This is my final shot for my Art Direction - Trick Photography and Special Effects.
I took a range of photographs in two different ballet tutus. The idea of The Black Swan came from mixing the tutus together. I then decided to surround one of my model dressed in black with the rest of her dressed in green. This reminded me of The Black Swan.
I took a range of photographs in two different ballet tutus. The idea of The Black Swan came from mixing the tutus together. I then decided to surround one of my model dressed in black with the rest of her dressed in green. This reminded me of The Black Swan.
"Black Swan is a 2010 American psychological thriller/horror film[3][4] directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, and Mila Kunis. The plot revolves around a production of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake ballet by a prestigious New York City company. The production requires a ballerina to play the innocent and fragile White Swan, for which the committed dancer Nina (Portman) is a perfect fit, as well as the dark and sensual Black Swan, which are qualities embodied by the new arrival Lily (Kunis). Nina is overwhelmed by a feeling of immense pressure when she finds herself competing for the part, causing her to lose her tenuous grip on reality and descend into a living nightmare.
Aronofsky conceived the premise by connecting his viewings of a production of Swan Lake with an unrealized screenplay aboutunderstudies and the notion of being haunted by a double, similar to the folklore surrounding doppelgängers. Aronofsky cites Fyodor Dostoyevsky's "The Double" as another inspiration for the film. The director also considered Black Swan a companion piece to his 2008 film The Wrestler, with both films involving demanding performances for different kinds of art. He and Portman first discussed the project in 2000, and after a brief attachment to Universal Studios, Black Swan was produced in New York City in 2009 by Fox Searchlight Pictures. Portman and Kunis trained in ballet for several months prior to filming, and notable figures from the ballet world helped with film production to shape the ballet presentation."
As I have seen this film a number of times I believe that the style I was aiming for was a creation based on the film. I produced a number of multiplicity photographs in this style before choosing this as my final photograph. I think it is a beautiful reflection of the film.
Location - Photography Studio - I decided that I wanted my photograph to look like the common style for dance photography. This was achieved by using the photography studio with a white wall and floor. I tried a test shot at my sisters dance studio but the images are much more professional in the photography studio.
Costume - I have photographed two of my sisters ballet tutu's with the matching pointe shoes. This gave me the option to experiment more with my multiplicity photography and create a range of different compositions. Having two different costumes resulted in me being able to create the whole 'Black Swan' story.
Model - My sister Hollie, dancer of 12 years.
Multiplicity - This is to make my scene look like there is more than 1 of my model. To do this you use layer masks and you need a lot of patience. The end result looks realistic and believable, it looks like there are loads of my model in one space.
Camera - Nikon D3S. The camera was set on a tripod due to my chosen special effect I couldnt have the camera move position.
Lighting - The main source of light for the photograph came from a domed soft box high above the shot and a umberella lighting kit on the right hand side of the photograph. This ended with some beautiful results. The photographs looks like realistic dancing photography.
For this photograph being the result I directed my model in to what poses I wanted her to be in. I got a range of brilliant shots for this photograph and put them all together to result in this for my final piece. I am extremely happy with this and think that I have made a believable piece of trick photography.
