Claudia, Quentin & Mrs Laderman character profiles and first story ideas

Character profiles

Claudia
Claudia is a girl in her twenties. As a child she was left alone to develop with little parental guidance and through her relationship with T.V. movies developed an unhealthy relationship with Horror films, believing this to be the way life really is.

All the scenes take place in various parts of Claudia’s apartment, which is European in style with
a great deal of kitsch décor. She is agoraphobic and is kept in touch with the outside world by her neighbours who provide her with her every day requirements.  She models herself on a variety of girls often twisting her look to suit whichever film she is watching at the time and there is often
a nod to the main character in the current film within her appearance.

The script portrays her as psychotic and there is always the feeling that although her character is scripted/can be seen as humorous, danger is just around the corner.   However all this is normal to Claudia and she is of a cheerful disposition in this mad world of hers.

Quentin
Claudia has an imaginary boyfriend, Quentin, who is long suffering and a constant disappointment to her. They don’t live together but he visits regularly and they talk on the telephone if he can’t get in to see her. As he is part of her imagination his appearance changes to suit her mood. Sometimes he will be a David Beckham looking guy, whilst in another scene he will appear as a Pete Docherty type, Daniel Craig type or a Hollyoaks Babe. If she is having a bad day he will morph into an uncouth couch potato chav with all that brings with it.

He is as into the horror film genre as she and into role-playing to suit her whims and moods.
Claudia has a paranoid suspicion that he is constantly having affairs behind her back and keeps him firmly under her thumb, sometimes restraining him or keeping him prisoner in one of the rooms.

Mrs Laderman
Claudia’s neighbour in her 40’s. She alternately changes into a variety alter egos and is Claudia’s friend and confidant. Living in the apartment opposite, she was Claudia’s only link to the outside world. Although they are friends there is suspicion that Mrs L’, has designs on Quentin. In fact she has designs on Claudia.

Here are my ideas for the three characters, along with the three words I want to use to help with the characterisation:

Claudia - White rose:

I have thought about creating Claudia as a girl in her twenties having mental disorders because she was left alone as a child and the only example in life that she had were horror films. She is agoraphobic and she never leaves her home, that's why she hasn't got any friends and she doesn't even know how the real world looks like. When she thinks about the sun shining, she thinks that the sun will burn her skin... when she thinks about the forest, she doesn't think about the green woods that w usually think about, but instead about dark, gloomy trees and foggy places. She has a sick mind, but her neighbours pity her and try to help her as much as they can. 

Why I thought about a white rose in relation with Claudia is because the story behind this involves symbolic meanings of this beautiful flower. Referring to historical facts and going back in the 19th century, in the Victorian times, when language of flowers was popular and gothic horror literature was born, the rose had another meanings besides the meanings we know to be true today. A white rose symbolises purity, untainted beauty, morality, everything that is sacre and beautiful in the world. "Now, the opposite of a white rose, is a black rose. This may mean the opposite of what the white rose signifies, meaning impurity or immorality, revenge, and ugliness. Unlike the promise of new beginnings, the black rose may say otherwise, as signifying no return, or no hope."(Wikia)
You might say yes, this could be true, but it has nothing to do with Claudia's story. Not right. You'll see reading further.

Claudia couldn't leave her apartment even if she wanted to. She felt that she will leave, all the demons that were waiting outside will come to get her. She constantly had nightmares about her going out and never being able to come home alive... because her parents left the house one day when she was younger and never returned. She thought that there were monsters outside ready to kill her. She was insane. That's merely why she couldn't make any friendships and the ones that she got were based on other feelings or just pity for her situation. She spoke only with two of her neighbours, Mrs. Laderman and Debrah Morgan, although she only considered Mrs. Laderman as a friend and Debra just someone who used to visit her from time to time and ask her if she's okay. Last time Debra visited she was really nice bringing her a bouquet of white roses which Claudia really cherished. When her other friend and neighbour visited, Mrs. Laderman, she also complimented the bouquet even though she seemed to have an unusual smile on her face doing that. She felt that something is not quite right with her friend but they kept talking and she told her about Quentin. She spoke about him as if he was real and although he wasn't, Mrs. Laderman believed to be so, and didn't know that it's just the result of Claudia's sickness.


Quentin - The woods:

Quentin exists only in relation with Claudia. Quentin is Claudia's imaginary boyfriend and they have never seen each other in her apartment. Due to Claudia's obsession with horror films, she always portrays him in a dark forest, him being the only living creature that seems to be actually alive in the whole picture. But still, this is changeable by Claudia's mood. If she feels happy, he will be full of life and loving. If she feels sad or frustrated, he will be constantly worrying about her and looking desperate. If she feels miserable, he will look miserable as well. And if she feels dead, he will look like a monster, like a zombie who just returned from the dead. He exists as long as Claudia thinks about him and no one else can see him, although that she feels that he is very real. Maybe it's just the schizophrenia, or is Quentin really an invisible entity?

Mrs. Laderman - Door:

Mrs. Laderman is the middle-aged lady next door to Claudia. Claudia considered her her friend until a point, because Mrs. Laderman was her confidant and always there to listen to her problems when she felt like complaining. And she was complaining a lot. Mrs. Laderman was there for her since she was 13 years old and struggling with adolescence in the ugliest way possible: being agoraphobic and schizophrenic and not being able to go out and make friends and actually experience life. Mrs. Laderman loved Claudia, because Claudia was her only friend too. Well, she had another neighbour who talked to, and that was Debra, but they weren't so close as she just moved nearby. Was Mrs. Laderman's love for Claudia just a pure, friendly love? Or was it something else?
The truth is, since Claudia grew up things have changed between them. She started feeling something unusual towards her, and she started suspecting that Claudia is seeing with a boy. She felt incredibly irritated when she found out that Claudia is really in love with Quentin, that's why after Claudia confessed, she stopped coming over Claudia's home.
Claudia noticed that Mrs. Laderman is not how she used to be, and this happened right after she told her about Quentin. She started thinking that Mrs. Laderman had designs on Quentin, and stopped trying to reach her by the phone or anything.
One day, Mrs. Laderman wanted reconciliation because she missed Claudia and wanted to clarify her feelings towards her. She went and knocked on Claudia's door. She opened, and when she saw Mrs. Laderman, she had a nervous breakdown. She was really angry at her because all the time they haven't seen each other she was alone and devastated by her own thoughts. Instead of reconciliating, they started fighting. Mrs. Laderman wanted to let her guard down, but Claudia felt the weakness and stabbed her to death. When realising what she just did, she felt extremely guilty and scared and wanted to run away. But she couldn't. She was trapped in her own fears, trapped in her life and in her apartment. She felt like her own life was falling apart and she couldn't deal with this no more. She desperately called for Quentin's help but he was nowhere to be found. She panicked and she remembered about the pills that the doctor gave her to take when she felt like she couldn't deal with life anymore. She took them all in a desperate attempt to escape... and she escaped, in the end. In her last minutes she could see Quentin lying over her disfigured, with fire in his eyes and laughing with his teeth almost falling out of his big, mutillated mouth. He then told her: "I've been waiting for so long for you in Hell, next to our parents whom I've killed. I am so happy that our family is finally reuinted. You thought that I am your boyfriend? No, little sister, I am your stepbrother, killed by your mother at birth. She was having an affair with another man while being with our father... he found out about that while she was pregnant and thought that I am not his child. He discussed with mother about this and they both agreed to give a second chance to their marriage but to do so, they had to kill me at birth because they were't even sure that I was their child! They have killed me with cold blood and I wanted revenge. You know that you only could imagine me in the woods? There's where they have buried me as a newborn. There's where I have kept for years some space next to me for my beloved parents and for you, you second chance! There's where you belong, my dear sister, in the ground next to me and the whole family. You were right when you feared that going out of the apartment will harm you. Outside are another dead souls ready to eat yours alive. You have to pay for your parents sins, and you will with your own life. That's why I did everything I could to push you to take your own life and write yourself the sentence to Hell. That's where you belong and now I can finally find my soul rest knowing that I had revenge, even though I will burn in Hell for an eternity along with my family.".

The other charachter I have imagined is Debrah Morgan, Dexter's sister. She is a very compassionate girl, always wanting to help others, and that's why when she has time she visits Claudia, knowing that she suffers from a mental illness. She called Claudia that night to see if the roses that she gave her were still fresh, because she just bought another bouquet and wanted to give them to her. Claudia didn't answer the phone. Neither did Mrs. Laderman. She kept calling but nobody was answering and she felt that something must be wrong with them. She decided to visit Claudia to see if everything's fine and because her brother was staying at her that night, she took him with her. When they got to Claudia's home, they have seen the terrible scene with Mrs. Laderman on the ground, stabbed and in a puddle of blood and Claudia lying on the floor, with her eyes open, dead and cold. They started investigating the case looking for a murderer, because something was not right with their story. Looking at the roses from the window sill, Debrah noticed that they weren't white anymore. They turned black, and both her and her brother felt that here is something more than just a murder.  There is a dark mistery that they have to reveal.

References:

• Wikia (no date) Black rose. Available at: http://symbolism.wikia.com/wiki/Black_Rose (Accessed: 6 March 2016).

Gender and horror

In the horror genre there are lots of debates of how the women are portrayed. They used to be portrayed as weak and waiting for help from a male presence, and being nothing but helpless and powerless without it. But as the times are changing and feminism becoming more present in the modern society, the approach on women's roles became to evolve and finally to be reconsidered, even in the slightest. Even though today women are portrayed as having their "revenge" because they have been shown in more powerful roles, not only playing the "victim" role, (Donahue 2014) there still exists gender inequality in the distribution of the powerful roles.

From the Victorian times up to the present century, women have been neglected in the horror and gothic literature, theatre, film etc. and were attributed weaker roles or roles in which they were depending on a man. Even if they had more powerful roles, they were still limited in a wolrd where all that mattered was how their bodies look and not what they feel of think. "One cultural tradition, older than Victorians but nonetheless proeminent within the late nineteenth century, identifies women as entities defined by and entrapped within their bodies, in contrast to the man, who is governed by rationality and capable of transcending the fact of his embodiment. In nineteenth century social medicine in particular, women were theorized as incomplete human subjects.[...] They possess the intellectual qualities that distinguish Man from brute only in the most limited and imperfect sense" (Hurley 1997).

No wonder that nowadays horror literature and film still perpetuate the idea that women are still not capable of being in a powerful position - the roots of horror as a genre is in the Victorian times and some of the mentalities are not so easily changeable.

Although these are some sad facts, the idea that the world is continuously changing doesn't bother me at all. Maybe there will be some good changes in the end, who knows?

References:

• Donahue, A.T. (2014) Women in horror: The revenge. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/commentisfree/2014/oct/17/women-in-horror-the-revenge (Accessed: 6 March 2016).
• Hurley, K., Hurley and Beer, G. (1997) The gothic body: Sexuality, materialism, and degeneration at the fin de siècle. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Dexter TV series

For the second part of my semester I have chosen Dexter TV series to create my characters. When we were given the list of the TV series which we should have watched I was really worried that I couldn't watch any of them as I am really not into the horror film genre and watching a horror film is a terrible nightmare for me. I have to admit that I didn't watch any of the TV series before and I was afraid even to look at trailers to see which one I could watch... but I have spoken with Kat about this and she advised me about which ones will be for "horror beginners" like me and I decided on Dexter, as it was more about killers and murders and not creepy horror stuff that I really couldn't watch. 

I liked the idea that everything takes place nowadays and that I could create a more-reality like story for my characters, and this boosted my inspiration.

The key words I have chosen to further inspire my characters are: white rose, the woods and door. I have a vague idea of whom I will attribute these words to but I am not sure yet and I will discuss this in one of the future blog posts.

(mondozilla 2013)

"Dexter is an American television drama series first aired October 1, 2006 on Showtime. The series centers on Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a blood spatter pattern analyst for a fictional Miami Metro Police Department who also leads a secret life as a serial killer.

Set in Miami, the show’s first season was largely based on the novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter (2004), the first of the Dexter series novels by Jeff Lindsay. It was adapted for television by screenwriter James Manos, Jr., who wrote the first episode. Subsequent seasons have evolved independently of Lindsay’s works.

The series has enjoyed wide critical acclaim and popularity. Season 4 aired its season finale on December 13, 2009 to a record-breaking audience of 2.6 million viewers, making it the most-watched original series episode ever on Showtime. Michael C. Hall has received several awards and nominations for his portrayal of Dexter, including a Golden Globe. The Season 8 premiere was the most watched Dexter episode ever with over 3 million viewers.

Besides Michael C. Hall playing the title character, the show’s supporting cast includes Jennifer Carpenter as Dexter’s adoptive sister and co-worker (and later boss) Debra, and James Remar as Dexter’s adoptive father, Harry. Dexter’s co-workers include Lauren Vélez as Lieutenant (later Captain) María LaGuerta, Dexter and Debra’s supervisor, David Zayas as Detective Sergeant Angel Juan Marcos Batista, and C. S. Lee as lab tech Vince Masuka."(mondozilla 2013)


References:

• mondozilla (2013) Dexter – TV series. Available at: https://horrorpedia.com/2013/07/29/dexter-tv-series/ (Accessed: 4 March 2016).

Monster mash

Werewolves

"A werewolf (Old English: were, "man") or lycanthrope (Greek: λυκάνθρωπος, lykánthropos: λύκος, lykos, "wolf", and ἄνθρωπος, anthrōpos, "human") is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse or affliction (e.g. via a bite or scratch from another werewolf). Early sources for belief in lycanthropy are Petronius and Gervase of Tilbury.

The werewolf is a widespread concept in European folklore, existing in many variants which are related by a common development of a Christian interpretation of underlying European folklore which developed during the medieval period. From the early modern period, werewolf beliefs also spread to the New World with colonialism. Belief in werewolves developed in parallel to the belief in witches, in the course of the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern period. Like the witchcraft trials as a whole, the trial of supposed werewolves emerged in what is now Switzerland (especially the Valais and Vaud) in the early 15th century and spread throughout Europe in the 16th, peaking in the 17th and subsiding by the 18th century. The persecution of werewolves and the associated folklore is an integral part of the "witch-hunt" phenomenon, albeit a marginal one, accusations of werewolfery being involved in only a small fraction of witchcraft trials.[1] During the early period, accusations of lycanthropy (transformation into a wolf) were mixed with accusations of wolf-riding or wolf-charming. The case of Peter Stumpp (1589) led to a significant peak in both interest in and persecution of supposed werewolves, primarily in French-speaking and German-speaking Europe. The phenomenon persisted longest in Bavaria and Austria, with persecution of wolf-charmers recorded until well after 1650, the final cases taking place in the early 18th century in Carinthia and Styria.[2]

After the end of the witch-trials, the werewolf became of interest in folklore studies and in the emerging Gothic horror genre; werewolf fiction as a genre has pre-modern precedents in medieval romances (e.g. Bisclavret and Guillaume de Palerme) and developed in the 18th century out of the "semi-fictional" chap book tradition. The trappings of horror literature in the 20th century became part of the horror and fantasy genre of modern pop culture."


Vampires

"A vampire is a being from folklore who subsists by feeding on the life essence (generally in the form of blood) of living creatures. Undead beings, vampires often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deaths in the neighbourhoods they inhabited when they were alive. They wore shrouds and were often described as bloated and of ruddy or dark countenance, markedly different from today's gaunt, pale vampire which dates from the early 19th century.

Although vampiric entities have been recorded in most cultures, the term vampire was not popularized in the west until the early 18th century, after an influx of vampire superstition into Western Europe from areas where vampire legends were frequent, such as the Balkans and Eastern Europe,[1] although local variants were also known by different names, such as shtriga in Albania, vrykolakas in Greece and strigoi in Romania. This increased level of vampire superstition in Europe led to what can only be called mass hysteria and in some cases resulted in corpses actually being staked and people being accused of vampirism.

In modern times, however, the vampire is generally held to be a fictitious entity, although belief in similar vampiric creatures such as the chupacabra still persists in some cultures. Early folk belief in vampires has sometimes been ascribed to the ignorance of the body's process of decomposition after death and how people in pre-industrial societies tried to rationalise this, creating the figure of the vampire to explain the mysteries of death. Porphyria was also linked with legends of vampirism in 1985 and received much media exposure, but has since been largely discredited.

The charismatic and sophisticated vampire of modern fiction was born in 1819 with the publication of The Vampyre by John Polidori; the story was highly successful and arguably the most influential vampire work of the early 19th century.[2] However, it is Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula which is remembered as the quintessential vampire novel and provided the basis of the modern vampire legend. The success of this book spawned a distinctive vampire genre, still popular in the 21st century, with books, films, and television shows. The vampire has since become a dominant figure in the horror genre."


References:

• Vampire (2016) in Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire (Accessed: 23 February 2016).
• Vampire (no date) Available at: http://new-monster.wikia.com/wiki/Vampire (Accessed: 27 February 2016).
• Werewolf physiology (no date) Available at: http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Werewolf_Physiology (Accessed: 27 February 2016).
• Werewolf (2016) in Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolf (Accessed: 27 February 2016).

Dorian Gray character analysis

I've decided to go for the beautiful version of Dorian Gray for the timed assessments because of the following reasons: I want to portray him as the best version of himself, when he was young and pure, as described at the beginning of the book, because I thought that even if it sounds simple and it might be an idea everybody thought about, it is not like that. To apply the techniques learnt in class this semester we have to incorporate an effect or a scar or anything related to the special effects, but I have chosen to do so in the second part of the semester and not in the first part and focus on giving the character the best look possible. I want to make the model's skin look flawless and mask any imperfections and to enhance his handsomeness while keeping the make-up products use to a minimum to maintain the manly look and the HD imperceptibleness while in front of the camera. Also, I wanted to give the audience a reason to be susceptible about his character given the perfect complexion. A wonderful apple on the outside might be rotten on the inside. Anything that is "too perfect", even a perfect face, is susceptible of plastic surgery, photoshop, or anything else used to alter the appearance. And considering the time that the novel was written and placed, the late-Victorian years, Dorian's blooming youthfulness and handsomeness might have been susceptible of witchcraft or anything bizarre. In a time of constant changing, people were still afraid of the unknown. Witchcraft was, for so many, an unexplored topic and if they didn't experience it that didn't stop people to wander about it and consider anything that they haven't seen before as witchcraft. In this case, a young beautiful man who stays forever young, regardless of the time that was cruel with the others.
To bring my character to life and to create him according to the late-Victorian fashion I will carefully pick the clothes and accessories needed to suit the character's role and statut and also the hairstyle that will reflect the fashions of the time.
The clothing will be elegant but still suitable for a young lad in his twenties: a white shirt paired with a grey printed suit and eventually a scarf to resemble the little scarf with the broche that Victorians used to wear or the bow tie specific of that time.
His face will be clean, shaved, with well-groomed eyebrows and the main focus will be the lips, the effect being there clearly visible, because I will apply some gloss to make them look even fuller.
The hair will be slicked on the sides with a centre parting and two little curls on the forehead resembling little hidden horns. There will be a big attention to the details as nothing should be overlooked, not even the shoes the model will wear.

Deeper understanding of Gothic Horror

Gothic horror is, to me, more than a literature or film genre. It can be found even in today's art and we can also experience it nowadays without even knowing it. It was the Victorian times when people discovered it and started defining it, started exploring it. Gothic horror can be a novel, a painting or a feeling at the same time, and the magic is that it can go beyond things that we can explain or see. It is mistery.

"Psychoanalytically, the experiences of terror and horror are comparable to the phenomenon of the uncanny as theorized by Sigmund Freud. Uncanny effects arise when familiar circumstances unexpectedly acquire unfamiliar connotations without our being able to ascertain how or why this has happened. They may be generated by "doubts whether an apparently animate being is really alive; or conversely, whether a lifeless object might not be in fact animate" (Freud 1919:226) or by a failure to differentiate between "image and reality"(244). Produced through the collusion of familiarity and strangeness, they evoke correspondingly ambivalent emotions: excitement, jouissance and exhilaration on the one hand, and revulsion, dread and disgust on the other."(Cavallaro 2002)

"The interaction of terror and horror is most explicitly conveyed by stories that articulate the experience of fear as an ongoing condition. Such naratives intimate that fear is not triggered by a single disturbing moment or occurance but is actually a permanent, albeit multi-faceted, aspect of being-in-the-world." (Cavallaro 2002)

"According to Clive Barker, narratives of darkness can help us understand the power and legitimacy of our wildest drives by "valuing our appetite for the forbidden rather than suppresing it, comprehending that our taste for the strange, or the morbid, or the paradoxical, is contrary to what we're brought up to believe, a sign of our good health" (1986; quoted in Bloom 1998:100). Darkness may scare us into hiding under the bedclothes but it is also, more importantly, capable of reminding us that what we most often cower beneath is the burden of self-imposed limitations resulting from the internalization of cultural norms that only hypocritically claim to protect the self."(Calvallaro 2002)

"In relation to narratives of darkness, Gothicity primarily refers to tales of obsession and haunting which employ images of disorder, alienation and monstrosity for the purposes of both entertainment and ideological reflection. The fascination with the violation of cultural boundaries combines with anxieties bred by the possibly dire repercussions of transgression. In schematic form, Gothicity can pe mapped as follows:

Geographical connotations

• Northern barbarity versus English civilisation
• Mediterranean depravity versus Anglican rectitude

Ideological connotations

• archaic disorder versus modern discipline
• medieval darkness versus enlightenment
• anti-classical leanings versus (neo)classical ethos
• crudeness versus elegance
• savage paganism versus refined morality
• aristocracy/feudalism versus bourgeoisie/capitalism
• landed classes versus cosmopolitan gentry

Psychological connotations

• terror
• horror
• the sublime
• the uncanny
• spectrality
• secretiveness
• obsession
• paranoia
• psychosis
• melancholia
• persecution
• claustrophobia

Physical connotations

• bestiality
• monstrosity
• the hybrid
• the grotesque
• revulsion
• pollution
• disease

Stylistic connotation

• exaggeration
• ornamental excess
• surrealist effects
• dream language
• tenebrous comedy"(Calvalarro 2002)

"Gothic texts are not good in moral, aesthetic or social terms. Their concern is with vice: protagonists are selfish or evil; adventures involve decadence or crime. Their effects, aestethically and socially, are also replete with a range of negative features: not beautiful, they display no harmony or proportion. Ill-formed, obscure, ugly, gloomy and utterly antipathetic to effects of love, admiration or gentle delight, gothic texts register revulsion, abhorrence, fear, disgust and terror. Invoking ideas and objects of displeasure, gothic texts were invariably considered to be of little artistic merit, crude, formulaic productions for vulgar, uncultivated tastes. They were also considered anti-social in content and function, failing to encourage the acquisition of virtuous attitudes and corrupting reasers' powers of discrimination with idle fantasies, seducing them from paths of filial obedience, respect, prudence, modesty and social duty. Definitively negative, gothic fictions appear distinctly anti-modern in their use of the customs, costumes and codes of chivalry associated with feudal power: the gallantry and romanticism of knights, ladies and marital honour also evoked an era of barbarism, ignorance, tyranny and superstition."(Botting 2013)

References:

• Cavallaro, D. (2002) The gothic vision: Three centuries of horror, terror and fear. London: Continuum International Publishing Group;
• Botting, F. (2013) Gothic. 2nd edn. London: Routledge.

Importance of continuity

AN INTRODUCTION TO CONTINUITY FOR THE MAKE-UP ARTIST

In the majority of film and TV productions, the scenes are shot out of sequence. This can be for a variety of reasons:

• Access to locations
• Availability of certain actors
• Weather conditions
• What this means is that you could be working on the last shot of the film with actors continuing a scene that was shot a year before. (In fact, it is quite normal for a film to be completed and then scenes to be re-shot unexpectedly when the producer decides this is required.)

Typical Continuity Issues
Crew members - including the make-up department - may be working on other productions by then, so new people are often hired to film these pick-up shots. When the film is played back, it is essential to take notes on the continuity. Actors must be dressed the same, have the same skin tones, wear their hair at the same length, and have the same make-up. If this is not the case, the result will be sadly noticeable when the film is edited.

Should a producer of a TV soap series decide to do some pick-up shots of close-ups of actors shot four months before, for instance, the make-up artist has a number of continuity problems to solve:

• Matching the clothes when many costumes may have been hired and returned to the hire company
• Matching hair. Various hair pieces may have to be tracked down from hire companies or wig makers - or recreated
• Matching make-up. Foundation, lipstick, eyeshadow, and blusher may have been used up or simply lost

Whilst such scenarios may be stressful, they are an accepted part of the job. In feature films, there is a script supervisor> who deals with the general continuity issues of filming. This includes film stock, camera lenses, and dialogue changes.

Taking Photos And Notes
It is still up to the individual departments to work out their own continuity, either by taking photos of all the main actors - front, back, and profile views - as well as extensive notes. All changes to hairstyles, costume, and make-up should be logged with a scene number and day number of the film sequence.

To make life easier, a make-up artist will keep a hairstyle the same shape. When the action of the filming calls for the hair to be wet or untidy, photos must be taken. The action may take place in a rain storm exterior which might gave to match up to the actor walking into an interior with wet hair. The interior scene might actually be shot in the studio months later and must match up to the exterior shot.

Make-up and hair artists often have to apply beards and moustaches to match an actor’s natural facial hair which he subsequently shaved away, or supply a wig because the actress has had her hair cut short.

As you can see, continuity is extremely important in television and film making.


Design Development

Research and evaluate It can be helpful to try and deconstruct why certain characters and their characteristics work and why some don't.  Study other characters and think about what makes some successful and what in particular you like about them.

• Who is it aimed at? Think about your audience.
•  Visual impact 
• Colour 
• Conveying personality
• Express yourself 
• Goals and dreams The driving force behind a character's personality is what it wants to achieve. Often the incompleteness or flaws in a character are what make it interesting.
• Building back stories 

Continuity in Film

On the set it is the responsibility of the script supervisor to see that continuity is maintained between takes and between the setups. This means that the actors must be wearing the same clothes, the same jewellery, the same hair style. If a candle or cigarette is half burned down in one take then it must be the same in all takes.

Without visual continuity a movie becomes a series of unnatural jarring moments that take the audience out of the illusion that your movie is a depiction of real life. Carefully planned lack of continuity can be an effective technique to create tension and confusion in a scene but shouldn't be overdone.

Careful notes need to be maintained. A digital camera can be a big help in maintaining continuity. Take a shot of the actors after each setup or at least at the end of the day and do a quick printout of the picture.

The script supervisor should also be marking the script with any changes in dialog that occur during filming.

References:

• Academy, D. (2016) An introduction to continuity for the make-up artist. Available at: http://www.delamaracademy.co.uk/blog/2009/06/an-introduction-to-continuity-for-the-make-up-artist (Accessed: 17 February 2016).
• PowerPoint presentation on MyCourse.

What is Gothic Horror?

"Gothic fiction, which is largely known by the subgenre of Gothic horror, is a genre or mode of literature and film that combines fiction and horror, death, and at times romance. Its origin is attributed to English author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, subtitled (in its second edition) "A Gothic Story." The effect of Gothic fiction feeds on a pleasing sort of terror, an extension of Romantic literary pleasures that were relatively new at the time of Walpole's novel. It originated in England in the second half of the 18th century and had much success in the 19th, as witnessed by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Another well known novel in this genre, dating from the late Victorian era, is Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The name Gothic refers to the (pseudo)-medieval buildings, emulating Gothic architecture, in which many of these stories take place. This extreme form of romanticism was very popular in England and Germany."(Wikipedia 2016)

"Gothic Horror is one of the oldest of the horror genres. Darker, edgier and on the Romanticism end of Romanticism Versus Enlightenment, it tends to play on both the thrill and the fear of the unknown, and places a great importance on atmosphere. It's usually heavily symbolic, sometimes even dreamlike. In addition to being important to the horror genre, the first scifi, fantasy, romance, mystery, and adventure authors drew inspiration from Gothic horror, so it's sometimes considered the parent of all modern genre fiction.
Gothic fiction is usually used as a synonym or is the name given to Gothic horror stories that are saturated with the above mentioned scifi, fantasy, romance, mystery, or adventure elements.
The name "Gothic" comes from a kind of architecture from The Middle Ages (christened as such by those who considered it barbaric in comparison to classical architecture, the name coming from the barbarian tribe of the Goths). There were a lot of Gothic ruins lying around Britain, and people in the 18th and 19th centuries developed an interest in them because (a) ruins are always kind of mysterious and melancholy and creepy and (b) they evoked the time period they were built in, which was thought of as a barbaric time where people believed in (and did) all kinds of weird stuff. For this reason, most early Gothic horror novels were set in that era. They were usually also set in Catholic countries, because the Brits who wrote them considered Catholicism sinister (yet also kinda cool).
The renewed interest in Gothic stuff also led to the Gothic Revival movement in architecture, but for the purposes of this article we're not so interested in that.
Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto, written in 1764, is considered the first Gothic horror novel. Walpole was a big fan of William Shakespeare and proudly declared that he borrowed most of the tropes from his idol's plays, particularly Hamlet, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet. Ann Radcliffe helped popularize the genre, and authors such as Matthew Lewis, Ludwig Flammenberg, Eliza Parsons, Eleanor Sleath, and Francis Lathom finished out the eighteenth century Gothic horror writers. The beginning of the nineteenth century saw Gothic horror being parodied by authors like Jane Austen, but there were still straight examples provided by authors such as Lord Byron and Mary Shelley. By the time the Victorian era rolled around Gothic horror was beginning to run out of steam, but there were still quite a few people writing it — in fact, most of the Gothic horror authors and works you've heard of probably come from this era, such as Edgar Allan Poe and the Brontë sisters. There were a few more notable Gothic authors in the early 20th century, but by the 1950s or so the genre had given way to modern Horror.
The Cosmic Horror Genre is something of a Spiritual Successor to Gothic Horror, with the genre's codifier H.P. Lovecraft explicitly listing several masters of Gothic Horror as major influences. Where Gothic Horror drew upon classical mythology and legend to provide its nightmares, however, Cosmic Horror looked to the modern world itself, and pondered what would happen as man shone a light upon the last refuges of the creatures who once haunted the empty countryside now becoming suburbs, and reached beyond the limits of what he was meant to know. Perhaps Here There Be Dragons, after all?
Universal and Hammer Films are responsible for successfully adapting this genre onto the big screen." (Tropes T. Gothic Horror)

References:

• Tropes, T. (no date) Gothic horror. Available at: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GothicHorror (Accessed: 13 February 2016).
• Wikipedia (2016) ‘Gothic fiction’, in Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_fiction (Accessed: 13 February 2016);

Late and mid-Victorian hairstyling research

As the century went on, hairstyles became more and more ellaborated for women and stylish for men. Here are some informations that I found really interesting in my "research journey". Once again, I'm going to focus on men's hairstyles, especially because my character, Dorian Gray, was a late-Victorian man.

Late and mid-Victorian hairstyling for women

"In the Victorian era, a woman’s hair was often thought to be one of her most valuable assets. Styles varied quite a bit throughout the nearly 7 decades of Queen Victoria’s reign, with everything from simple middle parts to elaborate pieces made from human hair being in fashion. Accessories such as combs, pearls, hats and bonnets each had their time in the spotlight throughout the 1800s. Victorians weren’t as serious as people think they were, but they sure took their hair seriously." (Harris 2015)

Other late and mid-Victorian hairstyles for women:

Late and mid-Victorian hairstyling for men

 (Chic Victorian Hairstyles for men 2012)

"The Victorian era, from its start till its end, is considered as one of the most productive eras concerning the fashion and beauty industry for the men as well as the women. The Victorian era had presented a plenty of hairstyles for the men. Despite that, those Victorian men hairstyles had very chic, elegant and classy looks. In fact, those Victorian hairstyles had made the men looking in their best suits. Even the word “best suit” isn’t enough to describe how gentle and classy the men looked wearing hairstyles. Before getting deeper to discover those men’s Victorian hairstyles, there’s a thing that you must know. That thing is that most of the men back in the Victorian eras; whether the early part or the late part, had either the short or the medium haircuts. So, you can say that the men in the Victorian eras were very conservative concerning their hairstyles and maybe concerning their whole looks. All they had cared about is to keep on their gentle, elegant and classy image in front of each others and the whole society." (Chic Victorian Hairstyles for men 2012)

 (Chic Victorian Hairstyles for men 2012)

"After 1865, men began wearing their hair shorter, a trend that persisted around 1890. Hair still was usually parted on the side or the middle but the part extended further from the forehead toward the back of the head. Some men chose to wear a pompadour, which required more maintenance than simpler styles. Styles in facial hair favoured longer beards along with mutton-chop sideburns. The long and drooping handlebar moustache became popular during the late 1870s and was worn either alone or with a beard.
In contrast, as the nineteenth century came to an end, most fashionable men preferred a clean-shaved face, and sideburns also became smaller. Men who wore beards and moustaches usually kept them small and carefully trimmed [...]. Wax was used to groom moustaches. [...]
During the late 1800s, Victorian men parted their hair either in the center or slightly to the left, and the pompadour remained a favourite style for those who had enough money and leisure to maintain it." (Sherrow 2006)

Middle years hairstyles

(Corson 1965)

"According to Lewis Ganett, the Harvard classes in the 1870s were thoroughly bewhiskered. Gradually the beards disappeared, leaving only the moustaches. In the class of 1900 there were no beards. [...] Beards, though, still worn by older men, were no longer fashionable." (Corson 1965)

Late years hairstyles

Other late and mid-Victorian hairstyles for men:

References:

• Sherrow, V. (2006) Encyclopedia of hair: A cultural history. United States: Greenwood Press.
• Corson, R. (1965) Fashions in hair: The first five thousand years. 6th edn. London: Peter Owen Publishers.
• Chic Victorian Hairstyles for men (2012) Available at: http://www.stylisheve.com/chic-victorian-hairstyles-for-men/ (Accessed: 6 February 2016).
• Posted (2275) Late Victorian era clothing. Available at: http://late-victorian-clothing.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/late-victorian-era-ladies-headwear-and.html (Accessed: 10 February 2016).
• Harris, K. (2015) Victorian Hairstyles: A short history, in photos. Available at: http://www.whizzpast.com/victorian-hairstyles-a-short-history-in-photos/ (Accessed: 10 February 2016).

Burns research

Everytime we create a special effects burn we need to research the nature of it. Is it a first degree or a third degree burn? To make the burn look as real as possible, it's essential to know something about the human skin.

A person’s skin can suffer burns from various causes. The most common are accidents involve direct contact with liquids or hot objects, chemicals, steam, electricity, heat or prolonged exposure to sunlight.

Type I burns – are the easiest type of burns that a person may experience and involve damage to the outer layer of the skin, the epidermis. Your skin will be reddened, painful and swollen. If the first-degree burn has not affected a large area of skin, it can be treated at home.
Second-degree burns – are those in which the second layer of skin (hypodermis) is injured. In case of this kind of burns, the skin will be red with spots and on the burning areas vesicles will be present. Second-degree burns cause pain and inflammation. If a person experiences a small second-degree burn it can be treated at home, but if the area burnt is extensive or involves hands, feet, the face, the groin, buttocks or a major joint, you will have to go to the doctor or hospital for professional care.
Third degree burns – involve all layers of the skin and possibly localized structures under the skin. Some areas are often black, charred. The pain may be severe, but if a nerve has been damaged due to burning, the pain is likely to be diminished or not present.


References:

• How to prevent and treat skin burns (2014) Available at: http://healthdefine.com/medical-advice/prevention-and-treatment-of-burns (Accessed: 9 February 2016).

What is High Definition Broadcasting and how does it affect make up and hair artists?

"What is HDTV?

High definition television (HDTV) is basically an arbitrary term that applies to any digital
television production, transmission, or reception technology with a scanning rate that
exceeds the 525 lines of the present U.S. NTSC standard or the 625 lines of the PAL or
SECAM standards.

When viewed on a large television monitor or projected on a screen, HDTV images are
patently brighter, sharper, cleaner and more life like than those of present video systems
because of the increased pixilation in the image. Therefore, HD is the highest quality
digital format available over the present NTSC standard format, which has been in
existence for over 60 years.


Why HDTV?

The FCC has mandated through the Telecommunications Act of 1996 that all “terrestrial”
(meaning broadcast “over the air”) television stations must convert from analog to full
digital broadcasting by an imposed deadline. All major hub television markets such as
Los Angeles, New York, DC, etc., were expected be phased into full HD signal format by
the end of 2008.

The FCC had initial plans for U.S. broadcasts to simulcast digital HDTV signals in
conjunction with conventional NTSC transmissions until the year 2009, at which time the
old conventional system will be terminated. Not since video first began has there been
such a rapid pace of refinement in technology, with the introduction of the digital format
in the early nineties and the onset of HD in early 2000.

There are also more frame rate choices available (24p, 30p, 25p, 50i, 60i, or 60p) that
will also dictate which kind of camera will be used. These frames per second (fps)
formats allow tape to have more of a look and feel of film and be transferable to 16 or
35mm film with full HD fidelity.

Anything shot in 24P or 25p can be scanned to film for theatrical release without any
motion disturbances being introduced in the transfer itself. The quest for tape to be
more film like in character is the driving force behind the technological refinements, and
some believe that someday it may even jump species!


So how does all this affect makeup taped in HD format?

The increased pixilated image is so clear that you see down to the pores of skin,
including blemishes and wrinkles. It is exceptionally authentic in that a person’s true
quality of skin, bone structure and features, and hair are on sharp display.

HDTV can provide images nearly 5-10 times sharper than those on broadcast on NTSC
standard television sets. Thus, heavy or layered makeup is painfully evident, and
powder can end up looking very obvious. Many makeup artists (and talent) are still
somewhat inexperienced to the harsh reality of the high definition format and that skin
imperfections are extremely obvious.

Some skin issues you can clearly see are blemishes (especially acne problems), overly
ruddy skin, overdone concealing under the eyes (the raccoon look), thickly applied base,
and over-powdered skin. With these obvious flaws prominent the viewer ends up
looking at the makeup rather than be drawn into the drama.


How were skin issues dealt with in the past?

On standard definition (analog) television sets the signal conversion is at 704 x 480 of
pixilated resolution in the viewing. This was extremely advantageous to talent because
the low resolution helped makeup to visually smooth out and hide skin flaws. With
special makeup effects applications analog also helped prosthetics to look very realistic,
or lace hair fronts to be undetectable, and blood effects look alarmingly real.

Pancake, or heavy cream makeup and concealing had been the norm in analog to create
the flawless look on talent seen in these formats, such as soap opera actresses who look
seemingly looked ageless over the years. Many studios were also using strong overhead
track style lighting which also necessitated the use of stronger concealments or products
to bounce light.

In the beginning transmissions of HD, and before makeup artists and talent became
truly aware of the makeup ramifications, the realism of skin flaws, wrinkles, and less
than perfect symmetry brought home the reality that “beautiful” celebrities are not so
beautiful after all. Our American culture has been visually and mentally programmed
from the media over the prior decades to demand and accept an unrealistic standard of
beauty. The harsh reality is that HDTV “sees” and projects better than some people can
visually assimilate. The magic of this increased technology also brings with it the stark
reality of flawed human skin and the standard image of “beautiful” in the minds of the
viewing public will eventually have to be redefined.

There are still some inherent problems in HD cameras that still need to be overcome,
particularly control over the nuances. Tight shots on talent require extra lighting
techniques to soften the blow of the resolution, and are often avoided for that reason.
There are filters that can be used to make aged or blemished faces look better but they
are not always effective and can end up looking over or under saturated in post
production.


So how does media makeup keep up with the pixel revolution?

As more broadcasts are being done in HDTV, makeup artist must refine their technique
and product usage for a screen resolution that has as much as 10 times more picture
detail than analog television. Camera formats have changed significantly as well as the
lighting configurations and makeup artists will need to stay informed as the science
continues to progress.

Overall, makeup needs to be undertone precise and lightweight in application while
delivering the coverage needed to make the talent look clean and natural. In HD, the
emphasis is greater on clear color selections and clean application for eyes and lips.
Even set designers are using colors (like lavender) in their wall paintings that will help
flatter skin tones when lit for in this medium.


What are some of the issues makeup artists will contend with in HD makeup?

As makeup artists we are responsible for making the less than perfect skin look like
perfection, and HD presents a host of challenges to our skills. HDTV is still causing a
major revolution in media makeup techniques that were originally perfected over the
years for film. This included handling the different lighting conditions and creating the
visual image of actors that is significantly different than their in-person look.

There are two main issues now that are influencing how we do makeup for this medium.
First are the techniques and tools we have refined to ensure that we reproduce a
flawless real life appearance. Second is the pressures placed on talent because the
appearance of celebrities in HD might not always be as perfect as the public perceives
them. The first issue is in our control as we are professionals that have skills that can
greatly improve and correct appearances with cosmetics. That makes the second issue
somewhat in our hands as these celebrities will be turning to us more than ever to give
them more confidence in how their looks will translate to this medium.


What are the major factors in creating the correct image for HD?

I believe that proper technique and product formula usage has always been the biggest
factor in high quality makeup work and that will continue at even a higher level in work
for HD. This medium requires even greater attention to detail, and not just the face but
the body as well. It means that you will need adjust how you apply the makeup, and to
blend it out even further.

You will have to keep your eye tuned on the monitor to catch flaws that need correcting
because in HD recording the results are immediate! For instance, mascara clumps are
very obvious. Colors that don’t stay true on darker skin tones are painfully obvious, so
be careful in how you choose products and prep skin.

To deal with the less forgiving electronic eye of HDTV, makeup artists are turning to
airbrush makeup for certain skin types to achieve the balance they need in covering skin
to look more natural in high resolution viewing. In other words, they are bringing their
own “pixels” to the game through “pontillistic” painting.

Airbrush provides a way of depositing base onto the face through a conical spray pattern
of thousands of tiny dots or “pixels” at a very low pressure that gently overlaps on skin,
and from a distance the eye perceives it as a smoother, natural looking complexion.

Some skin discolorations and imperfections, scars, and puffiness are visually blended out
more successfully under airbrush makeup. Depending on the micronization of the
pigment contained in the airbrush product, these tiny “pixels” of base on skin gives
somewhat the same effect as what the digital camera sees, and the natural tone of the
talent’s skin comes through giving a smoother and natural looking appearance. Airbrush
makeup simply dovetails with HD nicely, and helps fill the need for makeup that looks
like part of the skin tone instead of creating unwanted texture by sitting on top of it.


In Summary:

A good working knowledge of how all photographic and recording vehicles work, and
how makeup impacts the finished product are hallmark technical skills for the
professional makeup artist working in HD. The competence and proficiency in this area
is part of having a total package of superior skill ability in expertly rendering makeup for
these mediums. " (Patterson 2009)


References

• Patterson, S. (2009) The impact of high resolution media on makeup. Available at: http://www.creativeartistryfx.com/high_resolution_media.pdf (Accessed: 9 February 2016).

Early Victorian hairstyling research

To get a more in depth idea of how women and men used to style their hair at the beginning of the Victorian Era I decided to research the web but also some books I found in the library. I will post here a few women hairstyles and focus more on men hairstyles because the character I'm going to recreate is a man.

Early Victorian hairstyles for women

The loop

"During the first part of the Victorian era and before the Civil war, it was popular among women to arrange their hair in an updo at the back of their head. The hair from the front to the back was arranged in long, sash-like loops that covered the ears. Sometimes the hair was braided and then looped at the back of the head." (Solanki 2014)

(La Rapunzel Resource no date)

(Solanki 2014)

To get this style:

• Part your hair in the middle, using a pin-tail comb. The pointed end of this comb gives you precise partition. Draw a line from the center of the bridge of your nose to get symmetrical parting.
• Part your hair into two sections, a front section and a back.
• Twist or braid the front section of the hair and loop it around the sides so that it goes around the ears. Pin it at the back.
• Take the back section of hair and put it in a low ponytail. Twist the hair, and tie it into a low bun.

Side-braided bun

"Along with low twist buns, braided buns were also very popular during this era. Usually the hair was tied into a ponytail, and divided into three sections. These sections were braided and then pinned up under the ponytail, or shaped into a neat bun at the back or side of the head." (Solanki 2014)

(Solanki 2014)

To get this style:

• Use a hair wax to slick your hair, and tie it into a side ponytail.
• Braid the ponytail.
• Wrap it around for an elegant low side bun.

Fringes

"Bangs or "fringe", were worn by women during the Victorian Era. They tended to be short and wavy or curled and usually covered only part of the forehead. Short, frizzy bangs were popular for women during the early to mid-1880s. The style caught on after Alexandra, Princess of Wales (later Queen of England as the wife of King Edward VII), wore her hair this way" (Sherrow 2006)

(Tennyson 2016)

Other early and mid-Victorian hairstyles for women:

(Corson 1965)

Early Victorian hairstyles for men

"From the 1840s to about 1865, many men wore their hair in a crest shape achieved by brushing their hair either forward or to the back, forming a cowlick or curled lock at the front. This style was worn with either a side or center part.

Most men also wore sideburns, which became fuller as the century went on." (Sherrow 2006)

"Young men wore their own hair, sometimes clipped very short, sometimes longer and brushed forward, falling in natural or artificial curls over the forehead, sometimes both at once, and ocasionally arranged in a curious style involving short hair, long hair, and a sort of topknot. [,,,]

Normally, the hair was brushed away from the crown in all directions and allowed to fall naturally over the forehead. Straight-haired men, often achieved fashionable curly locks with a crimping iron." (Corson 1965)

"A clean-shaven face was in fashion for men during the Victorian Era. In addition to razors and strops, men used soaps especially made for shaving, along with brushes and shaving cups. Some lathering agent - soap or a special "shaving cream" or foam - was used before shaving to minimize skin irritation. After shaving, men applied special shaving lotions, often homemade from plant substances." (Sherrow 2006)

"Straight steel razors became available during the early 1800s in England. They were made in Sheffield, a city known for its fine quality steel. Like previous razors, these required regular honing to keep a sharp edge. Men used a strop to maintain the razor's edge at home. At the turn of the century, razor blades were made from forged steel." (Sherrow 2006)

"Side-whiskers appeared early in the century. Usually they were wispy at first, ocasionally fuller, and by 1810 they were commonplace. Then, for a while, instead of being allowed to follow the beard line straight down along the jaw, they were shaved diagonally across the cheek. Gradually they became fuller and longer, and by the thirties some men were even letting their hair creep around under the chin." (Corson 1965)

Other early and mid-Victorian hairstyles for men:

References:

• Sherrow, V. (2006) Encyclopedia of hair: A cultural history. United States: Greenwood Press.
• Corson, R. (1965) Fashions in hair: The first five thousand years. 6th edn. London: Peter Owen Publishers.
• Tennyson, A. (2016) ‘Alexandra of Denmark’, in Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandra_of_Denmark (Accessed: 6 February 2016).
• Solanki, P. (2014) Instructions for Victorian Era Hairstyles. Available at: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/instructions-for-victorian-era-hairstyles.html (Accessed: 6 February 2016).
• La Rapunzel’s Resource, de (no date) Victoriana: Hair. Available at: https://ro.pinterest.com/purplepanpirate/victoriana-hair/ (Accessed: 6 February 2016).
• Chic Victorian Hairstyles for men (2012) Available at: http://www.stylisheve.com/chic-victorian-hairstyles-for-men/ (Accessed: 6 February 2016).

BBC "The Art of Gothic" by Andrew Graham-Dixon review

The programme "Art of Gothic" was wery interesting to me because I had very little knowledge of the Gothic genre and now I feel like I'm more confident in this particular subject.  I've learnt a lot about various apects of the Gothic genre not only in literature and art but when it comes to the symbolic meaning of it as well and how it is reflectet onto the society.

One thing that It's now stuck in my memory is that nowadays people still get influenced by the Gothic genre by always wanting to escape from the real world and hide their true selves behind a screen. They do this with the help of modern technology, just as people back then used to do reading Gothic novels, which were very popular but people disregarded them.

Another interesting part of the documentary is when  Andrew Graham - Dixon shows us how historical events influenced the Gothic movement as we see now and across the years. For example, the Industrial Revolution was one of the biggest events that really influenced the Gothic movement. As the landscapes were changing, so did the society and all that comes with it, including the novels written at that time. The novels became a reflection of what could be seen in the society and in the surrounding area where people and writers lived.

It's really interesting how such thing as modern inventions and technology seem so familiar to us and we aren't scared of new technology appearing, not even highly intelligent robots that look like humans, and how people back then considered even the inventions that we consider now the simplest so scary. They saw the scientific progress as a way to play God and as witchcraft, being afraid of new changes but still continuing to change. In an ever changing world, people wanted to escape and they did that though Gothic literature that shows us how they percieved the world back then.

"The Art of Gothic" is an extremely useful programme to watch because it delivers essential information so we can understand how people were thinking in the Victorian Era, when Gothic as a genre appeared.  What the programme makes is to prove how timeless the Gothic genre is and how we unconsciously see gothic influences even today and we don't know about them and don't label them as gothic even if in essence, they are.

The Queen

Queen Victoria

"Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death.

She inherited the throne aged 18, after her father's three elder brothers had all died, leaving no surviving legitimate children. The United Kingdom was already an established constitutional monarchy, in which the sovereign held relatively little direct political power. Privately, Victoria attempted to influence government policy and ministerial appointments; publicly, she became a national icon who was identified with strict standards of personal morality.

Victoria married her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in 1840. Their nine children married into royal and noble families across the continent, tying them together and earning her the sobriquet "the grandmother of Europe". After Albert's death in 1861, Victoria plunged into deep mourning and avoided public appearances. As a result of her seclusion, republicanism temporarily gained strength, but in the latter half of her reign her popularity recovered. Her Golden and Diamond Jubilees were times of public celebration.

Her reign of 63 years and seven months is known as the Victorian era. It was a period of industrial, cultural, political, scientific, and military change within the United Kingdom, and was marked by a great expansion of the British Empire. She was the last British monarch of the House of Hanover." (Wikipedia 2016)

Portraits of Queen Victoria which I found really beautiful:

Portrait painted by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1847, as an anniversary present for Prince Albert.

Queen Victoria, Winterhalter, 1845. Photo: Royal Collection © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.  (Guillotine 2014)

Queen Victoria, Winterhalter, 1845. Photo: Royal Collection © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Victoria when a Girl, Westall, 1830. Photo: Royal Collection © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

The cousins: Queen Victoria and Victoire, Duchesse de Nemours, Winterhalter, 1852. Photo: Royal Collection © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Victoria in Fancy Dress, Landseer, 1845. Photo: Royal Collection © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. (This was her costume at a masked ball in Buckingham Palace in June 1845.)

Winterhalter, The Royal Family in 1846.

References:

1. Guillotine, M. (2014) Queen Victoria – portraits of the week. Available at: http://madameguillotine.org.uk/2014/01/22/queen-victoria-portraits-week/ (Accessed: 27 January 2016).
2. Queen Victoria (2016) in Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria (Accessed: 27 January 2016).
3. Splendor, O. of (2122) WELCOME TO THE ORDER. Available at: http://orderofsplendor.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/my-ultimate-tiara-collection-queen.html (Accessed: 27 January 2016).
4. Wedding dress of Queen Victoria (2015) in Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_dress_of_Queen_Victoria (Accessed: 27 January 2016).