Character Research

Richard Corson - Stage Makeup

This book is very helpful, especially when it comes to character makeup. It gives you advice and tips to think about when creating character makeup. This is helpful, although it says nothing about the characters that would fit best with Bates Motel, I will still take on board the other factors such as; the character analysis, health, hereditary, race, environment etc. when doing this. 

To help me develop these characters further, I am going to analyse the character descriptions and pick out key words that I feel are most important. I am going to start thinking of ideas for them so it will give me an understanding of the characters and how I can place them into my chosen TV series.

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 decor. She is agoraphobic and is kept in touch with the outside world by her neighbours who provide her with 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 a 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."

We know that Claudia was left alone with little parental guidance. In my series, this because Claudia is an orphan. She developed an unhealthy relationship with horror films and believed this is how life is. She is agoraphobic and psychotic so I wanted to research what it actually like for someone living with these conditions.

Agoraphobia is a fear of being in situations where escape might be difficult, or help wouldn't be available if things go wrong. If someone with agoraphobia finds them self in a stressful situation they will usually have a panic attack.

Psychosis is a mental health problem that causes people to perceive or interpret things differently from those around them. This might involve hallucinations or delusions.

• Hallucinations - where a person hears, sees and, in some cases, feels, smells or tastes things that aren't there; a common hallucination is hearing voices.
• Delusions - where a person believes things that, when examined rationally, are obviously untrue. 

Claudia often twists her look depending on whatever film she is watching at the time. She could change her hairstyle and clothes to switch around her look. Although she believes horror films are they way life really is, she has a cheery disposition of life. This is because she thinks it is normal, she is so deluded by horror films that it is normal for her to live like that, so it would be cheery for her. 

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 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 her rooms."

Quentin is her imaginary boyfriend, who is long suffering and a constant disappointment to her. His appearance changes to suit her mood. He is into role-playing to suit her moods. Claudia has a paranoid suspicion that he is constantly having affairs behind her back and punishes him because of this. This could be because she is psychotic and her delusions are making her believe that he is cheating on her. 

Mrs Laderman
Claudia's neighbour in her 40's. She alternately changes into a variety of 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 Laderman has designs on Quentin. In fact she has designs on Claudia. 

Claudias neighbour/friend/confidant in her 40s. She alternately changes into a variety of alter egos and is Claudia's only link to the outside world. Claudia fears Mrs Laderman fancies Quentin, hence where the suspicions of them having an affair come from. But she really fancies Claudia.

Because Claudia is psychotic and Quentin is her imaginary boyfriend, she could maybe have schizophrenia and split personality disorder where she "role-plays" as Quentin. 

My main question is, how I can show insanity and mental illnesses through makeup. I researched the idea and found a website where a makeup artist collaborated with a photographer to produce a series of photographs for "Beauty in Dark Places" They have interpreted the faces that lie underneath the masks we wear as we go about our every day lives. 

 Bipolar

 Depression

Schizophrenic  

Information and images from: https://gabriellasidhumakeup.wordpress.com/tag/mental-illness/

Although I am not going to portray my makeup in this way, I feel it is interesting to see how other people have shown this through their work. It reveals what could be behind the face they put on. Most people with mental illnesses look like ordinary people and it's not until we see their behaviour or the way the react to certain things that we realise they have a medical condition. It will be very hard to portray this through the makeup but I like to be challenged.
After researching in more depth about the characters I think they could fit into Bates Motel nicely.