Moulin Rouge

For SDP I chose to supervise the 1st years VNC project of 'Moulin Rouge'. I will be working jointly on this project with Amber, and we will each be overlooking half of the 1st year group, and working together to make the production work as a whole.
We had our first meetings with the designer, Frances Tempest, last week, and one of the main topics of discussion was what we are sourcing for each costume design, and what the 1st years will be making. We will need to source:
Stockings (various patterns and colours)
Shoes (black and some pairs red)
Garters (?)
Jewellery pieces, dependant on each design
Individual pieces for each design, ie. a mask for 'Calypso'; black velvet ribbon for 'Jade'; net petticoat for 'Kiki' etc.
The designer made it clear that she wanted the sourced items to be made of natural fibres wherever possible, ie. cotton stockings rather than nylon, incase we need to dye any the right colours. They also have to be stockings rather than tights or socks as the costumes will be part see through. After having a quick look on the internet I realised that this would make sourcing 70 pairs of stockings on a budget quite a challenge as most sites price them at between £7-£15 per pair. In regard to the shoes, we hae been advised to look in the AUCB costume store first to see whether the university can provide anything as it would be cheaper, before looking to see where we can buy/hire shoes from.
We were also asked to make some items for the characters ourselves: for the character of 'Rose' we will be making the large petticoat she has because this would be too much for the 1st years to be making on top of the corset and 'onsie'.


We discussed the photoshoot and filming that is happening at the end of the project - the photoshoot will be on16th May, and the film will be before this although the date has not yet been confirmed. Initially there was only going to be a photoshoot, which would make sourcing items such as the stockings and shoes easier as the models could switch them over between photos. However, now that the costumes will be filmed together, there is a need to have all of the shoes and stockings for each model at the same time.


The Budget has not been confirmed, although we are now working with an estimate of £500, meaning that the two groups, Team Mandy and Team Will, have a budget of £250 each.


Reflection: From the initial meeting I have realised how much we have to do. I'm quite excited about this project - I have never supervised before, and I really want to gain the experience and understanding of what is involved in being a supervisor, from sourcing items on a budget, to organising fittings and the final performances.
I can already see from the quick look I have had that sourcing natural stockings will not be possible on our budget as they are too expensive, so this is where we will have to start to liaise with the designer. I think it's really good to work with a professional designer as well, because we can get an idea of how to behave and what to do in a professional environment. I'm a little apprehensive of what we have to source on our budget, but this is where research is really important, so for now that is what I can really get on with!

From this project I hope to gain experience in taking more control over situations, and experience in being in charge, liaising with designer and director and more experience in pre-empting situations and trying to be prepared for anything that may happen. I'm also hoping to gain more knowledge in organising and scheduling, as this is something I have never done before.