Costume!

At the beginning of our development process, I was wildly enthusiastic by the prospect of costume. I've always loved analysing colour connotations / how the colours convey characteristics and traits. So I was excited to construct a colour palette. 

I began by looking at our two female girls who are savagely murdered / hunted in the depths of
the woods searching for an escape. I wanted to portray a niche, aesthetically pleasing colour palette that also communicated status / gender roles / characteristics. I looked at pastel / light pinks. As the colour pink connotes to femininity, mixed with white that connotes to innocence, when the two are blended they construct a deeper meaning. 

I went away and devised a mood board for the costume I had in mind. It elaborates on colour / materials (fabrics). I endeavoured in an exploration of 1960's fashion, pearls and pink vintage couture dresses we're a statement for most women. The floral pattern also ensured a clear display of nature, referring to the location of the characters. 

After further development and discussion with Luke, our costume concept altered completely. Our colour palette reverted to orange, as we established a more modern-day piece that communicated themes of imprisonment / capture. 

We wanted a bold and striking colour, that implemented the desired themes of our sequence. We concluded both girls would be wearing orange jumpsuits, the benefits would be a sufficient deduction in price / easier to ruin in the woods. However, it made our group have to reconsider the atmosphere we were attempting to create. 

I then devised another colour palette, that was less of a mood board. The vibrancy communicates the striking / bold concept of murder and hunting humans. The over-saturation communicates a 'thrilling' ambience, that conveys the subject matter and supports our sequence. 

I then began looking at the hunters / their attire. From the beginning, our concept for male costuming never altered as we think it's perfect for the sequence. We wanted the hunters draped in tweed, wearing flat caps / wellington boots / khaki trousers. This stereotypical hunting attire, communicates the desired themes of status and class juxtaposed to the inexpensive orange, as it was renowned to be a cheap dye in 19th century.

I then devised another colour palette that conveyed themes of nature / status. It also enthused members of the group with inspiration and the correct knowledge of what to purchase. 

I enjoyed the process of evaluating colours / their connotations throughout the development process and am excited the project is soon to commence. This is where we began asking questions, such as; how many do we need, how are we going to acquire them, back-up plans, costs (etc). Therefore, we began planning and ensuring we could acquire all correct costume. 

We learnt that we needed two jumpsuits / two jackets, trousers, flat caps and wellington boots. I was in charge of ordering the jumpsuits, which I acquired on 'Amazon Prime'. We knew this would ensure a speedy deliver, affordable clothing and of a decent quality. 

For our back-up idea, we decided to order a spare pair for both actresses incase of emergency or crucial damage (i.e. holes / noticeable tears for continuity purposes). 

The overall cost came to £68, which we were surprised by. However, back-up clearly has a price. 

In conclusion, here's why we decided on male / female costumes. We decided on the jumpsuits, as the poignant vibrancy and oversaturated colours exaggerate the sense of women overpowering men. As the hunters colour palette maintains neutral and murky. The women aren't wearing a stereotypically female colour, to show their subversion to the stereotype within the sequence. The whole concept communicates power struggles in modern-day society / gender roles and stereotypes that need to be overcome. The cheapness of the colour orange / the material of the costume helps convey class and status to the audience & juxtaposes the hunters costume entirely to create a further impactful sequence. We decided on the hunting attire for the men, as it communicates this sense of power and expense. The colour is muted and muddy, to connote to their overall attitude as human-beings. We also wanted a colour that would completely juxtapose / contrast with khaki, hence why we chose orange.