Costumes

 

Costumes

Costume design is important because it is an essential part of the storytelling. It establishes the characters identity by building their appearance before speaking a word. In the horror genre, the visual interest is amplified to build the atmosphere of fear and suspense. By manipulating and changing what the actors wear the meaning changes. These choices are pivotal for storytelling in the horror genre especially because a contrast between good vs evil needs to be easily recognizable. In my film, this contrast is achieved by using everyday clothing for Bob and having killer be in dark clothing to make him more a threat. In general, the costumes will determine how audiences perceive the actors in my film. 

There are three main costume designs in this film. 

Bob- Bob is a normal teenage boy. He is the everyday man that I want the viewers to sympathize with and relate to. Younger audiences should be able to see themselves in him. To create this feeling I needed come up with a casual teenager attire. He will wear casual athletic shorts and shirt to match his archetype.

Killer- The killer is ultimately the most pivotal actor in this film. He needs to look menacing and threatening because he needs to build the horror genre. If he was wearing a light shirt the horror aesthetic would not be met. To do this I dressed him in mostly dark clothing. I used dark blue jeans and black long sleeved shirt and shoes. This will give him a cold exterior that fits a horror film. I wanted most of his body to be covered which is why I picked the long sleeve clothing. His face will still be uncovered because I want the audience to feel his cold expression as he interrogates her. 

Mom- The mom is the victim and emotional anchor in the film. I wanted her to feel vulnerable in her surroundings. It is a mystery what happened to her so I put her in casual clothing as if she was laying at home and got captured. This is shown in the clothes because I picked a black loungewear set that signifies comfort. The sandals are supposed to show a lack of preparation. She didn't know she was being taken and shoes like sneakers would allow her to run away better. This creates the vulnerable feeling that will encompass her in the scene.