Hair Styling on Female Walking Dead Characters

 

In a hot, dirty and sweaty environment it is hard to keep a nice hair style - let alone in a zombie apocalypse! So as the series have progressed from the very beginning of the walker outbreak, so has the hair. The top two photos of Lori from the first two series shows a natural curly style, often kept away from the face. The rest of the images varying from later series shows more of the women's hair in naturally wavy or curly style that are frizzy and slightly greasy from the humidity and lack of normal washing facilities. As my character Claudia tries to keep herself presentable as an inspired 'femme fatale' I want to create a style similar to Lori's in the first photo where it is kept out of her face, but there is an attempt to style it and make herself look pretty. Something similar to Andrea's (blonde haired images near the bottom) as she is trying to keep up her appearance throughout her time on the show as well. Claudia is always in her home and does have opportunities to clean herself so her hair will not be as distressed as Mrs Laderman's. Rose Laderman's will be useful and suitable for the environment she is surrounding herself in day-to-day. I want to keep her hair in a simple up-do like Tara's at the bottom with frizzy fly-aways, sweaty roots and straggled bits of hair to reflect her lack of interest in appearance and focus on surviving.

Apocalyptic Film Makeup Inspiration

Looking at modern interpretations of apocalyptic makeup is a great way for me to gain an insight on the ways and the level of severity you can take it. Depending on the length of time the character has been in this world and what the threats are, are the deciding factors to the makeup and hair design. As Mrs Laderman (my character who experiences the outside world of the zombie apocalypse) is in the full force of the devastating environment and is introduced in the 6th and most recent series, she has been experiencing it for around 2-3 years. She does have limited facilities at Claudia's apartment where she seeks refugee at night, so she will be able to occasionally wash herself. However, at the point of the story I am photographing she is on the run so the degree of dirtiness will be similar to the images from Children of Men, The Road and the later series of The Walking Dead.

Images sourced from:
Left column descending - Saving Private Ryan, Mad Max, 28 Weeks Later, The Road and World War Z.
Centre column - Walking Dead, 28 Weeks Later, Mad Max, Walking Dead.
Right column - Walking Dead, Children of Men, Lone Ranger, World War Z and Walking Dead.

Production Mood Board

One of the units submission requirements is to create a mood board for my tv productions theme and mood. Here is mine for The Walking Dead.

Key themes: Destruction, family, loss, death, life, abandonment, strength and extremities of human nature.

Abandoned Locations - Inspiration for Setting

Real-Life Apocalyptic Places

Pripyat, Ukraine

Hashima Island, Japan

To add another level of depth and realism to my characters and the storylines, I wanted to find some real-life abandoned cities and places that could inspire the setting for an apocalyptic story. 

For Claudia, I imagine her living in a completely run down apartment block in Georgia, USA. She is 'veiled' by her obsession with horror films and her agoraphobia so does not leave her home. What she is unaware of is that the outside world is full of devastation and dirt. Hashima Island was known for its undersea coal mines, however, when the supplies ran out the mines were closed and the residents soon departed after. It has since been abandoned for three decades. The buildings depict exactly how I envision post-apocalyptic life and where my characters will live. The interior of her apartment will be cleaner than the outside, but with smudges of grim and blood. I will set up a dirtied white background in the studio to depict this. The dirtiness and grime shown in the photos will also be reflected on Mrs Laderman as she experiences this world in full force compared to Claudia. 

Mrs Rose Laderman escapes the clutches of Claudia and is on the run in the scene in which I am designing her to fit into. After being dirtied down in and around her home town, she runs for miles through the miles in attempt to leave her old life behind and find a new group of survivors. I want her to find a new positive life and a location like an abandoned town like Pripyat would be ideal. This city was abandoned by its 50,000 inhabitants after the Chernobyl disaster. Due to radiation, it has been untouched since and will be for a very long time into the future. The images demonstrate an apocalyptic world in the modern day. The photo of the neglected fair ground is an interesting one as this could be an area where she meets Rick and the current survivors, a fun and joyful enjoyment to reflect her relief and the positivity of finding them. However, a place like this will be hard to find locally! So I feel like I will photograph Mrs Laderman on the run through the woods, on the way to her new life.

Effects of an Apocalyptic World

In the modern day and in recent history, there are occasions where areas of the world in surrounded by devastation and can resemble an apocalyptic world. As my two characters will be living in a bare, dirty and death-ridden location I need to understand the effects these type of areas can have on human beings. 

War is an ongoing issue around the world throughout the history of mankind. Homes, families and lives are severely disrupted by warfare. Once war is resolved and ends, unfortunately the negative effects on people do not stop. 'Soldiers not only suffered on the battlefield. Veterans often needed long-term care owing to the physical and psychological impact of war. The close proximity of people in wartime conditions meant diseases such as tuberculosis could easily spread. The exertion of battle could highlight other health problems including asthma and heart conditions. In addition to physical problems either exacerbated or caused by war, emotional problems could also be brought on by battle. The First World War is often associated with the syndrome called shell shock. This was originally believed to have a physical origin, caused by the impact of loud shelling. However, it became clear that soldiers who had never been exposed to shells were developing the same symptoms.' (Science Museum, 2016). 

Nuclear warfare is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is used to inflict damage on the enemy. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage, and in a much shorter time. A major nuclear exchange would have long-term effects, primarily from the fallout released, and could also lead to a "nuclear winter" that could last for decades, centuries, or even millennia after the initial attack. (Britannica, 2016).

A current and very real threat of war that could cause an apocalyptic-like world in our homes is ISIS. Islamic State stands with al-Qaeda as one of the most dangerous jihadist groups, after its gains in Syria and Iraq. IS claims to have fighters from the UK, France, Germany and other European countries, as well as the US, the Arab world and the Caucasus. The group has seen considerable military success. In March 2013, it took over the Syrian city of Raqqa - the first provincial capital to fall under rebel control. In 2015 and 2016, ISIL claimed responsibility for a number of high profile terrorist attacks outside Iraq and Syria, including a mass shooting at a Tunisian tourist resort (38 European tourists killed), the November 2015 Paris attacks (130 civilians killed) and the 2016 Brussels bombings (over 30 civilians killed). 

These types of war could all be things that could lead up to an apocalypse. A nuclear war could leave the world in a nuclear winter and the remaining survivors are infected with radiations leaving the majority of the world as walkers. World wars and current affairs demonstrate how people can turn against each other at 'the end of the world', often shown in The Walking Dead. It can bring out the very worst of human nature and this can be reflected in my character of Claudia. Her hold over her could be compared to the extremist group ISIS as they control cities through fear and killing. The post-war effects I researched like easily-spread diseases and highlighting health problems may help how I can present Mrs Laderman, perhaps with an infection or very skinny due to health issues at the end of the world not getting treated.

References:

• Science Museum. (2016). War's Long Term Effects. [28^th March] Available: http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/broughttolife/themes/war/effects
• Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2016). Nuclear Winter. [28^th March] Available: http://www.britannica.com/topic/nuclear-winter.