Portfolio Project: Costumes

Costumes play a very important role in filmmaking as they diversify the screen, defining characters, setting, time-periods, and overall style of a film. Costumes can define a characters identity, social status, and personality, allowing audiences to have a better understanding of the storyline and mood of the film. 

In our filming opening, my partner and I decided to use costumes as symbolism for our characters. For Janus, our antagonist, we plan on dressing him in dark clothing, using predominantly black and red color palates to symbolize his sinister intent and constant web of lies. The audience will immediately understand that he is a threat to the other characters and should be feared. Dark colors like black and red are often used in filmmaking for antagonists, and overall villains. This is seen in iconic characters such as Cruella deville, Freddy Krueger, and Harley Quinn. 

For our protagonist, Verena, we want to use a mix of blue accents in her costume, with accessories such as bows or jewelry. Blue often symbolizes the truth which is symbolic to Verena as a character, as the film outlines her search for the truth. This can be seen in characters like Alice from Alice in Wonderland who is known for her curiosity, Cinderella, who is known for her kindness and sincerity, and Elsa from Frozen who is seen to be a good and truthful queen to her kingdom.  

Overall, our costume choices, specifically in relation to its color, will aid my partner and I in developing our characters surrounding the themes and plot of the film. We hope it will also help the audiences to see through the characters, instead of just focusing on their actions. This will make the overall mood and tone of the film more meaningful and engaging.