Supermom Belfast Week 4

This week in Belfast we looked at the more artistic side of filmmaking.  On Monday we had a visit from Janine who had trained as a makeup artist at a local makeup school: http://www.themakeupdept.com/.  She spoke to the group about life as a makeup artist and showed us all how to make realistic scars!  Janine's visit was a lot of fun and the group learned about how important the role of a makeup artist is in filmmaking.

We also spent a day looking at the Art Department and their role in filmmaking.  We looked at sets, locations and also props to see how they are integral to establishing elements about character and also the narrative of a script.  The class took part in several creative exercises.  During one exercise they worked in small groups and planned a script based only on a picture of a character, a set and a location.  These pictures were very different from each other and this made the exercise very challenging.  But as usual everyone got involved and we had some really amazing results! Here are a few of their stories:

"Drake"


Drake is the most popular rockstar on the planet.  Fans queue for days just to get a glimpse of him.  But his groupies have a tendency to mysteriously disappear...Beware of invitations to his sumptuous after parties, held in his glorious castle in Wexford.  Guests are impressed by the long drive through the dark forest to his huge castle, hidden amongst the trees.  But there are reports of mysterious bite marks appearing on his guests' wrists and necks.  There are also rumours of previously normal men and women, who have attended his parties, needing to be institutionalised shortly after and spending their days ranting about hidden spaceships.  There are also rumours of sinister classification systems.  But what are these people being classified for?  Slaves? Concubines? Food...?


By Christiane and Rosemary





"Knowledge"


John black has a butterfly on his shoulder.  It is the logo of his secret society.  They call themselves the "Metamorphisists" and only wealthy and influential people can gain entry into this secret group. Anyone that this society considers to be an outsider is called "Cacooners".  Jack is a wealthy oil tycoon and owns a successful horse ranch, which he uses as a front for his darker dealings.  With the money he has made from his businesses he has bought two modern tower blocks that loom over the city of Texas.  In one building the Metamorphisists hold their meetings.   The other building has been converted into a plush and lavish hotel, each room having in its own unique theme.  The hotel is used to show any new members that they have picked the winning side.  However, the CIA have become aware of the Metamorphisists and their activities.  A few years ago they planted one of their top agents within the secret society to try and understand what the Metamorphisists had planned for the world.  The agent came back with disturbing reports.  It seems as though they paln to replace love with fear and destroy the harmony that the Cacooners enjoy.  But just how deep does this conspiracy go?  And can it be stopped?


By Daniella and Meadhbh


"Spacehopper"


Billy Bob Morgan stars in this sci-fi romance story.  Billy Bob lost both of his parents in a tragic accident and has been left to run the family Pharmacy business on his own.  He always wanted to be an astronaut but has had to put those dreams aside to look after his responsibilities.  Through boredom and the need to escape his mundane life, Billy Bob has been making his own bizarre concoctions from the ingredients at the Pharmacy.  These concoctions are often hallucinogenic in nature and take Billy Bob on strange and exciting trips.   However, Billy Bob has started to believe that the picture of an American astronaut on his bedroom wall is telling him to travel to the middle of the Arizona desert so that they can go into space together.  Can his long standing friend save him before he endangers his life on this crazy expedition?


By Alison and Michelle

What incredible imaginations!  The group really enjoyed these exercises and learnt a lot about how characters' are represented and defined in filmmaking.

We wrapped our week up with a visit from the inspiring Debbie Hughes Johnson.  Debbie runs two of her own businesses and talked to the group about how she juggles her work life with her life as a mother.  One of her businesses is a manicure company: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=131968723489685.  She talked to us about the benefits of hard work and the importance of doing something with your life that you enjoy.  We really enjoyed her visit and found her story and her life to be both motivating and inspiring.   Thank you Debbie for a wonderful morning!

Stay tuned to the Supermom blog for more exciting updates.  Our shoot in Belfast is only two weeks away so we will all be working very hard to finalise our script and get ourselves ready to shoot!