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10 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN WORKING ON A VIDEO SHOOT

10 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN WORKING ON A VIDEO SHOOT

Apr 11, 2024 | DOCUMENTS, EXPLORE

CATEGORIES > EXPLORE > DOCUMENTS

10 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN WORKING ON A VIDEO SHOOT

Session stylist Laura Chadwick shares her top tips for success when styling onset of a music video.

Laura Chadwick

Laura Chadwick

With a background in fashion, I never imagined myself working on music videos.  

However, fate had other plans, leading me on a journey filled with unexpected opportunities and thrilling experiences. 

 It all began during the Covid pandemic when I was brought in by a make-up artist to provide haircuts and styling for a music video shoot for Inhaler in Dublin. Despite the challenging circumstances, my skills as a qualified barber impressed the production team, opening doors to a world I had never considered. 

Working on that first music video was a turning point for me. It made me realise that there was so much more to my craft than just fashion. Music videos offered a whole new realm of creativity and expression. 

With my foot in the door, my journey in the music video industry continued to unfold. A contact in Sony recognised my talent and offered me opportunities to work with various music artists, ranging from emerging talents to established names. These experiences working with smaller artists gave me a solid foundation and understanding of the industry. I learned to adapt to different styles and visions, honing my skills along the way.  

Becky Hill’s music video for Outside of Love

It was a connection through a stylist named Kyle Devolle that would change the trajectory of my career. Through Kyle, I was introduced to Becky Hill, a chart-topping artist known for her powerhouse vocals and dynamic performances. Working with Becky was like stepping into a whole new world. The scale of the productions was immense, with elaborate sets and breath-taking locations. It was an exhilarating experience, and I felt privileged to be a part of it.  

Despite my initial focus on fashion, I have found a new passion in music videos. Each project brings its own challenges and rewards, but there’s something special about seeing your work come to life alongside the music. As I continue to make my mark in the music video industry, I remain grateful for the opportunities that have come my way. I never could have imagined this journey when I started out, but I’m grateful for every twist and turn that has led me here. My story serves as a testament to the power of following unexpected paths and embracing new opportunities. With passion and determination, there’s no telling where my journey will lead next. 

10 things you need to know when working on a video shoot 

  1. Creative collaboration: Working behind the scenes on a music video as a hairstylist involves collaborating closely with the creative director, stylist, make-up artist and artists to bring their vision to life through hair design. I usually receive a brief or a ‘feeling’ of what’s wanted, then I create a separate hair mood board to complement the theme. Ensuring we all know what the outcome is going to be reduces any changes or wasted time.
  2. Versatility is key: Be prepared to create diverse hairstyles that match the concept and theme of the music video, ranging from edgy and avant-garde to classic and elegant. This is where all my years assisting on fashion shows really helped as I’ve learnt so many techniques that’s you’d never use in the salon that I can put to good use.
  3. Time management: Music video shoots often have tight schedules, so being efficient with your time and able to work quickly under pressure is essential.
  4. Attention to detail: Every strand of hair matters, as even the smallest details can make a big difference in the final look on camera. I am always right there behind the scenes, ready to jump in at any moment to keep the hair looking perfect. Of course, on video you’re going to get a certain amount of movement so it’s important to take that into consideration when choosing your style, especially when shooting on location and being open to the elements.
Becky Hill

@hairbylaurachadwick

  1. Adaptability: Conditions on set can change rapidly, so you must be adaptable and able to adjust your hairstyling techniques accordingly. On my last video with Becky Hill there was a last-minute decision to shoot in the water next to some waterfalls, so I adapted the hairstyle by creating a wet look with some oil-based products, so it retained the texture and suited the environment.
  2. Communication skills: Clear communication with the director, artists, and other crew members is crucial to ensure everyone is on the same page regarding the desired hairstyles.
  3. Product knowledge: Familiarise yourself with a wide range of hair products and tools to achieve different textures, volumes, and styles as needed for the shoot. Over the years I’ve collected a large collection of products to suit every hair type and environment.
  4. Continuity: Pay attention to continuity throughout the shoot to ensure that hairstyles remain consistent across different scenes and takes. I always take pictures of the screen to look back on so the styles can be matched down to the smallest detail.
  5. Problem solving: Be prepared to troubleshoot any hair-related issues that may arise during the shoot, such as frizz, flyways, or unexpected changes in weather conditions.
  6. Professionalism: Always maintain a professional demeanour, as working on a music video set requires teamwork, reliability, and a positive attitude to deliver the best results. They are usually very long days and keeping positive and upbeat always keeps the team and artist on a positive vibe.

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Yolanda Cooper The Woman Behind The Supernova Pro

Yolanda Cooper The Woman Behind The Supernova Pro

Mar 28, 2024 | CONVERSATIONS, EXPLORE, TALKING SHOP

Bright Star

Yolanda Cooper is changing the game of electrical styling with her revolutionary SupernovaPRO hair tool.

by CATHERINE | CONVERSATIONS

Yolanda Cooper

It was when she was at an airport in 2016 that Yolanda Cooper had her idea for her electrical tool, the SupernovaPRO. She was checking in for a flight with overweight baggage, mainly because of the number of different hair tools she was travelling with. ‘There’s got to be an answer for this’, she thought. It turned out there was. And it’s a game-changer.

The SupernovaPRO is the world’s first three-in-one hair styler combining a fully functioning straightening iron, curling tong and wave wand in one ultra-sleek, beautiful-to-behold tool. It comes with a whole host of first-to-market patented features, including revolutionary SmartSwitch technology that makes it the only hot styling tool with three independently powered functions; premium grade ceramic plates infused with Trionic technology that softens, smooths and hydrates the hair; and a patent-pending ergonomic DoublePivot system, which relieves pressure on the median nerve to reduce the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome – a condition especially prevalent in pro stylists.

The SupernovaPRO tool

 Not bad for a young female entrepreneur from Belfast designing her first electrical tool! “I think going in blind to something allows you to be completely free of fear,” says Yolanda. “If you knew what you were getting into before you did these crazy things, half the time you wouldn’t do it because you’ve no idea how complex it is, how long these things take and how many reasons there are for it to fail. Some of the best entrepreneurs are the ones who just have no clue what they’re doing, they just go into it and commit to figuring it out later.”

Armed only with a sketch of what she felt the tool could look like, Yolanda set about hiring industry-leading industrial designers and engineers to turn her concept into a reality. It took five years to refine the tool mechanically and aesthetically as she constantly challenged her team to come up with the technology to match her ideas.

“Going in blind to something allows you to be completely free of fear” 

“Very early on we realised that if this is going to be a professional tool, then three-in-one is brilliant but it can’t be a compromised experience – we have to make each of those tools incrementally better than what’s on the market,” says Yolanda. And I think I think that’s what we’ve done. So, straighteners have always been symmetrical and rectangular, but what if you need to get right into the baby hairs at the root? We made our straightener narrower at the tip, so that it allows you – for example – to detail short fringes and work with Type 3 and 4 hair.

Ceramic technology provides great negative ions into the hair, but how do we take that even further? I’m a trichologist, so that’s why I came up with the idea of taking a heat protection formula and infusing it into the plates to give superior shine. When it came to the tong, we changed the tip to a rubber material so that you can literally hold onto it, even when the temperature is set at 200˚C. And we spent a long time perfecting the exact torsion of the spring and the double-pivot system to make the tool more comfortable to use. Consumers might not notice that benefit, because they’re only going to use the tool for 20 minutes at a time, but hair pros, who are styling nine hours a day – they’re really going to see the difference.”

Proud that the SupernovaPRO is designed, engineered and manufactured in Great Britain, and fully aware that she is competing against some industry heavyweights, Yolanda is putting her experience as a former marketing director to good use. “Core to our communication and marketing strategy is a grassroots approach,” she says. “We have a programme called The Salon Spotlight, where we send our film crew into a salon to shoot collaborative content, including interviews with the stylists and footage of them styling their client’s hair in different ways. We can also create an event in the salon, where I and our head of engineering will come along and talk to guests. And the content we create can be used for a salon’s own social media campaign to drive awareness. We may not have the budgets that some of the big brands have, but what we do have is passion and agility and the desire to go and partner with salons on a one-to-one basis.”

And finally, why the name Supernova? “I’ve always been fascinated with astrology and stargazing,” says Yolanda. “And with SupernovaPRO we’re trying to create the biggest shining star in the industry. In space, a supernova is a cataclysmic explosion. And so I thought that was a cool name, because we are aiming to be the biggest thing in the industry. It’s quite fitting.”

Retailing at £299, SupernovaPRO is exclusive to salons across the UK and Ireland. To become a stockist or purchase at the wholesale price of £199 plus VAT, visit supernovahairtools.com/pages/creativehead

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WORKING WITH HIGH PROFILE CLIENTELE

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WORKING WITH HIGH PROFILE CLIENTELE

Mar 28, 2024 | DOCUMENTS

CATEGORIES > EXPLORE > DOCUMENTS

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WORKING WITH HIGH PROFILE CLIENTELE

Jay Birmingham brings us backstage at Fashion Week to share his advice for handling a packed calendar of clients.

Jay Birmingham at BRIT awards

Jay Birmingham backstage at the BRIT Awards with Maya Jama

“Fashion month is always a huge whirlwind. Going between London, Paris and Milan is a great opportunity to immerse yourself in the buzzing atmosphere of each fashion capital.

As a hairstylist deeply entrenched in this world, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the magic that unfolds backstage, and now more regularly working with clients who are attending the shows. More than ever, all eyes are on those sitting front row, therefore it is so important to nail the look head to toe.

Managing your time effectively during Fashion Week, which is typically a fast-paced and hectic period, requires careful planning and organisation. I start by looking at the schedule well in advance and the timings of the bigger shows. This allows me to predict where the buzz will be. It’s also important to prioritise, as you can’t be in two places at once. This involves carefully planning my own schedule, as travel needs to be factored in, alongside extra ‘buffer’ time to account for unexpected delays or last minute changes. Doing so helps reduce stress and ensures that I arrive on time for each commitment.

Conversely, it’s vital to stay flexible for last minute bookings which can lead to great opportunities with new talent, some of which I might not have worked with if it wasn’t for Fashion Week. Behind all the glamour is a lot of prep and hours of travel, from prepping wigs to making sure my kit is stocked, so planning in advance is key.

This Fashion Week I worked with some incredible talent, including the wonderful Maya Jama for the Albert Ferretti show in Milan. Maya’s look featured a choppy cut with bangs and lots of movement throughout the hair.

I also had the privilege of styling Maya for the BRIT Awards, which fell during the Fashion Week craziness! Maya was one of the hosts for the night, and we decided on a style featuring the ‘butterfly effect’. This involved adding numerous layers to the hair to create a textured yet sleek look, which complimented her stunning black gown. I was on hand at the O2 Arena to help with final touch ups, both behind the scenes and on the red carpet.

Jay Birmingham backstage
Jay Birmingham's hair kit
Jay Birmingham doing wig prep

L-R: Jay with Blanca Soler and wig prep for Maya

London Fashion Week also saw me create one of my favourite looks for my client, Munroe Bergdorf. It was for the Self Portrait show and focused on crafting a playful style to showcase her new bold copper colour. I love to look at the client’s colour and shades and find ways to style the hair to complement the overall aesthetic. This season also saw me work with the amazing Blanca Soler for Burberry, Amina Muaddi for the Tiffany X British Vogue event, and Xenia Adonts for the Prada and Gucci shows. All were very different and contrasting looks to one another, but it’s great to experiment with different styles and get creative. After all, this is what Fashion Week is all about!

As a hairstylist, Fashion Week serves as both a showcase of our skills and a testament to the transformative power of hair in the world of fashion. Until next season, we’ll continue to push the boundaries of creativity and innovation, one hairstyle at a time.” 

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THE 3 BIGGEST BLONDE MISTAKES THAT COLOURISTS MAKE

THE 3 BIGGEST BLONDE MISTAKES THAT COLOURISTS MAKE

Mar 27, 2024 | EXPLORE, TECHNIQUES

CATEGORIES > EXPLORE > TECHNIQUES

THE 3 BIGGEST BLONDE MISTAKES THAT COLOURISTS MAKE

Tia Lambourn – founder of Bay Studios in Derby and both Tia Lambourn Education and The Blonding Bible online platform AND a Redken Advocate – knows what NOT to do when blonding a client! These are the mistakes to avoid

Tia Lambourn

MISTAKE 1 – Rinsing too early

The bleach is on and you’re panicking: ‘I’m using a blue bleach, and it looks like it’s ready to come off’. What ends up happening is that the hair’s quite yellow underneath. What I usually recommend in my education and Blonding Bible classes is to take out a tiny strand of hair from the foil and do an elasticity test, instead of just judging it visually. You can then feel if it’s ready to come off. If it has started to feel a bit stringy, then that can also save you from breakage. That has saved me in the past, when I’ve thought: ‘this needs another 20 minutes’.

I’ve been in the middle of a colour correction where the hair looks orange, and I’ve pulled on it, I’ve felt that it’s got a little bit of give, and I know I need to take it off now.

MISTAKE 2 – Ignoring the clear

When it comes to glossing, not everyone utilises the clear. The most used ‘colour’ in my salon is the clear! Sometimes the hair lifts so perfectly that what you’re going to end up doing is almost making it look slightly muddy, or a bit heavy, or when there’s a lot of pigment in the hair, it makes it appear darker. So, if you do have a client who wants to be mega blonde, and you’ve managed to lift them to a really nice level 11, you want to gloss with your chosen shade and the same amount of clear – go half and half. In some scenarios, I’ll even do three-quarters clear, one-quarter of the chosen shade.

MISTAKE 3 – Using ash toners for a bright finish

Ash was a big trend, everyone wanted to be an icy blonde or platinum, but for really bright blondes, I’m always reaching for the warmer shades. A lot of the time you have a client who wants to be mega blonde, but they want to be ashy, so colourists will mix up an ash toner. But if you think of a white cloud compared to a grey cloud, the grey cloud has more ash in it… and it looks darker. With a blonde tone that’s more ashy, it’s going to appear slightly more dull. It’s not actually dull, it’s just got a heavy amount of pigment in there, so it’s going to appear that way because it’s not going to reflect the light so much. You can do a mix of warm and ash so that it is not golden, but it’s not super ashy. It’s more of a creamy milky blonde, then you get the best of both worlds.

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‘Ask Me Anything’, With Most Wanted Legend Jody Taylor

‘Ask Me Anything’, With Most Wanted Legend Jody Taylor

Mar 26, 2024 | CONNECT, MOST WANTED

CATEGORIES > CONNECT

'ASK ME ANYTHING', WITH MOST WANTED LEGEND JODY TAYLOR

Jody Taylor won the Men’s Hair Specialist award three times. Here, he shares advice and guidance on taking home a 2024 trophy.

Team Phillipart

Sitting on the fence about entering Most Wanted? We probed three-times Men’s Hair Specialist winner, Jody Taylor, for answers to common questions about the competition. Here’s what he gave us. 

You were already a successful artist before winning your first Most Wanted award, why did you enter? 

Because it’s a chance for me to reflect on my own work. To put everything into a presentation and have something I can look back on. It’s also a chance for other people to see my work, who weren’t aware of it beforehand. 

Did you have a game plan for preparing your entries?  

Um, no, I didn’t. The most important part is to just start! I’m a great believer that action creates motivation, so put some time aside, review your work over the last year, what you’ve achieved, and if relevant, pull together the images you’ve created. Then think about your case study and take it from there. My entries took me a while – I went over and over them until I was happy. Then I started cutting them down and got my friends, colleagues and family to look. The only way to do it, is to physically do it – don’t procrastinate over it. It’s just giving yourself time, having a look at it and giving it a go. 

How did you find the time to get everything done? 

There’s not enough time in life to do everything, you just have to prioritise what’s important to you. Entering Most Wanted was something I wanted to put time aside for.

Did you find it difficult putting together the written parts of your entries? 

My English – spelling, literature, everything – is the worst in the world, so I’d write it in my own words, then ask a friend, or family member – my Mum – to proofread it, and help me with it. What I wanted was for the words to be my own. We’re hairdressers, we’re not necessarily academics; as long as your words read like you, that’s what’s important. 

How did you decide what to include or exclude? 

It was quite easy for me. There were moments over the particular year – projects I’d done – that I was super proud of. Ultimately, you’ve got to think of the things that give you stand out from the crowd in your specific field. 

You won three times; did you change your approach each year? 

No. My approach was very similar each time, in that I created a magazine with my work. I wanted to have something I could keep with me as memorabilia, too, so a lot of thought went into the design, the format and the images I selected. I kept it the same every year because I wanted to create these books, almost so I can look back at them in 20 years’ time and think, wow that’s cool!  

Looking back, is there anything you’d change about your entries? 

No, I wouldn’t change anything because I know I put every effort into them, and I think that’s the most important thing. It seemed to work for me! 

Did winning have an impact on you and/or your career? 

Definitely! I’ve got a lovely shiny trophy – or three of them – up on my shelf, which makes me feel very proud. But honestly, it’s not about winning, it’s about entering. Entering is the most important part because you are putting yourself out there and you’re trying to improve. If you don’t win, you’re going to look back and try to improve the next year. Actually, just being proud of your work and allowing other people to see it, I think is the main thing. Making the effort – that is winning for me.  

Any final words about entering? 

100 percent you should enter! Don’t dwell on it, just do it and don’t worry about the outcome. Focus on the doing it! 

It’s free to enter the Most Wanted. Entries must be submitted no later than 9pm on Monday 20 May. Click here for a full list of categories and how to enter. 

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