Yesterday (Thursday 2nd July) was an important day for skins HQ; the first time the cast and crew met up and read through the series 4 read through.
The first four episodes were read by the cast, who were enjoying catching up again with each other and their characters. After all, this was the first time they got to learn what was in store as well. Filming for Skins 4 is around the corner, can you wait?
I couldn't quite believe it when I found out I would be working as production designer on Brink.
After a few production meetings, getting to know everyone and working on the designs I came down to London for a week to actually make the film. We had a couple of days to prepare everything and get all the props and set dressing that we needed and three days worth of filming. The day I arrived Dan was still adapting the script, I didn’t realise that the script would change, I think, right up until the day before we started filming. This meant I had to be prepared with lists and lists of everything we needed for each individual scene.
We got the majority of our props and set dressing from the skins props stores which is massive. I spent a day in London doing some manic shopping for lots of bits and pieces that had to be more specific to Brink. It was great being based in London because there are so many different places to find everything I needed from the markets to the high street.
The first day of filming we were up on Hampstead Heath where we filmed Dean drawing out his hexagram in chalk. Mitch, who works in the art department on skins, taught me about improving the frame. So we would look at the monitor to see what the camera was picking up and then sometimes rearrange things to make it look like a nicer picture but at the same time it had to still look natural so I spent some time arranging some logs, sticks and leaves up there! This was really interesting because quite often I would look at a scene through the monitor and it would look a fair bit different from the way it looked in real life.
The other thing we had to watch the monitor like a hawk for was continuity. Because we had to film the same lines and action from different angles for editing we had to be really careful that everything stayed the same. This wasn't so much of an issue in the scenes we were filming on the heath but inside Dean’s room and in the nightclub I really had to keep an eye on it and take photos of everything before we started to film so that I'd be able to reset the scene exactly as it was.
The next day we filmed inside Dean's room, I really enjoyed filming in here because there was a bit more designing and set dressing to be done. We basically took everything out of the room, rearranged it to suit the camera angles and the shots that Phil wanted to get and dressed it to make it look like somewhere Dean would live. I really enjoyed setting up Dean's pinboard full of pictures and symbols, it was one of my favourite props.
The final day we spent at the night club. Inside the club toilets was my favourite scene to design and shoot because we got to make such a mess! In real life the toilets are really clean and shiny but we attacked them by writing graffiti all over the walls with chalk pens and white board pens, so that we could clean it off again. We stained the walls with coffee and tea and threw wet lumps of toilet paper all over the place. We finished it off by dropping some empty cans and bottles on the floor, getting loads of perfume bottles, candles and the soap dispenser for the sinks and putting blue filters over the lights to make it look a bit creepier. It was great fun setting this scene up and watching it being filmed and it’s the scene I’m personally most excited about seeing in the final cut.
I think this was my favourite day of filming because I felt like I had learned from the day before what I was meant to be doing, like watching the monitor, resetting the props and having everything ready to do another take with, like the shot glasses and the pills. I felt as though I was getting into the swing of how everything worked.
It was really hard work filming Brink. We worked long hard days but I had an amazing time, I learned loads about what goes into the design and the making of a film on a real professional set and worked with a group of fantastic people. I still can’t quite believe that it all happened for real!
Winning the competition for the costume designer role was absolutely amazing!
I'm in my 2nd year at uni studying costume design for theatre so to get involved in something like Skins not only opened my eyes into the world of television but it also gave me the chance to learn from the best.
Prior to working on our mini-episode I went behind the scenes on Skins for a week. I got to check out the massive wardrobe store: rails and rails of gorgeous garments, spotting things like Effy's ripped jumpers to Pandoras crazy print dresses. Skins Costume Designer Edward let me style Emily and Thomas's looks for their video diaries, which was really exciting.
The mammoth month of planning and shooting for our mini-episode was really intense and fascinating to learn the creative team dynamics. I learnt that working on a film set is not as glamorous as you might expect. We worked really long hours, out in the cold and rain and hardly had time to eat let alone nip to the loo.
The project started 3 and a half weeks before the 3 day shoot and began with loads of production meetings. Once I got the script I started sketching and playing with ideas. The script changed dramatically over the course of 3 weeks. This irregularity made my job incredibly challenging. Apparently this is the norm and you have to be able to adapt to new ideas and changes really quickly. It was quite fun predicting what kind of people would play the characters. I couldn't go out and buy any clothes until 3 days before we started the shoot because they hadn't cast anyone yet! And we had a teeny budget which meant I had be a lot more creative!
So basically Dean's look was all about being preppy - clean, neat and tidy. The idea being that his o.c.d rituals take over his whole life - clothing included. An obsession with buttons was one of his themes and Helen (the production designer) and myself worked quite closely together and came up with a colour scheme which ran for him and all the other characters. Another thing I learnt was that it was important not to over do a representation of personality. Subtlety was key with lots of hints communicated through their clothing. We brought a few bits and pieces but had the fab opportunity to raid the skins store. Rachel's look was to be in total contrast to Dean's, symbolizing an attraction to freedom and excitement. She's the bohemian to his dandy, using a more looser, fluid silhouette. For her costumes I looked more at markets and dyed and customized many pieces.
'Scatman's' costume was hired from a local hire store, it was the only place we could find a look that had a more aged feel about it. There's a subtle woven pattern that adds a little detail to an image that evokes something like a shadow. There was a lot in the script that brought the 'Scatman' character to life so a strong yet simple look was enough to support the strong character without distracting from the actor's performance.
The 3 days of shooting was such a good experience. The first day at Hampstead Heath it poured it down. I was completely soaked but it didn't matter it was more important to keep the actors warm and dry. It was interesting to see what a fab team the whole crew, actors and creative team had become. We all mucked in, helped carry equipment up and down hills, taking shifts to watch over it when shooting in tight areas. Fortunately the next day we were inside. Roz (Skins costume designer) was a fantastic mentor who taught me the ins and outs of costume continuity. I found this role quite tricky because I never knew when I was able to move in front of the camera to the actor and touch up his make-up or pull down his jumper.
There was also the club scene, I had literally 5 minutes, probably less to turn 'Dean' from smart and preppy to sweaty and all dishevelled. Inside we had a scene which needed loads of extras, of which we didn't have enough so I got involved dancing like a maniac whilst keeping an eye on the actor's clothing and touching up their make-up!
This experience was something that I really could not have anticipated. For that whole month the role as the costume designer completely took over my life. Although I had a fantastic time and really challenged my skills and abilities as a designer I really hope that I helped bring the characters to life.
I know that I still have alot to learn but although I'm not quite so lucky to have Edward's eye for fashion I really hope that I have put abit of may own stamp on this project. From the beginning we all agreed that we're not trying to copy Skins, it much more fun creating something completely new and different.
In the comments section of The Toxic Hobo, my entry to the director's competition, a user asks
'how can u compare this piece for someone to direct skins?'
The film is all finished now, and I’m still wondering the same thing. Prior to this, all I had made were lazy, no-budget pastiches with titles like Gypsy Ferox and Wellington’s Spunk. Shooting with a handycam, editing on my home PC, I would relentlessly bully, prod and cajole friends and siblings into taking part. Brink though was to have a well-written script, proper equipment, a professional crew. Not one character was going to vomit blood or lose an appendage. In short, this entrails-free production was waaay out of my comfort zone.
It was a three-day shoot, and a fairly intensive work schedule. I found adapting to these time constraints the most challenging aspect of the process; having a crew of twenty meant that setting up shots and changing set-ups was a fairly cumbersome operation. Any particularly complicated camera movements had to be simplified or forgotten altogether in order to get what we needed in the time allocated. The crew themselves were fantastic, especially considering they were working under the direction of a rank amateur. I'll try to avoid straying too far into luvvie territory, so will stress in particular my fellow Skins Needs You competition winners; writer Dan is a writing machine, and I look back on our intimate evenings at the Gresham Hotel with great fondness and longing. Helen and Jo did a fantastic job too in designing the sets and costumes, as well as nursing me through a series of deadline-induced panic attacks. On directing, somebody somewhere once said that the key was to surround yourself with talent, and I think they were right.
It's a sentiment that is also applicable to the actors; our leads, Max and Gemma. Both were a pleasure to work with, both turned in very strong performances. Dan Kaluuya, aka Posh Kenneth from Skins 1 & 2, also makes a cameo appearance as Scatman in what is hands down my favourite scene in movie.
OK, will have to stop with the praise now; this is beginning to read like a wanky acceptance speech. I wish I could give you a more entertaining account of my experience, perhaps include some amusing on-set anecdotes, but to be quite honest I was working too hard to take much else into account - apparently, I was mumbling shot lists in my sleep. It was at once an insanely stressful but fantastically rewarding experience - I can't wait to put myself through it again.
We're just delighted that 'Brink' has worked out so well. Completely conceived, written, directed and designed by Skins fans who won our Creative Team Competition; we hope that it represents you, the supporters of our show in some way.
We want to do more of this kind of thing in the future and we're going to get as much of your music, your ideas, acting, design and creativity into the show as we can. In the meantime, we hope you like Brink.
Remember; nobody who worked on this had ever done anything professional before. And its more difficult than it looks to get a film right. I think they've done a wonderful job along with Toby and Chris L, who made it happen. Dan Lovett, who wrote Brink, used to be a talented Skins fan. Now he's a talented and valued member of the Skins Writing Team. We want you to be involved with us too. So speak to us; carry on telling us how we're doing and take part whenever you can. It sounds like a cliche, but it is actually true that this is your show and we want to go on surprising and entertaining you. Watch this space. Brink is here and Skins4 is coming.
AGES ago (we've been busy) we published our top 5 tracks of series 3 and then asked you for your top 5s. After many moons spent adding your results in a big dusty room; we can reveal your top 5 are (in order of popularity):
Glasvegas - It's My Own Bleeding Heart That Makes Me Cry (ep9)
You Love Her Coz She's Dead - Superheros (ep 8)
Lady Gaga - Beautiful Dirty Rich (ep 9)
Passion Pit - Sleepyhead (ep 9)
Kanye West - Love Lockdown (ep 4)
As there were some also rans; we've featured your top 15 below so you can vote for your best music moments from the shortlisted as nominated by you. Let's see if the results are any different.
Please note: As there are so many blinking great tracks in series 3, we only chose the top 15 tracks (as voted for by you). Click away my friends...
Effy's outfit Where is her dress from when she is in the club with Cook and his dad? Jessssiy
Edward: Effy wears the same thing all through the episode , a t-shirt by Electric and a vintage black Levis denim cut off mini skirt
JJ's trainers Where are JJ's shoes from? The ones he wears in the granny race. Baldstarr
Edward: JJ's shoes were limited edition Vans
Freddie's bracelet and trainers
Heya! Where did Freddie get that old bracelet thing he always wears? and where did he get his trainers with the yellow laces from? Thanks! xps1530
Edward: Freddie's bracelets were loving made by my costume assistant on holiday in Portugal - rediscovering the popular 70s craft of macrame (also good for hanging baskets) His trainers were Nike hi-tops
Effy's black and white striped bag Hey! Does anyone know where Effy's black and white bag is from? I really need to no as i've been looking for something like it for a while. Thanks xx C.L.K.Moss Edward: Effy's black and white bag was from Claire's accessories years ago - she actually had it in the very first series - but easy enough to make one yourself
Cook's cardigan
Where is Cook's cardigan from in this episode?
Jack Edward: Cook's cardigan was by Blue inc - we dyed it brown and fucked it up with a cheese grater .
It's happening already; the second generation are (quite rightly) signing up to other projects, and it's just been announced that Jack (the Cookie Monster to you and me) is to star in a new two-part drama for BBC 2, called 'Dive'. All together now: ooooh
Part 1 of the two-hour drama will follow Lindsey, (Aisling Loftus), a talented diver who is set to represent GB in the 2012 Olympics, when she finds out she's pregnant. Part 2 will follow her boyfriend Robert's (played by Jack) story and is described as a 'refreshing stance on the subject of teenage pregnancy and the pressures of growing up in the UK in the 21st century'.
The team behind the drama include award winner Dominic Savage has co-written the piece and will Direct - he's won a whammo lot of awards so expect big things - oh and the Producer of some film called Slumdog Millionaire, which we predict may do quite well too.
Savage describes the film as one that "celebrates young people and has an optimism for their future and what they can achieve."
Ben Stephenson, Controller, BBC Drama Commissioning, adds: "As always, Dominic's work has attracted outstanding acting talent and it is fantastic we can provide a platform for young emerging artists in this piece too."
Right then Skins contingency: we need your help yet again.
Seeing as we were up against some huge shows at the BAFTAs and still nailed it thanks to your votes, we're throwing it 'out there' yet again, and asking you to put your voting where your mouth is (or something that doesn't confuse the metaphor), and vote for us!
Firstly, we need you to vote for us as best drama at the TV Quick Awards. Secondly: same awards, different category. The lovely Kaya is nominated for Best Actress at the awards for her role as Effy - well done Kaya! Please vote for her if you think she's worthy (of course, she is). She was over the moon when we won the BAFTA, and thanked you the fans on stage. Imagine what she would do if you voted for her in this category? Nothing filthy, you disgusting web folk, we just meant she would be pleased...
Anyway, final plea is for our daddy site, or cool-older-brother-in-a-Tony-Stonem way site: E4 has been nominated for Channel of the Year. So please support us y'all by clicking here! After all, if it wasn't for E4, well; it doesn't bear thinking about does it?
Not only are you by far the most popular couple of series 3 and play the two most popular characters in series 3 (as voted for by the Skins massive - almost 250 000 votes). Now AfterEllen.com has revealed you're brand new entries in their top 100 hot list (Kat - 26, Lily - 29).
150,000 votes were cast, and only 25% were non American. Within the top 100, only 5 were new entries, so you're totally in the minority. Way to go.
PS Thanks to everyone for flagging this up by leaving comments here and on Twitter. Skins loves you all.
