Costumes and Props

Costumes and Props

In different genres of films, the costumes differ depending on what the film will be based on. For example, the genres of western and comedy both have different types of costume. The two films in which I will compare are 'Once Upon A Time in the West' 

  In a typical western film, a costume includes a hat, a waistcoat or a shirt, a bandana, ponchos/ long coats.
These pictures show scenes from the western film 'Once Upon A Time in the West'. From this, we can see that a typical cowboy from a western movie wears clothing that isn't necessarily new. Their clothing looks old fashioned and rough, which could represent the places that they are in and where the film is based.
It could also represent the events that they supposedly go through each day; shooting scenes etc. Being set in the 19th century and in the dusty/deserted areas, very worn, old clothing is expected and is stereotypical of the genre.
They typically have a horse and guns as their props, as this is usually related to violence, which occurs often in the genre of western.

Alternatively, in the genre of comedy, a different type of costume is worn. In the majority of comedy films, simple, casual clothing is used. I think that this could be done so that it represents everyday life; the audience may be able to see themselves in the characters. For example, in the film 'Dumb and Dumber', the characters wear normal clothing, which isn't necessarily new, but is not dirty. Sometimes, comedy films include costumes which look funny on the character, and this will make the audience laugh. 



Post Apocalyptic films

In a post apocalyptic film, in my opinion, rough, torn clothing is used in the films. The use of worn t -shirts, big coats,   This represents the disastrous conditions in which the characters had been in, and shows that they don't have a lot of belongings. In the film 'The Road', the clothing looks dirty and old; this portrays that supplies are very scarce, and therefore they have to make do with the old things.  

As we can see in this photograph, the characters' clothing is unwashed, which shows that they have been living like this for a while. It could represent that something bad as happened to the world, therefore they are having to sleep in different places whilst they travel in search for supplies. Although props are quite scarce, the two characters have a shopping trolley in their possession as a prop. This could represent that their whole life is in a trolley, as they have no other belongings.

Additionally, in the film 'The Book of Eli', clothing tends to also be dirty, worn and old. This film is based upon a post apocalyptic world after a nuclear war had occurred. This means that things we would take for granted aren't available, and means the supplies are very scarce. The main prop used in the film is the Bible which the main character Eli has. This book is what the film is based around and many characters desperately want this book.  Another iconic use of prop within this film are guns and weapons. In order to survive in the world within 'The Book of Eli', you need to be prepared to kill and fight. This represents that life is hard for the characters and that if you want something, someones life has to be sacrificed. In the photo above, we can see that the main character is wearing protective clothing; this could have been used to represent the danger that the characters are under. The glasses that Eli wears in the film are used as he is blind; these might be used to portray that even though Eli cannot see, he is still able, strong and is able to accomplish himself to safety.


Costumes & Props for our Post Apocalyptic opening scene: 

• Torn clothing to represent the conditions in which the characters are in.
• Props could include some sort of weapon