However, overall I'm happy with the final product. There is definitely room for improvement which has been explained in my evaluation, but the success overall lies in not only the final outcome itself but the process. There have been lots of hurdle that I have had to overcome, and lots of problems that I have had to solve and I am really proud of myself for how I have handled these. I feel as though I have grown as a professional and applied myself to learn things that I may not have if everything in the project ran smoothly. It is for these reasons that I wouldn't change any part of the process. I think I could have liked to have had a wider range of shoots and better quality of binding, but overall I think that the project was a success and conveyed what I set out to portray.
EVALUATION
At
the start of this project I initially proposed to create a visual coffee-table
style book that would explore the link between the skin and five separate
sets of emotions. I also aimed to create five short films to accompany this, to
create an emotional response in the audience that could not be reached through
the visual medium of a book alone. As the project progressed, however, the
nature of my project changed significantly to be a celebration and exploration
of Skin as a form of identity, and focus more widely on human responses rather
than pinpoint individual emotional reactions. This was partly down to the
research that I compiled where I drew inspiration from body sculpture, and
partly down to my own experiences with skin, eczema and scaring.
This project has undoubtedly pushed me to increase my
capability in industry-relevant skills and has forced me to work autonomously,
setting goals and challenges for myself and problem solving appropriately. A crucial
example of this is the vast improvement in my skills in digital applications,
especially in Photoshop, Indesign and Final Cut pro. This has been primarily
self taught, but has also been encouraged by regular support sessions with the
I.T technician. I have been able to use digital manipulation to emphasize the
emotional tone of my project in post production and therefore explore the
concept on a more solid level. This is something that I thought that I would
have to rely on the photographers for, and was put in jeopardy when Susann left
the project. As such, a huge benefit of learning these skills is that I have
been able to take control of factors that I would have had to previously rely
on other people for if things do not go to plan. I feel immensely proud of my
progression, and confident enough that I would list this as a skill when
applying to jobs in industry. This is a hugely beneficial thing to come out of
this project - it has forced me to improve my skills for industry and also
think and communicate more like a professional and create mini briefs for
myself to reach my goals.
As
to successes of the project, I believe that I succeeded in creating an original
and visually stimulating piece of work that merges emotion with technological
factors that are commonplace in today’s industry. The QR code is an essential
method of promotion today and strikes a happy medium between being forward
thinking and innovative, yet still attainable enough to be easily accessible to
everyday people.
There
were a few ideas that I originally had for the photographic portion of the
project that proved unsuccessful, such as using wax as an extension of the skin
and body. But although this was tested and still unsuccessful due to lack of
facilities on the scale that I needed, I believe that I efficiently found solutions
to the problem, using aesthetically similar materials that were easier to work
with and fit into the concept and design of the original shoot and concept. I
was able to solve these problems quickly and effectively, proving that the
project has helped me to think on my feet when things don’t go to plan. This
will be invaluable in industry.
The
most challenging aspect of this project for me was relying on and organising other
people. It’s easy enough to organise a photoshoot every now and then, but
organising multiple shoots when everyone else also was busy with FMP deadlines,
with limited studio time, was something that I found very frustrating and
difficult to manage. I found that surrounding myself with the right team was
imperative to the success of the project and acted as a support system. The
final team of people that I shot with were as involved and as interested in the
final outcome of the project as I was, which I think was key in making an
effective piece and having the shoots run smoothly.
Another
thing that I found challenging was the budget, and this definitely caused a few
limitations for me especially in the way of printing and binding. If the budget
had allowed I would have looked into more expensive materials to create a wider
range of visual experiences but it became apparent quite early on in the
project that the budget that I had initially planned was not realistic to what
I could afford. Although this did not set me back in terms of my shoots, it was
an issue when I came to look into printers.
A
major threat throughout the project was the possibility of people either not
being available or dropping out. Unfortunately the latter occurred with my
initial photographer/videographer half way through the process, and she failed
to pass on to me any of the material that we had agreed on. I finally received
unedited clips and images from her, and thought that my lack in video editing
would compromise the outcome of the project. I managed to overcome this
however, by falling back on my backup photographers and utilising my newfound
skills in Final Cut Pro.
There
were a few major issues that needed to be resolved throughout this project, mainly
because working with the skin as a medium is different to creating regular
makeup looks. There were different materials I had to familiarise myself with and
new methods of makeup application that I had to utilise to create the effects
that I wanted. I also had to familiarise myself with foreign technology as well
as teach myself completely new skills from scratch. The key to resolving these issues
was preparation and anticipation. I had initially planned for disasters to
happen, which meant that I had at least some basic idea of how to fix a problem
if it came along, which I could then build upon. This is a really important
skill that has increased tenfold though completing this unit and something that
is invaluable to my career when I go out into industry. I’ve also proved to
myself that I can set myself challenges and solve them in a professional and
effective manner.
The
overall quality of my book definitely requires some improvement. It was bound
poorly; causing some of the pages to go out of alignment and in some cases fall
out. Although I could blame this on the company, the blame primarily lies with
me for not managing my time efficiently enough to go to a better printer. I
chose a company that could do the job quickly, and although I had several
meetings with the printers I took the quality at face value without testing
examples and actually touching and feeling the books for poor binding prior to
ordering. This is something that I will carry with me in my career when I
collaborate with other companies in the future – quality is important and
should not be substituted for poor time management.
If
I were to further develop the project then I would like to go even further with
the methods that I used to explore the skin and its responses. Exposure to the
work of artists like Bart Hess and Juke Schoorl determines that projects
like this can be emphasized sculpturally, texturally and aesthetically and this
is something I would like to expand upon given a larger budget and timespan. I
would also have liked to have fine-tuned my Final Cut Pro skills and make the
videos that I created look just that bit more professional. I learnt how to
edit after I filmed, and if I had reversed the process I think I could have gotten
shots that would’ve made for a better quality video.
Overall
I have created something unique with a creative, diversity driven concept
behind it. Diversity is fast becoming a prominent factor in the beauty industry
with campaigns like Diversity Now and models like Shaun Ross and Winnie Harlow
driving this forward, but the subject of skin is still very much a taboo
subject when discussing beauty and fashion. This book addresses the issues that
are still being ignored in fashion. It was surprising and refreshing that this
project actually made me feel hugely positive of my own skin. The book is
positive, with quirky colour schemes and edits that beautify skin and all of
its distinctions. I think that this is important to acknowledge not only within
the beauty industry but in every day life as well.
