Contemporary Club Culture Character Final Outcomes: Kit Kat Girl

Today I completed my final photoshoot of this project, my contemporary Club Culture Character, a Kit Kat Girl from Weimar Berlin.  I am happy with the outcomes, I feel the photos capture the mysterious and sultry ways of the Kit Kat Girls.  Unfortunately in the first two images, the bobby pins left in the hair aren't particularly visible, even though I did use a different  colour pin to the hair, hoping they would stand out.  However, I have added a close up photo so that you can see this element of the design a little better.  If I was to improve on my look, I would of pushed my design further to make it even more abstract and contemporary.  This is something I shall bear in mind for the future when creating contemporary designs. 

My Chosen Face and Hair Charts

German Expressionist Painters: Pablo Picasso

Image Credit: Pablo Picasso - paintings,biography,quotes of Pablo Picasso. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.pablopicasso.org. [Accessed 19 November 2014].

Before the age of 50, Pablo Picasso, the Spanish born artist had become the most well known name in modern art, with the most distinct style and eye for artistic creation.  Although his art career spanned over a 7 decade period, Pablo Picasso is most known for his introduction of cubism, and modern approach to painting, which set the movements to follow in to the twentieth century. 

Image Credit 1: Picasso | Guayasamin y Picasso | Pinterest. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/496873771363038640/. [Accessed 19 November 2014].

Image Credit 2: Abstract portrait 5 . [ONLINE] Available at: http://paintings.name/artists/marten-jansen/nouveau-totem.php. [Accessed 19 November 2014].

Picasso first emerged as a Symbolist influenced by the likes of Edvard Munch and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. This tendency shaped his so-called Blue Period, in which he depicted beggars, prostitutes, and various urban misfits.  In 1907, Pablo Picasso produced a painting unlike anything he or anyone else had ever painted before, "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon," a chilling depiction of five nude prostitutes, abstracted and distorted with sharp geometric features and stark blotches of blues, greens and greys.

Image Credit:  Pablo Picasso – Les Demoiselles d’Avignon | My Blog . [ONLINE] Available at: http://l0wrih4f.wordpress.com/2014/09/29/pablo-picasso-les-demoiselles-davignon/. [Accessed 19 November 2014].

In Cubist paintings, objects are broken apart and reassembled in an abstracted form, highlighting their composite geometric shapes and depicting them from multiple, simultaneous viewpoints in order to create physics-defying, collage-like effects.  It’s an abstract, cubist painting, just like many others of Picasso’s work and the colours of this painting reflects African colours. Rather than using curves to draw the women he used triangles, which makes them out to be sharp, strong and quite aggressive, instead of elegant and beautiful.  This is the kind of persona I would like to try and create for my Kit Kat Girl, she is still beautiful but certain aspects of her have to be strong and quite brutal to survive in the industry she has decided to pursue. 

Having done some abstract painting style make up in class already at the beginning of the semester and really enjoying it, I thought this would be a fun and creative way to put a contemporary twist on a 1920's/ 1930's style look.  Using lines to create shape to the face is different to anything I have created before, and to me really incorporates the kind of modern feel we are looking for within this project. 

Stanislavski's Acting Technique- Contemporary Post 10 & 11

Actioning

For this post, I have taken a look at my scene and chosen an active verb for my character. My next step is to begin to think about how I will translate that in make-up and hair?

'TO TELL'

The verb I have chosen from Act One, Scene Four of the Cabaret Script is 'to tell'.  To tell is to: 

1. give an account or narrative of; narrate; relate (a story, tale, etc.):

2. to make known by speech or writing (a fact, news, information, etc.); communicate.

3. to announce or proclaim.

4. to utter (the truth, a lie, etc.).

5. to express in words (thoughts, feelings, etc.).

6. to reveal or divulge (something secret or private).

7.to say plainly or positively:

Within the scene, the Kit Kat Girls are both telling the world about their problems, but also asking for their parents not to be told about their life in the Kit Kat Club.  They are constantly telling the audience "don't tell mama, whatever you do".  

To dance is definitely the key word I picked out in this scene. Dancing is quite possibly what the Kit Kat Girls life revolves around, it is their passion and what they primarily want to pursue a career in.  It is said in the scene that the girls are wearing very seductive, lacy outfits.  To match the hair and make up to this, I would probably create a dark brown smokey eye to add to the sultry effect of the look.  As the look is supposed to be contemporary, I would maybe use some abstract style painting techniques on the face.  I think a good and bold colour to use, would be red.  Red is a colour known to symbolise love and passion, and the love these girls have for their job is huge.  Red is also a deep and mysterious colour that would again add to the seductive side of their personality. 

Stanislavski's Acting Technique- Contemporary Post 8 & 9

Why does my Kit Kat Girl want it NOW and what will happen if she doesn't get it?

My Kit Kat Girl wants to live her life to the fullest and experience new things because thats a life she has never had before.  She has come from a very guarded family that never allowed her to go out, to express her creativity or wear any kind of revealing clothes.  If she didn't get what she wanted, she would keep trying to pursue her dream of being on a stage bigger than the stage in the Kit Kat Club.  She will keep dressing herself up and carry on working at the Kit Kat Club until someone notices that she is special. 

Stanislavski's Acting Technique- Contemporary Posts 5, 6 & 7

Where has my Kit Kat Girl just come from? 

• As my character is on stage in my chosen scene, I think they would have just come from the dressing room.  They would have been topping up their extravagant, bold make up to make sure that it is visible under the bright lights on stage.  In the dressing room, the Kit Kat Girls would have been smoking, the air would be musty.  Although it may smell of smoke, there is an overpowering smell of perfume.

What does she want and why?

• My Kit Kat Girl wants to be young and free.  Her parents believe that she is with a lady chaperone in Antwerp, however she isn't and has gained a new found freedom being a Kit Kat Girl.  Before moving to Berlin, she came from a very religious and guarded family and being in Berlin has allowed her to express her creativity, to be herself.  Through extravagant dancing, eccentric outfits and crazy hair and  make up, she has gained many new life experiences. 

Contemporary Moodboard