Keep Your Thoughts Organized With a Mood Board

When it comes to preparing for a photo shoot it can be an overwhelming experience for some
 stylists. According to Founding Partner and Chairman of Allvus LLC and Redken Education
 Artistic Director Sam Villa, in order to stay focused on the subject matter at hand, and to ensure
all expectations are met within a timely manner, try using a mood board.

“ The film industry uses story boards to chronologically depict various scenes that will ultimately
 make up a story on film. Mood boards are different, they’re used to represent a mood or vision…
a concept of an image you want to create. I make a mood board for every shoot I do—a collage
 of images, shapes, colors and text that help clarify my goals, as well as communicate my vision
 to other participants in the shoot,” explains Villa.

Mood boards can be a helpful visual tool that can help a stylist communicate what kind of character
 a model should evoke and what pose to use.

It also helps with art direction, in terms of lighting, background and camera angles. It clarifies
 wardrobe, makeup and most importantly, hair choices.

Mood Board for Sam Villa's new DVD "The Bardot"

How to create a mood board:
o   Write down key points, ideas and concepts on a piece of paper to use as a guideline.
o   Go through beauty magazines and rip out images that evoke inspiration.
o   Edit visuals to the ones that are appealing, realistic and relate to the subject matter.
o   Affix key words and phrases to the board
o   When the board is finished, brief all other participants before the shoot to help them prepare.
o   The day of the shoot, post the mood board where everyone can see it. Start the session with a
 review to keep everyone in the loop.