Final Costume Choices

There have been changes to the ideas suggested in the original concept phase for the costumes of the characters, Rhys, Lucy and Kathy. Both Kathy and Lucy do not wear necklaces in the actual short film as the risk of them catching on the rope would have been high and it would break health and safety guidelines. The style of clothing has also been changed. Previously both Lucy and Rhys were wearing formal clothing, but in order to create more impact it was decided that they should wear more casual items as it would help the audience relate but also add to the horror aspect of the piece because the danger they are in could faced by anyone. It also strengthens the bond between the audience and the social genre that the short film “two” is also classified under. The social genre explores humanity and its boundaries and by wearing casual, widely found clothes it represents the fact that the difficulty in making decisions can affect society as a whole. These changes were all implemented in order to produce a successful film that the audience can relate to easily and flows consistently. It was also implemented in order for the comfort and safety of the actors involved. Cost of replicating the outfitted planned also played a small part in the development of the costumes.

The costume worn by Kathy Miller (played by Saskia Brett) consists of a dark blue and green dress. The colours used in the costume are consistent with the original idea put forward. It represents an inversion of the traits traditionally associated with these colours. Kathy is not a trust worthy character or reliable as these tones represent. The fact that the dress consists of muted colours conveys the difficulty that Kathy faces in feeling emotion. The consistent use of a dress symbolizes her femininity and allows for a variety of audiences to interact with her. The wearing of her hair down emphasises this point of her appearance.  The style of the dress can signify to the audience the privileged background that Kathy comes from. The cut of the dress highlights the fact that though Kathy cares about her appearance, the femininity and the attention often derived from fitted dresses are not important to her. The dark tone of this dress represents the danger they are in and the horror genre of the piece. It also conveys the cold and empty nature of the room. Kathy’s hair is another factor that conveys femininity. The curls in her hair and the colour help to make her more flamboyant and approachable than someone with straight hair. It is another feature used to represent her rebellious nature.

Kathy’s boots are used in order to detail that her individuality is important to her. The colour of the boots remained brown in order to contrast the colours of her costume with her personality; a theme that is continued with her contrast to the traditional female stereotype. The style of the boot focuses her youth in the audiences mind and makes her an easier character to form a connection with, as her lack of emotions may otherwise hinder the process. The style of the shoe shows that Kathy rates comfort higher than aesthetics, contrasting with both Lucy and Rhys in this factor. It reinforces the fact that Kathy does not hold a profession that requires formal dress. Her individuality is a key feature to this outfit. By wearing these two items together is shows Kathy as a blend of stereotypes.

Lucy Morgan as portrayed by Emily Smith has the most significant change of costume of any of the characters. Originally her costume was going to portray the professional aspect of her personality but after careful consideration I decided to change her costume into a more casual style. After reviewing other films and discussing the idea with my peers, I felt a developed costume would make her more human and approachable and that casual clothes would do this. Her demeanour and language would still portray her as a professional but her clothing would strength the human aspect of her personality and the audience would be able to relate to her as a mother, friend and partner instead of just a worker.

 The long sleeve top, Lucy wears signifies her modesty and maturity compared to Kathy whose style of clothing represents her youth. The colour white was carried across from the original concept of costume. It represents her cleanliness and the fact she takes large amounts of pride in her appearance. Other connotations that are attached to the colour white are the belief of perfection, a trait that would be important to Lucy for her to get as far professionally as she has. The blue stripes that are found horizontally on the t-shirt are portraying her confidence and approachability. These are two factors that are normally found in Lucy’s personality, but are missing in the crisis when panic takes over. The blue also represents the same mystery and unknown that the colour purple represented in the first idea. The style of top that Lucy wears is a symbol of youth but also of the emotional development that Lucy has. Much like with the inversion of messages in Kathy’s profile, the colours and style are used to represent the equilibrium of the characters and how they would normally react.

The jeans that Lucy wears are also symbolic of this fact. Instead of wearing a skirt as previously stated, trousers were chosen in order to protect Emily from the cool conditions of the location but also as a strong contrast between the two women (Kathy and Lucy). Lucy’s hair is straight for this piece in order to convey the professional tone of her work and personality. It also represents her femininity that is not often portrayed as openly in her costume.

The final character is Rhys Miller, played by Baz Cloud, who like the character of Lucy has had his costume edited dramatically from the first idea. I felt it would add more emotion to the piece for them to be dressed in casual clothes which allows the audience to relate to them more easily.  One feature that was kept from my first plan for Rhys is the colour of his shirt. Rhys is wearing a white v-necked t-shirt. The style of the t-shirt represents his youth and is one of the personal touches in his costume. The choice of white as the colour was because it represents the flawlessness nature of Rhys’ personality. It also is interpreted as a key to the profession he holds and the importance of always looking fresh and presentable. The style of shirt is also common and could be described as being a feature of a stereotypical males outfit. This helps Rhys blend into his surroundings as he is not recognisable, a feature that was essential in the first concept.  Rhys’ hairstyle is also important. It is one of the only features that show a part of his individuality. It also has the ability to be restyled into a professional appearance, which would be crucial in Rhys compartmentalised life. The trousers that Rhys wears are also an example of the view of normality and equilibrium that exists within the characters live before they were captured.