TDR Charm School Cycle 4

the friends we made along the way!!!

Just kidding! You all know how this works by now! The winner of TDRCS4 will be announced along with the cast of Tumblr's Drag Race Cycle 10!

Kushboo

Personalized Prom

Extracurricular Activity: Student Government

Letha: Hey Girl! So starting with the Prom look, I quite like it! The combo of the black/gold really goes well together, and the brown hair works with it as well. I will say the dress is a bit short and it should either be lengthened or shortened to have a silhouette that makes a bit more sense. The white heels throw off the outfit a bit as well. The styling of the hair could be neater but the height/volume is definitely there! I think if there was a little headpiece or gold crown or something it might add more interest to that area and tie it in with the outfit. On to the extra curricular look, I do very much get that feel from the top half of the outfit, including the hair (very Michelle Obama), and the skirt is a bit more out there which helps to make it less pedestrian in that regard. I think having maybe some signs or other props might have helped sell it more as well, as the journal is okay but not the most effective. For the lipsync, I think you had good presence and sold the song, but I wish you had connected more with the audience throughout through the lens. Performing on camera is a bit different than real life, in that looking into the lens is how you connect with people. You can deviate from that and emote/focus on other areas for a little bit, but you should always try to return to the lens. But the overlay and emoting is great! For the monologue I must admit I was a bit lost. I wasn't too familiar with Tennyson if I'm honest, but after reading up a bit on Ulysses this was a very interesting choice indeed. I think you could have sold it a bit more? Emoting frustration and discontent might have made it a bit more clear, in my opinion. Finally, the makeup! I think you really have improved throughout this cycle and it does show, but there are things that I think you could work on. One would be to make your lips more dimensional, with either outlining in a darker color, highlighting the center with a lighter color, or both. Same for the brows, the shape on the prom look is fun but a bit static, and the shape on the government look is very flat and not a shape that would be easy to emote through. I like the colors your picked on their own, but I'm not sure if they coordinate with your outfit choices, so keep that in mind for next time. Your lashes are looking better placed, now would be a good time to start practicing doing liner, either a really sharp wing of or a smoked out pencil. It really adds dimension and helps to restructure things. I think that just about wraps it up for me, so I'll leave you with saying how proud I am of your progress and can't wait to see what your Drag will evolve to after charm school!

Laveau: KUSH. This prom look is AMAZING. You look amazing! I love the entire package. The only thing I would have liked to see is more jewelry. May be a bracelet or a bigger necklace to give it a more elegant touch. I am enjoying this beehive on your head. It’s a bit messy, so going forward, be careful and pay attention to the little details as far as that is concerned. While your makeup has improved, you still have work to do, but don’t let that stop you from being proud of your progress so far. As for your student government look, I feel like you were going for the right idea but then you lost me with the skirt. It just feels like you either didn’t have a pencil skirt or just wanted to add an unconventional element to the look and it kind of takes away from the look as a whole. A better way to sell this concept would have been to incorporate more school supplies in the rest of the outfit. A fascinator made out of pencils or paper balls would have tied the look together a bit more. I really enjoyed your lip-sync! I appreciate the attitude and range of emotion throughout your performance. It was definitely fun to watch! Your monologue was well done. It was a bit hard to follow, but I do appreciate the concept. You have grown leaps and bounds in this competition. I am so proud of you and I can’t wait to see what you do in the future! <3

Sally: Hi Kushboo! I’m gonna talk about your outfits first, and then your audition reel. There are really intelligent attempts at work here, and I’m impressed with most elements, however there are some things to look out for next time. Both outfits seem to have flair about them that works super well, but technical issues seem to produce problems for me. Your prom look is stellar – the black and gold colour clash is really appealing, I get prom from this clearly and your character to me defines elegance so it wouldn’t be wrong to see Kushboo rock up to prom in eleganza like this. Remember to give us head to toe camera angles – these are close to head to toe, but I can’t see you feet until I watch your audition reel so I don’t know if you’re not wearing heels or not and if they correspond to your dress too – I don’t think they do correspond, but we’ll let it slide. Your exposure on the first picture with the light makes you look really heavenly but the second one diminishes details that I can see with the exposure. Your student government look is super cute; you look like you’re running for like Junior Councillor for the Head of a school, but the flair of having an unconventional skirt with resist propaganda on is a really smart touch. I wouldn’t have mind if your entire jacket had it too, or if the colours matched up better, i.e. writing with bright red / grey on black paper perhaps. Again, careful of your angles, I wanna see your shoes in your pictures next time and I don’t care if you’re wearing little biscuit heels or jelly flip flops!In your audition, it was quite long and I can see room for small technical touches here and there. For example, I’ve noticed you use fillers (um and erm) – with that you could cut out those and any pauses you too, that way your point comes across quicker and your train of thought is clearer through the edit. Remember to nail your runway in 15 seconds – it’s better to edit out your walk to your starting point rather than have it within your audition, and try to have your full body in the frame so that we can see the entirety of your costume move too.  All in all, you’ve excelled really well in your knowledge of yourself and progressing your drag character throughout charm school. I’m really proud to see your journey continue to this point. Great job! 

Toni: KUSHHHHHHHHHHHHHIm going to be doing this by segments so lets start with your outfits! I really love your prom look because I think based on what you've shown us it really does reflect your personal style. It's giving me Cinderllas stepsisters from into the woods and I really enjoy that. I think if there were a lot of stones added to the outfit as well as having the hair cleaned up a bit more and look more sleek it would be a perfect look In my opinion. The student government look I am really conflicted about. I get what you're trying to go for but I think if you wanted to do that you should have done all NONCON or all cloth just because theres a huge disconnect between the top and the bottom. I also think if you had done a suit or a jacket as well that would have been fierce. Your lipsync was SO GOOD I really enjoyed watching it and I think you kept it interesting through the whole thing so props on that. I would love to see you push the energy up thought to make it AMAZING. For your monologue the background noise was a large distraction but I do really enjoy what you produced, I think there were a few awkward pauses and I can't tell if you meant them to be there or if you were trying to remember lines but they need to be not there. I am so proud of everything you have done and how much you have grown <3

Dotte: I am absolutely LIVING for your prom look! I wish the other concept you had was better realized. A lot of the focal point is on the skirt and it doesn't really match the rest of the outfit. Ahhhhhh your lipsync was so cute though I feel like you've shown massive amounts of improvement there. Like we talked about, it's important to know what to do when there isn't any music playing and I'm glad to see you've figured that out. And I like this camera setting you have! It really allows for us to see your face really well! I'm so proud of you! Cycle 10 will be here sooner than you think and I can't wait to see what you do in the time between then and now!

Marcella: Ok Kushboo, this was a colossally long video, and it didn’t have to be. It’s important to plan your answers, and use things like jump cuts if you’re stalling a lot. That said, I think your responses were spot on for you and you have a good sense of self-perspective. I loved your prom look, and I felt your make-up for it was your best yet. Now for the lipsync – good choice, great job of articulating the unusual sounds in the song, and decent job of occupying the space and keeping it interesting. Between now and c10, I want you to work on your finesse. Your ideas and the aesthetic you’re going for are solid, but I want you to really focus in on details, and executing things as flawlessly as you possibly can, because honestly I think that is your biggest weakness as of now. I know you have it in you to polish up! Good luck for c10!

Harper: Whew, this was a long video! I think something that works for you is that you are very authentic and earnest, and that really comes through when you are speaking. I'd agree with some of the other judges that you could stand to edit out some of this (and film in horizontal next time, please), because while I think you did a fine job answering questions, it was a little dry in some spots. Try to be concise, personable, and minimize the sniffing! I liked your prom outfit, and I think it's very true to your aesthetic. I would like to see you wear a corset with a bit more structure to give you a smooth silhouette, and I will pass on to you the same critique that I'm sending to everyone tonight: LASHES. BIG ONES. I think you have a tendency to have really good ideas that just fall a little short on execution, and that's something you can really work towards in the future. I thought you did a nice job with the monologue and the lip sync, and this was overall a good final submission for you. Can't wait to see how you continue to progress, best of luck!

Luna

Personalized Prom

Extracurricular Activity: Athletics

Letha: Hey Luna! First off, well edited video. Everything is clear and labeled which certainly helps. On to the actual content, starting with the prom look. I love it from head to toe. The hair is very effortless but it works for me, the crown adds a nice touch of shine, and the black and red color scheme is gorgeous. I wish there were some nails though. For the makeup on the prom look, overall it's really good, love the red lip, my main critique would be to try for a harsher cheek contour, as the one you have now is very light and gets washed out easily when seen from a distance. For the sports look I really enjoy the boxing idea, and you really committed to it! The outfit and hair choices make sense. That being said, the end result is maybe a bit too totally masculine for me. I think if the shape was a bit more feminine with boobs/pads it might come across better. Also the flats make SENSE but I just think doing a black pump with a red leg warmer would be a bit more drag than a sneaker, ya know? The makeup here isn't bad either, a bit subtle though. The blood works but I think some more   Sfx makeup would have sold it a bit more. On to the performances! The monologue. Girl. Gretchen's Crack has a long and infamous tdr history for being quite overdone, so I was surprised to see it done again. That being said, it was okay, there have certainly been worse renditions of it. Now the lipsync is where you really shone, in my opinion. I was thoroughly entertained and you really pulled every stunt/trick out of the bag. The song was a classic and you had your words down, so props to you! I'm so proud of the work you've put into this cycle and can't wait to see where your drag takes you next!

Laveau: Luna! I see you are here to knock out the competition! One of the things I appreciate most about you and your drag is the attention to detail and how you package your content. I love the cohesive color scheme and how you tied everything together. I absolutely love your after school look. The oversized robe, the realistic blood, the attitude, but I feel like it lacks a certain drag flare. If you are to continue on to TDR C10, one thing that will set your submissions apart from the competition is adding a little bit of razzle dazzle (see: glitter/rhinestones/sparkles). I feel the same way about your personalized prom look. While it’s absolutely gorgeous and screams Luna, it leaves me wanting more. I feel like jewelry and/or rhinestones could have amplified this look to its full potential. Your monologue was HILARIOUS. Idk if you were going for an even more crazed/deranged version of Gretchen Weiners, but you nailed it. But girl…this lip-sync… IS HOW YOU LIPSYNC FOR THE CROWN! That is how you fill an instrumental break!!! There was never a dull moment and for that, I thank you. Overall, I think you have shown fantastic growth as a queen throughout charm school and I can’t wait to see what you do in the future! <3 Win, lose, or draw, you’re already a winner in my heart. <3 

Sally: Hello Luna! I am gonna start off by critiquing your outfits and then your audition. Your outfits overall were not what I was expecting coming from your amazing turnout for costuming week with these themes, I was a tad let down by some choices, but others brought it back up. You look adorable in your prom look, albeit looking a tad costume-y. Your styling is super cute and from head to toe the concept works well with your aesthetic. While your nose is looking pinched and proper, I’m losing definition around the cheeks – it’s probably just a personal thing for me, but if you could practice adding a flush of colour to the cheeks – a blush or a darker contour tone might bring out some definition there too.  For your athletic wear, I like some elements, and others just throw this off. Those shorts are hurting my soul so much, because of the cut of them, and I would’ve preferred you in an actual bra than compression bra, because I am losing proportions. When you get a concept like Athletics, it is hard to get out of the idea that you have to pertain to the standard – wearing tennis skirts for tennis, going for a realness factor. When you get an assignment, you should always question how you can make it draggier. Rhinestone your gloves, make your robe have a crazy train, little things like that can amplify your concepts, and surpass your progression from past weeks.Your audition was really well constructed, and I enjoyed watching it. Your runways were concise, quick and simple, You had your flow down to a T and you moved really elegantly. You have such a strong camera presence and I was really surprised that I could still hear you over your music in the monologue section (be mindful if your overlay music is loud, turn it down if you can!) All in all, you’ve really defined yourself as a strong competitor consistently, and even when you had your lows, you managed to improve on yourself for a comeback each week. Great job!!

Toni: I plan on doing this by segments so lets start with your outfits! I really love your boxing out fit! When you first suggested it to me I was worried ti wouldn't come off as drag but it really does. i think the hair choice was really smart and I love the look head to toe. Looking in on the makeup its clear how much you've grown in charm school, I think a few minor things could be adjusted like the placement/angle of your brows could be changed to look a bit lower and I really would have loved to seen the same red lipstick you used in your prom look but a bit smeared to add the "i've been fighting" feel to it. Onto the prom look I really love this on you!! It reads as fun and girly but still lowkey badasss. I think the only thing I would change at all about this look is adding a few black stones onto the bodice just to add a little something extra. YOUR LIPSYNC WAS AMAZING! I really enjoyed what you did because there wasn't really a moment where I was bored or distracted away from it because you kept every bit fresh and new. I think the air guitar into a slipt was honestly amazing, and I love that you paired your lipsync up with a look because it really helped to sell the performance. Now onto your monologue.... I hate this monologue (not because you did it but like as a piece) and every cycle someone does it and thinks it's a good piece but there are better pieces you could have picked IMO. That being said I think it was a really good rendition of the piece but I did find the music very distracting to the point where I was unable to focus on you so in the future please make sure the music sin't too loud. My favorite thing to come form your Q&A was how you talked about not wanting to win jsut for yourself but so that you can fight on cycle 10 for the chance to lead and help build the community because thats a huge factor in what judges look for on cycles when planning to crown someone is "how will they do in the leadership role". You did an amazing job and I am so proud of everything you have done over the past few weeks <3

Marcella: Your video felt like a real tdr audition to me. Sectioning each part off, having slides for your questions, these sorts of things might seem insignificant but, to me, they show that you’ve acquired a degree of polish during charm school that I appreciate very much. I enjoyed your monologue, and your lipsync was thoroughly entertaining! I loved the splits and the leg guitar, and the energy was just so right. Look-wise, your sports drag was very unexpected, but I do feel it could have been dragged up some more. It felt a bit ‘boy’, especially when you were moving around for the performance. I know the shoes were fitting, but girl don’t let me see flats again, k? Between now and c10, I want you to experiment. Especially make-up wise: try lighter make-up, try different eye shapes, polish up that nose contour. See what happens when you twist and turn the basic silhouette of Luna and adapt her to different ideas and scenarios. Best of luck for c10!

Harper: Overall, I think you had the strongest submission this week. I thought both of your looks were distinctly you and well put together, my only critiques were that the prom dress was a bit Halloween Store and the extracurricular could have been a bit more femme. I really recommend getting some fake chicken cutlet titties! It wouldn't have been much, but just a little bit of curve and some Rachel-Green-From-Friends-Nipples could really make it read just a bit more feminine. Overall, I think your makeup is strong, but I'd like to see you in big lashes and with a bit more contrast. There's nothing wrong with using stark black, it's just learning how to incorporate that black with appropriate shades and highlights for the full effect. I would like to see you choose a different monologue for the real audition because, in my opinion, this one was a bit played out, but you did a nice job with it. Overall, though, I think your lip sync was the highlight of your submission. The song and the look worked together, and the routine was perfect for your tough-girl character. I lived for it! I know there's a lot of pressure coming into a competition where you might be held to a higher standard because you are starting at a more advanced place, but I think you did a great job of trying new things and refining your skills. Looking forward to seeing what you pull out for your actual audition because if this is any indication it will be great!

Marina

Personalized Prom

Extracurricular Activity: Drama Club

Letha: Hey girl! So starting with the outfits, I think the theater one is very cute, and it being shorter helps you get away with the shape not being the most flattering. That being said, I do like it. The prom dress is okay, a bit pedestrian/run of the mill, but the hair and flower crown help to make it a bit less conventional. My makeup notes for both looks are similar. Lashes are a must, work on blending the shadow on the eyes so there isn't a stark line, clean up contour lines on the cheeks, and better overdraw/define on the lips. I really enjoy the liner shape on both though! For the monologue, I had to google what it was about and having done that, I would say that the lines don't quite match up to the monologue, but it's not bad, you were just quiet and not really emoting as much as I think you could have. For the lipsync, you had some definite choreography and I quite liked the performance. It was a bit hard to see your sync at some points, as the lighting wasn't the best, so watch out for that in the future. Overall you should be very proud of the work you've done here in Charm School, and I can't wait to see where your drag goes from here!

Laveau: Marina: Your prom look is stunning but it looks like you grabbed a wig and a dress, pout them on and called it a day. Your makeup has improved for sure, but still lacks a certain element of refinement for drag. I love your after school look. It’s giving me Columbia from Rocky and I liiiiive. Would have liked to see some jewelry, but the outfit itself is cute. Your lipsync was very entertaining. I loved the emotion and dancing throughout the performance. I just wish you would have filmed in landscape so we could have seen the full frame.  Your mologue was good as well, It was just pretty hard to hear you throughout it. You come so close to nailing it, but I feel like attention to detail is holding you back. You say that procrastination is holding you back, so now that you know that about yourself you’ve got to work hard to overcome that in order to succeed if you continue on with TDR. Make a list of things from head to toe/start to finish that you need to prepare for your submissions and systematically check them off the list in a timely manner. I see the potential in your drag, but it feels like you keep missing the mark. Congratulations on all of your growth this semester, and I can’t wait to see what you do in the future <3

Sally: Hey, Marina! I will talk about your outfits, then your audition reel second. Both of your outfit choices really reflect you as a person, and I applaud you for that, however some elements can be added to produce a full effect. Your prom look teeters on being a bog standard dress - I can kind of see this at a prom, but not really. I see this being more of a forest nymph than personalised prom. I would’ve preferred a longer cut on your dress, so maybe you could’ve added more length to it with an underskirt perhaps and added a few embellishments to really drag up the dress. The colour story is great - remember to take pictures of your feet within the shots too because I can’t see your heels in either of your shots in your submission and your audition with this concept, therefore I don’t even know if you’re wearing heels. Your drama club look is so fun and I love it honestly - really cute, playful, I get drama from it instantly. The colours pop and it’s exciting. I would’ve loved to see some sort of prop with this to sell it more, maybe one of those drama masks on a stick and you just throw it on your runway, might’ve excelled this more. Your audition is a kind of toss up. Remember to find your light, use a flashlight on a phone from far aback if need be, because some of your shots are really, really dark. You come across as quite shy, remember that you’re only talking to a camera and whoever’s on the other side wants to see you to the fullest, so when you film, remind yourself to be true to you to the fullest. Your runways are quite quick, take your time and make sure to film in an area that you can see your entire body clearly, your second runway seems to be a bit darker and a bit off-centre. All in all, you have improved a hell of a lot since the start of this competition, you’ve really proved to yourself that you can achieve a lot when you’re against all odds and I applaud your hard work. Great work!

Harper: I was getting serious Joan Cusack vibes from you this week and I can't put my finger on exactly what it is. You are so young and have so much potential, but I'm going to be real with you for a second: you've had excuses every single week and they are going to cost you opportunities. point blank. I know that's hard to hear, but it's something that I've had to learn as well as someone who also struggles with time management issues. Moving on, I thought both costumes suited you and the wigs you paired them with, but I would have liked to have seen more pizzazz with your prom look! It just came off a little flat when your extra curricular look was was so fun. Your makeup has definitely come a long way, and I think you have really gotten the hang of what shapes suit your face. I think the next steps moving forward for you are going to be to clean up your lines and add a lash. Please. Lashes will be what takes your look to the next level! As female drag queens, we have to work twice as hard to be taken seriously, and that means really owning the transformation: padding, contouring, cinching, wigs, and lashes because if any part of the "real girl" underneath peaks through people WILL call you out for it. It's not fair, it's frustrating, but it is what it is. I think the lip sync and monologue were both good choices for you aesthetically, but PLEASE film in landscape mode! It really does make a big difference. I think you have grown a tremendous amount through charm school, and I really hope you stick with it. Good luck!

Ophelia

Personalized Prom

Extracurricular Activity: Science Club

Letha: Girllll you know I love me some flowers so you had me with your prom look. I love the contrast of the stark (yet also muted) colors with the white. I think there could have been a bit more shape in the waist considering this length, but it's still very striking. I'm also not totally sure about the black shoes (I know shoes can be a bitch to find though, so forgiven). The makeup is great as an idea and I can see the direction it was taking, just work on cleaning up your lines to get that graphic style. I really do love this look though, the head piece is great. For the science look, it's honestly so fun. The shape is very much The Jetsons, and I love the transition of the appliqués from the outfit to the skin. I think a trim along the bottom of the dress would have helped clean up the lines, and I think maybe another color besides the white and purple would have added more interest, maybe a green? The hair is a bit of a nest but I think that was the intent so I can get behind that. The shapes on the makeup are interesting, but they just need to be defined/shaded/highlighted more to be believable and trick the eye. Also lashes are a must. For the monologue I was a bit lost, it seemed you were a bit stiff maybe? I'm not the most familiar with the material you pulled from, but it wasn't my favorite. The lipsync was great, as I expected, but check the overlay because it was off by quite a bit when you uploaded it. Still really good though! Overall, you have really outdone yourself, and looking back on week one you can see how far you've come. I'm so proud of you for that, and I hope you're proud of yourself as well! 

Laveau: Miss Waters….I was so in love with your prom look until I got to the shoes. That being said, it’s obvious how much work went into making this look and you did a fantastic job. I wish the dress gave you more of a shape but that could be fixed with either larger padding or by cinching the garment a bit more at the waist. Your science look is KILLER. I love the concept and how you sold it. You look like a science experiment gone RIGHT. The hair and makeup could use a bit of refinement, but I absolutely love your concepts and style of drag. Your monologue was a bit monotone, so I would, in the future, work on changing inflection so that you can show a bigger range of emotion in acting challenges. On to the lip-sync. I love that I could feel the passion in your lipsync. This is the range of emotion I’m talking about. Bring that to your acting. Congratulations on a wonderful semester and I can’t wait to see what you do in the future! <3 

Sally: Hey Ophelia! As per usual, I’m gonna give you my thoughts on the outfits and then your audition. Overall, your outfits are bold choices, but are a little rough around the edges. I’ll start by talking about your personalised prom, because it is extremely eye-catching. This is clearly Ophelia to the fullest and I’m seeing a strong aesthetic with what you enjoy in drag and how you produce your concepts in execution. It’s exciting, the colours you’ve chosen pop off the whites you’ve used in your scheme, and the clash of materials is exciting to look at. I would only say that the length of your gown doesn’t hit the floor, therefore exposes your black shoes. You could’ve added more fabric and flowers to the bottom, or even used socks and hot glued flowers onto the socks, putting them over your heels to make them correspond to your concept. For your science look, this is feeling a little bit rougher around the edges. I love that your silhouette is the shape of a science beaker and that your hair is frazzled like that of an experiment gone wrong, your purple scheme pops from the white again, and your choices in costume creation are so smart, but be careful with your makeup. I think a good example to look at for creative makeups like this for science is the partial face cover. Adrena Lin did this in Cycle 8 for the Pokepaint challenge using Muk, I think your normal face could’ve worked more than the scary-sludge lip you’ve done too.Your audition is super cute! Your camera presence is clearly strong, I feel like you know it’s a camera and not several people watching you on the other end which is a great attribute to have. You came across as quite awkward in your runway, make sure to just go with the flow when you walk, present yourself however you feel suited, and remember, take several takes if you have to! All in all, you’ve excelled into dragdom through this entire process and I’m really proud to see how well you’ve done throughout all of the weeks. Excellent work!

Toni: I'm going to be doing this by segments so lets start with your outfits! I think out fo the two the science one is my favorite. It has appliques and I am a slut for that, i love how the hair is styled and I think it's really fun but in a new way for you. I also want to point out the gloves because those are super cute. The makeup for that is really nice!! I would have just liked to see the eyes blended out so it was fading into the skin tone or if you had done like full black soot smokey eye to kinda match your hair. The prom look i really love too! the flowers are beautiful. I think it does lack a little shape but if you added a belt to it that could help the shape a lot. I also think if you had added a few stones among the flowers that just slightly catch the light that would have been cute too. The makeup for this one is the same as on the science one for me, just blend it a bit more so it doesn't look as harsh! onto your monologue it made almost no sense to me and I have literally no idea whats going on for it? I wish there was a bit of explanation in the video for it because I feel like it was kinda like a joke...that I just wasn't in on and for an audition or a show thats just...not good for the audience to not know whats going on. The lipsync was sadly off which i'm shocked to get from you because I know you know how to do that. Its hard to really judge the sync bc of that but I know you knew your words. I do wish there was an extra PUNCH of energy in this song. I think that would have really driven it home. I love that because of charm school you were able to find out more about your drag character and it's been so amazing to watch you grow these past few weeks!!! <3

Dotte: I wasn't expecting these looks from you at all! I love the ideas that you have going on here, but, as you said, attention to detail would be key here. One of my pet peeves is when someone's face is painted a color and their arms are bare. I'm not going to get into the lipsync missing it's sync but I'm really happy with the emotion you put into it. I hope you continue to experiment with different ways to lipsync and add complexity to your move-sets so it doesn't seem so "one-lineish." Hope you had fun on Charm School and thanks for playing!

Marcella: Ophelia, I was impressed with you this week. I felt you really pushed your costuming in particular, and both of your looks were super creative and pretty fierce. Your lipsync overlay was off :’[ but I could tell it was solid in spite of this. Great emotions as always, and good connection. I would love to have seen you inject a bit more drag flourish into your performance. You virtually HAVE to twirl when the beat kicks in, and I wish I’d seen you stomp and dance around a bit more. Your answers were very insightful and I definitely understand your drag character more from hearing you discuss your journey. To work on in the run-up to c10, I want you to think about exactly how Ophelia does everything. How does she sit, how does she dance, how does she interpret things? You’re onto a character, and I would love to see that character blossom and for you to fully embody her in every single aspect from head to toe. I wish you all the luck for c10!

Kushboo: You may be getting plenty of messages on Grindr, but we're gonna swipe left on this video. Grade: C

Luna: I WAS HATE-CRIMED BY HOW HARD I LAUGHED AT THIS VIDEO (NOT CLICKBAIT!) Grade: A

Marina: Susan may have had a stalker, but we're not obsessed with this video. Grade: C

Nikita: Even covered in camo, it isn't hard to see what we love about this submission! Grade: B

Ophelia: You might be a scaly demon, but this video was a little too scaled down for our taste. Grade: D*

Kushboo

After Granny went on Grindr a few days ago, she was bombarded with messages. In a rush of excitement she decided to make a video to share with everyone. After all, she does love sharing special occasions with everyone. Moral of the day: Sharing is caring.

Analyse: Hey, Kushboo! I really enjoyed this video and thought it read as one of those "Old People React To _______" videos, so that part of it was spot on. You had a good number of jokes in there that were really quite funny, and I know raunchy, inappropriate humor isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I loved it, so, do with that what you will. I think it's important when you're planning out jokes that you think from the audience's perspective and try to understand how they'll perceive it. One joke in particular that I was waiting for the punchline and it never came was the guy you would let "play with [your] pussy all day," and I think we were all expecting the "my cat's name is Mittens" punchline or some sort of "pussy=cat" wordplay, but it never came, and so all the buildup to that was for nothing. I would also be careful with how much time you spend on a joke -- the "sleeping" and "crying" gags went on *just* a little too long without adding much comedic value. (Things running long also contributed to the fact that your video was a minute a half longer than the maximum allowed time; make sure you're reading and following ALL directions!) I know I had a lot of really small things that I critiqued, but as we go into the final exam, I just want to see you put your best foot forward, because I have so much faith in your talent!

Harper: I think you had the strongest character going into this test, but this video fell a little flat for me. I can tell that you took my notes on the look, and I appreciate that! I will admit that it was a little hard to hear you, and I thought voice was a little deep for a granny at times. I thought you did a nice job with the graphic overlays, but the green screen was messy; it can be really hard to achieve a solid green screen without an HD camera and decent lighting, so I feel your pain. I think the central issue of this video is that the joke gets a little repetitive and the pacing is a little slow (especially when you went way over the 3-5 minute time limit). I think some more creative editing or some sort of buildup in tension would have helped it a lot. Overall, I think this was a funny premise with a lot of potential, but I do think it fell short on the execution. I can tell that you are listening to critiques and applying them, though, and that's a really important quality that doesn't go unnoticed! Good effort this week!

Luna

HEY WHATS UP YOU GUYS, YES! So storytime: I decided to change Latoya a lot from when she was first scene. I took Harpers critiques of more brow coverage and decided that I shouldn't rely on a look or a a visual gag since I couldn't make that funny for 5 minutes straight. These pictures are of Latoya BEFORE her video she filmed, so that is why she does not have lips/ eyeliner, as if this were a "no make up" face. More beauty happens during the video, but she only did what she wanted in 5 mins because she's here for one reason. To make friend$ :) The outfit is very inspired from the 90's as well as Latina and chola (I use this word with love and respect as I love the fashion and culture behind it)  influences. Most items I had, except for the overalls, which were long pant overalls that were broken at the little hooks my sister had and gave to me, cut them and rolled them and stitched them into shorts. Not much construction but definitely a LOOK. Video description: Latoya's video this week is exactly what the title says, not click bait of course. It is a Q&A + new beauty trends video. She cares a lot about making content and she puts thought into every single #hack like it was totally the focus of the video. Subscribe and make sure to go to my PayPal and straight up send me money. Thanks.

Analyse: LA-TOY-A!!! For me, this video hit the nail on the head. Like, it fully decimated the nail. The jokes landed. The timing was right. There was a variety in humor. I loved it! A parody can be super hard to pull off, and I think you went a really good direction with this one. I lived for the references (bitch, you know I love Trisha Paytas), and while the look was simple and the makeup was pretty plain, it still looked cultivated and made sense with the concept. I would've liked to see maybe a before pic AND an after pic, because if somebody was just looking at these pictures, they'd wonder why there was no lip. I don't have much to say, so I'm just going to leave it at that! Good luck going forward, and I can't wait to see your final exam!

Harper:  Awesome work this week! I was really worried that your character would come off one note, but you really did a great job of using her to create a fully-realized parody. There were so many small details in here that I really appreciated, the coupon codes especially. I thought you were really funny, the editing was great, and the look was appropriate. Your acting was good, too. I'm trying to think of something constructive to add, but I got nothing. Keep it up!

Marina

For this week I wanted to parody story time youtubers. I always thought their content was hilariously pathetic and desperate, as is Susan. So why not make a parody of it? In this video, Susan tells her true stories from her days of prostitution. Not clickbait.

Analyse: Marina Susan! In terms of the look, I see a lot that has really stepped up for this challenge. The makeup is definitely looking "draggier," and I would love for you to talk to the deans this final week and really work on refining and defining some of the details, but it is a HUGE step in the right direction. The costume is fun and cute; it doesn't tell me a lot about the character, but I get an idea of who might wear that. The shoes don't really go with with rest of it, so just make sure that when you're doing a head-to-toe look that it's really head-to-toe. The real miss for me in this submission is the video. I get the kind of video you were going for, but overall, it wasn't really all that captivating. I know you had a script, but make sure when you're in the planning process, that you're really coming at it with an editing mind. Ask yourself "is this funny? does this make sense? is there a way I can word this more clearly so the joke lands better?" and other questions like that, and I really think it will help you to refine some of those jokes and make sure that the audience is entertained and that the humor comes across. Good job this week and good luck in the final exam!

Harper:  I like this look MUCH better than what you had for your homework assignment, good work there! I do wish you were wearing a wig, though! I thought your drag makeup also looked really nice, although I'd like to see you in bigger lashes, more nose contour, and with a bit more blending on the crease! As far as the acting goes, I think one of the biggest setbacks for you was the accent. At times it was Jersey, at times it was British... it was very all over the place. I don't expect you guys to be experts with accents, but if you choose to use one you gotta be consistent! I think the lack of eye contact was also a real issue. I know Marcella and I both brought it up in our lessons because it's a really important part of connecting with a viewer! You had some really good lines in there, but they got a little lost in the format. The parody wasn't super obvious to me, and I wish you would have used a few more "youtube-isms" in your submission. Finally, this video did not meet the 3-5 minute requirement! C'mon, henny!

Nikita

Analyse: CHARLENETOTHELEFT. This is one of the videos that had me cackling throughout! All in all, it's a very good submission! My number one complaint is the lighting, and I know there's a joke about finding your lighting right at the beginning, but then you settle back into this poorly lit filming. (On the topic of lighting, make sure when you take your pictures, you don't have a light directly behind you like in these head-to-toe shots). The jokes were FUNNY, and honestly, that's probably one of the hardest things to do in a challenge like this, so kudos on that. I think one of the things you can really work on is making sure that the timing works and that you aren't pausing, because there were a couple of times where you paused a little bit and it seemed like you were trying to remember your next line. The beauty of competing in an online setting like this is that (when permitted) you get to use the magic of video editing. Whenever I'm filming a video, the amount of footage I have is probably 5 times as long as the final product, sometimes more. This gives you ample takes to choose from, and you can edit down some of that awkward pausing time. (It'll also help the fact that your video was about a minute longer than the allowed maximum). I really did enjoy this video, I get the character from the look, and I'm super excited to see what you come up with for the final exam!

Harper:  I was a little worried about your video since we didn't get homework for you, but you pulled out a fully-realized character! I thought your acting was great, and I'm about 82% certain Charlene was in my graduating class. The makeup and look are great, but I can hardly see you! I wish this video was better lit. I appreciated the stream of consciousness, but I think at the end of the day this assignment was about parodying youtube videos, and I just didn't get that from this video. I thought the things you were saying were funny and in character, but there was no real narrative structure or punchline here. It was also about a minute over the 3-5 minute window you were assigned.  I think there is TONS of potential with you and this character, this video just didn't nail it for me.

Ophelia

Chip is your average peppy-happy, easily distracted, and kind of socially awkward kind demon spawn who wanted to take a break from her usual helpful tutorials to do something different for a change: a challenge video where she answers her viewers' questions!

Analyse: Hey there! I see a lot of things in the makeup that show that you're taking some of our critiques into consideration, so thank you for that! In this week's final exam, I would LOVE to see you give us full drag queen fantasy, because this is giving me the same facepaint kind of mug you've been giving, and I know I've already commented on that a couple of times. I like certain separate elements of this look (the skirt is cute, the belt is cool), but all together, I don't really understand it as a look and I'm not sure what it contributes to the character, so make sure you're super aware of those kinds of things when choosing a costume. The video for me was very all over the place, and I know that's the character and was the point of it, but it didn't really add anything to the video in terms of comedy or entertainment value. If I opened an actual video like this, I don't know that I would make it through the whole thing. It's not that the content of the video wasn't entertaining, but I think this flaws here happened in the editing. Make sure in future videos that your post-production elevates the quality of your video and doesn't detract or distract from the content. Good luck going forward, and I look forward to you final exam!