A's Brain Dump

Hello! I’m Ananya (she/her) and I’m going to be using this space to talk or not basically about anything and everything that I feel like. I’ll share bits from my journey as an Indian fashion student living in the UK and probably some opinions that no one really asked for. 

A sentence I came up with to describe myself is, “Lives in the esoteric and explores the mundane on the daily.” Now that might sound either pretentious, intriguing or both but it is what it is and if it interests you, stick around ;)

From LOTR to sentimentality and tradition, this has definitely been a ride. I've challenged myself and been stressed out like never before. And I've learned a lot of things in the process.

From two phrases- 'Loved Clothes Last' & 'My Precious', I managed to make a really out there film and a well rounded podcast. I'm definitely capable of a lot more than I think, I just need to be a bit braver and take that leap of faith for myself.

My film was based around the idea of obsessively caring for something makes it last longer much like Gollum with The Ring in LOTR. I've focused on the word 'precious' from his famous "My Precious" dialogue. How pieces of clothing and jewelry when passed down through generations or when they're related to certain situations or people can create that feeling of preciousness in them that makes you not want to let them go.

I think I've only ever listened to two podcasts- the Zach Sang Show and Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum. Both of which are technically celebrity talk shows but there's something that sets them apart.

Anyone that's ever been interviewed by Zach always says that he's their favourite person to be interviewed by(see: RM of BTS, Joshua Bassett). This is because Zach sets himself apart entertainment channels and tv talk shows by asking "questions about things the fans actually wanna know"(quote from a helpful comment on Youtube) instead of pandering to gossip. He asks the deeper questions about an artist's process, inspiration, etc. and provides a safe space for them to share potentially triggering personal experiences.

Inside of You is similar in the aspect of providing a safe comfortable space for his interviewees. They come in and share stories and anecdotes about themselves that they may not share elsewhere.

I love projects that teach me things about myself. 

I will admit I’ve never had a harder time on an assignment. There’s a lot of things that have gone into causing that:

crazy idea that actually felt impossible to pull off but I just refused to cop out and change my concept to something easier. 

stress of challenging myself to what felt like beyond my capacity

navigating around the discomfort of filming

The first thing I’ve learnt and probably the most important is that I’m not in fact terrible at video making. It may not be my favourite thing but it’s something I’m capable of doing. I’ve come out the other end through literal blood (result of taking a light stand to the face), sweat and tears with a product that I’m happy with. It’s not winning any oscars but I’m happy with how it turned out and I think that’s important. 

Second thing I’ve learned is structure in planning is actually helpful. Might seen like a stupid or obvious thing to point out but it’s something a lot of us tend to forget in favour doing things quick and easy. 

Making the set and lighting it in the exact right way was a process, but I allowed myself time to sit back and visualise what I needed and refer to the storyboard as an aide. I filmed majority of it by myself which was another challenge I put myself through since I was filming myself but there was help towards the end. There were a few mishaps (see: light stand) but everyone made it through with minimal bruising.

I stumbled my way through the editing, it was fun trying to figure out what everything does. I managed to change the colours in the video and I was super happy when I figured that out-without using presets!

I absolutely love film and have utmost respect for those who produce it. But, using film as a medium definitely does not come naturally to me, it’s highly uncomfortable actually. But as safe of a space that the comfort zone may feel, we all must venture out eventually. And I must really love complicating things for myself because while knowing that film is not my strong suit, I’ve decided to go with the most insane inspiration that struck.

Jokes aside, I think this module brief may have me the most stressed I’ve ever been. Mostly because I’ve never done anything like it and that induces crippling fear. I have a habit of jumping straight into the production with a vague plan and fleshing out the plan once I have a semblance of a product (blasphemous, I know). But since we’re in uncharted personal waters here and with a wacky idea that can’t be produced offhand, a plan was necessary. But how do you make a plan for something you don’t know how to do? Yes they taught us how to in uni, yes I listened to the lectures and retained that information but as we’ve established my brain doesn’t always function as what others might normal, it needs to make connections on it’s own to actually take action. 

So here’s how I did it: Idea Conceptualisation-> Script -> Storyboard -> Location/Set planning -> Filming.

I get my inspiration from the weirdest places. This time it’s Lord of the Rings! When you hear the phrase, “Loved Clothes Last,” LOTR is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. It wasn’t for me either. Much like everyone else I thought about general hand-me-down culture and thrifting. But upon further rumination, my brain decided to lean towards the creepy and whisper, “my precious” like Gollum. Now while that may sound like a confusing connection to the phrase, it’s pretty simple- Gollum loved (see:obsessed) The Ring and cared for it more than themselves so while they may not have been the most sparkling being, they made sure The Ring never lost it’s shine (we’re ignoring the fact that it’s magical for a moment). 

Lumos = Light; Bricolage= creating something from a range of available things.

Lumos because I decided that the studio lights themself would be the main props in my shoot of the hoodie.

I did plan my shoot yes but at the same time I didn't. Hence, Bricolage.

I started with the vague idea of lights and stuck to that vagueness till I did my test shoot. Partly because I wasn't completely sure of what I was doing and partly because I knew that the moment I was actually in the studio with the camera in my hand, all my plans would change. Which is also the reason I decided to do a test shoot; so that I could explore my vague idea to it's extents, find out what I'm comfortable with and let it chop and sharpen itself down with me in the studio instead of me arriving with a half baked structure of a shoot and losing my mind figuring it out on the day.

The test shoot ended up being a really educational experience for me. I was by myself but I've found I'm always comfortable in a studio so that didn't bother me much, it made me feel freer. The part I was unfamiliar with was the camera kit I had; I've used different DSLRs before but always with just a standard lens. Not to say that I didn't know how to use a full kit with different lenses, which is what I had on the day of the test shoot. I was nervous but excited to use that kit because it was familiar but still very new to me. Ngl there were some missteps with the kit but nothing major we couldn't figure out. I honestly quite enjoyed using that kit, shame I couldn't use it for the main shoot because of a mix up. I practiced some flat lays with the hoodie and in bricolage fashion, I used whatever was available available around me to to fill my flat lay frame.

Collaboration is not my strong suit because I do have trouble asking people for help. But TV & Film Set Design's Felix made it easier on me. He was immersed in the project from the moment I asked for his help but always respected my creative vision. He shared his thoughts and ideas to further mine and always came back to "does this go with what you had in mind?" He sparked the idea of using the studio lights as props to make it feel more like a set.

I learned a lot from this project. I've always loved photography but I've only ever been able to practice it in its most basic form. I was pleasantly surprised by how at home I feel in a studio setting. I tend to doubt my capabilities enough and I was nervous about creatively leading a project on my own but I made it through with an outcome that I am happy with.

Set design, scenic design, scenography, stage design- arguably one of the most importants part of production. It's also one of the easily overlooked factors. A production whether it be tv, film or theatre is simply not possible without set design.

A set designer tells a story without any words. A lot of us tend to neglect the importance of set design but if something was wrong with the setting, everyone would know. The intricate details and amount of research that goes into designing a set would be surprising to anyone not familiar with the process.

From the digital rendering to the actual physical set, the designer has to account for aesthetics-colour, texture, shape, space, harmony factual accuracy, and relevance to story.

If you like taking photos and haven't run around taking a million with a flashgun yet, I highly suggest you do so.

My professor introduced us to flashguns today and let me tell you, they're so much fun. You can in his words, "turn anywhere into a studio" and just play.

Which is exactly what we did. A flashgun, a camera and a bunch of gels to mix things up. In broad day light we took photos that looked like they couldn't have been taken anywhere but a dark studio and that was incredibly fascinating to me. The sheer joy you get from learning that something that looks like it requires big studio lights and a ton of equipment is so simple to do is incomparable.

This activity is mainly what made me want to focus my assignment around coloured lighting and when I chose tv and film set design to work with, it helped me do just that.

I like everyone else have been watching the second season of Euphoria recently. But unlike everyone else, I’ve been watching it for the cinematography instead of the actual story. If you didn’t already know, the entirety of this season was filmed on 35mm Kodak Ektachrome, which was brought back into production specifically for the show.

The switch from digital to analog for the second was a bold move for Sam Levinson and Marcell Rev to make but it was definitely the right one. The way that Sam and Marcell along with Rina Yang have used the natural saturation of the Ektachrome to their advantage has me floored. The reason they chose to go with this film was because Levinson wanted to create a more restricted version of the show to truly embody the state of mind of every character. This particular film stock also happens to pick up skin tone better than most which was perfect to showcase the dramatically high emotions that run throughout this show.

My professor introduced me to Nick Fancher and he quickly became one of my main sources of inspiration. The way he uses light in his photography is phenomenal. He creates pieces of art with his lighting and paints stories in a very unique subtlety.

Ive been reading his book, ‘Chroma’ which is the ultimate guide to everything you need to know about lighting with colour. The unfiltered and transparent advice he shares is enlightening. In the book he shares information about his personal camera and light kits and settings that he’s used for specific shoots which is particularly insightful. The colour theory in the book along with advice about how to specifically use it to your advantage while lighting a shoot has helped guide me in the lighting my own shoot.

I've always been fascinated with lighting, in photography, in film. The versatility interested me in how you can display a state of mind with just colour in lighting. The emotional colour theory is one that many use, sometimes without even realising it. Emotion in colour is such a funny thing because emotion is such an abstract concept but at the same time its not?

20's fashion is up there with my faves for sure. The flapper girl look with the beads and silk paired with the jazz and air of mischief in speakeasys that came with prohibition just had a different vibe to it.

To me, Fashion is a lot of things; Fashion is art. Fashion is heart. Fashion is soul. Fashion is inspiration. Fashion is the very fabric of life. Even if we don’t recognise it, fashion is who we are, who each and every person is. Fashion has always been used to make major statements and influence changes in society. It is the ultimate form of expression. If you cannot find a sense of self in the way you dress and the clothes you put on, if you cannot find joy in something as simple as that? That would be a very sad life to lead. To know thyself is a gift and to be able to express it with fashion and be free is one of life’s greatest joys.