• Home
  • About Me
  • Press
  • F.A.Q.
  • Store
  • Contact

The Lady Nerd

Geek Made Chic

To Travel or Not to Travel

January 9, 2019 by Briana 4 Comments

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.”

– St. Augustine 354 AD

As Emily Dickinson wrote, “To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else.” Yet I’ve found myself drawn back into the familiar trudge of being a homebody, being slave to depression and poverty, while wistfully sighing over the seemingly endless stream of far-away adventuring Instragrammers with their sunshine filled exotic adventures. As someone who once traveled across the world alone and knows the soul-filling capacity of travel, my heart aches much these days.

As a child, time seemed to be vague, ambigious at best. There was a sunrise and a sunset, but at the end of the day, time did not seem to exist outside of homework deadlines and afternoon snack. Until adulthood, I never really took notice of its passage. It was seemingly effortless, not affecting me in a way I could comprehend. Yes, I would technically get older each year and progress to a new grade, new classes, etc. But in the broader sense, not much changed. I still lived in the same house, the same town, went to the same stores, had the same friends – a time “bubble” if you will.

Events in our lives happen in a given sequence in time, but their significance to ourselves find their own order through the continuous thread of revelation. The latter part happening more rapidly as of late. College ushered in a new book in my life as I lived on my own for the first time and then leapt across the world to the far reaches of New Zealand with nary a thought to normalcy. Although I returned with my tail between my legs due to being victim to being abroad during the global economic collapse and my own declining health, the lessons I learned from living alone overseas shaped the foundations of the adult I am today.

The chapters of childhood have long closed and the written pages are being crafted of my life as an adult. It was not at all what I was expecting. Now I fully understand many adult’s depressed desires to return to a youthful state. I did not take into account just how much I had taken for granted when I was younger. Naturally I had the childhood bruises and scraped knees, but nothing from the eyes of a child can prepare you for the pain of heartbreak, destitution, of dealing with friends’ suicides, drug addictions, overdoses, and having your own body ripped apart. (Not to mention the fiscal, emotional, mental, and societal responsibilities of being an adult).

I’ve realised that half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save.

Still, I find myself wondering if my time is well spent. Much gets sacrificed to my disabilities or unfortunate mental health that I find myself grabbing for social media as priority over the movement of my own two feet. It’s easy. It’s comfortable. It’s safe.

But fulfilling?

Not in the slightest. I find myself longing for something much, much bigger. Now that’s not to say I have not grasped it on occasion. Between the new experiences of work on film sets and the intermittent thrills of photographing cosplays in the wild, I get to dip my toe back into adventure. But my heart longs for more.

What’s a poor girl to do?

After much debate, I’ve decided I’m going to embrace the locale I currently reside rather than constantly have my eyes coveting far away destinations out of my monetary reach. There is SO MUCH richness that Georgia has to offer in a wide variety of backgrounds. From towering stone ruins to mini grand canyons to the largest Indian temple outside of India to the one of the largest blooming of cherry trees outside of Japan. I want to connect with more local photographers, local historical sites, local bloggers, local natural wonders!  (If you’re local and want to collaborate, please message me or leave a comment!)

Though it wouldn’t be me if there wasn’t some aspect of geekery involved. I’m sure the word “travel blogger” brings particular image to mind, especially in regards to Instagram. A solitary figure (usually female) admist a sprawling vast wilderness or exotic landscape, bedecked in a flowing dress and matching hair. While it may be a cliched image these days, I still love it. The images provoke a feeling, a stirring within me (be that wonder, awe, or jealousy). The twist I’d like to bring to the table is to mimic the same style, but instead of it just being yours truly as the figure (because let’s face it, I would be lost in the sea of white female Instagrammers), it would be me as various fandom characters; like Lara Croft, Carmen Sandiego, Daenerys, Belle, Bladerunner, etc.

The internet boasts a lot of travel bloggers as it stands, each trying to make their stamp of individuality. This is mine. For I am not content to simply stand by to watch others have adventures or to relegate costumes to convention halls. (One of my favourite experiences to date is still wandering up the densely fog covered Stone Mountain in my Rey costume. A dismally grey day that would’ve otherwise kept me bound to bed.)

So in conclusion…

There is no time like the present. Let’s go on an Adventure!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: atlanta blogger, atlanta travel, geek travel, georgia travel, the lady nerd travels, travel, travel blogger, travel photography

Tolkien Day 2019

January 7, 2019 by Briana 1 Comment

Happy Tolkien Day 2019!

May your joyful day be full as a hobbit’s belly!

While you might not know it from the weird lack of me posting content about it (hello creative ADHD…), Lord of the Rings is one my most beloved fandoms. Fellowship of the Ring was the foremost influential movie of my life (that and The Matrix. I blame Hugo Weaving). I’ll save my ramblings on that for another blog post, but for now, on this fine remembrance of J.R.R. Tolkien‘s birth, I thought I’d share the smattering assortment of Tolkien-related things I’ve done over the years in lieu of a singular cosplay/geek fashion photoshoot.

MY FIRST COSPLAY


The Lady Nerd's first cosplay. 2001 - a Lord of the Rings elfAlright so I fibbed slightly…it came to my attention recently, that I had actually unknowingly cosplayed from Lord of the Rings (this was way back in 2002 before most of us had even heard of cosplay). Here is teenage Briana in her very first elf cosplay. I decided to get up in front of my school’s talent show in that get up and sing May It Be. That poor audience…if there’s a female equivalent of a guy’s voice cracking at puberty, pretty sure I had it and it made its presence know every few notes. Oops.

ATLANTA TOLKIEN SOCIETY


My Atlanta Tolkien family, complete with epic gingerbread!Or as I like to joke – otherwise known around here as The Wert Family. Imagine someone looking akin to your favourite grandparents with hobbity dispositions. There you have Jim and Emily Wert (who frequently cosplay as Samwise Gamgee and Rosie Cotton. So adorable) and their just as Tolkien-loving, cosplaying children. They’re known in town for hosting the most EPIC themed parties, helping run the Tolkien track (now General Fantasy. Boo. Hiss.) at Dragoncon, and the local Atlanta Tolkien Fan meetups with the lovely Rebecca Perry (my former roommate! At this point I’ve realized all of my roommates have been LOTR people. We just find each other.) On various Sundays of the month, we take over a local, appropriately British looking pub, to both fan over Tolkien work and then incesssantly rant over one Tolkien topic or another. Our current favourite is the upcoming Amazon TV series. #givethepeoplewhattheywant #wedontknowhatthatisyet #butwewantsit

NEW YEAR MOVIE MARATHON

Oh deer, looks like I’m on the right.

Speaking of roommates, my current ones (i.e. The Gluttonous Geek and her handy husband) and I have had a tradition for a few years now of starting the year off RIGHT. Which means a Lord of the Rings marathon while lounging in comfy PJS and gnoshing Hobbit-style on either themed dishes or Mellow Mushroom pizza, depending on the level of Ent-like lethargy we have from the previous night’s festivities.

FEAST OF STARLIGHT


One of the local geek haunts, Battle and Brew used to host themed dinners of multiple courses, paired drinks, and delectable desserts. As a gift, I got to attend one of them – the Tolkien one of course! Although I was clad in elven garments, I brought a hobbit sized appetite with me. Our hosts really did a phenomenal job preparing the menu of dishes such as mead marinated quail leg with rainbow chard and golden beets or rabbit matzo ball stew. (I was obsessed with the Scottish Caramel Pu-erh tea. I’m STILL on the hunt for it!)

You can check out my roommate’s writeup on the entire event from a few year’s ago (complete with pictures of the dishes and derps by yours truly.)

LIVING IN MIDDLE EARTH


I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that I used to live in Middle Earth (or New Zealand as the mortals call it). I arrived under the guise of a study abroad college student with nefarious plans to break into their film industry. I got SO CLOSE. So close. Alas, ’twas not to be. But I have a year full of stories and memories that I wouldn’t trade for anything in this world (including a LOTR tour in Wellington before I had to board the plane back home and cry for the next 24 hour flight. NO JOKE. My trip was 23 hours and 55 minutes. Thank the Valar for Qantas‘ leg room). Except maybe the chance to go back and take better pictures. ‘Tis a downright pity I was not a photographer back then.

Truly the most magnificent experience of my life. So much so that I tried to get permanent residency there (again, SO CLOSE. Darn you Immigration NZ. I am convinced at this point that when I grow old and leave for the Undying Lands, a ship shall simply deposit me in Auckland where I can dine on pavlova and drink entire too many ginger beers with my mates back at my other home. One day). It truly is a land of utter magic. ALL THE PROPAGANDA IS TRUE. It truly is an unspoilt paradise worthy of J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic Middle Earth.

Aroha i koe Aotearoa.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Fur and Feathers Photoshoot

September 30, 2018 by Briana 1 Comment

Fur and Feathers Photooshoot

Fall is threatening to encroach on the unusually hot summer here in Atlanta, but it can’t get here fast enough! So to console myself, I thought I’d reshare one of my most interesting (and autumn-based) photoshoots to date.

Lauren Athalia, a snazzy Tennessee photographer, asked if I could model for her (in exchange for shooting my  Shannan costume). She had a photography series she was wanting to shoot called Furs and Feathers – a fusion of fashion and animals. (Though in terms of co-stars and highlighting local rescues and animal organisations. No animals were taken advantage of in any of the shoots.)

Fur and Feathers Photoshoot

The shoot I was asked to model for was the last of the series. The original idea was to have me in Christian Dior-esque apparel surrounded by miniature horses. Alas, getting the horses to work with us was a significant undertaking. They could have cared less about this bedecked human peacock running around their grounds trying to guide them for pictures. Grass, as it happens, it much more interesting. So unfortunately we weren’t able to get the shots Lauren originally envisioned. BUT the owners of the horses had an amazing backyard that we used to our advantage. That coupled with Meredith Malone’s absolutely beautifully designed outfit made for some very neat shots. It was definitely a departure for me to be wearing a blonde wig (and with a snazzy top hat!), but it was a neat experience to see myself so transformed from my normal brunette look.

Fur and Feathers Photoshoot

img_7538webFur and Feathers Photoshoot

 

 

img_7608webil_570xN.321255930

Stay tuned for the next post for a behind-the-scenes look at the shoot!

Photography & Editing: Lauren Athalia
Custom Skirt & Neck Ruffle By: Meredith Malone
Hair: Kristina Noel Wojtkowski
Make Up: Galilee Bagwell
Lighting Assistant: Josh Wood

© Lauren Athalia 2011. All Rights Reserved.

Filed Under: Modeling Tagged With: miniature horses, modeling with animals

Brown Peasant Dress

July 2, 2018 by Briana 4 Comments

Brown peasant dressThey say stepping out of your comfort zone can be a good thing. In some cases, I’m rather inclined to agree. In my pursuit of stylish dresses, I tried on one that I wouldn’t normally have picked out. I tried on this little brown number as summer for the past few years have been scorchers and I needed some cool threads. Perhaps it was the fact that I had my hair curled that day (which for me, always makes whatever I’m wearing look 100 times better, even though I’m truly horrible at doing hair. Thanks Mom for saving my bum on this one!), but I skipped along home with dress in tow.

Brown peasant dressThough, I have a confession to make….

Brown peasant dress in a treeI have a love affair with climbing trees. Back in college, it was quite common that if friends were looking for me, I could be found in one of three trees around campus. There was the grove of trees by the administration building, my favourite prayer tree by the school cafeteria, and the Anime Club tree – a perfect climbing tree so large, five of us could fit up there at once! We used to joke that there was a homing beacon inside the tree. If one member of the Club showed up and stood in the tree, within 5 minutes, at least one more Club Member would show up. If was foolproof until some school administrator got the bright idea to cut half of the tree off. I still climbed what was left of the tree, but it wasn’t the same. I couldn’t stand on the farthest thick branch (that’s right, STAND. And stand I would!) like a guardian and watch the people passing below me. Which was always amusing because if a group ever passed by, inevitably the last person in the group would do a double take. Oh the looks were priceless!

Brown peasant dress

I also used one of the higher crooked branches to lean on and meditate. There were times where I just needed to get away from the stress of classes, social drama, etc. I couldn’t focus on the ground, too much chatter. But there’s something relaxing about being up in a tree by oneself. Even if I was troubled, within a few minutes I’d have a smile on my face.

I miss that tree.

I miss climbing trees in general. Where I live, all the trees are very sap-ridden, tick-riddled cedars. So you can imagine my joy at finding a climable tree at Centennial Park in Nashville. I shimmied up those branches faster than you could blink!

Brown peasant dress sitting in a treeBrown peasant dress laying in a treeI felt all sorts of frolicky in this outfit. So naturally, after climbing trees I had to go for a quick jaunt around the field. (Though I’ll admit, I’m not as much of a nature child to go barefoot. My soles were just too tender for that prickly grass!)

Brown peasant dress runningBlowing a kissLying in a fieldLying in a fieldPhotographs © Abrea Crackel 2012. http://www.abreacrackel.com

Dress
: Ross   Earrings: Handmade by a friend   Flats: Nine West via Marti & Liz  Bracelet: Target

Filed Under: Outfits Tagged With: brown dress, climbing trees, peasant dress, sitting in a tree, tree climbing

Allon Book Series – Shannan Costume

May 13, 2018 by Briana 8 Comments

6078727060_0b43ecd4fc_b Since today is Mother’s Day, rather than sharing the typical “I love my mom!” (which, obviously, I do), I thought I’d switch things up and share of the fun work my mom has done. Did you know she’s a published, legit author? True story! She has written screenplays for children’s television (Bravestarr, anyone?), historical fiction novels, and an ongoing allegorical fantasy series called Allon.

A few years back, Mom asked me to create a tangible costume for one of the lead characters to accompany the artwork in publicity. For background on the character, Shannan is the female heroine from the first 4 books. From birth, she is destined to bring back the return of the mysterious Guardians and help Prince Ellis take his rightful place as ruler of Allon. She is a strong, but caring girl, wise beyond her years (and needs to be to deal with a young, hot-headed Ellis!) and an expert hunter. Her grandfather whisked her away upon her birth as she was marked for death by the Dark Way (Why, you ask? Well, you’ll just have to read the book! 😉 ). As such, Shannan lives in the secluded forest of Dorgirith away from prying eyes and invasive questions.

IMG_0465This was actually my first attempt at creating a full costume from start to finish. But being the costume enthusiast I am, I was quick to take up the task. I knew that I wanted to make a movie-level costume (or as I like to say, a “Weta-level” costume, named for the illustrious Weta Workshop in New Zealand). This particular costume is from the beginning of the book where Shannan’s character is introduced. It a forester’s costume in basis, but with it being in the world of Allon, we tred to stay away from the cliched medieval look. The era of costume I designed for Allon is patterned roughly around the renaissance period, but with a fantasy aspect as well (as Allon is a fantasy world not unlike Middle Earth). Stealth and ease of movement in Shannan’s clothes  are essential. So I designed the costume to keep with a utilitarian fashion.

Then comes the icing on the cake – the photography. Lauren Athalia is one of the most top-notch photographers I’ve ever met. Not only does she know how to wield a camera to maximize the beauty of a naturally-lit scene, but also knows how to use that light to bring out the best qualities of her models. (I have a difficult time with photographers not lighting my face properly and thus my weak jawline becomes my undoing – i.e. my face and neck tend to appear to blend into one another in most photoshoots. I know when I look in the mirror I have a jaw! It’s probably a minor point to most, but Lauren managed to capture my usually elusive jawline on camera and I  couldn’t be happier.) I wanted to give both my mom and Lauren the best pictures I could and boy did I get them.

IMG_0367The really special treat with this photoshoot was that I had a co-star, and a four-legged one at that. One of Shannan’s companions in Allon is a wolf named Torin. Lauren has a knack for procuring incredible sets, props, and animals. So my co-star was a full-blooded Timberwolf named Breeze. Now Breeze is not a pet. I’m not sure about all the details, but she was a rescue. She was a bit skittish at first around us, as wolves usually are around strangers. It took about 30 minutes for her to warm up to me, but it wasn’t long before we started to call her Miss Kiss-n-Run, as she’d quickly lick my face off and then bolt away. I hate to sound cliched, but it was a dream come true for me to be playing alongside a real wolf. I’ve always had a deep loves for wolves. (I think one of the first jobs I ever wanted was to be a zoologist just so I could work with wolves. It was a sad sad day when they got rid of them at the Nashville Zoo.) But before I get sappy, here are Lauren’s beautiful photographs.

IMG_0542IMG_0184(2)IMG_0458IMG_0406IMG_0396IMG_0225IMG_0290IMG_0308IMG_0249IMG_0255IMG_0324-2IMG_0258IMG_0244IMG_0362IMG_0500IMG_0279IMG_0498IMG_0585IMG_0549IMG_0551For those interested, I have older blog posts written of how each piece of the costume was created.

The Concept: http://theladynerd.com/shannan-costume-the-concept/

The Cowl: http://theladynerd.com/shannan-costume-the-cowl/

The Undershirt: http://theladynerd.com/shannan-costume-the-undershirt/

The Jerkin: http://theladynerd.com/shannan-costume-the-jerkin/

The Sleeves and Bracers: http://theladynerd.com/shannan-costume-the-sleeves-and-bracers/

The Pants & Boots: http://theladynerd.com/shannan-costume-pants-and-boots/

The Quiver & Belt: http://theladynerd.com/shannan-belt-and-quiver/

The Pouch & Wineskin: http://theladynerd.com/shannan-costume-pouch-and-wineskin/

The Wig: http://theladynerd.com/shannan-costume-wig-and-winter-shoot/


Filed Under: Costumes Tagged With: allon, allon book, allon shannan, shawn lamb, shawn lamb allon

Vogue Loki Makeup

April 30, 2018 by Briana Leave a Comment

This post contains affiliate links

Vogue Loki makeup on The Lady Nerd by makeup artist Aisha DalyFor those curious types, I thought I’d share what makeup was used on me by makeup artist Aisha Daly for my Vogue Loki shoot.

Eye Shadow – Urban Decay
Half-Baked (light)
Kush (bright green)
Cobra (dark green) 
(later, black smokey eye makeup was added for the final photoshoot)

Eyeliner – Urban Decay
Stagedive – discontinued
Midnight Cowboy

Foundation –  Clinique foundation in Alabaster

Lips –  Urban Decay Half-Baked eyeshadow (later I added cheap Halloween store black lipstick for the shoot)

Fun fact: While my eyes look very dark brown, I discovered through closeups and lighting experiments that my eyes are actually very dark green with brown right around the pupil and dark edges.

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: loki cosplay, loki makeup, marvel makeup, vogue loki

Catching Fire – District 12 Set Diary – Part I

November 23, 2015 by Briana Leave a Comment

As Mockingjay Part 2 premieres in theaters, it brings an end to the era of The Hunger Games films. I had the great privilege of being able to work on Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part I, and Part II as a core background extra (meaning that I was there for many months of filming. Some crew joked that we were there more than the actors!). While most behind-the-scenes videos and commentary are understandably focused on the main cast and heads of crew departments, I thought I’d lend my voice to the little people – the professional blurs in the background. So without further adieu, here’s a background extra’s look at the behind-the-scenes of Catching Fire. Enjoy!

************************************************************************************
It was a brisk Saturday morning in October 2012. At 3:30am, I rolled off the air mattress on my friend’s floor to pack my bag and head out for my first day ever as an extra on a film set. (What a set to start on, right? I couldn’t start on a small film to get my feet wet. Oh no, as per usual, I had to go for the gusto!) I had no idea what to expect, but I packed my little bag with a book and some light snacks and headed off to set.

Upon arrival, I got my first lesson in the game that extras know how to play best – waiting in line. Waiting in line to check in. Waiting in line to drop off cellphones. Waiting in line for wardrobe. Waiting in line for hair and makeup. (Though I’ve now come to enjoy waiting in line at extra gigs as there usually at one engrossing conversation going on Or the amusing antics of punch-drunk-sleepy extras at the bum-crack of dawn).

Briana Lamb District 12

Photo courtesy of Continuity

I was cast as one of the many thin, plain looking District 12 extras (between this and The Walking Dead, I fear I’m getting typecast. Hehe). I changed into my costume and shuffled into the back of the makeup line. After an hour of doing my best not to complain about the nippy cold outside (a stamping of feet still happened despite best efforts), I was ushered inside the (slightly) warmer tent. I found that I was one of the last of a few hundred extras to plop down in the makeup chair. I had just settled in when an exasperated Production Assistant came running in, “The extras aren’t dirty enough! They’re getting to set and the director says they’re just not dirty enough. This is a coal mining town. Get that dirt in their pores!”  And get the dirt in my pores they did…

Only about 7 shades darker than my usual pale as snow.

Only about 7 shades darker than my usual pale as snow.

By the end of the three days of filming of those scenes, I garnered the reputation for being the dirtiest extra on set (that stuff was fun to wash off, lemme tell ya. Took almost a week to get the dirt out from under my fingernails). This ended up working in my favour though as because I was so dirty, the Assistant Director wanted me up front to better represent the look of the district. Funny how that works, eh?

After makeup came hair. One of my favourite parts of the daily lineup. (I’m the gal that’ll sometimes fall asleep in the chair because getting my hair and face fussed with can be rather relaxing.) The look for District 12 was based on Depression Era Appalachia, so the wardrobe and hairstyles were simple. Some had their hair down, some had braids, but nothing too intricate. I overheard the hair stylists double-checking their lookbook notes, “No down braids of any kind on any of the female District 12 extras. That is reserved for Katniss only.” Fair enough.

As the stylist started doing my hair, I felt a familiar shape taking hold….She was doing the iconic Katniss braid on me. I remarked on that as I didn’t want her to inadvertently get in trouble for giving me a braid (silly me thought she might be a day-player. Oh no, she had done the Katniss braid on Jennifer Lawrence before, so she knew exactly what she was doing). “Oh don’t worry, hun. I’m doing this as an updo, so you won’t have a down braid.” Good! Because my hair looks like a rat’s tail when it’s braided….but then she secured the braid with only two small bobby pins. I politely let her know that my hair is a thin, slippery son-of-a-gun, so more bobby pins would be a good idea. She waved me off, “nah, you’ll be fine!”

The extras piled into a pair of coach buses that drove us over to a holding tent just outside of set (which happened to be the Goat Farm Arts Center in Atlanta). The sun broke over the horizon as we filed in to claim a spot at the tables laid out inside. Then began the long wait….

Photo courtesy of paparazzi who thought they were going to get pictures of the cast. Hah!

Photo courtesy of paparazzi who thought they were going to get pictures of the cast. Hah!

A small handful of extras were called in for the first two scenes. I, however, was not called in until many hours later for the last scene of the day. But time is rarely ever wasted among extras who are friendly and a wee bit creative. I had the fortune of sitting at a table of fun, chatty folks. As I was a complete newbie at the time to being an extra, I was full of questions and bright-eyed cheeriness. I made some fast friends.

Now, remember the two small bobby pins I mentioned holding my hair up earlier? Surprise, surprise, they fell down. So there I sat with my Katniss braid laid over my shoulder. Of course I couldn’t find where the bobby pins had launched off to in order to resecure my hair. “Don’t worry, the hair stylists will see you on set and immediately stick your hair up. No Katniss braids for anyone in District 12!” the other extras said playfully. Well, the hair stylists did come around to check the extras before a group went on to set and not a single comment was made about my hair. This got the wheels turning at our table.

One of the things we did to pass the time was create characters for ourselves. Who were we? What roles did we play in District 12? One of the odd things that happened earlier on in the day was folks telling me I looked like Katniss. Not the Jennifer Lawrence version, but that I reminded them more of book Katniss (sans colouring). So I rolled that into the creation of my character, Ora; a factory worker who separated the coal and the ore (hence the name and an explanation as to why I was SO covered in soot!). She idolizes Katniss Everdeen, but alas, is not the brightest bulb in the box. Whatever Ora see Katniss do, she tries to replicate, only fails miserable. For instance, she tries to be the ‘girl on fire’, but doesn’t understand the stunt in the arena was synthetic fire. So she runs through town with a torch, but ends up singeing off half of own hair (explanation of why my hair is so thin).

And thus ‘Reverse Katniss’ was born.

Reverse Katniss

Another extra made this shirt for me for the Mockingjay Part I premiere.

The other extras at my table came up with equally interesting characters as well. One guy was Pumpernickel, rival baker to Peeta (as the extra looked alot like Josh Hutcherson). He thought he was a better baker, but in fact was much worse, not being able to quite tell the difference between rocks and bread. (On set he’d try to pass off rocks as food.)  There was Buttons, seamstress, babysitter, and tutor to Prim. Then Star, the town prostitute who didn’t actually sleep with anybody, just stole their supplies (and had a chastity belt ala Robin Hood: Men in Tights hidden under her way-too-large costume). My personal favourite was Hingle McCringleberry, mechanic and general fixer-upper who purposely didn’t fix things completely so he could get more work. Only spoke in the 3rd person. (I’m still friends with that lovely extra to this day. He looks like a mini-Cinna.)

It finally came time where we were all called to set. The scene set was where Katniss returns to District 12 via train to greet her family and the adoring throngs of District 12 to welcome her home. But all is not well as you can see in the deleted scene below.

Can you spot me? 🙂

Catching Fire Train SceneCatching Fire Train Scene

While filming this scene we discovered that Jennifer Lawrence and I are the same height. (There was some talk of me coming back to be cast as her stand-in for Mockingjay, but only if her current stand-in didn’t return. While that would’ve been fun, I’m glad the original stand-in returned. She was lovely, professional, and super funny.)

One thing that was not so pleasant was getting my foot crunched by Josh Hutcherson who was hugging his ‘family’ too fast. There wasn’t an easy opening for me to slip into due to extras who were bent on being camera hogs (there were SO MANY). He moved too fast and I didn’t move fast enough. I think one of the family extras mentioned something to him because the subsequent takes were slower. But such things happen on film sets. No harm was done and it was an honest accident. Nothing to get upset over. So I kept quiet and happily went on filming the rest of the scene.

That’s a wrap on Day One of my first ever extra gig! Stay tuned for Part II!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: catching fire, film extra, hunger games movie, katniss everdeen, movie, set life, the hunger games

Tennessee Renaissance Festival 2012 – Awani the Deer Faerie

June 7, 2015 by Briana 3 Comments

Deer faerieLast in my lineup of characters I’ve played over the years the Tennessee Renaissance Festival is Awani, the deer faerie. The theme for that year (2012) concerned the colonization of Virginia by England. But we had a real treat this year as one of our cast members was playing, to my knowledge, our first ever Native American character (and she actually is Native American). She and I were partners-in-crime in 2011 when we both played foreign European noblewomen, so I thought it only fitting we should be again. So while she played a Croatan ambassadress to England, I played Awani, the North American white-tailed deer faerie who follows her over; a sort of spirit guide, if you will. (Which was a fun bit to play as  I got to dig into my own Cherokee roots (well, that little 1/16th of my ethnic makeup. Eh, numbers). Now, onto the really fun part – the costume!

Here was my initial design of the character…
Deer faerie costume designSince the general costume theme of the troupe of faeries at TNRF was animals and plants found on a nature trail, I tried to think of what thing in nature I could pull off and what would play to my strong suits. I settled on the deer due to my love of earthy elements, specifically the colour brown. I have dark dark brown eyes that come out black in most pictures. That coupled with having been described as having “big doe eyes” I figured, why not a doe? Thus Awani, the deer faerie was born.

Unfortunately the patrons that come through the TNRF gates aren’t always that bright. Some are truly lovely, but most of the time, you have to kinda smack them upside the head with your design. So I kept all that in mind while I sketched out this faerie. Now I’ll admit, I took liberties with the design as does only have small antlers and no spots. But the easiest way to communicate “deer” to someone is the antlers.

Antlers
Ideally I want to have a decent-sized rack of antlers (depending on how much weight I can balance successfully on top of my head). That way anyone, even if they’re um….slightly or not-so-slightly inebriated (which they will be at faire, unfortunately) they can still tell I’m a deer. I was inspired by Kato of Steampunk Couture deer outfit. It had a structured, yet unkempt appearance that I really like. There is structure present, but at the same time, it has the feel of running through the woods with hair getting caught in the wind. Very organic.
Steampunk Couture deer antlersThe trick was making a lightweight, but realistic looking rack of antlers that I could attach to my head without causing neck strain, be too top heavy, and/or attached securely enough that if I decided to get animated – as I do – they wouldnt go tumbling. Alas, this plan didn’t quite work out as, at the time, I wasn’t well-versed in materials. So I ended up going with an actual pair of antlers, that my wig stylist epoxy glued to the wig she made.
ME_DerekDeweese3Wig
The wig was made by the illustrious Aria Durso (who, sadly, is no longer in business). It’s actually a blend of 4 different wigs (as evidence by the different colours). However, the very dark hair is actually mine. I would pull out pieces to tease and then blend into the wig around the antlers. Though goodness me, did I learn about wig pain….I had to make sure to take Aleve every day and secure it with about 50 bobbypins!
Awani the deer faerieEars
I used the faun ears from my friends over at Aradani Studios.
http://www.aradanicostumes.com/elf_ears/faun_ears

Faun ears Makeup
The makeup was fairly simple in terms of colouring as I wanted to keep it natural looking. But we added in heavy black eyeliner (as deers have), false eyelashes (so my own lashes didn’t get lost in all the black), white spots, and a black nose. After looking at many deer makeup looks online, I opted for just painting the bottom of my nose black as I felt that wasn’t as cartoony looking as painting the entire nose black.

Dress
The dress was custom made out of layers of cotton and flannel. The outer part was dyed with RIT dye to give it a skin-like colour with the middle part left undyed to give the effect of a fuzzy underbelly. In keeping with the rest of the faire’s cast, we opted for a corset underneath, thus grommets were put in for a tighter structure. Matching bracers were made and tied with silk ribbon.
ME_DavidMerrittME_DerekDeweese6Tights
Oh the tights….all members of cast were required to wear tights. I wanted to do a two-toned pair to mimic deer legs. (as they’re lighter on the inside. It also works wonder for the illusion of having smaller legs!) So I bought a pair of cotton tights to dye. Oh that did not go well….the dye didn’t take (and certainly not in the fashion we were hoping). But I couldn’t come up with a solution by the time faire started, so I went with what I had (and had to put up with the “dirty legs” comments all season).

Shoes
I opted for a pair of brown woven flats with cushioning for both prancing about and for the airyness of them. The only addition was sewing in a pair of strings to bind my feet in so the shoes wouldn’t go flying off.

Wings
These were made by the faerie director of TNRF and myself out of wire wrapped in brown floral tape with silk fabric attached that we hand painting to match the dress (spots included), along with two wire extensions off the top too mimic antlers.

Kirk_Hughes Kirk_Hughes3Derek_deweese15Sometimes the faeries can be completely oblivious of the Troll (King Ik) behind them…

David_Merritt6 526637_10100662546583515_1472616705_nFaeries….you can’t take them anywhere.

Terry_Burns Wild_Canary ME_David_Merritt2Photographs: David Merritt, Steampunk Couture, Derek Deweese, Kirk Hughes,  Wild Canary

Filed Under: Costumes

Tennessee Renaissance Festival 2011 – Countess Elaine de Francias

June 6, 2015 by Briana 1 Comment

French renaissance festival countessAs many artist do, I have my various outlets of creativity (because let’s face it, despite the fact that I get to do something I love, production art is still work!). Costuming and modeling are my primary avenues, with the Tennessee Renaissance Festival having been one of the greatest releases of all.

Tennessee Renaissance Festival by Daniel_MeigsEvery year, Tennessee holds its own Elizabethan faire full of stage acts,  jousting tournaments, live music, human chess, and character performers.  For three years back when I lived in Tennessee, I would audition for cast. I did it once before in 2007, landing the role of a peasant pickpocket. In 2011, I moved up the chain a wee bit to a french countess, sister to the Prince of France. (In 2012, I flitted around as a deer fairy. More on her in the next post!)

French Countess by_Daniel_MeigsOne of the great things about our faire is the immense creativity that goes on behind the scenes; from character development to costume building. All of our costumes are hand-built and custom designed. It would get all my creative juices going to spend months planning, preparing, and designing. It’s heaven for a preproduction gal like me.

Alas, my original design (which was basically a Renaissance version of Belle’s green gown from Beauty and the Beast) did not get approved as another lady in cast had a similar colour scheme (and whose garments were already made). So I yielded to the costume director whose daughter, in turn, let me rent her costume (it helps having a body twin around!). At first I wasn’t sure about the gown I was  given as the colours of baby blue and light gold. They were certainly not colours I would’ve chosen for myself. But after seeing the final result I realised I have a thing or two to learn about colour…So although I did not design this costume, I did design/pick out the accessories, hair, and makeup. Here is the final result of me in 2011 as Countess Elaine de Francias, half-sister to the Duke of Anjou (one of Queen Elizabeth I’s favoured suitors):

ME3It was a challenging character to play as I’ll confess, I’m not the best with verbal improv (physical improv is another story). But I was chosen for the role as I was one of the only people on cast who could do a believable French accent. Well….believable to American ears. I imagine I would embarass myself in front of an actual Frenchman. But the accent worked in my favour as my limits with verbal improv would arise and I could simply explain it away with a “I don’t speak English well”. It went over well and added more believability to the character.

Kirk_Hughes3 IMG_4896(My fellow cast members, who were all playing Englishmen and women were more than happy to get in on the English-French rivalry.)

ME_ScottCraigAll in all it was a very interesting experience, even though the next year, I went back to a more physically-active character. But I enjoyed my time as the Faire’s “Renaissance Disney Princess” that year. (So many little girls would come up to me thinking I was a princess. It made my day to see the big smiles on their faces.)

Tennessee Renaissance Festival noble womanCostume –  Esther Cancasi
Parasol –  Vintage via Ebay
Hair jewels – Claire’s
Earrings – Vintage via Ebay
Basket – Goodwill

Stay tuned for 2012’s TNRF costume – Awani the Deer Faerie!

Photographs: David Merritt, Daniel Miegs, My City Social, Derek Deweese, Kirk Hughes, Scott Craig, Chris Jarvis



Filed Under: Costumes

Outfit of the Week – The Red Plaid Shirt

May 6, 2015 by Briana Leave a Comment

_MG_4559

After watching a plethora of TV shows and movies, I’ve started noticing one understated article of clothing showing up in almost everything – the Red Plaid Shirt. For example…

Anne Hathaway – Brokeback Mountain
anne-hathaway-brokeback-mountain
 Toutlecine.com
Amy Pond – Doctor Who
9b65f9eb1a0ff4726934dd80558fa1d2

Cosplay Island via The Coconut Hits Montreal
Zooey Deschanel – New Girl
red-plaid-shirt-from-pilot
What Would Zooey Deschanel Wear?
And of course the King of Red Flannel himself…Clark Kent (Smallville)
SMALLVILLE "Exposed" (Episode #505) Tom Welling as Clark Kent Credit: © The WB/Sergei BachlakovSmallville Season 10 Blog
I had originally shied away from the idea of wearing such apparel as I didn’t want to identified with the ‘country girl/country bumpkin’ look. But as I suffer from a lack of regular wear (my wardrobe tends to be divided into either rough-n-dirty work clothes or borderline formal wear. Note the lack of in-between), I decided to give the Red Flannel Shirt look a try. Pair it with a pair of jeans and I guess it’s inevitable! Clichéd, but comfortable. I imagine this to be a good errand-running outfit for the crisper weather.

_MG_4550_MG_4616_MG_4526Shirt: Target
Jeans: Ross
Belt: Came with dress from A’Gaci
Boots: Nine West via Marti & Liz
Satchel: Borrowed from photographer
Choker
: Gifted
Bracelet: TargetAbrea&meAll photos © of the lovely lady in the peacoat. Abrea Crackel 2011. http://abreacrackel.com/

Filed Under: Outfits

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »

Greetings programs! I'm Briana - artist, model, and avid costumer. Welcome to my little corner of the blogosphere.
  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Categories

  • Art
  • Costumes
  • Geek Couture
  • Modeling
  • Outfits
  • Uncategorized

Archives

  • April 2020
  • November 2019
  • July 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • August 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
The Lady Nerd
IFB

Copyright 2018. Briana Lamb. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2023 · Caroline Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in