PSYCHEDELIA

Yesterday felt like a marathon but from editing a few scenes on Tuesday I realised I need a LOT of footage. Once you speed it up, etc the time cuts down quite a lot.
It took me about 2 hrs to build the scene before I even started with the filming. I wanted to do a flashback scene to when Sindy had gone to clubs and tried Acid! I own 4 1960's style, open (round-edged) cubes. I used the 3 largest as rooms for the club. I covered the backs in 3
different paper and fabric. One was a paisley-style purple and pink silk,

a floral paper and a fabric that reminded me of lichtenstein/popart if you folded it a certain way. I also placed 2 photo cubes in to pose as seats.

I did think about using them as podiums but the Sindys would have been to high for the set and their stands would have shown up. I filmed each 'cove' with just a bit of another one showing so the audience knows the layout when I'm focusing on just one of them.
I dressed the dolls I wanted to use, in 1960's wear, and got a variation on blondes and brunettes. I did their hair to fit the era, big and bouncy and long and hippy! I set them in place, some on stands, some carefully propped against objects. I placed a few Sindy glasses and a bottle around the scene. The only thing missing was men! I don't collect Paul but my sister had a Ken (Barbie....booo). Unfortunately, he is sooooo 1980's with his Beverly Hills smile and Hollywood tan, hair and muscles but I needed a man, this was no lesbian club after all and the theme is about men. I had no appropriate clothes for him, Sindy's wouldn't fit so I put him in a black roll neck, with no trousers!! It symbolises men's promiscuity.....
I put the main Sindy in the foreground (she will be in black & white) but I decided to film this in colour as psychedelia and black & white sort of contradict each other. The scene was about seeing them all dancing so I started to move each one bit by bit. You get into it by creating stories and personalities as you go. The guy stayed in the corner all night and a couple of girls go to him. He puts his hand up one's skirt, she's a bit moody, maybe in her 'own world'. She was sat down drinking before going over to him. Two girls are dancing nearby, one a hippy who has wacky dance moves and the other a bit more reserved doing the mash potato. One girl moves a little then walks off screen, main sindy is doing mash potato before she walks off and the other Sindy is doing the twist before she picks up her drink. I wanted them all to interact like you would at a party so made sure they are looking around. This take took ages. I then moved on to the next cove. The dolls that had moved off set were seen again in the next scenes depending which side they had gone off.
The next scene was a chill-out room. One doll sat down and 2 more walk to her and another sits to talk to her. The other goes to sit down but there's no room and the hippy girl brings her a drink over.
In the last room is the main Sindy and the other that walked off set. Main sindy is doing the twist and some weird arm movements. The other is very cool, quite mod-esque and she is casually moving her arm and twisting. The girl who was with the guy is in shot. She is sat, turns to acknowledge the 2 girls, moves her arms a bit then turns and gets up to stand with the guy. I think the 3 scenes took me about 6 hrs! My back was aching and my hip from sitting on the floor, moving each doll and going back to operate the camera. I enjoyed it though, I really got into the scene. It was almost as good as being there! Here are the 3 rooms I created..