Costume Design Ideas

 Costuming- Makin' Heads Turn!

Hi there! Happy Friday! So for today's blog post, I'm going to be showcasing/pitching some ideas/designs for the costume ideas I had for my project. These are just some rough ideas that I had as to what kind of style I want my characters to go for. 

Costuming is very important when trying to portray a character's persona but not enough time to do so. The film opening I'm creating can only be a maximum of two minutes in length. Because of this, there is not enough time to give a thorough analysis of each character. With the utilization of costuming, the director can indicate certain aspects of the character to the audience without having to directly have a character say that aspect out loud. 

For example, if a character is wearing a cross necklace or has a Star of David bracelet, the audience can assume that the character is religious. Or, if a character is wearing a lot of jewelry or makeup, it makes the character look more feminine. Costuming has opened many doors for directors to indicate certain characteristics for the characters. What does this mean for me, however? Through costuming, my goal is to portray the character's ages and social status, as well as their hobbies. 

I have created a photo collage for each character being portrayed in my film opening- take a look: 

Raquel

As pictured in the collage above, I want Raquel to be wearing clothing that is very "on-trend".  Raquel is a popular high school girl, so being caught up with fashion is very important. Air Force 1's (the shoes) are very popular, along with the rolled-up mom jean look and the fitted, ribbed purple top. I have also included some jewelry in there to indicate that she is feminine and likes to dress-up. Having her look like she is popular will help add to the fact that she is a popular girl. 

William

Now, for William's character, I wanted something more mysterious yet still in his age range. This is why I've chosen clothing that basically covers his body- a long-sleeved hoodie with khaki pants. The most important object to note here is the camera. With the use of costume design, I'm able to allude to the audience that William is a photographer without having to have William specifically say that he has an interest in photography. I also may have him wear glasses for a more "nerd" look, but I'm undecided on that as of right now. 

Raquel's Little Sister

This character might seem unfamiliar, and that's because I didn't include her in my casting post. This is because I'm using this character more as a prop than an actual character, and she definitely is not part of the main cast. Nonetheless, she still needs clothing. I'm having my real-life little sister play this role, and although she is 13 years old, I have developed a costuming idea that is meant to make her be perceived as younger than she actually is. The mix of the overalls with the pigtails will bring the connotation to the character that she is a young girl. This style is better associated with children of a younger age group, thus helping me portray my 13-year-old sister to be around 7. 

The use of these costumes that I have in mind will help the overall plot of my story come together. I'm able to portray certain characteristics about each character without having to use dialogue in order to do so. I'm hoping, if I execute it properly, that the costumes will look good on camera as well.

Stay tuned to find out!  :)