Andy Warhol Screen Test

Andy Warhol filmed celebrities, friends, guests or anyone he believed to have 'star potential' for a few minutes. The films were made between 1944 and 1966 at his own factory studio in New York.  He made over 500 screen tests but not all of them were kept. For my feature I decided to recreate the screen tests in a more modern way using colour and different styles of makeup that are popular within society today.

The screen test above shows glamour makeup which consists of smoky eye shadow and darker lipstick that creates a more mysterious 'sexy' look. The dark eye makeup and the longer fake eyelashes also add to the feel and prevent the eyes from looking too narrow. This type of make up is usually worn when women are going out for the night or on camera for specific photo shoots.

I also took some still images of the makeup against the plain background like Warhol used to do as it gives a clearer view of the makeup.

My second screen test follows the style of Andy Warhol more closely as the makeup is more natural. I have used an affect called 'aged film' to create an old fashioned look that re creates a similar style to his. As you can see the background is darker and warmer looking which allows the video to look older and dated. I have kept this version in colour as I wanted the makeup to stand out.

The makeup in this shoot was more natural than before. There is less makeup around the eyes which makes them appear bigger. Natural coloured eye shadow was used along with some eyeliner to make the top eyelid stand out. Below the eye there is less makeup to prevent the eye from looking too dark. The brighter lipstick makes the lips stand out from the face as well as a slight tint of blusher on the cheeks that creates a more natural but sophisticated look.

The black and white images are similar to those of Andy Warhol who back in 1944 only had black and white image. The black and white makes the makeup appear less obvious and brings out the main features of the face to make them stand out more. For instance in the image directly below the lips and eyes stand out the most.

I also tested a different style of the screen test as I decided to take it outside. The wind on the background makes it different but gives the video a different feel to it. The fact that her hair occasionally blows in the wind also makes the video appear that it is more alive and not just a person staring into a camera. I quite like the outcome of this style as it is different. I also put it in black and white to create more of an old fashioned feel as seen in the work of Andy Warhol.