Here's a sneak peak of Director / Inventor Harry Dwyer's studio where he and I rehearsed before shooting the Square Terminal campaign. At the time he was building a speed boat out of plastic bottles collected by local school children. He's currently on a mission to travel around the UK in an inflatable speedboat he restored himself [Harry's youtube channel]. I'm always excited to book a job with Harry because there's never a dull moment!
Sometimes Director's like to use my hands AND my face in their commercials! This was both an exciting and terrifying day at work for me because my character was a hairdresser who had to shave actor Joe Riley's head. I was definitely more scared than Joe was but after a couple of tests on the back of his head I was ready to go. It was such a pleasure working with Director Djawid Hakimyar, he has such a vision for comedy. All the crew and the team at Partizan made the shoot so much fun, it's definitely one I won't forget.
Shot by the wonderful photographer Jonathan Knowles and nails by the perfectionist that is Veronica Butenko, this imagery for Boots No7 was used across both social and digital channels. With Jonathan's stunning lighting and Veronica's precision on my nails these shots were always going to be beautiful.
This was a fun one although it was harder than it looks! Myself and fellow hand model Nadine Mendes had to match our pours with each other for both the still shots and videos. Working with food stylist Henrietta Clancy I had to make sure there was enough liquid in the can to create a steady pour but that didn't splash too much over the edges. Photographer Sara Morris and the Team at Red Brick Road were a joy to work with and created a very relaxed environment so we could get the shots! Nails and body makeup by Alice Howlett.
This was my second time working for Rogue Films and Director Charlie Stebbings. Charlie and Producer Dom Seymour are an absolute pleasure to work with. The added joy was hearing more tales from Props Master Jim Marlow, who worked with my late grandad, Roy Wiffen.
It was my first time working with Director Anthony Bristol and the rest of the team at Feed Me Light. As first impressions go, they ranked pretty damn high, making me feel part of the team instantly with their warm and friendly personalities. Anthony spent time going through the storyboard so I was fully prepared before shooting. The team created a great atmosphere as the shoot progressed. It was fun collaborating with Director Anthony, who has the perfect mix of vision and execution. These guys and girls were a pleasure to work with and I'm sure you'll agree the Beauty Bay video looks as creative and playful as they are! Nails by the lovely Anna Thompson.
Credits:
Client: Beauty Bay
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, Saatchi Digital
Producer: Thomas Done
Creatives: Benjamin Wight & Jennifer Craven
Production Company: Feed Me Light
Producer: Kiri Haggart
Creative Direction: Feed Me Light
Director: Anthony Bristol
Storyboard: Marc Bouyer
Animatic: Olivier Pirard, Anthony Bristol
Art Director: George Tsioutsias
Editing: Anthony Bristol
3D VFX: Denis Bodart, Benoit Berthe, Olivier Pirard, Anthony Bristol
Rotoscoping: Anthony Bristol, Denis Bodart, Benoit Berthe
Her face and my hands for the new Dyson Supersonic hair dryer.
With four temperature settings and three airflow settings, meaning you
can tailor the heat to your hair type. Inside the dryer is a thermometer that records the temperature
around 20 times per second, guaranteeing it'll never get too hot and burn your mane.
I would never cut my cuticles. After applying Leighton Denny remove and rectify on my cuticles for 2-3 mins I push them back using a metal cuticle pusher. Using my cuticle nippers I only trim the dead skin that has come away from the nail. Cutting cuticles protecting the nail is a big no no! Not only does the skin grow back thicker, it also leaves your skin sore, exposed to bacteria and open to infection.
How often do you moisturise them?
I believe that what you put into your body is more important than what you put onto your body. I drink plenty of water and have a green smoothie containing Spinach, coconut oil, almond milk, banana, blueberries, Manuka honey and Chia seeds at least 3 times a week. Unless I’m on a shoot I’ll moisturise my hands when I feel like they need it. Before bed, after a bath or shower and always after swimming. In the Winter months I carry in my hand bag the perfectly sized 50g Crabtree and Evelyn La Source hand therapy.
How do you look after your nails and cuticles?
My nails suffer with ‘hangnails’, a hard piece of skin/cuticle that grows next to the finger nail. I trim them back as close to the nail as humanly possible. I then use ‘Slick tips’ by Leighton Denny or CND Solar Oil You could also use almond oil if you’re happy to apply without a brush. The results? It’s as though the ‘hangnail’ never existed.
What do you avoid doing? I.e. Washing up without gloves, picking something with your nails etc.
Luckily I have a dishwasher so washing up isn’t much of an issue but I would never wash up pans without gloves. Cooking used to be a hazard until I bought The Gloven which are thinner than oven gloves and have fingers but can still withstand heat up to 250’c. I tend to steer clear of touching fruit like pomegranates and raspberries as they can stain my nails. I’m also that annoying person who will ask you to open their can of drink.
Any other tips to look after your hands?
We all need vitamin D so I do sit out in the sun to get my dose but I make sure I’m wearing at least factor 30 and it’s usually in the morning or late afternoon sun. Mid-day is when the sun is at its most dangerous.
Before any shoot I swear by my Crabtree and Evelyn’s hand recovery scrub. It makes my hands super soft and really brings out the whiteness of my nail tips.
Accidents happen and even if you’re careful you can catch and scratch your hands. Although we have photoshop for photographic shoots, it’s a lot harder to cover up cuts for TV commercials or online videos. So when my boyfriend’s mother introduced me to Sudocrem (yes the cream mums put on their baby’s bums) I was over the moon. It heals cuts and spots at a ridiculously fast rate and guess what? No scaring!
My Grandfather who was a Property Master and Stunt Man on films and commercials, was the first person to introduce me to the world of hand modelling. I absolutely love getting to work with Property Masters who have worked with him as they share some great stories.
*The photograph on the motorbike is of Roy Wiffen acting as Marianne Faithful's stunt double in the 1968 film 'The Girl on the Motorcycle'.
They know 200 different ways to pick up a LEGO brick. They can method act with a Ferrero Rocher for hours. Their fingers are insured for seven-figure sums. Meet the unseen stars of the world’s biggest advertising campaigns.
Brooke Colman
Brooke’s grandfather Roy Wiffen worked as a props man for films and commercials, collaborating with the likes of director Ridley Scott. While everyone in her family said she had the perfect hands for playing the piano, he insisted she had the perfect hands for hand modelling.
“I’d been accepted into The Lee Strasberg institute in New York to train as an actor and needed to pay for my flight,” she says. “I found an agency online called Hired Hands and sent off some photos. I had a meeting with them on the Thursday, a casting on the Friday and was booked for my first job for the Monday. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t been doing this sooner.”
Brooke rarely mentions what she does but when people find out, their reactions are a mix of intrigue and amusement.
Once, six-metre-high replicas of her hands – moulded by the same people who made the Daleks in Doctor Who – were sent to seven countries around the world to promote the Nikon 1 camera. At its launch in London’s Covent Garden, a cherry picker elevated her so she could clean the lens of a camera held between giant replicas of her own hands.
But it’s not all absurd tasks for absurd amounts of money. People are constantly surprised at just how competitive this industry is, Brooke says, and building a reputation can play a huge role in securing a casting.
Although you hardly need a degree to do hand modelling, she adds, any photographer or director can tell the difference between a great hand model and a bad one.
“People assume it’s really glamorous being on shoots, but the reality is waiting around for days and spending long periods of time in positions that are incredibly painful… which often leads to many sessions with my osteopath.”
I love getting to work with other hand models especially when they're my friends and it was great to work with the lovely Amy too. Special shout out to the 10 plus security guards who had to squeeze into the studio...those jewels really were something!
Instyle Magazine
Beauty Editor : Katie Service
Photographer : Luke & Nik
Manicurist : The Illustrated Nail
Hand models : Brooke Colman & Nic Clackson
If you managed to get your copy of Instyle's January 2016 issue, you would have seen Myself and Nic Clackson modelling a nail art collaboration between The Illustrated Nail and Sister Arrow. Nic and I were fortunate enough to get our nails done by the incredibly talented yet modest Sophie Harris-Greenslade aka The Illustrated Nail. We also got to work with the brains behind the shoot Katie Service and Photographers Luke & Nik.
I don't think you'll believe me if I tell you but these beautiful shots were all captured at Edenham High School in Croydon.
