Below is a gallery of images from my final SFX assessment, based on pearl harbor. I have also included a small evaluation on this post, a more in depth one will follow in a separate post.
Overall I am very happy with the outcome of this assessment. I didn’t feel well on the day but proceeded to come in and complete my assessment on the set date. I believe I could have done better if I was feeling more myself, but I am still extremely happy with the outcome of my assessment.
Story board
1- The attack on Pearl Harbour begins, after the Japanese Imperial Army Air Service strikes American Navy ships, docked at Pearl Harbor.
2- Recently woken up, and now in a tired and panicked gaze, the nurse rushes to get ready before traveling toward the hospital.
3- The nurse leaves the house, in hopes to travel to the hospital as soon and as quickly as possible.
4- In a panic, she is not paying attention to everything around her – just trying to reach the hospital asap. In this daze, she is caught in an explosion, from a building that had been shot at from above. Head at window height, she suffers cuts and scrapes on the face from glass and shrapnel.
5- Unable to walk due to her injuries, she crawls across the ground in hopes of a safe place to hide under shelter. She reaches an area and hopes to shelter here and wait for someone to come to her rescue, in order to prevent further injury.
6- Unfortunately this shelter was not secure enough, and the nurse got caught up in the crossfire of some overhead plane fire. This results in a gunshot to her shoulder/chest.
Face plans
For my final design, I decided to create lacerations, scrapes and scratches across the face. I intend to show off multiple techniques, by creating two deeper lacerations on the face. I plan to apply a prosthetic cut above the eyebrow, and create one of my own on the cheek – using sculpt gel. Then, I plan to create scrapes and scratches across the rest of the face. Following my storyboard, these injuries are caused from shrapnel, therefore I will use tinfoil to create homemade shrapnel prosthetics to apply inside these wounds.
I am going to create a typical 1940’s everyday makeup, consisting of a pale base, blusher, minimal brown eyeshadow and a red lip. I will add bruising around the eyes and nose, as well as a bleeding nose, to further add realism to the shrapnel injuries across the face. Bruising wounds are a common injury caused by blunt force, after explosions during the war.
I chose this face plan to create my final design as it included a product list. This enabled me to easily follow my plan and products list during the assessment – as they were both together.
Body plans
After developing my initial ideas, I decided to follow this body plan for my final design. I believe this plan’s wound placements tied together much nicer to create a clearer story.
Firstly, I plan to create a burn, along with bruising and scrapes along the legs. The story I created involves the nurse falling – leaving bruises and scrapes on her knees and shins, and breaking her ankle- as shown by bruising on her leg. Next, the building she is next to explodes, and while still on the floor, the bottom of their trousers catch fire- causing a third degree, charred burn to form on her leg.
Furthermore, I intend to create bruising, scrapes and scratches across the arms. These would also be a result of falling over. Next in the story, just after she manages to crawl to shelter, the nurse is caught in overhead crossfire, causing an entry gunshot wound to the shoulder.
Hair plan
For the hair, I have decided to create a continuous vintage roll. Not only was that my favorite style to create in my lessons, I believe this look is much more suited the nurse character I am creating.
I chose to create a nurse for my assessment as even though women did begin to work in the military for the first time during the second world war, it was not until the much later years.
Victory rolls and french pleats were much more popular for women in the military, as they wore hats. However, looks like this were much more suited for nurses, who needed their hair out of their faces, but still wanted to opt for a more glamorous look. This look is also well suited for those with long hair, like my model.
Victory rolls
I could create a style with the front of the hair in victory rolls, and the rest of the hair down in loose curls. This creates an effective 1940’s look, but I feel it is very simple. The simplicity of this design will not allow me to really showcase my skill set.
French pleat
Alternatively, I could create a french pleat, or vertical roll. This look could also incorporate victory rolls, or vintage twists, at the front of the hair. This style is much more complex, but it is not my strongest skill. Although I enjoy creating this look, It is not my most confident skill – and must ensure I create the best work possible, for my assesment.
Continuous roll
Furthermore, I could create a Continuous roll. Using rollers to set the hair, I could create a roll by hand in the front of the hair, and use padding to create the roll at the back. Not only do I feel more confident with this style, but I can also showcase multiple techniques with this look, so feel it would be a strong choice.
Here I have documented the development process of my chosen design.
Here is the initial design I have chosen to develop for my final assessment. This design consists of cuts, scrapes and lacerations across the face.
After much thought, I have created this face chart for my final assessment. In this design, I have incorporated a laceration prosthetic, created a prosthetic of my own from sculpt gel. I will also be creating scrapes and bruising around the face. All of this will be created over a classic, 1940’s makeup, with minimal eyeshadow and a bold red lip.
In this design, I have created a third degree burn over the chest, neck and shoulder. Additionally, I have added a slash wound across the side of the back and stomach, and a bullet wound on the thigh. I have also added bruising, scrapes and scratches across the arms and legs.
Alternatively, I created a second body plan. This plan consists of a gunshot wound on the chest, a burn on the leg, a broken ankle, and scrapes and bruises across the arms and legs.
Here, I have documented my first three initial designs.
Design 1 – Third degree burns
In this face plan, I have created a 1940’s typical makeup look, with a third degree burn. In this design, I have planned to create a 1940’s base makeup, with simple brown eyeshadow and a red lip. I have intended to add a realistic touch to this design by adding smudged lipstick, and running mascara. I have also incorporated a third degree burn across the face.
Design 2 – Bullet wound
In this plan, I have focused on a gunshot wound. I plan to create a typical 1940’s glam, with brown eyeshadow and red lipstick. Then plan to create an exit bullet wound on the forehead, with blood dripping down the face. I also intend to add realism by creating bloodshot eyes, adding blood around the nose and mouth, and smudging the lipstick.
Design 3 – Lacerations
In this design, I plan to focus on laceration and scratch wounds. My intentions are to have two deeper lacerations through the face, across the center and near the lip. Then I plan to add scratches and scrapes around the rest of the face. I also intend to add minimal bruising around the eyes. The plan is to create this illusion over a typical 1940’s makeup base, with minimal eyeshadow and red lipstick.
For this task, I have completed a script breakdown for my chosen character – Nurse Betty Bayer. This will halep me gain a deeper inisght in to Bettys life, and her personality, helping me to break down her appearance more accurately.
“ Do you have problems with your boobs in the uniform?”
Barbara – “You mean hiding them???”
“Hide them? On a date with pilots? I’m talking about how you make them show!”
Betty’s first introduction tells us a lot about her character. This immediately introduces us to her sense of humor, and also potentially could give a hint to her younger age – and immaturity. Furthermore, this shows Betty is desperate for love, and will go to any lengths to win a man over.
“Ooo… shes thinking of her date”
Later in the movie, we learn that Betty is much younger than the other nurses. Although we don’t know this for definite yet, the “ooo” could be a nod towards her younger age, as it gives off an impression of immaturity.
This also helps imply that Betty craves to be loved, as affection seems to be the topic of anything she says.
“I just want to tell you one thing. If you’re thinking this might be your last night on earth… I’m prepared to make it meaningful. Very meaningful.”
This shows us that Betty craves love so badly that she is willing to rush straight into things, and even put herself in a position where she will potentially be used by a man, as it will get her some physical affection, and make her feel loved and worthy. Betty introduces herself to the pilots with this line, making her intentions very clear, and helping show she is a very straight to the point, honest character.
“It’s been a month and you haven’t smiled. We just want you to know that we love you.”
This helps to support my idea that Betty looks at Evelyn as a motherly figure. Betty is willing to go to any lengths to show her support and appreciation towards Evevlyn, in the hopes she will soon feel happy again. The fact that seeing Evevlyn hurt, makes Betty hurt, helps imply the two have a stronger, deeper connection than just two friends and colleagues.
“Raif sent his best friend to tell you it would be okay, so you could move on”
This implies that Betty looks for a deeper meaning in all things- and if we look deeper that may indicate that she believes in the spiritual world.
Alternatively, this may show immaturity, building upon the hints toward her younger age, as her words make it seem she believes life is like in the movies- and it’s far from that!
“You know what they’re doing back home? Nothing. Cow- tipping”
This shows Betty uses her humor as a coping mechanism, especially for her past traumas. Furthermore, this implies Betty felt like her home life was holding her back, making it obvious she is extremely proud of where she is now, and the important role she is currently fulfilling. Additionally, this shows she feels she is doing something extremely worthy with her life.
In contrast, this also gives me the impression that Betty holds her family in a low regard. Building on the fact that she ran away and left them behind, when she talks about them it always seems to be in a negative manner, in this phrase she seems to be mocking them, as if she doesn’t want to be associated with them at all. This may also show some cockiness, as maybe Betty now feels she is too good for them.
Betty’s death;
During this scene, the nurses are outside assessing patients, making the hard decisions of who to treat, and who to leave to leave to die- as the hospital is not big enough for everyone. A man comes running with a – clearly deceased – girl in his arms. Evelyn checks for a pulse before saying;
“She’s gone too… take her”
Next, Evelyn brushed the blonde hair from the woman’s face, only to reveal this casualty was Betty. Eventhough bombs are blasting, and there is gunfire coming from every direction, the world goes silent for Evelyn. She has lost her biggest supporter and best friend.
This builds upon the idea that Bety was a very loving and caring character, who had a huge impact on all those around her. All of her fellow nurses treasured her, and held her in very high regard, even despite her younger age – which made her a slight outcast from the other girls, as she was very innocent.
This also helps to support my idea that Betty and Evelyn have a stronger connection, like sisters, or even mother and daughter.
Appearance breakdown
Here, I have picked appart some of Betty’s features, and eplained how I beleive these have been used to give hints to her charecters personality and back story.
Glowy skin – Betty’s skin always seems to be radiant and glowy. This could be a nod to her youth, as her clear skin could all be due to no signs of physical ageing. Betty is just coming in to woman hood, making her – health wise – at her prime. This means she would appear healthy- giving her a beautiful natural glow.
Blusher – A heavier blush application may have been used to indicate innocence and purity. This further builds upon the hints towards Betty’s younger age.
Lip colour – The soft, red lip that Betty is seen wearing throught the film may have been used to imply her soft, gentle and caring nature. The lighter colour, and softer finish may seem like nothing, but small touches like this are often included to add subtle hints to ones true nature.
Hair – Betty’s long, wavy blonde locks give an immediate impression of elegance and beauty. When we look depper this may have been added to show that Betty is easily infulenced, as she is followin the styles made popoular by many famous faces of the era. This may further support the ideas that she is younger than the others, by showing she is trying her hardest to fit in by following the crowd, and appear older than she really is.
Fuigure – Betty is of a small, yet curvy build. Her natural curves may have been empahsisied to help show she is a mature charceter. Eventhough she is younger in age than the other nurses, Betty is very confident in herself and what she wants for her life. This may also indicate she had a rough childhood, leading her to become very mature and independednt from an extremely young age.
Skin – Furthermore, betty has very fair skin. During this time, plae skin often indicated those of the lower class. Having paler skin showed you weren’t well traveled therefore, indiating you were not of a highter, richer class. This further builds upon the idea of her rough up-bringing.
In this post, I have explored deeper in to the life of my chosen character, and briefly explaned why I have chosen them.
For my final SFX assessment, based on the 2001 Michael Bay film – Pearl Harbor, I have chosen to base my designs around the character Nurse Betty Bayer.
After a troubled upbringing, raised in a broken home, Betty lied about her age, enabling her to become a Nurse in the US Navy.
After joining, Betty met a great team of nurses, including Evelyn, who became her greatest friends.
Furthermore, Betty also meets Red, who she instantly falls head over heels for. Before long the two are engaged, but plan to hold off a wedding until Betty turns 20.
After Raif’s death, Betty and Evelyn began to form a special bond with each other. Personally, I believe Betty looks at Evelyn as a motherly figure – as Evelyn gives Betty the love, security and support she has always longed for.
Betty even encouraged Evelyn to move on with Danny, saying Raif had sent Danny to her as a sign that everything was going to be okay. This shows Betty looks for a deeper meaning in things.
When the attack on Pearl Harbor began, Betty rushed toward the hospital with her fellow nurses, to help prepare for the mass casualties.
During the battle the nurses get separated, and unfortunately Betty is struck at some point on her journey back to the others. She sadly passes away as a result of her injuries.
Her fellow nurses are absolutely devastated upon finding her body in a pile up outside of the hospital, but have to carry on their work as there are hundreds of people that need their help. This touches on the topic of grief, and helps prove the strength and determination of those working in the forces at these times- who had to continue like normal in some of the hardest times of their lives.
I love how clearly some of the hints to Betty’s past, and personality are portrayed through her looks and characteristics. This makes me excited to experiment with this technique , channeling similar imagery in my designs.
For this task, I have completed character break downs for some of the chearcteters from Michael Bays’s 2001 film, Pearl Harbour
Main characters:
Raif McCawley (Captain)
Back story-
Raif was born and raised on a farm in Tennessee, in 1917.
He lived next door to another young boy named Danny, the two become lifelong best friends- almost like brothers.
The two boys went from playing pretend pilots, to joining the US Army Air force together, and eventually fought alongside each other during the Second World War.
Furthemore, the two were even promoted to captain together.
Raif’s parents were always hard working on the farm, leaving him to occupy himself most of the time. His close bond with Danny made him feel Danny was the only real family he had.
Personality-
Raif may appear very cocky, fearless and reckless upon first impression.
However, deep down he is a very loving, caring character, who has an extremely cheeky, childish side.
Furthermore, Raif is protective over those he loves, and is willing to do anything in order to protect them.
Appearance-
Raif is tall and strong, with dark blonde hair and brown eyes.
Although he may appear intimidating at first, Raif is a really fun loving and kind character.
His tall, slick back hair and masculine figure helps portrey his confident character.
Daniel ‘Danny’ Walker (Captain)
Backstory-
Danny was born in 1918, and raised on a farm in Tennessee.
This farm just happens to be next to the home of Raif McCawley, the man who becomes like a big brother to Danny- and protects him throughout his whole life.
Danny has a strong passion for flying, that stems from administration for his father, a World War One pilot.
Furthermore, because of his fathers past, Danny was also vividly aware of the extreme realities of war, as his father suffered with extreme PTSD.
Facing these realities through his father, Danny was forced to mature from a very young age. This made Danny a sensible, grounded young man- making him the practical one of the duo, despite Raif’s older age.
Personality-
Danny’s childhood made him a very laid back, quiet and shy character.
However, Danny is extremely thoughtful and caring towards those he loves.
Furthermore, he is sensible – which helps keep him, and Raif, out of trouble.
Appearance-
Danny is tall, and muscular with dark hair and brown eyes.
Although he may seem like the confident ladies man upon first glance, Danny’s looks shell a shy and cautious personality.
Danny’s hair has a fringe that sweeps across his face. This helps give the impression that he is shy, and that there is more to him than what meets the eye.
Evelyn Johnson
Backstory-
Born some time in between 1918 and 1920, Evelyn is the daughter of a First World War fighter pilot.
Her father shared many special memories with Evelyn during his time with her, and taught her to always find the good in a bad situation.
Inspired by her fathers wisdom, Evelyn decided she wanted to help those like him, and enlisted as a nurse in the US Navy.
Personality-
Evelyn is a kind, caring, loyal and funny character who looks out for all those around her.
Evelyn fulfills her duty as a loyal friend and partner to the extreme, making it clearly obvious she will do anything to help those she loves – leading them through their darkest days.
Appearance-
Evelyn has long, brown hair and brown eyes.
She is of a tall, slim build, with radiant and elegantly beautiful looks.
Her strong, confident personality is shown by her wear of bold, red lipstick.
Betty Bayer
Backstory-
Born in 1924, Betty Bayer was the product of an extremely broken home.
As she grows, Betty decides she wants to provide the love and care she has always craved, but never recieved.
This leads Betty to run away from home and lie about her age, to enlist as a Nurse – Second Lieutenant, of the United States Navy.
Personality-
Despite her extremely troubled past, Betty is a fun, sweet and bubbly character.
Her ditsy ways, combined with her confidence, made her the focus of any room – and the topic of everyones conversations.
Appearance-
Betty has medium length, wavy blonde hair that perfectly frames her radiant, and youthfully flawless skin.
Furthermore, she is of a tall, slim- yet curvy- build, with blue eyes and fair skin.
Betty looked like a typical Hollywood star of the 1940’s, making her the girl every man wants, and every woman wants to be.
Blusher is used to help imply the youth, and innocence of Betty’s character.
Other characters;
Red Winkle
Red is one of Raif and Danny’s fellow pilots.
His nickname, Red, comes from the color of his hair.
He is best known for stuttering his speech when he is nervous.
Furthermore, Red is also engaged to Nurse Betty.
Gooz
Gooz is another fellow pilot, on Raif and Danny’s team.
He is confident and humorous, and is often sorting feuds between other members of the group.
Nurse Sandra
Nurse Sandra is a shy, and laid back character of the group.
The others are often encouraging her to come out of her shell, but she seems very certain that she knows what she wants- and doesn’t want to just follow the societal norms.
Her fringe helps to portray her shy, and closed off nature.
Lieutenant, Colonel James ‘Jimmy’ Doolittle
Head of the air force team consisting of Danny, Raif and the others… Jimmy is a strong leader, who pushes his boys to do their absolute best.
Danny’s father
This character is included to help poetry the true realities, and life long impacts that war has on its people, and those around them.
Doris ‘Dorie’ Miller
Giving historical context to the film, this character is included to portray an important real- life person from the events of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Doorey Miller’s incredible efforts in this battle were recognised, and he was the first Black American to be awarded the cross.
Japanese pilots
Additional characters were dropped into this film to help show both sides of the story, exploring the actions and preparations for this battle that both sides may have taken.
For this task I have researched life in America during the 1940’s. This will help me to understand what life was like at this time, and how and why certain trends in hair, makeup and fashion were created.
During the 1940’s, American culture was swallowed by war when many big celebrities and sports personalities were drafted, leaving a lack of new content. During this time, rationing was introduced to help ensure everyone had access to what they needed in order to survive, and helped prevent waste of materials during war time. Rationing meant many fashion and beauty trends came to a halt. However, once the war was over, focus returned again, to extravagance and pop culture. Many movies were released to celebrate this time, cars became extremely luxurious, and there was a drastic fashion evolution as people wanted to embrace all that they had missed during war time.
Statistics;
General:
Us population – 132,122,000
Average life expectancy – Female:68 Male:60
Births per 1000 – 19
Marriage per 1000 – 12
Divorces per 1000 – 2
Deaths per 1000 – 12
Lead causes of death-excluding war (in order) – Heart problems, Cancer, Tuberculosis, Car accidents.
Economy:
Unemployed – 8,120,000
National debt – $43 billion
Federal budget – $13.2 billion
Social welfare – $8.8 billion
Public education – $2.34 billion
Strikes – 2508
Car sales – 3,767,300
Average salary – $1299
Social:
Homicide per 100,000 – 6
Suicide per 100,000 – 14
Labor force male/female ratio – 3/1
Weekly movie attendance – 80 million
Annual baseball attendance – 10 million
College degrees – Bachelors- Male: 109,000 Female: 77,000 Doctorates– Male: 2861 Female:429
Consumer prices:
33 cents per dozen eggs.
8 cents per loaf of bread.
36 cents per pound of butter.
27 cents per pound of bacon.
21 cents per pound of coffee.
29 cents per dozen oranges.
Famous headlines of 1940’s America
1941 – Marvel comics introduces Captain America.
Rice Krispies adopted their ‘snap, crackle and pop’ catch phrase.
Bing Crosby won his first academy award for best actor, after his work for ‘Going my way’.
1945 – Atomic bombs are tested for the first time, in New Mexico.
1945 – The battle of Berlin ends as the German forces surrender, on may 2nd 1945.
1948 – Velcro was invented by George De Mestral, in Switzerland.
1948 – Jackie Robinson becomes the first African American to beat the color barrier in Major league baseball.
1949 – George Orwell releases his classic novel about a Dystopian future, titled 1984.
Cars
During the early years of the 1940’s all attention was turned away from building cars for the average person, and towards creating and fitting parts for military vehicles. Airplane production also took major priority, alongside the creation and assembly of military trucks and tanks.
During 1943 alone, the motor industry produced over ten billion dollars of military equipment.
Shortages in materials such as aluminum, zinc and copper, forced manufacturers to return to use of cast iron and steel, in the production of motor vehicles. However, cars still continued to become much bigger and more luxurious. These cars are extremely valuable in today’s world, and are hugely sought after by car collectors as they are true head turners.
Some of the most popular cars of the 1940’s include:
Ford mercury ‘woody’ station wagon.
Cadillac custom convertible.
Chevrolet coupe pickup.
Chrysler thunderbolt roadster.
Chrysler continental coupe.
Chrysler town and country.
Delahaye 135ms teardrop coupe.
HRG 1500 Roadster.
Pontiac special six.
Ford GPW.
Jeeps were also an extremely popular brand, as they specialized in off road, rough terrain vehicles which were perfect during war time.
Movies
Here I have documented the academy award winners for each year of the 1940’s, and noted each films place on the top 10 movies of the year (if they appeared)
1940
Best picture – Rebecca, places number 1 on the top 10 films of 1940.
Best director – John Ford, for his film The Grapes of Wrath, placing 8/10
Best actor – James Stewart, for his work in John Philadelphia story, placing 5/10
Best actress – Ginger Rogers, for her work in Kitty Foyle, placing 9/10
1941
Best picture – How green was my valley, placing 5/10.
Best director – John Ford, for his film How green was my valley, placing 5/10.
Best actor – Garry Cooper, for his work in Sergeant York, placing 1/10.
Best actress – Joan Fontaine, for her work in Suspicion.
During this year there was a strong trend for comedy and musical films, which began to gain access to much more expensive sets than ever before.
The cinematic industry featured in war preparations by creating extensive army training programmes, led by Darryle Zanuc – The Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Signal Corps.
1942
Best picture – Mrs. Miniver, placing1/10.
Best director – William Wyle, for his film Mrs. Miniver, placing 1/10.
Best actor – James Cagney, for his work in Yankee Doodle Dandy, placing 2/10.
Best actress – Greer Garson, for her work in Mrs. Miniver, placing 1/10.
1943
Best picture – Casablanca, placing 6/10.
Best director – Michael Cruz, for his film Casablanca, placing 6/10.
Best actor – Paul Lucas, for his work in Watch on the Rhine.
Best actress – Jenifer Jones, for her work in The song of Bernadette, placing 3/10.
During this year many world famous names started to disappear from the silver screens, as they were drafted into the war. Color film had its best year to date, hugely increasing production values. There were many protests against the amount of war pictures in creation, as documentaries sprung into popularity, and War documentaries caused casualties in photographic units to run extremely high.
1944
Best picture – Going my way, placing 1/10
Best director – Leo McCarey, for his film Going my way, placing 1/10.
Best actor – Bing Crosby, for his work in Going my way, placing 1/10.
Best actress – Ingrid Bergman, for her work in Gaslight.
1945
Best picture – The lost weekend.
Best director – Billy Wilder, for his film The lost weekend.
Best actor – Ray Milland, for his work in The lost weekend.
Best actress – Jane Crawford, for her work in Mildred Pierce, placing 4/10.
1946
Best picture – The best years of our lives, placing 2/10.
Best director – William Wyler, for his film The best years of our lives, placing 2/10.
Best actor – Fredric March, for his work in The best year of our lives, placing 2/10.
Best actress – Olivia De Hawilland, for her work in To each his own.
1947
Best picture – Gentleman’s agreement, placing 9/10.
Best director – Elia Kazan, for his film Gentleman’s agreement, placing 9/10.
Best actor – Ronald Colman, for his work in A double life.
Best actress – Loretta Young, for her work in The farmers daughter.
1948
Best picture – Hamlet.
Best director – John Huston, for his film The Treasure of Sierra Madre, placing 4/10.
Best actor – Laurence Olivier, for his work in Hamlet.
Best actress – Jane Wyman, for her work in Johnny Belinda, placing 7/10.
1949
Best picture – All the king’s men, placing 10/10
Best director – Joseph L Mankiewicz, for his film A letter to three wives, placing 7/10.
Best actor – Broderick Crawford, for his work in All the king’s men.
Best actress – Olivia De Havilland,, for her work in The heiress, placing 8/10.
During this year it becomes much easier to make high quality films, on a much lower budget. The box office returned, with an estimated value of 1.375 billion dollars. Experiments were taking place to discover cheaper alternatives for resources used for crating set designs and props. Furthemore, some competition starts to arise with the television industry, but the movie industry is confident they will be fine. Many films were still dealing with the subject of war, and how it affected people and their environments.
Movie stars
Below is a list of some of the biggest movie stars of 1940’s America.
John Wayne – One of the best Western actors of all time.
Ingrid Bergman – Acts in some of the most popular films of the decade.
Cary Grant – Named the second greatest male star of all time, by the American Film Institute.
Kathrine Hepburn – Known as one of Hollywood’s most beloved actresses, for over sixty years!
Clark Gable – One of the most bankable actors of this decade.
James Stewart – Known for playing everyday men with real life problems (a relatable character.)Also appears in some of the most popular films of all time.
Humphrey Bogart – The kind of person women want, and men want to be, he is considered Hollywood royalty.
William Holden – Appears in over twelve films during this decade, rising toward his huge fame in the 50’s.
Vivien Leigh – Appears in some of the most popular films of the decade.
Elizabeth Taylor – Appears in some of the most popular films of the decade, after beginning her career as a child star.
Rita Hayworth – Known as one of the biggest stars of the 40’s.
Judy Garland – One of Hollywood’s most beloved actresses of all time.
Music
Overall, for music, the 1940’s was best known as the swing era. At the start of this decade, classic orchestral music was hugely popular, however by the end of the decade the jazz scene hugely dominated this industry.
Music was becoming much more accessible for the everyday family, as many people began to gain access to music players. People mainly listened through the radio, but phonograph players became much more affordable for the everyday family, during this time Some families even had to use huge, car sized batteries to power their radios, as most people had no electricity in their homes yet!
The 1940’s is known as one of the toughest decades for the music industry. Radio stations censored a lot of their music, and this combined with many boycotts, lead radio stations to move almost entirely to talk format.
Some of the biggest names in the American music industry, during the 1940’s were:
Bing Crosby
Frank Sinatra
Perry Como
Ella Fitzgerald
Louis Armstrong
Billie Holiday
Ray Charles
Hank Williams
Erline Harris
Sarah Vaughan
Sport
Baseball was hugely popular during the 1940’s, in fact it was the most popular spot of the time.
Numerous athletes left the public scene to serve in world war two, including; Stan Musial, Warren Sphan, Ted Williams, Hank Greenberg, Bob Feller and Joe DiMaggio.
There was a major breakthrough in the word of sport during 1946, when the Brooklyn Dodgers signed Jackie Robinson, who would be named in history as the first African American to play in major league baseball.
Football and Basketball were nowhere near as popular as they are today. These sports were considered more of a novelty sport, than one for entertainment. However, boxing was huge during this time, with Joe Lewis holding the title of heavyweight champion for the entire decade. To this day he is the only person to hold the title for so long.
Toys
During this decade, children’s toys became much more sophisticated and advanced than ever before.
With focus on stereotypical roles, in a bid to prepare children for the life ahead of them, war inspired toys like guns and tanks were in mass production for boys, while girls had access to any item they may need while playing house. This included baby dolls, irons, kitchen sets, mops and brooms, tea sets and much more.
Board game developers tried their hardest this decade, to create new and exciting games that would take over the place of the top, most popular board game ever created – Monopoly. In 1943, a creator named Milton Bradley introduced America to Chutes and ladders, inspired by the Indian game known as Snakes and Ladders.
Social Class
During 1944, the GI bill was passed, providing returning veterans with money for college, business and home mortgages. Suddenly, large numbers of servicemen were able to afford to live their dream lives. This allowed millions of American families to move away from Urban apartments, into sub-urban homes. Prior to this, only the rich and famous tended to take residence in the suburbs. Essentially, this bill helped to merge different classes together, erasing the clear divide and kick-starting the middle class category we are largely familiar with today. During the 1940’s and 50’s, around 8 million veterans received educational benefits through this scheme, with; 2.2 million attending college, 3.5 million receiving school training, and around 3.4 million receiving on the job training.
However, even though social groups seemed to merge, racism was still an extremely prominent factor of American society. Redlining from the National Housing Act of 1934, prevented many African American veterans receiving the housing benefits that came from the GI bill. This created another barrier between the African American population, and their European neighbors, as many African Americans were forced into poverty. Additionally, huge numbers of the African American population were denied the educational benefits of the GI bill, with only ⅕ of the 10,000 applicants receiving any form of educational help. The lack of opportunity for this community meant the African American middle class population fell largely behind that of the white middle class, causing new excuses for discrimination towards the black community.
During the 1940’s, there was a dramatic increase in the amount of women active in the paid labor force. The start of the second world war called for women to work more or less full time jobs, in order to help supplement income while the man of the house was away at war. African American women were highly discriminated against, with the large bulk of the work offered to them being of a domestic service. Single women were left to work in factories, fulfilling the behind the scenes work, while married white women were used as the face of the labor industry, and given the more commercial jobs.
For this task, I have researched in to popular fashions for men and women during the 1940’s, allowing me to create the most accurate finial image in my final SFX assessment.
During the 1940’s, the main goal for women’s fashion was to create an hourglass silhouette.
Masculine details such as padded shoulders were very common features of women’s clothing, along with nipped in shirts, and knee length, a-line skirts. Suits, dresses and trousers were all designed in fairly similar styles, with the goal of achieving the illusion of an hourglass figure. Clothes were designed to create this shape for all women, even those that didn’t have this shape naturally.
Just like many other industries, the fashion industry was hugely affected by the second world war. During the wartime, the goal was for clothing to be practical, while still making women look and feel glamorous. Women relied heavily on items such as hats, gloves, bags and jewelry to accessorize their outfits, and compliment the makeup looks they had created – helping them to put on a face of happiness, during the dark, difficult times of war.
The introduction of rationing also encouraged many women to create their own clothing items at home – re purposing old, worn items into newer, more fashionable pieces.
Fashion trends
Some of the biggest fashion trends of this decade include;
Knee length, a-line dresses with puffed shoulders.
Plaid a-line skirts, paired with white button down blouses.
Victory suits – Man tailored shirt and jacket combinations.
Wide leg, high waisted trousers.
The Rosie the Riveter look (work wear) – overalls and jeans.
The debut of the two piece bikini.
Hats;
Turbans.
Head scarves.
Snoods.
Flower clips.
Ribbons and bows.
Shoes;
Peep toe heels.
Loafers.
Oxfords.
Wedge sandals.
Dresses
The start of world war two brought strict rationing on fabrics. This led to dresses becoming shorter during this decade. During the 40’s, dresses were made to sit at the knee, rather than in the middle of the calf- like dresses from the 1930’s.
Shoulder pads introduced a masculine and militant look to ladies fashion. In the 40’s almost every dress, blouse and jacket was designed to be fitted with shoulder pads – that extended just past the edge of the shoulder.
Women often paired this with a puffed sleeve, by gathering their sleeves toward the top of the arm, leaving them extended just below the elbow.
All dresses were designed to be very modest, revealing as little skin as possible. Necklines were available in variety of cutouts, including;
Square,
Slit,
Sweet heart,
Cross front,
And v-neck.
Evening dresses however, were an exception to the rule. Most evening wear came with halter tops, and spaghetti straps – showing off one’s shoulders, and mild amounts of cleavage.
In the earlier years of the decade skirts were very long and sleek, but in the later years of the 40’s skirts became much more full.
Materials
Once rationing was lifted, soon after the end of world war two, much more fabric was available for use, and huge new varieties were released into production. Women began to embrace colorful patterns, with lace trims in a bid to forget the dark, and depressing years of war that they had just lived through.
Fabric material was usually made from rayon – a new synthetic invention. American cotton was another popular choice, especially for making house dresses, as its material was light and airy.
In contrast, stiffer fabrics were used to make suits and work wear – especially for the military.
Plus size fashion
During this period, plus size fashion began to flourish into its own. A category that was previously never properly catered for, finally gained recognition during this decade.
Companies now began to offer ‘stout’ size clothing in their catalogs and department stores. These ranges consisted of clothing designed to look more flattering on women with a fuller figure.
Beauty guides helped ensure all women were dressed their best by providing a list of fashion do’s and don’ts for women of all shapes and sizes.
Women’s suits
The shortage of fabrics brought on by the war rations, led to the popularity of the two-piece suit for women. These suits were also known as victory, or utility suits, during the 1940’s.
Women would mix and match their shirts, blouses and jackets to create a new look every day. Many women soon discovered how comfortable and practical these items were, and continued to sport these suits even after the end of the war – as a fashion choice.
Suit skirts were often a-line, knee length skirts. Dresses and skirts in the earlier years of the 40’s were fairly plain due to the war rations, and shortages.
However, towards the end of the decade, plaids appeared on skirts, and some were even made with pockets.
Plaid and striped skirts were extremely popular with teenagers and young adults, especially as they were easy to move in. This made them the perfect attire for swing dancing, the newest craze of this decade.
Jackets
The suit jacket was the finishing touch of any outfit. Jackets were made with the same material as skits, allowing for perfect co-ordination, however they were also often mismatched.
Suit jackets consisted of padded shoulders, high necklines and a nipped in waist, with a slight flare at the bottom – and most often sat at mid hip length.
Jackets were most commonly buttoned down, with plenty of variety to choose from. These jackets could have been worn without a blouse underneath, but wearing one under was much more comfortable.
A bolero jacket was another popular option, for women choosing a jacket to wear over their blouse. These jackets were often designed to show off the blouse, therefore did not button up. The sleeves on these jackets were often long and narrow.
Blouses
Blouses were a huge part of 1940’s fashion. They could be worn as the finishing touch of a suit, on their own, or with a cardigan over them.
Solid colors and striped patterns were of the most popular choice for blouses – which usually came in a v-neck or peter pan collar neck line.
These shirts were often either short sleeved, or long with gathers on the upper arms, and wide cuffs at the wrist.
Trousers
Up until the 1940’s, trousers were worn primarily as a menswear item. However, when women started working in factories they needed much safer clothing options, to prevent them from any potential harm.
During the early 40’s, women would just wear men’s trousers. However, in the later years manufacturers began to produce trousers tailor made for women. These trousers still appeared very masculine, but were made extremely high waisted with zips or buttons down the side, and usually had wide cuffed legs.
Soon, trousers became an essential part of women’s casual fashion. It took many years for trousers to be allowed in professional jobs, or schools, but women began to wear trousers in public, after discovering the comfort and practicality that came along with them.
Overalls and coveralls were another work wear creation that eventually became fashionable for women.
Overalls would often be made from denim or cotton, and soon became the symbol of Rosie the Riveter.
Coats
During the earlier years of the decade, coats were usually very square and plain. These coats had few large buttons down the font, with long narrow sleeves and a variety of necklines. These coats were often long, sitting on the knees, enabling women to cover up.
Shorter, box coats that hung at the hip, in a wide cape like fashion, were another popular choice. These coats had big bell-like sleeves.
A fashion from the 1930’s – fur trims – remained popular during this decade. Fox fur was the most sought after, and many other furs were dyed to look like fox.
For formal events, women almost always wore fur stoles and capes.
Shoes
During the 1940’s, many materials such as leather, were rationed from the fashion industry. This meant materials such as velvet, mesh, reptile skins, and wood were used as alternatives in shoe production.
Unlike the elaborately decorated shoes of the 1930’s, shoes were made to be very simple and sturdy, during the 40’s. In the earlier years, these shoes were very chunky, and heels were very short and thick.
However in the later years, pumps were introduced,and heels became much thinner.
The 1940’s is remembered in fashion history for popularizing the wedge shoe. A wedge shoe consisted of a sole that was made from one piece of material, giving a moderate height to its wearer. These shoes came in solid slip-on’s, summer sandals, or peep toe styles, and were considered much safer than taller pumps.
Oxfords and saddle shoes were another popular choice, for casual wear. The rounded toe of these shoes added a masculine touch – but this didn’t stop them from rising to popularity with all kinds of women.
Slip on loafers were another popular choice, due to their casual appearance and comfortable wear.
Swimwear
In the 1940’s, the two-piece swimsuit was released for the first time.
At the time, one piece swimsuits usually came with a halter style top, and bottoms that came to the top of the thigh, usually in a skirt shape but sometimes as loose shorts. The one piece swimsuit became much tighter and more fitted during this time too.
Two-piece swimsuits had a very similar design to the one piece, they just had the middle cut out. Bottoms came up above the belly button, with only around 4 inches of space in between the top and bottoms.
Furthermore, in 1946 the bikini was released, consisting of a much similar look- just tighter and much lower on the waist. Although popular in today’s world, the bikini was far too revealing for most women in the 40’s.
Beach wear was made, often in the form of a play suit – a short dress made to wrap around a swimsuit. These dresses were often button down, loose fit dresses, made from light cottons.
You could also buy high waisted shorts and halter style tops to cover up before or after a swim. This style was most popular with teenagers, and younger, single women.
Older women wore ‘play clothes’. These were much larger and more conservative than the play suit that younger- middle aged women would often wear.
Hats
In the 1940’s, head wear was very popular and very diverse. Outside of military uniform, women wore hats often – as a fashion accessory. Few new styles became popular trademarks of the 1940’s, these include;
The Beret – A one piece, flat, round, french inspired hat that sat either on top of the head, or slightly to the side.
The Turban – A piece of fabric that was worn wrapped around the head, with its excess tucked in underneath. Women would usually decorate these with flowers or jewels.
The ladies fedora hat – One of the several styles that took its inspiration from men’s fashion, these hats were a popular choice among women across the United States of America.
Hair snoods – Created to help keep the back of the hair tidy, and kept out of the face. This became an important part of the working woman’s routine, as keeping their hair secured back out of their faces kept them safe from dangerous incidents – such as getting their hair caught, and pulled out by machinery.
Head scarves – Another popular choice among working women, the headscarf helped keep the hair clean and out of the face while at work. This style was made popular by Rosie the Riveter.
Gloves
Much like shoes, gloves became very plain during this decade, as the war rations caused the scrapping of any intricate detailing that may have been used as decoration in the years before.
These gloves were often worn for semi-formal occasions, like going for lunch, and were often color matched to one accessory, such as a hat, bag or belt.
Natural colors such as brown, tan, navy, and white were most popular, as was a mid arm length.
During formal, evening events, long opera gloves would be worn with extravagant ball gowns.
Jewelry
During the somber wartime of the 1940’s, jewelry was an important part of any women’s outfit. Bold necklaces – with bright colors and large beads, were worn alongside bold floral brooches and chunky earrings.
Women used their jewelry to add cheerfulness to their otherwise dull outfits. Rationing called for the use of new materials, making jewelry much cheaper and more accessible to everyday women. Jewelry was created sticking with the patriotic theme, made with the ‘v or victory’, or made in the colors of the flag – allowing women to show the love they have for their country, through their accessories.
Hand bags
Moving on from the small clutches of the 30’s, women now need larger, more practical bags, to assist them while they fulfill their duty to work.
Military messenger bags inspired day bags, created with a long shoulder, cross body strap.
Alternatively, many women used larger, flat, envelope type purses as a prettier, more feminine option.
For evening wear, bags remained much smaller, and were usually made with black satin – to create a shiny finish. There was a large variety of beading options available, to add a touch of elegance and sparkle onto a bag.
The end of the war called for the release of new, brighter options. Bags and purses returned to geometric shapes, and became available in new bold colors, like; red, green and yellow.
Underwear
In the 1940’s, women’s under garments were designed like shape wear, to create a perfect hourglass figure.
Tight, belly hugging girdles were created to remove any visible imperfections, but were extremely uncomfortable to wear.
Bras in the 40’s were usually large, with full back coverage, and were designed to encourage a woman’s naturally rounded shape.
The release of shorter dresses also saw a skyrocket in the popularity of stockings – as women wore stockings to help them feel more covered, and less naked with so much skin showing.
Stockings only came up to the thigh, meaning women would have to fasten their stockings to garters, in order to keep them in place.
Both nylon and silk were used in stocking production before war rationing was introduced, however the rationing left women desperate – turning to makeup to create the illusion of stockings.
In the earlier years, stockings tended to have a large, visible seam at the back of the leg. However, by the end of the decade seamless stockings were the most popular option.
Working women tended to prefer wearing socks. A trend from the 50’s, bobby socks and saddle shoes, was actually started in this decade.
Most working women wore socks in patriotic colors, instead of stockings, as they were more comfortable, but this also allowed women to present their pride to the world around them.
Military uniform
Apart from color, all uniforms for women in the armed forces were fairly similar.
These uniforms often consisted of hats, blouses, neckties, jackets and skirts, finished with stockings and smart shoes.
Men’s fashion
As previously mentioned, during the 1940’s all aspects of life were overtaken by war. When out of their military work wear, men usually wore suits.
Rationing caused major changes in fashion production, meaning these suits were now made with a wool-rayon blend, rather than pure wool. These suits were also often patterned, mainly with striped fabrics.
The victory suit was an extremely popular choice for men in the US, however due to war these suits were now much looser, compared to those of the previous years.
Additionally, the jazz scene popularized the colorful, baggy ‘zoot suit’ in the 30’s, which became very unpopular in the 40’s, as it was seen as unpatriotic.
During war times suits had to be made with thin lapels, and were only single breasted.
However, the end of war soon brought the return of bigger, double breasted jackets, with wider lapels.
Soldiers returning from war started to embrace the new bold fashions, wearing new suits made from brighter colors and louder patterns. They also tended to choose jackets of contrasting colors to the rest of their outfit, making a statement.
Hats
During the earlier years of the 1940’s, hats were worn to symbolize a well styled man. These hats were often made from felt, and the most popular style among men was the fedora – which was often worn at an angle.
For more formal events, men would usually wear a homburg hat.
Additionally, in the summer, men often wore wide brimmed straw hats in a variety of shapes and colors.
For more casual, active leisure wear, men often opted for a flat cap.
However, toward the end of the decade hats became much less popular, especially among younger men.
Shoes
During the 40’s, men’s shoes and boots were made to be practical and durable during the tough times of war.
Shoes often came in the colors; black, brown white or two-tone.
Some of the most popular styles of this decade include Oxfords, Brogues, and slip on Loafers.
Work boots were often made from leather, with laces and hooks.
The most legendary shoe of the decade is the black and white, two-tone ‘gangster shoe’, along with the zoot suit shoe, and vintage dancing shoes.
There were many different features in shoes of the 1940’s, compared to those of today. These include small holes in summer shoes – for breath-ability, and leather soles on dress shoes.
In this decade, men used their shoes as the final accessory for their outfit, upgrading the outfit from good to great.
Uniform
Military uniform was a huge part of most men’s lives, during the second world war, in the 1940’s. These Uniforms differed depending on rank, location and type of one’s service. However, they all followed the same basic, suit structure.
Megan Hoff