from readers who may become discouraged to read the article as they may assume the article has boring content that the artist has delivered half-heartedly.

Subject making eye contact with the camera - conveys positive

message to audience.

Lighting and Colour

Artificial light - using lamps to create the right light whilst indoors for the

photoshoot.

Half the photoshoot for Zara Leigh will be shot indoors meaning the lighting would either have to be artificial by the use of lights (e.g. lamps) or natural light e.g. shooting in a room with a big window to allow natural light to compliment the images quality within contrast and saturation levels. I don't feel any particular colour is needed when shooting as I will improve the colour within the images of Amber through photo manipulation on photoshop.
I will ensure my model is stood with the sunlight facing her rather than behind her to prevent the model from looking like silhouette with bags under her eyes. The light throughout the day varies considerably and can have a huge impact on pictures individuals capture. I plan to begin my photoshoot at 10am purely because this is after sunrise - sunrise has a warm colour to it with long shadows that can add great interest to pictures but with my photography shadows is something I don't need. This means that capturing photos in the morning (after sunrise) will still leave decent lighting to photograph with. I will prevent capturing photos at midday because this is when the sun is at it's highest point in the sky meaning no direct light is falling on subjects from the side, resulting in frequent shadows. The eyes on portrait often become completely black too- creating an unattractive image.

Positioning of characters/objects within the frame

This image of Kirsten Stewert (the subject of the

photo) is a classic example of a subject that is

central.

I plan to place my model in the centre of the shot (frame); this would mean the shot is a lot cleaner as apposed to having the model to the left or the right of the shot. Positioning the model in a central position will enable the same amount of space to be seen on the left and right of the model- the central positioning of the model could also highlight their significance. Framing this way would mean the shot would be visually neat and organised. I plan to avoid capturing irrelevant objects within the frame - this means that the location I shoot in will have to be quite spacious with little objects around- e.g. the room I shoot with a white wall will have to have no conflicting aspects around such as a picture on the wall, which I will remove before the photo shoot. If any conflicting objects occur I will simply use photoshop or 'InDesign' to get rid of them.

Camera Angles

I plan to use a variety of camera angles throughout my shoot with Amber. This is to show my capability of delivering decent quality photographs in different shots/angles and to also assist me to when I come to manipulating my images. If I were to take a small selection of photographs at similar angles I feel I would struggle to find an appropriate and fitting image for my magazine- having more to choose from will enable me to deliver a good quality image that makes a direct link to the genre of my music magazine and/or the subject being discussed (feature article content).

Possible camera angles to be used...