Project

Decisions

I’ve decided to go for the fashion model presence in social media idea. I will replicate several posts of their social media and instruct the models to reimagine the movements that may happen in their posts. The selected posts will primarily be photographs that showcase body poses and facial expressions.

I kickstarted the project by contacting several Indonesian models, (1) Shahnaz Indira (@shahnaz.indira) is based in New York at the moment and (2) Jessica (@6rutal6rat) is in Jakarta.

Character Development on MetaHuman

Shahnaz

Jessica

Character Design

As my idea is to replicate their Instagram, I will have each of the models as their own character. As my argument is that clothes / garment is no longer the central focus of fashion, I’ll take the clothes out from the characters. The models shall be dressed in nude, or styling that does not imply the wearing of clothes.

If possible, I’d like to still retain any skin quality of the original models that stands out, including tattoos, wound markings. This is to make it easier to identify the character to the original model, as using the AI generated body alone as identifier is not that specific to the original model.

Process

For both models, I’m using Live Link Face plugin to create the face mesh. While for the body, I’ll have the chance to scan the photogrammetry of the NY-based and try loading them in MetaHuman Unreal Engine (still has not tried this yet). But for the model in Jakarta, I instructed them to send me T pose photos from front, back and side, then process them with MeshyAI5.

Result

In general, the face generated with Live Link has good quality but didn’t bear accurate resemblance to the models. The body generated from MeshyAI5 is quite poor, however if I had generated it with MeshyAI6 it looks better. However, MeshyAI6 does not support multiview.

I’m thinking if it is possible to manually resculpt the face and body in Blender.

Challenges

Some movements that I’m thinking are walking (on runways), lying down posss, casting poses (includes front side back), model off duty poses, selfie poses. I’m a bit unsure on how to retain the capture of expression in movements that include body.

Ethnography Methods

Along with the motion capture, I’ll also have casual interviews with the models to ask what’s behind each of the photograph that they have chosen to replicate the movement.

The appearance and movement of these models will be mostly Internet influenced. Despite them being Indonesian, their social media persona is catered to non-Indonesian lens.

For Shahnaz, she frequently works abroad (e.g, NY fashion week) as a runway model. Her works extend beyond Indonesia. I will talk more with her on the prospect of getting modeling jobs in Indonesia versus abroad.

For Jessica, she is an Internet persona called BrutalBrat. BrutalBrat is fabulous, fearless, and “cunty”, she is everything that is against the traditional values of Indonesian women. These archetype of Internet persona often receives backlash from conservative audience. I will talk more with her on the reception of her persona and how her persona has faced critiques from people.

Notes

Jacob Riis - How The Other Half Lives

Tenement Museum

Nellie Bly - is she the pioneer of method acting

Zora Neale Hurston - the first to contextualize voodoo

Katherine Dunham Technique - ballet + african movement

Frantz Fanon - psychological effect on colonialism