- Can be plot relevant e.g. provide context for character like if they wear a uni jacket = student of uni, probably middle class at least, presumably 18-23 ish etc or have dirty clothes = poor, homeless, lazy and unhygienic etc or they can hide stuff in their costuming pocket for the plot
- Costumes can act as representations and symbols of character development e.g. black dress symbolises mourning, or it could symbolise an individual characteristic unique to the movie like confidence.
- Costume often used in conjunction with setting to accentuate certain characters
- Costume can be used in conjunction with setting to elicit certain emotional responses e.g. clashing costumes and background can make the scene look stressful or anxiety inducing and chaotic.
- Make up usually enhances performance like eyeliner emphasising direction of a gaze or adding realism to the intended age of a character and it’s not just getting rid of blemishes and stuff
- Makeup used to again show character e.g. flat eyebrows on men often symbolises masculine serious gaze thing
- Make up can be used to make setting more realistic or dramaticized depending on what’s needed e.g. soft makeup for period dramas vs absurd drag make up for theatre or a dream sequence maybe
- “Costumes depict three Ps- People, Place and Period”
Ways to challenge these
- Contrasting costumes that dont really make sense convention wise like wearing a ballgown and being all regal then going on a skateboard to a rave
- Setting not matching costuming like all monochromatic colour scheme so nothing stands out even if the scene is important such as a murder taking place but the victim and murderer is dressed in red skin suits in a red room andd its hard to see if the victim is bleeding or suffering or fighting etc.
- Costume completely not matching the setting e.g. abstract weird ass cubist absurd costume in a film set in 1845
- Dramatic old film make up used in modern film as the reason for the original make up no longer protrudes on modern filmmaking
- Can act as a twist like a girl wearing a uni jacket actually stole the jacket runs a drug ring and kidnapped the main characters dog
- Makeup that emphasises ‘pointless’ things like a character looking at the sky because it’s falling down but the eyeliner emphasises their eyelids (and hence visual weight makes it look like they should be looking down).
