God I love it!
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/time-warp-wives
Thursday, December 17
Wednesday, December 16
What's with vintage???
I really ought to keep this blog up to date, i seem to accumulate a lot of bookmarked websites, articles, links & whatnot.
I've been looking at people's motivations to dress vintage. Yep, this is swaying a bit from burlesque.. but it's all relevant. Key to a women's empowerment is her confidence in her own attire and let's face it... unless we're talking serious flared 70's style Levis (which I do personally covet)... jeans just don't cut it!
A lot of people now are harking back to those decades we call vintage, 40's & 50's predominantly. People are trading in their jumbo stilletos for a nice pair of elegant courts, thier skinnies for a swishy petticoat and need I even start on the hair?! Be gone you foul scrapped back ponytails!!! Hello victory rolls! :)
What interests me is why people do it. What's so wrong with out modern world that people are throwing it in for something a bit more tried and tested? A very long time ago, coming onto about a year... I watched this mini documentary courtesy of 4OD. This documentary peeks into the lives of a few individuals who take vintage to the max! Below is a link to the Daily Mail's article on it.
I believe it still exists on 4OD, though ideally I'd like to get my hands on a DVD of it.
Time Warp Wives:
Slipping into my burlesque alter ego I engaged in a short interview with a good friend of mine, Sammy... better known as Betsy Von Blush. I do not kid you, she has her hair and make up vintaged out every single day! This is a serious devotee to the vintage revival and so I decided to question her on her motivations, opinions and influences regarding all things vintage.
Interview/informal discussion with Miss Betsy Von Blush
I've been looking at people's motivations to dress vintage. Yep, this is swaying a bit from burlesque.. but it's all relevant. Key to a women's empowerment is her confidence in her own attire and let's face it... unless we're talking serious flared 70's style Levis (which I do personally covet)... jeans just don't cut it!
A lot of people now are harking back to those decades we call vintage, 40's & 50's predominantly. People are trading in their jumbo stilletos for a nice pair of elegant courts, thier skinnies for a swishy petticoat and need I even start on the hair?! Be gone you foul scrapped back ponytails!!! Hello victory rolls! :)
What interests me is why people do it. What's so wrong with out modern world that people are throwing it in for something a bit more tried and tested? A very long time ago, coming onto about a year... I watched this mini documentary courtesy of 4OD. This documentary peeks into the lives of a few individuals who take vintage to the max! Below is a link to the Daily Mail's article on it.
I believe it still exists on 4OD, though ideally I'd like to get my hands on a DVD of it.
Time Warp Wives:
Slipping into my burlesque alter ego I engaged in a short interview with a good friend of mine, Sammy... better known as Betsy Von Blush. I do not kid you, she has her hair and make up vintaged out every single day! This is a serious devotee to the vintage revival and so I decided to question her on her motivations, opinions and influences regarding all things vintage.
Interview/informal discussion with Miss Betsy Von Blush
Eliza DeLite
Why is it that you like to dress vintage? What is the appeal? How does it impact on your lifestyle?
Ermmmmm well... I’ve always had an interesti n the 50's and stuff since I was really small because I liked old musicals etc.
The appeal is to be unique. I don’t really like to follow trends and things that are popular, never have been.
And what do you mean about impact my lifetyle?
Eliza
How is your lifestyle any different from someone who doesn’t dress vintage, someone who doesn’t do the vintage hair and make up everyday?
Do people react to you any differently?
Sometimes you get a few funny looks, if I go all out then I get funny looks and some comments.
I always get comments about how I do my makeup
Eliza
Do you think people appreciate it?
Ermm people probably think its rediculous but I don’t really care. It’s up to me how I dress really, I like it so don’t care if they don’t.
Eliza
Do you think you could ever give it up? A life without vintage, how would you feel?
Empty, haha, boring, really really boring and the same as everyone else. Can’t take vintage away! Its timeless. I like things that are timeless.
Eliza
Or is it????
Iconic then
Eliza
Do you think you could survive an entirely vintage lifestyle?
Like proper vintage probably not, time were hard apparently! I couldn’t kill a chicken I’d raised!
Eliza
I could… errr... maybe not, not if I'd named him. What do you think the world will be like in 20 years time with regards to the vintage revival?
Well.. I think at the moment it’s really popular because of Dita (Von Teese) and such. And the whole revival of burlesque and how it’s really popular at the moment. And I think there will be phases of it almost.
At the moment it’s just a phase for a lot of people because of the rise of it with celebs and such.
Eliza
Do you think it will die down?
Probably when the celebs go out of "popularity", but then someone else will come back and do it again. So it’ll happen again but the hardcore vintage people will always be that way.
Eliza
Do you think the vintage revival is relying upon celebrities such as Dita Von Teese?
Yes, exactly. She’s brought the whole thing back because she’s popular at the moment.
Eliza
Are there any other celebrity figures you'd credit?
Historically or contemporarily?
Eliza
Right now, here in 2009?
Erm, Dita obviously, Imodesty Blaize. A lot of UK burlesque artists - Anna Fur Laxis, yeah I’d say Anna Fur Laxis was the best person id seen. Oh, and Eliza DeLite, lol!
Eliza
LOL
Why thank you!
Sunday, November 22
Friday, November 20
Corset Training
Ok, I'm really just posting these videos for my own reference so I can find them again. Also just to keep a note of everything I've watched, read or found.
This one is really a bit weird, probably verging more on the fettish side of things.
This one is really a bit weird, probably verging more on the fettish side of things.
Thursday, November 19
Brainstorm
Just tossing around some ideas, trying to find a focal point for my work.
Several routes I could take this down/topics I could look at:
- Neo Burlesque - new wave burlesque
- Corset Training - the intentional disfiguration of the body through persistant wearing of tightlaced corsets.
- Boylesque (a new trend of male burlesque performances.... the answer is in the name)
- Historical context - looking mostly at burlesque from a historical point of view
- Fettish (need I say anymore?)
- Female Empowerment
- Fly on the Wall
- My own personal experiences/struggles as a burlesque performer.
Now, this last item on my list almost took me by surprise whilst I was jotting down these ideas. It was in fact something I had never considered making work about. From one perspective, I don't feel it worthy of a documentary, yet at the same time, this for me is the meatiest subject.
Oh, by the way... here is a link to a website i stumbled across with regards to the idea of corset training. If you dig deep enough you can find some really freaky shit.
Bump & Grind - The Story of Burlesque
What better way to start researching for my own documentary than to check out existing documentaries on my chosen subject.
The first piece I watched, I found on youtube (hail almighty youtube!). This piece, like my own was made by university students and takes a look at burlesque with the slant of the good old burlesque defence "it's the tease not the sleaze" (which is of course very true). This documentary is very much focused on local burlesque talent (Glasgow) and covers a general overview of burlesque. A lot of this piece is spent interviewing semi-professional burlesque performers.
Next on the list is a DVD I purchased from HMV for a whole £15!!! Which, for a 30 min documentary is a bit extortionate. However, this film took the burlesque documentary on yet another slant. This was more a historical piece looking and the origins of burlesque and vaudeville. Packed with footage dating back to the 20's and exploring burlesque origins, this film highlights things such as hula dancing as big big influences in the development of what we now know as burlesque.
As brilliant as it was seeing all the old footage, and learning a bit more of the historical context I felt that this documentary was lacking in something, that it could have carried on to link all this historical information with the way things are today and concluded a bit more.
Here is a trailer for the documentary.
Time to get this blog on the road.....
Ok, should have blogged all of this by now, but here is everything I've looked at, researched, planned and thought about to date.
Preparing my Project Proposal
Following on from last year’s work in the still & Moving Image production module, I intend to further investigate the topic of Burlesque, in order to build on my existing documentary film work. I felt that last year’s project held more potential that my time scale would allow and would like to expand on this to create a new, more in depth documentary film piece.
I am also looking to use other mediums to create supporting elements, which alongside the film piece will make up a body of work. My rough Idea at present is to build a website which will host both the documentary film piece, provide additional information and a collection of photographic work. I aim to connect the three disciplines in aesthetic style, content and purpose. I hope very much to develop my own visual style, which will give the whole project a distinctive look.
In my research I will look at surrounding issues related to Burlesque including historical development, Neo-Burlesque, the vintage lifestyle revival and the shocking trend of “corset training”. A lot of Burlesque culture embodies passion and pride in various lifestyle choices. Burlesque has many subcultures in which people live their lives and these are the things, which I would like to investigate through my work using predominantly documentary film but also with supporting stills work. I want to produce a body of work, which will inform and intrigue people, showing them that there is a lot more to Burlesque.
The aim of this work is to provide people with an “access all areas” insight into the topic. Although the work will be predominantly documentary, I will be placing a heavy emphasis on aesthetic style, experimenting with different filming and editing techniques.
I will carry out my research in a number of ways which will include; interviews, phone calls, articles, any books which may reference the earlier movement, web research. I am hoping that once I do get my research underway, more avenues will open up for sourcing information.
Wednesday, November 18
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