Events
Ever Dreamt of Styling a Rock Band?
Now's your chance! Calling all Blanche Macdonald students and graduates! Win a chance to create a new look for one of Vancouver’s most promising young bands!
Great rock and roll has always been about more than just music. From Roxy Music to the Sex Pistols to The Strokes to The Yeah Yeah Yeahs to Slipknot to Kings of Leon, the truly essential bands have always had a unique look to enhance their unique sound.
If you ever dreamt about having a band of your own to mould into the epitome of cool, you’re in luck.
For the first time ever, the Blanche Macdonald Centre is running a competition offering students and graduates the chance to style a living, touring, take-no-prisoners rock and roll band. The band in question then has the option of adopting their winning new image on a permanent basis. It’s a remarkable and unique opportunity for anyone interested in making inroads into the music business.
We’ve teamed up with celebrated Vancouver producer Don McLeod to select an act that we think sound terrific but, if we’re being honest, could look better. Allow us to present future stars (once you’ve finished with them)…Colin Grieve.
Music-wise, think epic rock. We’re talking 3 Doors Down, Theory Of A Deadman and Daughtry. Image-wise, think what you like. Oh yeah, don’t be confused by the name. Colin is the songwriter, but it’s definitely a four-piece band.
We need you to style and sculpt this band into what you think the next generation of rock and roll heroes should look like. The end result: a completely new style, which will be documented in a photo shoot that could very well be used by the band as their official press shot as they spread their music across Canada and the world.
Here’s what we need.
We want you to form teams of three: made up of one student or graduate each from the Makeup, Fashion and Hair programs. And in your teams of three we want you to present us with:
• a unified visual portfolio of your ideas for the band’s wardrobe, makeup concepts and hairstyles
• a 300-400 word written proposal explaining your plans
• a portfolio of your previous work: five photos from each team member demonstrating a variety of experience
Entrants will also be evaluated based on program marks, attendance record and volunteer work.
We’ll be cutting the band’s hair in August and will be sending images to finalists on August 31, so please bear in mind that any hair concepts will have to be based on styling rather than cutting. Don’t panic. We'll be giving them versatile cuts that can be styled in many ways.
Once all the entries are in on the submission deadline of August 6, a judging panel of Blanche Macdonald instructors and music experts will select their five top teams that will qualify for the semi-final.
Those teams will need to produce minute-long videos of their ideas in action, which we’ll post on-line for the universe to see and vote on from August 17 to August 30. The team with the most votes will earn the Viewer's Choice Award and win a $500 cash prize.
The three top teams will be selected by the judging panel and will be announced on August 31. On September 8 these finalists will be invited to a studio location to put their ideas into action, dressing and styling the Band for a shoot with a professional photographer. Once those photos are in the judges hands, the panel, now including the actual band, will reconvene and decide the overall winner. The winning team's photographs will be used in Colin Grieve’s press and promotional material in 2010. Your work may even be on the album cover! Oh, and your team also wins a $1500 cash prize!
Please hand your team’s completed band portfolio at the City Square Campus, attention to Kelly Schmidt or Jennifer Daerendinger, on or before August 6.
Good luck. For those about to rock, we salute you.