Week 19 Reflection

This was the final week of construction for both my projects and because of this it was very busy. I spent the beginning of the week completing my 3PO costume as I had the dress parade on Wednesday. I completed the costume in time however there were issues with the lights. It appears that if the lights are handled too much they braked, leaving patches which no longer light up or are much dimmer. Due to this I have to replace the lights however they are not longer going to be piped in and instead they will simply be whip stitched on. I am happy with how this outfit is coming together and how it is working with the jacket as a whole piece. It has been a good experience collaborating with another to make a full costume. I then spent the rest of the week finishing my 19290’s Boardwalk Empire inspired suit. These finishing’s should really have been done several weeks ago however once I was given a time plan and a set date to have it finished I was able to quickly complete the tasks I needed to. I then had to source several items for the photo shoot. This is a supervisor’s role however as I am working on an independent self-directed project I had to complete the task. I had not done this before and due to my time limits I found it very daunting even though it was only a small amount of items, however once I focused I was able to source the items needed and this brought it together to compete a full costume. The photo shoot was on Friday and it was really overcast and cloudy which was perfect. It did rain slightly towards the end of the shoot however I don’t feel that this affected the photographs. I then had several images edited and I am going to print a set of business cards and postcards with these images on that will represent me. This week I also had to hand in PPP. This put extra pressure on me to get everything completed in time. By the end of this week I have completed all my makes and I am ready for the dress parade on Monday.  I will now be spending my time completing my workbooks and from Wednesday to Saturday working as a dresser and wardrobe assistant on The Threepenny Opera. This will be very exciting however I will also be incredibly busy.

Photo Shoot

For the Photo shoot I sourced a shirt and stiff collar from uni. I then sourced a tie, hat and shoes from Hirearchy. I had my own collar studs and armbands. I used the screen shots along with my historical research to make sure the items I sourced were accurate. I then dressed my model and had a photo shoot at the beach. I chose the beach to create the same effect as the opening credits of the TV series, Boardwalk Empire. I am really happy with the fit of the suit and how it looks with the correct accessories. I then chose a few images that my photographer Z then edited. I believe that these images reflect the style and feel of the design and they really capture the piece well.

Pre-dress Parade

Today was the pre-dress parade and was the first time we got to see the costumes as a collection. This was really exciting as though we are working collectively as a team I only really knew about Mac’s Jacket, as I was working with closely Naomi, and the other gang member suits. It was really nice to see the outfit together with the hat and accessories and to see how the work Naomi and I have been doing is very closely linked together. Everything went really well and everybody is happy with how I have interoperated the design. All I have to do now is remove the tacking and sort out the problems with the lights. I have found that I have managed to catch up with the work that I need to do and I feel as if I am back on track. 

Light Problems - add photos

I have been testing the lights at regular intervals throughout the production of this waistcoat and until last night they were working fine. However today the left side lights are no longer as solid and they seam to be a lot dimmer. After talking to a technician I discovered that if the lights re bent too much they will damage and cannot be fixed. I then met with the designer and we decided that re-piping the lights was going to take to long and the lights would be much brighter if they were whip stitched on top of the waistcoat. There was also the risk with re-piping the lights that the same thing would happen and it would not be possible to replace them during the show.  Whip stitching them on should be fine and not hinder the actor’s performance. I am happy with this decision as taking the waistcoat apart and re piping it would have taken a long time and it would have effected getting everything done in time. 

Prep for Photo Shoot

As I Have almost finished my suit I have began to organise the photo shoot. I have contacted the photography department and Zdravko Dimitrov is going to be taking my photos. His website is: http://zdravkodimitrov.co.uk

I met with him today and we have arranged to shoot the piece at 11 on Bournemouth beach. We have discussed the shots and the style that I am looking for.  I have begun to source the items I need for the shoot and I will continue with this tomorrow. I am excited about the shoot however it is hard to juggle this amount of tasks as I am still working on The Threepenny Opera and I have not had much experience sourcing costumes and accessories, as I am usually a maker working with a designer.

Week 19 Plan and to do list

Day	Morning	Afternoon	Evening
Saturday	Drive to Bristol	Sleeping beauty ballet	Drive home Ppp work
Sunday	Ppp work	Ppp work	Nat gig
Monday	Monday morning meeting Print envelopes	Finish ppp	Finish ppp and prep for hand in
Tuesday	11.30-12.00 Hand IN	Finish Macs waistcoat	Finish Macs waistcoat
Wednesday	Pre dress parade	Any alterations	Any alterations
Thursday	Finish 1920s suit	Finish 1920s suit	Source for photo shoot
Friday	Photo shoot	Photo shoot	Theory work
Saturday	Theory work	Theory work	Grace Eurovision party
Sunday	Theory work	Theory work	Theory work

To do list

Arrange photos shoot

Re do learning agreement

Write about new LA

Update time plan

Weekly reflection

3PO

Stitch crease into trousers

Line waistcoat

Theory

Research Brecht

Research 3PO

Hat making

How I made everything

1920s suit

Slipstitch jacket

Slipstitch vent

Sort out a buckle

Stitch a buckle on

Buttons in jacket

Buttonhole in lapel

Source everything for photo shoot

Remove all tacking

Theory

Type up any remaining notes

Write a bit of an evaluation

Finish workbook off

Get a copy of the design from bri

Get final photos

Lights

My design consists of having a strip of lights either side of the in the front panels. I have decided the best way to attach these lights if by treating them like piping. I have tired enclosing them in PVC and organza to see which has the best effect. I have found that when piping them in PVC they shine brighter however in the fitting the curve was not smooth enough and this gave the waistcoat too much shape. I then decided to use the organiser as it was more flexible and meant that a smooth curve could be created.