invisible....

 ...my invisiblity cloak has fallen off .....

Stephen Birchmore in the UK has designed me a beautiful, zen, new site

www.frances-melhop.com

enchantment and disbelief.....

so ...

1 year later

I return to the secret chosen places ...

in the deep dark forest...by the glacial lake where I grew up

the "gruffalo forest" for those in the know ...

(my young apprentices ... eh? eh?)

cooper ...

Trelise Cooper's second line is called "Cooper"

we worked on the premise of a different style of girl ...more street than tailored victorian romantic which is infused through the Trelise Cooper signature range...

here are the results......

back in the dark......

quakes have died down ...

a bit 

demolishing and renovating is at a balance and I am not "quite" so worried about being trapped in a chemistry full room in the dungeon labyrinth of the old house ....printing my Ancient Olive project .... so I have rebuilt and got my little darkroom up and running ... 

hose through the window for print washing in big post earthquake rainwater tub ....

tiny enlarger on top of fridge in storeroom ... 

read 

"pro photographers darkroom facility in Christchurch New Zealand April in the year 2011"

over 100 more beautiful 5x4 inch negatives to proof before working out the best for limited edition printworks ...

(I did a lot of work in the last month of my artists residence in Italy ) which was not possible to actually develop and see before the shows .... so now half of the project is still coming to light ... 

it's amazing ...

allorra 

today is a top secret code day ... 

the person concerned will know what I mean...

                            and if he doesnt he needs a good dong on the head with a saucepan....

                                       fmjd

                                 22 april 2011

fly on the wall...

crew cam ... the making of "skyflying"

sooooooo......modelling may not be not quite as wildly glamorous as suspected?

:)

oddness...

odd

beautiful timing (or not)

alot of weirdness right now...

however ...
I have just finished the most beautiful campaign for the wonderous Trelise Cooper of New Zealand and I am so happy with the final works ...

and then ....
my professional photography monumental website and archive of all my work and exhibitions history and its Italian designers have disappeared into the ether ...
and at the same time I am temporarily here in the disaster zone
Christchurch New Zealand and earthquake after earthquake ...... since the Feb 22 2011 disastrous and all my camera gear is munted (as they say here ) and unusable ...
it is quite bizarre and must mean it is time for some dramatic changes ...


I am very particular ...but if you are up for a web design challenge for a fashion photographer/creative director with 25 years professional experience ...visit my agents sites and see my work there
www.internationalrescue.com/#/photographers/francesmelhop/_overview
www.paolasciarretta.com/ 

then let me know your ideas ....
and a quote ...


meanwhile ...latest works ... for Trelise Cooper NZ 

a most FAB designer
 

absence.......

not... really... in the mood ...

call me old fashioned but 683 earthquakes in 10 days is a bit ....um....over the top ... ?

isnt it?

feel free to take a look....

Christchurch New Zealand quake map

we...are... over ...it.....
and we are coming to get you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
weeeeeeeehhhhhhhh weeehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh weeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!

some days everything just goes wrong ..............

( i should have taken heed when my cake was burnt on the outside and raw on the inside )

seriously..... erghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh........ 

starts off ok.... until........ oooo no poverino ....

ear falls off ....plink...

antlers

..weirdly more difficult today than the little hands were ....?

 

shell casing head of clay...

can she get  any more ugly ?

 

 it appears so ....

yes

!

 

                                          errrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh
                                          back to the drawing board ......................

                       !!!!!!*/////§°çç°§:§ç§°§°§°ç : MN;HGFGHSsgraaaaaaaaaach!!!!!!!!!!!

songs in the key...

having agreed to make a short film /music clip

and having decided to shoot it in stop-motion animation

and having realised today that I am already 2 months into the project and not one frame has been shot .....

...I thought it high time to mention what is going on...

to a stills photographer 2 months pre-production time sounds insanely long ...

for film it appears years are needed  ... I have 4 months more
before finished product must be visible
tick tick tick ...tick.....tick...tick  tick tickticktick...

(pick yourself up off the floor Mr Failsafe!)

*first step listen to the song a million times and read the lyrics

*second step interpret story - make alot of notes and scribbles for producer to make weird comments about ..try and understand that my weird scribbles don't translate to someone outside my brain

*third step design character - make a lot of sketches

*fourth step realise that you have to work out how to construct an entire workable puppet head from scratch, with moving eyes and eyelids that you can get to in the back of her head in a small set and move in tiny increments during a very long period of time...that wont fall apart during 4 months of filming

hmmmmmmmmmmm

well at least I have her eyeballs so far