Peter (Emily's version)

This will be a music video inspired by the Taylor Swift song " Peter". There will be a Waltz dance to the music. I will be using ageing techniques to show how a couple see each others future together.

Director: Emily Bannister

Camera operator: Jamie Parry

Editor: Jamie Parry

Music by: Gemma Daniels

Cast:

Wendy - Emily Bannister

Peter - Matt Kuter

character 2 - Jamie Parry

Inspiration

Taylor Swift - Peter

The idea came to me, when listening to this song. The song is about two people who fall for each other, one person did not quite feel ready for a serious relationship so it is implied that he (Peter) told the other person, he needed time to be ready emotionally and find her when he was but he never did. She waits and waits but he never shows up, she eventually stops waiting because she realises he's never coming back for her.

Significant lyrics:

" The goddess of timing once found us beguiling"

" I thought it was just goodbye for now"

" Said you were gonna grow up then you were gonna come find me"

" We both did the best we could do under the same moon in different galaxies"

" I won't confess that I waited but I let the lamp burn, as the men masqueraded I hoped you'd return" - She had fallen for him so deeply, she could not imagine being with anyone else. I would like a scene where she is trying to look for him and as she's looking different people start dancing with her but her focus is on trying to get to him and waiting for him to come back but he never does.

" Forgive me Peter, please know that I tried" - This is realization that he is not coming back. In the video, I want to show acceptance so she will pick herself back up and she eventually finds her person.

" But the woman who sits by the window has turned out the lights" - this line represents acceptance, She has waited, hoped he would return and it became clear he was not going to.

I imagine this as a piano being played as the story goes on. As there are references to Peter pan in this song, I also want there to be a reference in the video, which is why Wendy will have fairy wings attached on their face.

Story

Wendy

Peter

Character 3

Starts with character 1 and Peter walking around some space keeping eye contact. They begin dancing, a slow waltz as this is quite romantic. As Peter spins character 1, the camera will focus on her and see her gradually get older, There will be three spins and each time, Peter stays the same to show he doesn't see a future with her. As she spins towards Peter we will see her gradually de-age back to present age and her wings become slightly darker and broken and at this point Peter begins leaving. As Wendy tries to look for and find Peter, other people will try to dance with her but she is only looking for him and he disappears. eventually the music will stop and slow down and the lighting will be almost gone, her wings will be dark and broken as she lays on the floor. As the music slowly begins to play again, she slowly rises from the floor and starts to dance a solo, this is to represent her finding her strength and coming back to who she is, as she spins again we see her wings become brighter. As she dances, character 3 joins the dance and we see them both age and de-age, showing that he wants the same. The video will end with with a dip and almost kiss. Character 1 has restored her wings to how they were.

Ageing

De-ageing in movies

From watching these youtube videos I learned there are many techniques to de-ageing actors. This includes:

CGI (Samuel L. Jackson in Captain Marvel)
Body doubles (Michelle Pfeiffer in Ant-man and the wasp, with CGI)
Make-up
Motion capture technology (Will Smith in Gemini man with body double and CGI)
Visual effects (Kurt Russell in GOTG with make-up and body double)
A combination of the ones above

Research videos:

https://youtu.be/CXLaN2YqOBM?si=ZKsywONt0U3CmEYU - The technique this make-up artist uses is the stretch and stipple. This can make the actor look 20-30 years older but works better for older actors around 40+. The make-up artist begins by underpainting, translucent painting for details under latex which includes, capillaries, dark circles, wrinkles and freckles/age spots. Latex is then applied, dried and this is done multiple times before being powdered, it is important to keep applying powder over the latex to avoid the latex sticking to itself.

https://youtu.be/UQhpDsKuqlY?si=S9p660rrNKp7ZoaV - Use a fine brush and a pallet with different skin shades. Paint across wrinkles the actors naturally has but not the whole line, you just want to enhance them. It is important to know lights can make a difference.

https://youtu.be/MtfXak8hnX4?si=rfAk7khnH-HL1rBp - This video shows different ways movies have de-aged actors in movies. In Gemini man they used a body double for Will Smiths character, motion capture and CGI. For Kurt Russell's character in guardians of the galaxy they used a combination of make-up, visual effects and a body double.

https://youtu.be/w4eSYqBc4ZQ?si=G86GYVes7P0gQ08K - I was able to take note of some good tips for prosthetics and ageing make-up from this video. Important notes:

isopropyl alcohol is good at blending fx cremes
Prosthetics need red added for warmth of blood and dimension because your using it on top of your skin.
Apply red tones first then brown.
Bring out natural shadows.
Always bring make-up downwards for ageing.
Highlight wrinkles.
Don't forget eyelashes and eyebrows.
Create beard stubble by stippling on customised colours for actor. ( This would be good for Character 3)
You can deepen creases and wrinkles with pencils.

https://youtu.be/htSElPf7l0I?si=GiRVJSiN4f7YpqYN

https://youtu.be/S9JfmCNjwTk?si=azkCpW01x01iU1XG

https://youtu.be/S9JfmCNjwTk?feature=shared

Using scar wax to create wings:

I began by scooping out the amount of product I think I would need with a plastic spatula (this was quite difficult to use because it never scooped out enough so took up a lot of time. The wax I found quite hard to mould so I think I just need to spend more time warming it up in my hands. Once i got the shape I wanted I used the paint palette and painted it green and then went over with green eyeshadow, just to give a magical effect. I made two different sizes to try out, see which one fit better. It was hard to blend these both to my skin, they were both too big and every time I touched them the paint would transfer. I have decided to not use scar wax for the final performance as it did not really work and took up a lot of time that I will need to use for ageing.

Ageing kit

Liquid latex
Loose powder
Paint palette for face and body
Eyeshadow

First go at ageing with latex:

I had completed a patch test on myself previously and had no reaction for 48 hours, so I decided to test out the latex that we had in the sfx make-up kit. As I was using a youtube video as a reference, to make sure i was using it correctly to create wrinkles on my skin. I noticed as I was using it that it was very orange on my skin. I did use a paint brush to apply, whereas in the youtube video the make-up artist uses a small sponge, so I knew this may effect the result. The latex built up some of the time and create a peeling effect, when I looked back at the youtube video, it did say to let the latex dry completely and I believe thats why I was having some issues. I also realised I had forgotten to powder during each application of latex. When working with latex for another movie one of the techniques to create scarring/cuts, was to layer the latex multiple times without powdering, which explains the peeling effect. I started again on a bare face, using micellar water to ensure it was clear of any make-up. When I next trial latex wrinkles, I am going to make sure I powder after each application to ensure it sets properly, I will make sure the latex dries before I continue the process and I will do this by creating a list of instructions for myself to follow or just by learning from this experience.

A step by step guide to ageing

1.) underpaint skin, using a paint palette and fine brush apply broken capillaries using a purple/pink shade in random areas of the face but focusing on cheeks and nose. With a brown, create freckles and age spots in random areas.

2.) Begin applying latex with a fine brush in areas where I want to create wrinkles, focusing on fine lines near the eye, chin, forehead and under eyebrow.

3.) apply powder on top of latex with a large fluffy brush.

4.) repeat step 2 and 3 twice more.

for second age up repeat the steps above.

The Final outcome

Present age

I began with my hair, half up,half down and with a headband to complete it. This also just keeps my hair out of the way of my face when applying make-up and I also wanted to make the whole look as visible as possible. When applying my foundation, I tried to avoid powdering my whole face and I wanted a fresh youthful appearance. I dotted on the concealar on my inner eye and then outer eye (a technique I learned from youtube a very long time ago), this just creates amore lifted effect whilst giving the right amount of coverage, again I did this to help show the difference when I become older in the video.

Wendy

To create the wings, I primed my eyes so the eyeshadow and paint would stick. I used a compact eye brush fo the green glitter to pack onto the lid, this just helps the colour pop more. For the painted wing, I used a flat diagonal paintbrush to create the outline of the wing and then used another flat brush to fill in that wing, I used these brushes as I could only cover the edge in the paint and it would create the shape I needed neatly. To keep the paint in place and to avoid it moving around, I powdered it.

1st ageing of character 3

First age up:

I begin the process by applying liquid latex to the actor's forehead to created more wrinkles, I apply them in 3 lines and set with powder. When applying the latex to create the wrinkles, I also look for any natural ones that the actor has, to enhance them and give more realistic effect of ageing. I continue this process in other areas of the face including, outside eye area. mouth area and chin. I used a thin amount to avoid build up of product and peeling, this did happen a couple time and all I could do was peel the latex off. I decided add a few grey hairs by using white paint but not all over just to show the change in time. With the paint palette I used a couple of the brown colours to create age spots , red to show redness in skin and purple shade to show broken capillaries. I did minimal underpainting as I would do more intensely for the second age up. I used some red to create a little reness to the skin, a purple to show some broken capillaries and finally a brown for a couple age spots. I liked how this turned out for me it was visible from where I was stood.

2nd Ageing of Wendy

2nd ageing of character 3

2nd age up:

I remembered from a YouTube video to focus on the ears and neck as well as the face as this is what the make-up artist said it is what people normally forget to do. I added more layers of latex and powder. I added white paint all over the hair and eyebrows and to finalise the look I added more redness and age spots.

Set up of products:

Liquid latex
Setting powder
Cream pencil
eyeshadow
Mascara wands
Face and body paint pallette
Makeup and paint brushes

Second age up:

I repeated the same process as before but making it more intense. Adding more of everything. Specifically about myself, I definitely could have used less powder and looked at the make-up in different lighting. I think next time, I would use a setting powder that is the same skin tone as the actor because the translucent powder left a really strong white powder in areas and really stuck to latex areas, however I do think part of that is due to the latex not being dried completely so I would make sure I have a hairdryer on hand when doing this again.

The final video

How I'm de-aging characters in the video

So the first ageing will be shown between Peter and Wendy, however, Peter never ages. The characters will be holding each others hands moving slowly in a circle. The camera will focus on both faces, and as I move around we see the first age up, then this is repeated to show the second age up. This whole process is then repeated with the next main character where he will also age and they will repeat the dance in this old age make before spinning in a circle again showing then back to their youthful present age. I think this will be quite effective to show what the story is about and show the ageing makeup nicely.

Review of ageing

I think ageing went mostly good. I think it could've been more effective with the use of prosthetics for the wrinkles but the makeup alone did help age myself and the actor by a couple decades. I realised when writing that the technique had not worked properly because I didn't stretch the skin before the application of latex as well as using a paintbrush instead of a sponge, I thought it would work just as good. When I do this again I will know to use a sponge and to keep a detailed guide with me. On video, it looked good, in the turns you could see the ageing during the second half mostly but it really helped convey what was going on in the story. I did learn you do need a lot of time to apply this make-up because the latex needs to dry and I was doing it on myself and the actor. Next time I would definitely keep a hairdryer on hand, to speed up the process. I only used make-up for this video and would definitely use prosthetics next time and perhaps a wig. I was my own director and found it easy to manage and plan for the make-up.

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