RESEARCH: MISE EN SCENE: COSTUME, HAIR AND MAKE UP- MRS. QUINLAN

What are costume, hair and make-up? Why are they important?

Costume, hair and make-up help to characterise the person and express their intensions and feelings to the viewer. They are part of Mise En Scene. The characters in films will have varied costumes, hair and make up to show they have different purpose and propose different morals/ideas. For example the characterisation of the protagonist will be different to an antagonist to suggest they have opposite nature and follow different paths. It also helps the audience to recognise each character and therefore respond to them in different ways. These are important because the audience needs to know who are the characters so they can support the right one and put their faith into the protagonist. Moreover, costume, hair and make-up will vary within different sub-genres. For example costume in a crime thriller tends to be formal suits whereas in a medical thriller the costume is often white hospital outwears. This is because costume, hair and make up shape the character and characters tend to shape the genre.

Costume, hair and make-up in the thriller genre:

 

Taken: the character in this picture is an antihero which is presented by his costume. The black leather jacket has connotations of professionalism and wealth because of the shiny texture of the material and the ‘sleek’ look it has. In addition a black coat has connotations of bad intensions as black is also a colour of authority and power making the character look dominant and stylish which gives them even more self-assurance and confidence. The character has dark jeans with some light highlights. This outfit is made of very heavy textures which can imply that the characters nature is strong and determined. The character has no make-up and his hair is quite neat which is conventional to the thriller genre and male representations in thrillers; it also shows his masculine nature. Therefore the audience can assume that although he is an antihero he is not a villain and he will fight for justice.

Shutter Island: the character from this still frame is a protagonist which can be assumed from his costume, hair and make-up. The mossy gold colour of his blazer connotes to warmth and therefore shows he is a welcoming and approachable character which is expected of a protagonist. In addition he is wearing a white collar shirt with a tie which shows he is educated and professional. White suggests purity and good will which is another way for the viewer to infer his intensions. A suit is a conventional costume of a protagonist because it shows the audience they are intelligent and worth their trust because typically a person looks much more effective in a suit.  The character has his hair neatly laid down which creates a sense of superiority to his persona. It also suggest that he is professional and takes care of himself; therefore the audience assumes he can be trusted and they put their faith into him.

 

Scream: the character from this shot is a victim which can be assumed from the costume, hair and make-up arrangements. The female character is wearing a white thick jumper. The audience can assume that the female is comfortable and warm which can make the audience feel secure too. The white colour connotes to being pure and holy which shows that the female character is vulnerable and can be easily hurt by someone. The jumper creates a sense of protection for the character but the spectator can assume that she is too fragile and defenceless and can be exposed to danger easily. Furthermore the victim has blonde hair which is a conventional look for a victim as it makes her look much more fragile and childlike and the audience has less hope in her survival because of the idea of ‘survival of the fittest’ and the female representations in media.

Black Swan: the audience can assume that the female from the still image is an antagonist. This is conveyed by the use of her costume, hair and make-up. The character is wearing a black dress. Black has connotations of death and evil which are conventional traits of an antagonist as they meant to create fear amongst the characters and the audience. However the dress itself is not a conventional costume for an antagonist as it is feminine and tends to portray the character as the subordinate one. This is because of gender stereotypes. However this female character can still create fear and discomfort for others because she looks threatening. In addition the character has heavy make-up around her eyes. The black eye shadows can demonstrate her evil nature. In addition the black crown on her head suggests that she is thirsty for power and authority; because of the black colour the audience can infer that her supremacy will be used for bad causes.

Scream:  from this still frame the viewer can guess that the character is an antagonist. This is portrayed by the characterisation of costume, hair and make-up. The character wears a black cloak which connotes mystery and evilness because the cloak is loose and doesn't show any definitions of the characters body. At the same time, it proposes evil because black is a dark colour with connotations of death and misery. The mask itself has black and white on it which are very common colours and do not give away much about the character's personality which shows that they try to stay hidden. This is a conventional representation of an antagonist as often they tend to stay hidden in order to avoid getting caught by the authorities.  

 

Further Analysis from my Chosen Thriller:

I decided to analyse Joker’s costume, hair and make-up. The character from this image is an antagonist which the audience can infer from his iconic self-image. The Joker is wearing an eggplant colour blazer with a scruffy shirt and a seaweed colour tie. The blazer is dark and dirty which connotes mystery and evil intensions. It can also imply that the character is feeling unhappy on the inside. In addition the rotten shirt and the tie looks like the character cannot hold himself well and isn’t a reliable person nor someone who the audience could put their faith to. This set of clothing very much reflects the psychopathic nature of the Joker. This is because as much as he tries to become a sophisticated and formal character his state juxtaposes that by the messy and dirty outfit. Also this set of costume shows that he tries to fit in, as a suit is a symbol of wealth and stability however his lack of effort and the untypical make up shows his disturbed mental state. The mouldy green hair compliments the unpleasant outfit of the character. The colour of his hair connotes to harmful toxins which shows how harmful this character could be. Lastly the make-up plays a part of the Jokers image and is like a mask which hides his identity although it is so symbolic of him. The red lipstick on the white background has strong connotations of blood which stains an innocent pale skin which could imply that the Joker has a good site to him. However it also show that his psychopathic nature is not afraid of hurting someone innocent just for self-pleasure. Moreover the black shadows on the eyes show that he has a pessimistic view on the world and has some sinful intensions towards others because black connotes evil.

Conclusion:

 In conclusion, the analysis of different costumes, hair and make-ups was beneficial because I now know what characters need to look like in order to make a conventional thriller opening. Looking at the differences between the outfits allowed me to distinguish specific generics which make a conventional victim, antagonist, antihero or a protagonist. This is an important aspect because in every thriller there are various characters who need to provoke different reactions from the audience. Therefore, I now know that my antagonist has to wear black or dark clothing to represent their evil intensions. I also know that my victim should be the binary opposite of the antagonist to show they are completely different and have opposite nature so the victim should wear light clothing with bright colours to represent their innocence and vulnerability. Lastly from this research I now know that I want my protagonist to wear something casual to show that he is an average person yet someone who will be heroic and fight for the right causes so the audience can sympathise him and put their faith in him. I also want my protagonist to have very little amount of make up to show that it is not important and that they are not trying to pretend to be someone else. In addition, I now know that my antagonist should have messy hair to show their disturbed personality.