Dystopian Character Experimentation (no one was harmed in this procedure)

At the moment I'm focusing on the mise-en-scene of my film opening. This means setting, character design and props. 

As part of this, I did an experiment with the research I have gathered on dystopian effects such as make-up dirt, bruising etc. I decided not to post any pictures of myself onto the blog because I don't really want my picture on the internet (especially when I look like this).

Firstly I experimented with the make-up itself. Getting a dirty effect is harder than you might think. You have to think about where the dirt will go as it can get overcrowded if you're whole face is dirty and more importantly you've got to figure out what shades of brown you need to use. 

The look I chose was based off the look on the video I posted earlier on my blog about fake dirt and scarring. I placed dirt all over my face but especially in places where you are likely to place your dirt covered hands such as your hairline, forehead and cheeks. I also placed dirt down my neck, arms and hands.

Putting dirt on your hands looks very effective, especially if you can manage to get the fake dirt around your nails and up your fingers. It looks very realistic and all I used was the correct colour of eyeshadow!

I then took a look at dystopian hairstyles. Unlike most hairstyles that are worn today, dystopian hair is to be worn practical and keep out of their face. 

I started with a simple long plait that came across the shoulder. It took the hair out of the characters face and was simple enough to do. I then took another hairstyle which was again simple and kept the hair out of the character's face. I took up the side of my hair and pulled them to the back, before tying it at the top. I didn't brush my hair for this one so it looked very messy and as if I didn't care about my appearance - which was the look I was after in the character/s. After this I went for a high ponytail and side plaits. Both of these hairstyles gave the character an innocent look and I decided these would look better on a younger character but not for the character/s I had in mind. I also let my hair loose and just let it be messy. This was effective but it did cover a lot of the fake dirt which is an aspect I must consider with character design.

I also experimented with something I haven't yet mentioned which is war paint. Typical tribes would have worn war paint and I had a go with my basic eyeshadow pallet - it was quite an experience! Overall I attempted to do something alike to what the character Lexa wears in 'the 100' and it had the desired effect but I decided it didn't have the same feel that I was after so at the moment I have removed that idea. 

Hopefully I'll be posting more on my character design stuff. Until then I'll leave you with a hint to what my opening sequence will be about...

[Picture above from the film '12 Monkeys']