BACKSTAGE SHOOTING (BTS)
A new Arlency experience with the theme “Re-enchant the World”: a meticulous preparation for a pictorial result !
Through this theme, I carried out several researches on the pictorial in the world of the photography and mainly in the world of the painting. Painting is an inexhaustible source of artistic inspiration.
The painter who instinctively came to my mind for this theme is René Magritte. This painter brings all the elements of the dream, the pictorial, the shifted and the humor.
Didn’t he say himself “The art of painting is an art of thinking“, an absolute truth that applies to our work and approach to photography.
PREPARATION
I wanted to re-invent and re-enchant the world through Magritte’s paintings, to pay homage to him in 4 photographic series.
A meticulous research of the various paintings of Magritte allowed me to begin the work of reflection mainly on the following works:
The inspiration of his works, allowed me to start to draw up a list of possible accessories and the realization in 3D model (“elixxier” software). The draft of the project took shape quite quickly with several series in mind.
While creating the model, I went to different accessory stores and to a carpet store to buy a fake grass for the floor. I also invested in hand painted photo textures by an artist to give depth to the scenes.
The cotton candy was made by my art director with wool. She also adjusted the dresses to fit the model perfectly.
The objective was of course to always have in mind a wink to Magritte’s works, by hiding the model’s face systematically.
I thought and worked on my lighting by modeling it with 3D software while scanning different accessories to integrate them into the model.
REALIZATION
When the models were finished, everything was ready for the realization,
with a meticulous setting up of the sets. The art director prepared the props and completed some adjustments to the clothing. A nylon thread was sometimes necessary to maintain the balloon or the burr in suspension.
Everything was thought out beforehand, and all that was left to do was to create the four series. A part of improvisation always exists and the model played the game of creativity by his posing and on the story to tell.
POST-PRODUCTION
Several days of post-processing were necessary in order to work on a pictorial rendering close to a painting and thus to be the most faithful to the spirit of the paintings.
