If you … You might … Consider:

Keep every piece of clothing you've ever owned Be clinging to the Adopting the
past through the Golden
sentimental Wardrobe
value of your Ratio: Get rid
pieces of 2 out of 3
items you own,
including
anything too
big/small,
ripped/torn or
outdated.

Wear only neutrals, largely devoid of accessories Be stuck in a Deviating from

psychological your routine in
rut, too small ways (a
comfortable to different route
shake it up, or to work, a few
too afraid to new spring
draw attention to accessories--
yourself. like these
inexpensive
ways to
incorporate
trendy polka
dots--to jog
your brain into
feeling excited

Dress in clothing too large for your body See your body Bringing an
differently than honest friend
others see it, or shopping to
as a reflection of find out what
the way it once looks great on
was. you, ignoring
sizes and
getting used to
wearing clothes
that really fit.

Have been told you're dressed inappropriately or too Consider the Consider the
sexily same outfit image you
appropriate for want to project
every occasion in given
(i.e. clubbing and situations (at
family barbecue), work, on the
or be looking for town) and
the wrong kind of choose outfits
attention. based on cues
from those
around you

Dress too young (or too old) for your age Be trying to Gearing your
express the age outfits toward
you feel you are, your goals (like
but getting getting a
caught between promotion,
 If you … You might … Consider:

your actual and meeting a

internal age significant
other, traveling
the world),
rather than a
specific age.

Are always in work clothes Value yourself Recognizing

primarily your talents
through your outside of work
work and work- (great artist,
related compassionate,
accomplishments fun to bring to
parties, etc.)

Covered in designer logos Think you need Practice

to broadcast wearing "blank
wealth in order canvas" pieces
to be treated well and only
by others accenting with
logos to
emphasize that
people value
you for more
than your
labels

Live in your "mom outfit" of jeans and a hoodie Put the needs of Take more "me
your family time."
before your own Remember:
When mom
isn't happy,
nobody is.

Visual Effect
Beyond setting and character, costumes and makeup play an important role in
visibility and aesthetic. Makeup is necessary for ensuring that the features of an
actor's face are easy to see and don't get “washed out” by the bright stage lights.
Costumes perform a similar function, since a skilled costume designer will avoid
colors and designs that are too pale or intricate to be distinguished by the
audience.

Character
Good costumes and makeup will give the audience key information about a
character at first sight. For example, if a character is in a depressive state, the
costuming and makeup may reflect this in the form of unkempt, dirty and wrinkled
clothing, a five-o-clock beard shadow, and mussed hair. This enhances the
storytelling and realism of the play.

Setting
Costumes are a chief indicator of the time and place of a play, whether the actors
are wearing Renaissance period garb or styles of the 1960s. Makeup and
hairstyles should also be coordinated to match the setting of the play, though some
concession is made in makeup styles for the sake of avoiding wash-out.

Style
The director and costume designer will often work together in creating a visual
aesthetic for a show that goes beyond the practical concerns. For example, if a
director wishes to dress up a Victorian era play with some steampunk aesthetic
elements, the costumer should work with this aesthetic and add clockwork and
metallic ornaments to the actors' garb. This type of planning not only enhances the
vision for the drama and storytelling, it helps create a theatrical experience that is
richly enjoyable from a visual standpoint as well as a dramatic one.

Actors
Costumes and makeup serve an important purpose for actors, too. Though the
primary work that actors do in creating their characters is done during the weeks of
rehearsal and individual practice leading up to a show, seeing themselves
transformed visually into a character is often a powerful source of inspiration.

For example, a teen who dresses outrageously or a man who

looks like a slob in dirty clothes and unshaven face — there are
reasons for that. Outrageousness can signal rebellion, a desire to
stand out, a need to annoy everyone. Slobbish appearance can
signal depression, poverty, or a genuine don’t-care slob! What
the outside is saying is up to you. But it will very often be saying
something useful.
Makeup & Costumes in Movie Production

How to Create a Costume for a Villain

Makeup and costumes are part of the "mise en scene," or the aspects of movies that form
the composition of the shot. Other elements of mise en scene include the set design, the
lighting, the position of the camera and the movement of the actors. Makeup and costumes
are an extremely important aspect of that because they help establish the film's overall
look, which in term contributes to the mood and tone the filmmakers hope to establish.

Makeup
Makeup is broadly defined as anything applied to the actor's face or skin to achieve
a certain look. All actors wear makeup in front of the camera, though it is often very
subtle and designed simply to help them look their best. Some types of makeup are
used to convey specific features about the character (for example, the prosthetic
nose worn by Nicole Kidman when she played Virginia Woolf in the movie "The
Hours"). In its most extreme form, makeup can be used to convey traumatic
wounds or even transform an actor into an alien or inhuman creature.

Costumes
Costumes are similarly defined as outfits worn by the actors while they are in
character. They can include jewelry and props such as belts or knapsacks in
addition to proper clothing. In strictest terms, costumes help convey a sense of
character--what this person might wear in day-to-day life--and actors often help
pick out costumes that they feel best reflect that character. Costume designers
must not only find the right costumes, but they also must often age or alter them to
fit into a certain scene. For example, costume designer Deborah Nadoolman
artificially aged a new leather jacket for Harrison Ford to wear in "Raiders of the
Lost Ark." Nadoolman used wire brushes and a pen knife to convey the sense that
he had been wearing the jacket for years.

Considerations

Both makeup artists and costume designers have major jobs. Not only must they
apply their skills to the principal performers, but they must also dress and apply
makeup to any extras who appear in the background. This can be a large job--
consider, for example, the makeup and costumes used for the monsters in "The
Lord of the Rings." They often appear as nothing more than background imagery,
never even coming into focus, and yet dozens or even hundreds of them had to be
dressed and made up to fit the period and overall tone of the film. Otherwise,
embarrassing gaffes may occur. (One ancient epic from the 1960s features a
lamentable mistake: an extra playing a Roman legionnaire can be seen sporting a
wristwatch.)

Collaboration
Makeup artists and costume designers must often work in tangent with other
members of the production team. Their knowledge of color and composition comes
into play as the actors move through the set: interacting with the lighting, the set
design and the other actors to produce a compositional effect. If the actor's
costume or makeup doesn't blend in well with the surrounding details, the scene
will look awkward or badly composed. Conversely, makeup or costumes that fit in
well with the lighting and compositional style will contribute to an excellent look.
Consider, for example, the pale makeup and black outfit worn by actor Kate
Beckinsale in the "Underworld" films. Not only do they contribute to her character
(she plays a vampire), but they also allow her face to stand out from the gloomy
surrounding material, drawing the audience's eye to it during a scene.

Effects
Besides contributing to the pure look of the piece, makeup and costumes can add
thematic contributions--sometimes very subtle--which can help convey the film's
overall vision. Semantic signs convey details about the character (a slob in a dirty
shirt, for example), establish the plausibility of a fantastic universe (such as aliens
in outer space) or provide thematic undercurrents that enhance and accentuate the
drama. Consider, for instance, the costumes and makeup used in Bram Stoker's
"Dracula." They were designed to convey the idea of different animals, signaling
Count Dracula's control over creatures such as bats and wolves.

Every garment worn in a movie is considered a costume. Costumes are a

storytelling tool, communicating subtle details of each character’s personality
and history quickly and economically to the audience. They help actors leave
their own personalities behind and become new and believable people on
screen. Although people often confuse costume design with fashion design,
the two are very different. Fashion designers sell clothes; costume designers
help characters come alive. Costume designers can make beautiful gowns and
extravagant clothes when the script requires a glamorous entrance, but they
also must design everyday clothes when those are needed for a scene.
Costumes are created to be worn by one specific actor, as one specific
character, in one specific scene, according to costume designer Deborah
Nadoolman.
In In Her Shoes (2005), Maggie, played by Cameron Diaz, is a free-spirited
young woman and dresses in sexy, colourful prints, while her down-to-earth
and well-educated sister Rose (Toni Colette), wears business-like, solid-
coloured suits. Designer Sophie de Rakoff accentuates Maggie and Rose’s
contrasting personalities with subtle and specific choices of accessories.
Costume designer Sharen Davis’s costumes for the 1950s girl group in the
musical Dreamgirls (2006) reflect the course of the girls’ career from amateur
talent contests to worldwide fame. When they first start out, these young
singers wear simple, homemade dresses. With greater success, their costumes
become more sophisticated and glamorous.

Costumes are part of the visual composition of each frame of film. Just as the elements of a
painting work together to create a harmonious image, costumes must work with the lighting
and sets. Color, shape, line, and texture are all considered when designing costumes for a
movie. Color, one of the most important elements in the designer’s tool kit, suggests the
mood and atmosphere of a story. Warm reds produce a different effect from subdued blues,
for example.
A dismal, oppressive future world, such as the one depicted in the film Blade Runner (1982),
with costumes designed by Charles Knode and Michael Kaplan, used cool, dark shades to
evoke a bleak mood. Costume designer Nancy Steiner used different colors to subtly
indicate the personality of each member of the dysfunctional family in Little Miss Sunshine
(2006). While the costumes’ colors may go unnoticed by the audience, they subconsciously
affect viewers’ perceptions of the characters.
perceptions of the characters. Costumes are also used to focus attention on the major
actors and the important action in a scene. Jeffrey Kurland, costume designer for Erin
Brockovich (2000), dressed the secondary characters in colors that would not detract
attention from star Julia Roberts. The sandy earth tones of their costumes echoed the film’s
desert setting and provided a neutral background against which Roberts’s bright and
provocative outfits stood out.
Costumes can change the shape of an actor’s body to reflect the period and the personality
of the character. Revealing, close-fitting clothes look sexy, while clothes that hide the body
could make a character seem conservative or shy. Soft silhouettes lend characters a
vulnerable or compliant quality, while stiff, tailored clothing conveys authority. Iconic
characters like Charlie Chaplin’s Little Tramp can be recognized just by their silhouettes.
Pads may supply a very slim actress with a few extra pounds or a pregnancy, or give a well-
built actor the appearance of narrow, stooped shoulders. Pads, girdles, and other garments
can even make an actor appear to be a different gender, the way they transform Gwyneth
Paltrow at one point in Shakespeare in Love (1998), or Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire
(1993).
Designers often work from the inside out when creating a character. Period underwear from
the 19th century or the early 1950s may never be seen by the audience, but the way it
affects actors’ movements also affects both their silhouettes and their performances. An
actress wearing a corset or a girdle, for example, stands more erectly and moves with much
more difficulty than if she were wearing lightweight modern underwear. Each historical
setting demands different garment shapes—from the soft drapery of Roman togas, to the
rigid hoopskirts and bustles of the Victorian era, to the miniskirts of the 1960s.
Shoes also affect the posture and gait of an actor. The bowlegged stroll of a cowboy in
boots, the bounce of a high school student in sneakers, and the strut of a fashion model in
high heels speak volumes about each person. Often, costumes help actors discover their
character. In the 2006 film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, costume designer
Penny Rose presented actor Stellan Skarsgärd with a pair of shoes that were one size too
large. Rather than discard the shoes, Skarsgärd invented a distinctive walk for his character,
sailor “Bootstrap Bill.”