Evaluation

I chose to supervise Moulin Rouge because I wanted to challenge myself and learn new skills, which I certainly feel I have done. Parts of the project I have found really difficult, because everything was totally new to me, and I have no prior experience in supervising at all.

Even collaborating with another student was new to me. I am very used to working on my own, at my own pace, and without having to communicate with anyone else what I am doing. I think it took a little time for both of us to get used to each other! Only in the fact that we needed to work as a team rather than a single person, and I think we did work really well together – we took on roles that we were strongest at (Amber was at more of the admin side of things, and I was making and sourcing) and once we had sorted this out everything began to run really smoothly and well. It was finding the balance of working on our own side of things but liaising with each other so that we were both always aware of what was going on.

I struggled at the beginning of the project. I feel that I didn’t really know what I was doing – even though things had been explained to me, it was still a lot to take on and for me to get my head around. I did feel a bit overwhelmed, and for me, that’s where it began to become obvious that I needed more direction. Even though the tutors were available to ask for help I didn’t feel as though I could because this project is ‘self-directed’ and I thought that I had to work things out for myself, so in hindsight this is something that I’ve learnt – that I can always ask for help, especially when it’s something totally new for me! I’ve learnt a lot about how militant a supervisor has to be about organisation, which again I don’t think I fully understood exactly how extreme the organisation needs to be.

It was strange as well to be on the organising and supervising side of things rather than making something and this was the thing that I really wanted to learn and get out of the project. I’ve always been a fairly quiet person so I knew this was going to be a challenge, but I wanted to put myself in that situation so that I could gain the most from SDP. Working with the 1^st years and organising them has been really good actually, and one of my favourite parts of the project. One of the things we were told at the beginning of the project was that a supervisor should have a good relationship with their makers, and this is something I feel I’ve achieved. It has been surprisingly smooth to get people to certain places at certain times, and I think this is down to good communication, and also because of a good relationship.

I’ve really gained a lot from working on the photoshoot and filming too. The photoshoot was, I felt, a great trial for the filming in a way, as it was the first time we’d had all costume and make up on all the models. It was also the first time I had to liaise with the students, designer, and director. I did feel quite a lot of pressure, but I think the day still ran really well. The organisation that Amber and I kept up throughout the day was really good, and I think that this was because of what we’d learnt from organising the fittings and the costume parade.

Something that I found particularly ‘alien’ to me was organising people who wanted to help. I really think that at the beginning of the project I would have thought that Amber and I would be doing everything, which would have been far too much, but when the first years volunteered to help it was great. I found giving people jobs to do quite strange at first because I felt that I should be doing everything, as we usually do with individual projects, but once I got into the swing of things I found it really helpful, and I can see now how it is part of the supervisor’s job to organise helpers, such as dressers, hair and make up, and runners. The first years have been great at volunteering to help too, which has been a real help.

Overall, SDP has definitely been my most challenging project to date. I’ve learnt the most from this project too, and I feel that if I were ever to supervise again I would be far more prepared from the experience. Although there were a few hiccups and things weren’t as organised as they should have been in the beginning, I think that the project really pulled together and I am really proud of how Moulin Rouge looked as a production.

Photoshoot - May 17th 2011

Extras and Changes

From the costume parade we know we need to get a few more bits: dance tights/opaque tights for some of the models wearing the especially see through onesies so that their underwear isn't showing up quite so much; hair spray/mousse to create all the hairstyles; powders and make up bits; more jewellery pieces so that we can throw them on whichever models need more jewellery, which we are playing by ear. This is why is is so great to have the extra week to really perfect everything and get together everything needed.

Costume Parade

The costume parade was yesterday, a sort of final fitting/showcase for the completed outfits. Amber and I managed to pull everything together for it, and all of the costumes were completed which was great to see. I think this just goes to show that if we'd known we had a bigger budget to begin with we could have been buying everything that we'd seen and considered too expensive in the first place, but at least it has come together.
There are a few touches that need to be added to some of the costumes - some of the stockings are way too bright, especially the white ones that look too clean and new, and some of the brighter pink ones on the Lily character have come up really neon pink, so we're going to try and dye them down, and it was also suggested that we buy a couple of back up pairs as spare if the dyeing goes wrong or does not work.
With the petticoats I made Frances has said to each of the makers to cut off the overlocking as this is too modern and does not fit in with the historical look we are going for. The makers are also going to give the petticoats another ruffle or two in their own fabrics to make them more personal, and individual to their costume and character.


Reflection: From the costume parade I learnt that even accessories look different on certain models, for example, some of the spats for Lulu looked good on some people, but not on others simply because of their frame. The longer pairs, on smaller girls, draw far too much attention to their legs and don't balance with the rest of the costume. I suggested that I could look and see if I could buy some smaller pairs, but Frances said she was happy for some characters not to wear the spats, and to simply try what we have on the models on the day of the photoshoot, and then the filming.
I'm actually quite thankful now that the film and photoshoot dates were moved back - originally they were going to be on the 10th (today) and that would not have been enough time to perfect everything that we want to. I've learnt that a final show of complete costumes and accessories needs to be well in advance of any shoot days/shows to allow for any changes that need to happen, which seems like such an obvious observation, but it's so important and I don't think I realised just how important before actually attempting this project!
It became clear after the parade that we're going to need lots of hair product - mousse and spray - to try and make the more modern hairstyles fit into the production. This is something totally new for me (as much of this project has been). We have hairpieces already, but may well need more, and with a couple of the models Frances and the director Gareth would like their hair to be slicked back into an androgynous style.

Garters

The last thing I have to make are the garters. I was planning on making lots of different pretty styles for each character in all different colours, but after emailing Frances to show her what I'd done so far she explained that they wouldn't really be seen. So I have some colourful pairs which are purely decorative that Frances can choose to include should she wish to, and then I've made what feels like hundreds of pairs of simple, plain elastic pairs which can be rolled under the stockings to keep them held up.

These are examples of some of the garters I have made so far, I have more in different colours but again, these are purely decorative and it's up to Frances if they are included, as they are not in the original designs.

Reflection: I have provided each model with a completely plain pair of elastic  garters so that each person has them if they need them, on top of making some more decorative pairs that can be used if they are needed. From previous experience on this project, I know now to provide as many options as possible, so this is what I have tried to do. There is also time that if Frances decides that she really likes a certain pair of decorative garters that I can make more.

Petticoats - Rose

Finally got to do the Rose petticoats - I think it really helped having a tutorial to clarify what roles Amber and I should be taking on. So now I am concentrating on the making parts, and Amber will be organising. Each petticoat is a full circle with a hole cut out which will be the elasticated waist (so that one size fits all) and then lots of ruffles. I sewed on the first set of ruffles and then dyed everything before sewing on more ruffles in different colours. It took longer than I thought because uni didn't have any purple dye so I had to bring everything home and dye the purple bits in the bath, which was a challenging experience! But I am happy with the outcome, and after emailing the pictures of them over to Frances she says she loves them so I'm hoping that that is another issue out of the way and dealt with.

Reflection: I have learnt, again, to allow enough time for things to go wrong - after there was no dye in uni I had to get my own and dye in the bath which took a lot longer than I was expecting! But I had enough time to manage it, so I think the petticoats have turned out well.

Making

Although I've not been in uni as much as Amber this past week, I hope that it doesn't give the impression I'm not doing my share of the work. I've been spending all my time trying to get everything that needs to be made completed from start to finish, and it's taking a lot of time! We agreed that while I get on with this Amber will be doing more of the organising side of things. So we are splitting the workload, but the work I'm doing may not be as visible as I'm not in uni all day.

Kiki petticoats

Frances has said she wants the petticoats for Kiki to be fun little frilly things, so that's what I've tried to achieve with them. Each one is slightly different with where I've placed the ruffles. Frances had approved them too (when  I sent her a photo) so hopefully they'll look just as good on the models with the onesie's and corsets.

Reflection: We have now divided the roles we are taking as supervisors to try and get things in order: Amber is doing more organising, while I am making all the petticoats and garters. I think this is a good way to be working and that we can get a lot more done quickly.

Gloves

Along with my own gloves and the pair I found in the charity shop, I did a bulk order on ebay and found some gems. It has been a lot easier to source things with a bigger budget! I think this is proving itself seeing as it is taking about a week to get things together rather than how long it was taking before. Again, I've gone for variety, so that we can have a wide range of options and so that Frances can pick her favourite.

The photographs above show the gloves I have found for Rose, all elbow length. The ones below are the short gloves I found for Lulu.

I also have a couple of pairs of short lace gloves that could be useful, even though Frances said she didn't want lace gloves I want to show them to her to give her the option.

Masks for Calypso

 Two of the models for Calypso have already said they have masks they can provide, which are really beautiful lace masks from Venice and which Frances loved, so that means there are five masks still to provide. The photos show the range that I ordered to try and cover everything.

Reflection: From what I've learnt so far, it's all about providing as much variety and choice as possible, so I ordered lots of different styles and types of masks for Calypso so that when we have the costume parade Frances can pick the ones she likes best and we can have a nice variety of style and texture.

SDP - Budget drama

The first day back after Easter we had to prepare for design tutorials for the first years. We provided all the stockings, and I also showed Frances what I'd managed to find: the spats, gloves, jewellery and choker ribbons. I felt that this went well, and I was really glad that Frances liked everything that she showed us.
The next day we spoke to our tutors, and were told that we hadn't been fulfilling our role as supervisors. I was incredibly frustrated that when I tried to explain that things were taking longer than we thought it would because of trying to find everything on basically no budget, we were told we could have asked for more money. I think this is quite unfair because the one thing that was drilled into us through the supervising workshops was that sticking within the budget was one of the most important things, so to be told that we could have asked for more and that it was our fault that we didn't wasn't really something that I thought was fair. If we had known there was more money from the start we could have ordered and bought so much more in the way of samples, but because we didn't think we could afford to do that we didn't! This is also the first time that we have been supervisors, so how could we know that we could have asked for more money? I presumed that everyone knew what budget we had been given, and I thought it was our job to provide what we could on that budget, and not to be asking for more money. I guess the positive to be taken from this is never to 'presume' that everyone has the same information and to check and check again.
This is the first time I have done anything like supervising, and I haven't been enjoying it so far. I'm hoping now that we have been given a bigger budget, even if it is now getting closer to the end of the project, that we can buy what we need to buy and what we want to buy, and provide some samples for Frances so that she has some choice.

Reflection: There is a lot to be learnt from this I think, which is to check and check again with people that all the information given is correct. Especially with a project with so many different people working on it, all information needs to be relayed again an again. I've also felt, so far, that I shouldn't really be asking tutors for help - as it is 'self-directed' I have felt like we should be dealing with everything ourselves. However, I don't think I've been right in thinking this, and I have to remember that this is the first time I have supervised and that I will need help along the way, as it is a project to learn through and I can't know everything straight away!

SDP - chokers and bracelets

Trying to figure out how to produce lots of chokers and bracelets on a small budget has left me with one option, which is to buy some ribbon and make as many pieces as possible out of it using velcro to keep them together. I went up to Barnett and Lawson's in London today, as it is great for trimmings and ribbons, and had a look at what they had to offer. I settled on four different styles of ribbon, some thick and some thin, and I really hope that Frances likes them as I am really proud of this find! They're far more intricate and detailed than bog standard velvet ribbon which I originally thought of to make the chokers with, so I really hope that they're suitable. This cost about £30 which is a bit scary seeing as the budget is only £500, but considering this will provide jewellery for at least 3 if not more of the characters, it actually works out fairly cheap.

Reflection: I feel that it is definitely better to buy something like ribbon in person rather than online - I like to see exactly what I am getting, and I like to know the feel of the fabric. I can also decide on the width of the ribbon that is the most suitable, and get a good variation in the styles of different ribbons so that I have variety. 

SDP - hitting the charity shops

I've really been struggling with finding things as cheap as poss, but that don't look cheap. Been trawling around charity shop after charity shop trying to find bits, but I'm not feeling that positive about it really. I found a pair of black gloves in one, and some jewellery bits that I think will be suitable, but that's about it so far. It's been difficult finding gloves especially - as it's coming up to summer there are no gloves in the shops, so think I will resort to ebay before long!

Reflection: I've learnt that things are taking a lot longer than anticipated to find because of our tight budget. However, I know that it's important to stick within the budget as when we had our supervising tutorials and workshops at the beginning of the year, one of the visiting supervisors told us that if you don't stay within the budget then you won't get hired again, so although it's making things more difficult and slow, it is something that I'm trying to be strict about.

Jewellery

The designs show the jewellery to be quite delicate and pretty, so that's what I've been trying to look for. In one of our tutorials Frances said she simply wanted a box of lots of pieces to choose from, so that's what I've been trying to find, although on this tiny budget I've been trying to borrow as much as possible to try not to eat into the budget completely! I'm pleased with what I've found so far, although I think some of it may be too modern, but I'll show everything I have in case. These are just a few of the bits I've found so far.

Reflection: As with everything else I have been trying to source so far, it has been difficult finding things cheaply. I have borrowed quite a few pieces to try to save money that way, and I am glad that I have pieces to show to Frances. I am also pleased that I have jewellery to show while there is still time to solve any problems - if they are unsuitable there is enough time to find alternative choices.

SDP - More spats

The second lot arrived have arrived! Again, I have a few concerns, there are three pairs in the package, one of which is really small again. The other two are much bigger, which is good, but again I feel they might need dyeing. This is something I'll have to show to Frances and see what she feels would be best.

SDP - SPATS

Spats have arrived! I found them on ebay, 7 pairs of spats for about £7 - not bad. After looking at them I have two initial concerns: that they're the wrong colour, or that they won't fit anyone's legs - they are verrry small. However, the solutions are that if they're the wrong colour I can dye them (I'm pretty sure they're made of cotton), and I have some more spats on the way, again an ebay find. So I'm hoping that the next lot will be slightly bigger!


Reflection: Going by what I have learnt so far, I'm really glad I have more spats on the way as I feel that I want some back up pairs and some alternative choices in case Frances does not like the ones that have arrived. I have learnt that although at first it's easy to think that once you've bought an item/accessory, there's always the chance it won't be suitable, and it's best to get things way in advance so that there's time to rectify any problems.

SDP - Easter Holidays!

Easter holidays have started :) unfortunately, and with great timing, I have no internet access at home so I am trying to do my researching and sourcing through library computer and internet cafes, when I can get to either. Not a great start. However, work placement starting soon which I'm really excited about - I think I'm going to learn a lot from my week at Les Mis!

Fittings - Day Two

Again, the fittings ran so smoothly - at times we were ahead of schedule which I've never known for fittings before! Which is a massive positive - as this is the first time I have ever been in charge of this many people, and trying to organise them to be ready in a certain place at the right time, I am especially pleased at this outcome. Today we reversed the roles, so I was checking people in and getting them ready, and Amber was in the fitting space with the makers she is supervising.
This morning we had a mini tutorial with Frances and our tutor regarding the issue of not having all the accessories. I understand that we should have had everything possible for these fittings, and unfortunately we have not managed to provide that.

Reflection: From this I learnt that organisation is the most important thing for a supervisor. I think we went wrong with thinking that things were going OK because we had the fitting schedule organised, and because we spent so much time over the stocking issues (of trying to find them a. cheap enough without looking cheap, and b. trying to find natural fibre stockings in the first place). I have been spending a lot of my time comparing prices of items, and maybe that's time we didn't have to spare. I've also learnt that everything needs to be considered at the same time - everything needs to be accounted for.

Fittings - Day One

The fittings ran incredibly smoothly today - everyone turned up on time, no problems, which I wasn't really expecting! We had organised it so that Amber was checking everyone in as they arrived and making sure they got dressed and ready, and then I was in the fitting space with the designer and makers that I am supervising.
The downside to today was that we hadn't managed to get everything together in the way of accessories. I think this is down to this being the first time I have supervised anything - time has run out and I didn't see it coming! We did have a lot of sample stockings to show Frances though, so we can get an idea of which ones she prefers and which ones are no good.
The stockings themselves took soo long to find - originally we were asked to source stockings made from natural fibres so that we could dye them appropriate colours, but after researching into them we found that they were about £20 per pair, and there's no way the budget, or the students, can afford this. After contacting Frances she agreed that we could use stockings with man made fibres, as long as the denier is thick enough.

Reflection: From today I can see that we were not fully prepared for the fittings, as we didn't have enough accessories to show Frances. I think that this is because this is the first project we have done as supervisors, and I have definitely learnt that time goes a lot faster than you think it will! Time management for getting things is something I am going to try and focus on and improve.
With the issue of not being able to provide cotton stockings, I learnt that compromise is key to making a production work, especially when we're trying to get together so much on such a small budget.

Fittings...

Fittings. Something I was dreading creating a timetable for, and then when we came round to organising them I was surprised at how straight forward they were. However...nothing ever goes smoothly!
After a tutorial with our course leader, Amber and I were more clear on what we had to prepare: samples of shoes for each design (for which we are using the AUCB costume store), samples of stockings for each design, samples of accessories, for example, jewellery, ribbons and maybe some props, and a sample of the petticoat we are making ourselves for the character of Rose. The designer also wanted to have the fittings scheduled so that each design group are together, so that the group can be looked at as a whole. We decided that the best way to approach this would be to put Team Mandy on Tuesday the 29th March, and Team Will on Wednesday the 30th. We also had to account for which models and assistants would need to be in, and tried to make it as fair as possible so that each student would be fitting, modelling and assisting once each.


Reflection: This was, initially, a fairly straightforward process, simply slotting in each maker to a specific time whilst keeping the designs grouped together. However, problems started to arise when makers/models could not make their alloted times and had to change days, as this meant that the whole schedule had to be changed so that we were keeping designs grouped together. From doing this fitting schedule for the first time, I learnt that schedules have to be planned at least a week in advance to allow time for any changes to be made, and for things to go wrong! There also needs to be plenty of time for the makers/models/assistants to find out when their time is so that everyone can arrive promptly and hopefully everything can run to plan.
We have also told the makers/models/assistants to arrive at least 20minutes before their fitting time, to allow time for getting into their costume, taking photos, and pinning out any alterations which are obvious. We also have all of their contact details, so if anyone is late/doesn't show up we can get hold of them. Hopefully this will mean that everything will run smoothly and that fittings will not run over the time alloted so that the days aren't too stressful! 

Shoes

The shoes, I think, are going to be the biggest issue - we have less than £5 basically per pair, and unless we can get enough donations from students I think we're going to struggle! We looked in the AUCB costume store to see what we can find, and we have a few good pairs to go on for the moment.

Although some of these aren't the right colour, they might be useful as absolute last resort back ups. I really love the red boots though! They have the perfect heel, and I'm really glad we found them.

Reflection: I am glad we know that shoes are going to be a struggle this early on, because we can begin to resolve the situation. We're going to have to ask for a lot of donations, and this will mean keeping a good relationship between supervisor and makers - if the makers feel comfortable with us they are more likely to want to help out with shoes!

Underwear Issues!!

 The underwear must be flesh coloured - the onesies are see-through so we don't want to see black/coloured/patterned underwear...it's not quite in keeping with the whole historical image. We have asked the students to provide their own underwear as a) the budget isn't big enough to buy 70 pairs of pants and bra cups, and b) underwear is quite a personal thing! For the fitting they can wear leggings and strap tops, but for the photos/film they will definitely need flesh coloured underwear.

Reflection:  I've been reminding the students and models again and again to buy the underwear, so I'm hoping that everyone will turn up with what they need now. Again, this has been a huge learning curve - organising lots of people takes time, and I've been emailing, facebooking, telling everyone in uni at meetings about it so I'm hoping that the message is out there now. Communication is key, and I feel that I've allowed time for them to provide their own items now. I am also going to buy a few back up pairs of knickers from Primark (as they are cheap enough), because I want to be prepared in case anyone else isn't, and not to have to dash out to buy things last minute!

These are the designs I will be overlooking for supervising. There are 5 more designs that Amber will be overlooking.