Project Evaluation

For the first part of this unit I didn’t have any previous knowledge regarding Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations so I knew I was going to have to carry out in-depth research in order to understand the novel and its characters to produce effective character recreations.

I began by reading the book; this took a while as I struggled to understand Dickens way of writing. I highlighted any mention of the characters descriptions; this allowed me to draw up character profiles – the beginning of my development for my make-up interpretation. I went on to watch film adaptations to see characters had in common throughout time and how different producers recreated their own version of the characters. I also looked into the Victorian era the book was set in and how different classes of people were defined by appearances. This research combined gave me a good foundation to create my looks for the characters of ‘Miss Havisham’ and ‘Estella’.

During the makeup we learnt different techniques for ageing, dirtying the skin, cuts, scabs and dry/peeling skin. I enjoyed learning all of these, finding that I was quite successful in creating them. When it came to creating my characters make-up I didn’t use many of these techniques so did not face any challenges with materials.

I found the project brief straightforward and enjoyed the challenges of consistency. The biggest challenge was that I used DUO to create the appearance of cracked lips and peeling skin, which was difficult to repeat. Overall I found this part of the unit a good test of my skills for consistency.