On the weekend of June 11th and 12th, 2011, I had the pleasure of assisting with the DVD shoot for Princess Farhana and DeVilla’s upcoming DVD, which is entitled Bombshell: Dramatic Make-Up For The Stage, Photos And Glamorous Occasions. I was thrilled to have been invited into the role of script assistant by my bellydance instructor of several years, Princess Farhana. The Princess herself states: "For years people have admired my stage make-up, and constantly asked what my techniques are. I've been teaching stage make-up workshops for the past ten years, and have always wanted to do a make-up DVD." DeVilla is also a bellydance instructor in the Los Angeles area, as well as an experienced make-up artist of over 20 years who has worked more extensively in movies and television. This is in contrast to Princess Farhana’s mainly theatrical experience with make-up. Princess Farhana says of this: “We have two very different approaches that result in the same thing: great, dramatic stage faces!" DeVilla says: “I always hoped that I might be able to share my knowledge of make-up with other dancers and performers so that they could create the stage personas that they envisioned for themselves!” In short, these two performers’ goal with Bombshell! is to create some accessible templates for women of all ages, backgrounds and ethnicities to be able to use for both performance and special occasions.
All of the models involved in this DVD shoot were also bellydancers, most with 2 or more years of dance and performance experience. They included Jennelah, Lori, Jewel of Denial, Debbie, Lapis, Shauntel and Lisa Marie -- all of them Princess Farhana and/or DeVilla’s students at some point. Princess Farhana elaborates: “On Bombshell we are very happy that we used REAL women as our models....We tried to put together a big variety of ages, races, face-shapes and individual features so that there is something for everyone, and also tips and tricks that can be used for photographs and in ‘real life.’ ” The artistic duo’s flair for the fun and retro was noticeable in their choices of special make-up looks that they decided to focus on. Among these were: “Retro Pin-up,” “Classic Smokey Eyes,” “Silent Movie Star,” “Golden Goddess,” “Arabic Eyes,” and “Mature Glamour.” In addition to the looks demonstrated by either artist, Princess Farhana and DeVilla took care to go over some make-up basics by creating introductory chapters about make-up products, foundation, lips and eyelashes for the stage.
All of the models had the privilege of being photographed by L.A.-area photographer Dusti Cunningham prior to and following their DVD scenes. This was so that models and producers could have “before” and “after” pictures of the looks for their own portfolios. After recent relocation to L.A. and previous acquaintance with Princess Farhana on the set of Steve Balderson’s movie Stuck!, Cunningham says: “I started shooting bellydancer portraits in my downtown studio. After shooting [Princess Farhana] recently she asked me to join her and DeVilla in the making of Bombshell!” The shoot was a detailed and collaborative effort, with Cinematography and Editing by Anthony Pedone and Second Camera being run by Anthony Ferreri. All of the cast and crew worked diligently over the two days of June 11th and 12th in DeVilla’s home studio in Los Angeles, California. Cinematographer Anthony Pedone expressed his enthusiasm: “The set was so organized, and [the shoot] just flew by, and there was never a point where I felt like, ‘Ok let's go home.’ Having [Anthony Ferreri] there was key, too.”
For many of the models, the shoot was a first-time exercise in personal transformation. The models got to see themselves dramatically changed on still camera and video camera. Lori, the “Mature Glamour” model, says “After the shoot I almost looked like I had a face lift.” following DeVilla’s make-up application. Another model for the video, Lapis, simply exclaimed “Wow!!” after looking in the mirror mid-scene. Jennelah reflects on her learning experience in the 1960s segment of the DVD: “In particular, I learned about adding multiple colors and layers on for a good foundation.” Models like Jewel and Shauntel got to see themselves transformed into pin-up queens and dramatic silent movie-era divas through both make-up application and Cunningham’s background and lighting choices.
Bombshell! is truly a testament to the genuine artistry involved in stage make-up application and its transformative power. The DVD will be released by Princess Productions in February of 2012.
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