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Statement
Our pieces are a look at the past and the future of fashion, showing the contrast between the times. We wanted to capture the idea of fashion coming back from the past and the generational difference as a concept that could be used for other things that make our community. Inspired by the use of expression of identity through clothes and how clothes tell a lot about a person.
Evaluation
The final outcome we produced fits what we intended to create and the message we were portraying about clothing coming back into fashion and being historical and a big part of what makes people fit together as a community. As a group we worked well together and all did what we needed to do as individuals for the final outcome to work together.
Our still image is different from the artists references we chose and looks different to how we intended because we realised that our idea would be too complicated for us and that the simplistic approach we took better suits the message we wanted to portray about the evolution of fashion. However the concepts from the artists mixing old with new is still present in our video where we mix different pictures of Jersey from the past with clothing from the present.
We met the artist Liam Nunn and he taught us about how to do digital animation in Adobe After Effects. Before to create our small video we had to practiced moving a square. We took a look at how keyframes are placedand we exprienced. We had the opportunity to create a short animation of 5-10 seconds, thanks to the little character Liam Nunn had already created. In the whole 5-10 seconds animation we could make the character do funny face expressions, put stickers that disappeared after a few seconds, change the colours and make every part of her face move.
Storyboard
We were ask to develop our group project into a storyboard so that it will provides us a clear plan ahead of what we wish to make onour 30 sec film. We had to included details of individual scenes in our storyboard like shot sizes, the mise-en-scene, the location, props, people, lighting, sound etc.
Storyboard
The term storyboard is used to visually explain and stage a story. This term is used in the world of advertising, cinema and animation. It allows you to cut a temporal sequence or sequence plane by synthesizing the main keyframes and planes that compose it.
Our storyboard
Here is our storyboard, with my group have drawn how our 30 sec video will develop. Then what our project is about feminization decided to cut our video into three parts. Three parts for three different decades on the history of feminism. In group had decided that it could be rather interesting if we link the three decades with doors. Basically every time the model opens a door it opens the door to a better future it was a metaphor. But because of some technical problems we did not involve the doors. We still managed to find another idea to get the messages across in a better and simpler way and it’s what we did in the video.
For our NFT shoot video we want to represent feminism in each decade. We choose those feminist artists because their work express the same way we want to demonstrate our statement. Will use this artist in the same order.
Cindy Sherman
Cindy Sherman wanted to expose the image of women in society and the media. For this she experienced with photography and cinema. The artist’s goal was to create a more critical viewing, She involves her art to show social criticism hoping to sensitize subsequent generations of viewers. She began by painting in a super-realistic style in an art school in the aftermath of American feminism and in the 70s Sherman turned to photography in order to expand his exploration of women’s roles in society. Sherman sought to question the seductive and often oppressive influence of women in the media. Turning the camera on herself in an extensive fantasy Hollywood role-playing game, fashion, mass advertising, and “girl next door” roles and poses, Sherman finally drew her audience’s attention to the powerful machines and makeup behind the countless images circulating in an ever-public and “hip” culture. Sexual desire and domination, the creation of self-identity are hidden behind Sherman’s vast series of self-portraits in various forms. Sherman’s work is central to the era of intense consumerism and image proliferation in the late 20th century.
Clare Rae
In her photographic practice, Clare Rae explores ideas of performance and gesture to interrogate and subvert dominant modes of representation. Her work is informed by feminist theory, and presents an alternate and often awkward experience of the female body. Known for her engagement with domestic and institutional spaces, Rae’s work has recently been captured and exhibited in locations such as the National Gallery of Victoria, Monash University, the Abbotsford Convent, Sutton Project Space and the Substation, Melbourne.
Lissa Rivera
Lissa Rivera challenge the standard, expected norms of what identity and gender are in the medias. Lissa Rivera’s photographie is reliant to her personal history, she always felt unconmfortable by the expectations that were put on her to be feminine in a certain way. She feels that part of your identity had to do with what you see: by looking at pictures, movies or even videos online. People to adapt themselves to culture. Her photographies are a way to feel like home. She takes pictures of her partner BJ. Together they explore identity in relionships. Bj being an art historian, Lissa Rivera’s photographies are inpired of art history. In these collection Rivera takes pictures of the vulnerability and emotions of her partner she find beauty in it.
‘A non-fungible token is a unique and non-interchangeable unit of data stored on a digital ledger. NFTs can be used to represent easily-reproducible items such as photos, videos, audio, and other types of digital files as unique items, and use blockchain technology to establish a verified and public proof of ownership.’
2 LIVES
2 Lives is Jersey’s first Art Exhibition that connects Art and Finance, through the introduction of NFTs. This project is destined to shape the future of the Art world, leveraging NFTs as a tool to create new opportunities and communities. 2 Lives was created by Francesco Vincenti & Claudia Runcio who came to live in Jersey in 2020. Their vision is to create a format for future NFT exhibitions that can be replicated around the world in different shades and configurations.
‘What we want to leave in Jersey is a seed and a promise of prosperity, a moving platform on which creators, artists, business professionals and students can grow.’
An NFT Artist: Beeple
Also known as Mike Winklemann, Beeple is now the third most valuable living artist after selling an NFT collage for a record-smashing $69 million. The historical sale brokered through Christie’s in a first of the kind of the famed auctioneer whipped up a frenzy of interest for NFTs and the broader sphere of cryptocurrencies.
The Charleston native had previously set a NFT art world record after selling $582,000 worth of cryptocurrency art in five minutes. Beeple’s 1.7 strong social media following results from him sharing animations and illustrations every single day over the last 13 years. You may even be familiar with some of his creations. The digital artist has developed concert visuals and Flying Lotus videos for renowned rap performers Eminem and Nicki Minaj.
Overall the process of the NFT was challenging on creating the correct timing for the movement and music while trying to add a contrast of presenting the clips and having the time of multiple different ones to start and finish at the same time by adjusting the timings of the movement. The use of different colours and patterns to arrange them to fit together is very effective as they are balanced very well. The digital image was composed by different clips of the NFT and edited two of the images to make the background black and white. This was effective because it shows a change in fashion in the digital image yet the background colour doesn’t drain the image of the focus.
This film was created to highlight the fact that everyone should be able to wear what they want, when they want. We added a voice over as well as music in the background of the video. We did this so that the message of the video was fully understood and conveyed.
The background of the video highlights the fact that colours are often stereotyped to a gender. However the white colour highlights the fact that clothes should be gender neutral, that is why we had a male model wearing a dress.
The voiceover is to further emphasise that people should be themselves and that no one’s opinion should sway how they feel about themselves or stop them from expressing themselves. The voice over is a male because many judge men for dressing more feminine and call them derogative terms. The stereotyping of fashion could be harmful to the person’s mental health. Men are often thought as strong, unemotional and self sufficient. Often if men do not act this way they are seen as weak and fragile. The most common derogative names given to men who are not the media’s idea of masculine are called “flamboyant”, “gay” or “pansy”. Though these words in general are not commonly used to be offensive; the media has caused these regular words to be seen as rude and should someone be called these, they are not good enough.
Although we focused on the male perspective in our project that does not mean that this topic does not apply to women. Women have been called “sluts”, “tramps” or even “slapper”. The media judges women on the length of their clothing as well as their appearance (e.g. makeup) and brands a label on them which will often be seen by younger audiences which are more easily swayed by the media and its opinions, and will plant an idea of what they ‘should’ be wearing when they actually should be able to wear what the want without the fear of someone telling them they don’t look normal.
The media is the worst thing to read if you want to feel happy with yourself. The media constantly fixates on the topic of fixing yourself or making yourself look like the most famous celebrity (that often has a hair and makeup team, and possibly plastic surgery). The media shows celebrity “flaws” which then sways the reader’s mind on what they see as an acceptable way to look and dress.
A storyboard is a collection of images in a certain order to portray a concept someone wishes to execute in their film.
The first picture illustrates the idea of the film containing same-sex actors within a church, sharing looks and doing personal readings of the bible, at a distance. We then wish to find authentic clips of old riots/protests against LGBTQ rights to use in the middle of the film, this is to project a clearer idea to the audience and adds a real element to the film, showing that is actually happens in real life. We will be flicking these clips in-between dazed, over exposed fantasy scenes that we will shoot in an open field with natural lighting. The aim of the middle is to show the thoughts of the pair if they wish to pursue a homosexual relationship, thinking of both negative and positive impacts on their lives, considering religion.
To end the film, we will direct the couple to move to sit together, there then they will compare positive verses they have both found. This is to show that they are supporting each other, helping to show the other how to accept their sexuality.
To link back to the title and topic, we will present the verse which states ‘love thy neighbour’ as a close up. We chose this verse as it can be interpreted as an umbrella for christianity to encourage all to accept those for who they are, de-stigmatising learnt prejudice from society.
We wanted the model to be more serious and stereotypically masculine whilst wearing the first outfit. We did this because we wanted to show the changes in his confidence, when he was wearing the different outfits.
When this is edited the green screen will be a light blue colour to highlight the masculinity of our model. Blue is associated with the male gender. It is also linked with the ocean which is known to be fierce and uncontrollable. As well as the ocean, blue is associated with the sky and which is a major part in our life as it protects us from the universe around us.
Outfit 2
The second outfit was used to show a slight transition between the 1st and 3rd outfit. The baggy sweatshirt is hiding the masculine shirt; this could be seen as the beginning of the model feeling more confident in dressing in feminine outfits.
We wanted there to be serious poses as well as more laid-back / happier poses, leading up to the final outfit. We wanted to show the fact that the model doesn’t need to act a certain way to wear a certain style of clothes.
Outfit 3
For this outfit we asked the model to be a little bit more confident with his poses to ensure that it’s known that he doesn’t care what people think about him.
Outfit 4
For the final outfit, our model had more serious poses in the original unedited video (which is where I got my screenshots from), however the footage used in the video is showing the model being a lot more laid-back and relaxed in the outfit that he is in.
We used the footage from when the model was in this outfit throughout the film to help foreshadow what will be happening at the end of the film.
What will the future of Jersey look like as a community in the metaverse?
Diverse Digital Immersive
The future of jersey’s community as a metaverse will be unhackneyed and evolving.
The future of Jersey’s community as a metaverse will already bring all social elements that are used in todays society to the digital platform, then evolve it through knew social norms/ understandings on a digital point of view. Islanders will be able to communicate to one another whenever they would like at any given location physically in Jersey or even across the globe! I would imagine this happening on high advances of technology potentially through Virtual Reality. I feel like the metaverse will be a very free, consistent and the modern way of people communicating to one another. In addition, I fell like this would be perfect for Jersey as the community could come out of this “bubble” that Jersey has hiding it from around the world, in order to potentially get glimpses of what the real world is like.
Reflecting and Reviewing Mind Map
The concept that we decided to go through with as a group to interpret the theme of community was social differences/norms through gender. The way that we will be interpreting this concept in the film will be done by having our male model, dressed up in masculine and feminine clothing, alongside feminine and masculine posses. In addition, the male model will be infront of a green screen that will be changing between the colours of blue, purple, pink and white in that specific order. For the blue background, our model will be in male clothing performing masculine poses. This will be showcasing to the audience the everyday stereotypes of men having to wear male clothing, being stiff in order to portray what society thinks is ‘masculine’. As for the purple background, our model will be in a crop top wearing jeans which will be portraying to the audience a slow transition of men being able to wear feminine clothes, being normalised in society. Moreover, the purple background is a mix between pink and blue, which is presenting men being able to merge the two types of clothing together to develop a slow transition with men being able to wear female clothes. In terms of the pink background, our model will be wearing a dress with make up on which will be displaying how men should be able to go all the way with how they would like to look in terms of being feminine or attaining that look. Finally, for the white background we would like to have a split of our model wearing the dress and wearing the male clothing. This will be portraying how men can look like whatever they want and still be comfortable in society, with the white background being a neutral colour there is no significant meaning behind it in terms of gender. However, the white background will exhibit hope/ faith in our community as a whole being more open minded in terms of how males would like to display themselves with there looks in terms of clothing, make up and even their sexuality.
In terms of the image, we will be having a split between our model wearing mens clothing and female clothing with a white background. This will be portraying our concept of social norms/ differences in men having to follow this stereotype of not being able to wear female clothing publicly because it doesn’t look masculine. Having the split of the masculine and what is ‘non masculine’ will be showing the audience men should be comfortable with wearing female clothing and they can still be masculine, men shouldn’t have to question there masculinity just because of a piece of clothing. As for the white background, this is essential because it is a neutral background which won’t be distracting, the audience can look at the focal point of the image which is the split between the masculine and feminine clothing that is portrayed. Moreover, the white background on the image displays faith and hope in our community moving forward in the direction of men being able to wear female clothing, feeling comfortable in society as well wearing these outfits and being more comfortable with their own sexuality as well.
Overall, as a group we thought the concept of social norms/differences had to be challenged. The reasoning behind this is because, in society today we still have people who haven’t been fully educated on understanding both genders being able to be comfortable with their own sexualities, due to stereotypes like men not being or looking ‘masculine’ due to wanting to use or wear female products in society.
https://commonreader.wustl.edu/why-women-can-dress-like-men-but-not-vice-versa/. On the link provided above is a Journalist who wrote down a piece on how, ‘Why Women Can Dress Like Men But Not Vice Versa’. A women with the name of Jeannette Cooperman wrote a journal about how men cant wear women clothing, yet it works vice versa. This caught an interest to me and helped me gain some ideas on how to interpret our concept into community as she challenges the topic of men not being able to wear women clothing. For example she mentions how the issue of these stereotypes could be happening because of men potentially having to prove their masculinity at all times in order to portray their sex due to ego and social stereotypes. Moreover, she preaches about how as a society we have established that men are suppose to be perceived as strong, big and had to gallop on horseback to be a man, for what appears to be to for to long of an amount of time to where men are and will struggle to be able to wear women clothing comfortably with their own sexuality or comfortability in general. This journal helped with overall ideas for our film and final image as we could gain questions in which we could ask our audience in order to make a change in society and move it in the right direction.
Here are a set of images of Billy Porter being comfortable of wearing feminine clothing in the eye of the public in order to display his sexuality and fashion.
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