Costumes and Props

Introduction

The mise-en-scéne of a film is arguably just as important as camerawork or the narrative. For this reason, we do not intend to lack behind in the planning of the costumes or props. The audience responds in a very active way to mise-en-scéne, deciding whether or not their costumes relate to their character.

Characters:

• Sebastian Forge (Protagonist)
• Joshua Carter-Mills 

Costumes: Sebastian Forge

Ideas for Seb's costume initially came from his artistic background and aspirations. But we feel like someone that is in as much emotional conflict as Seb is in perhaps does not have the time and energy to consciously shop for fashionable items.

Clothing like this, while fitting the overall smart casual theme, seems a bit too outgoing and confident for the character of Seb.

A costume like this comes really close to what I envisioned. It's simple, almost like a disguise, and the backpack is also integral to the character as well.

I think the added jumper looks good, but may not fit with the character of Seb. I think if we kept his arms bare it would be symbolic of how unprotected and unprepared he his for the situation placed upon him - especially if we shoot during a visibly cold day. 

This is an example of the kind of upper-body clothing we want for the character of Seb.

We'll also have to be careful with what kind of shirt we use because I think choosing something like this is too loud and colourful for Seb's character.  

His trousers and shoes will also be an important part of his costume. I think to choose legwear like ripped jeans is, again, a bit too expressive and confident for Seb. Simple black trousers with equally simple trainers will fit the character perfectly.

We have chosen to go for something pretty simple that will still resemble his passion for artistry. On the outside, it could perhaps look as though little thought and effort has gone into deciding what Seb is going to wear but this simply isn't the case. He will always have this underlying passion and drive for this hobby but his emotional conflicts restrict the time and effort he is able to put into it. For us, this is ideal because it means that the costume will be very easy to obtain. The nature of our genre, social realism, necessitates realism. That is why (in an arguably conventional way) I've decided to plan our main character's costume as a purposefully, stark, simple and deceptive surface to a deeply complicated person.

Costume: Seb's Mind

This sequence was instructed and envisioned by Morgan and suggested having him in normal clothing. However, I soon suggested that putting him in a prison costume could help the viewer to understand and explore how Seb is feeling during this ordeal.It is connoting how he feels trapped and imprisoned by his emotions and how they conflict with one another. 

Props: Sebastian Forge

There are a few relevant props we need to source for the character. The main prop we need for Seb is a backpack.

Two simple, unobtrusive items like these are the look we're going for. 

The backpack is vital to the story line as his role is to run away from home, for this reason, choosing something small and light is going to be ideal. The items inside the bag are of much less importance as they will not feature within the film, our aim is to just show that he has got enough items in there to actually be feasible to suggest he is going to leave. Items that will probably be included are:

• Books
• Food
• Extra Clothes
• Toiletries

Sourcing these items wont be an issue as they're common household items. All in all, I think costume work for Seb will be really simple, but also very effective if we pull it off right.

Costume: Joshua Carter-Mills

I really want to show a visual contrast between Josh and Seb, showing him to be an average working young adult compared to an introverted and complicated academic. This would be shown through his attitude and uniform; we envisioned Josh in simple everyday workers clothes such as an old jumper, a high visibility vest, jeans etc.

Josh's main form of expression would come through his work, a very pure and simple routine of manual labour.

His age would also play a factor, with a hand-to-mouth mentality; a direct link between what he earns in a day and what he spends at night.

This, I imagined, was the exact kind of social environment Josh excells in, and the one in which he's formed most of his strongest freindships. He loves the 'laddish' work life. 

Hi-Vis vests are easy to source, and come in various colours on the amazon shop.

The majority of these costumes will not be difficult to obtain, however this may become an issue when the prices start to stack up. We should be able to find most of these items in our wardrobes however and I am not too worried on sourcing them.

Props: Joshua Carter-Mills

Typically, in this line of work, the majority of workers tend to smoke and as a result we will probably try to adapt this into his character.

Conclusion

The costumes are one of the areas that we have decided to conform to conventions of social realism. The outfits are very simple, however the thought behind them are somewhat more complex. We thought that a stark contrast between the costumes will resemble the differences between their personalities.