Costume

FEMALE RUNNER:

      

- Black Running Leggings

The running leggings should be basic, but not boring or disinteresting. This can be done by using skin tight leggings rather than loose running tracksuit bottoms or shorts. If we were to use loose fitting running shorts our main running girl would seem more masculine and less attractive, this would play against the stereotype we are aiming to put across.

However if we were to use tight running shorts to dress our female runner in it would play to far to the stereotype and would add a sexual aspect to the character, we do not wish to objectify the young woman as that would detract from the professionalism and credibility of our opening sequence. Also the practicality of the clothing would be ineffective as we will be filming in the midst of winter, the temperature will be very cold which may affect the acting ability of our actress, so we need to make her as warm as possible without making her look like an eskimo. 

White leggings would also work well with the innocent and vulnerable colour connotations of the girl.

- White running top

We would not want to use a top with any form of advertising or noticable decoration to dress our runner in as this would distract from the actress, her facial expression and/or other actions that are significant to the piece.

For the same reason we wouldn't use tight running shorts to dress our actress in we also wouldn't dress her in a short, sleeveless, cropped running top. It would be objectifying and sexualising, and would be uncomfortable sue to the cold of winter. 

Our ideal costume would be a plain white t-shirt-like running top, or a long-sleeved running top, this would be white to amplify the purity and innocence of the running girl, whilst maintaining an interesting dynamic and also making our subject attractive. I have access to this style of top already so we would not need to purchase an additional one, however if the other members of my group or the actress doesn't have another one then we may need to buy one from amazon.co.uk or SportsDirect.com for a small amount of money as a back up.

- Black/White running shoes

If we were to use black running shoes they would need to have elements of white in them otherwise they would look clumsy and clunky, this would draw attention away from our actress once again.

White trainers would be ideal for our actress as again they put across the idea that the girl is pure and innocent, also they are basic, (providing there is little extra colour or pattern or colour on them) which would mean that they wouldn't distract from the character and her movements, actions etc.

An example of a trainer that would be distracting due to the extra colour.

A fully coloured trainer would be unusable in our opening sequence as they would severely distract from the actress, also the colour connotations of for example pink would suggest an extreme element of femininity but in a childlike state. We need a white or black shoe to maintain the professional look of our piece.

MALE RUNNER: 

- Black Running Top

Our male runner would wear a long sleeved running top, however it couldn't be any running top, it couldn't be a skin tight lycra running top as the character would appear to be very keen about running, and wouldn't necessarily look like a potential killer. Also the top couldn't be white as that gives connotations of good rather than evil. We want our male runner to look like a bad guy so that the viewer expects him to kill, or at least harm the running girl in some way.

A vest wouldn't be ideal as the costume for the male runner as again we are using a 40 year old man as our actor..I'm not sure it would suit his age, a vest is more of a youth attire so therefore it would look out of place, and the cold temperature would affect the actor more.

A coloured top would  be inappropriate for the character as he is meant to look dark and sinister, and for example if the top was blue the connotations would suggest that the character was  innocent and boyish which heavily contradicts the actor we are using.

If we were to go with a running jacket, hoody or jumper it would have to be black, baggy, sporty and without advertisement or a bold company logo/emblem. A hooded jacket would work nicely as a hood makes the character seem suspicious and sinister as we can't fully see him, he is shaded by the hood. Or we could use a ring necked jumper, again black. This would be almost as effective as the hoody if we combined it with a black beanie hat. This would be a likely route for us to pursue as I am in possession of a totally black ring neck jumper and a black beanie.

The ideal costume for the character would be a black turtlenecked tracksuit as it would look like the character is a consistent runner, and the style of the top would make him look dark and sinister at the same time.

                                

- Black Running Shorts

The running shorts would be loose fitting as it is masculine and also it would suit the age of the actor/character in our opening sequence. To the left is a good example of what we wouldn't use as they are too tight fitting and would look very unnatural and feminine.

Tracksuits could work work very well as they would make the character look a little bit more masculine and also marginally more threatening. However unlike the picture to the left the tracksuits wouldn't have any logos or patterns on them which could distract from the character.

Another style of bottoms that we wouldn't be able to use would be the old school style of running shorts as it would be too comical and again wouldn't suit the actor..I don't think Adam has the legs to pull them off.

The bottoms I intend to use for the male runner's costume would work best as loose fitting black  running shirts as they are basic dark, easy to access (and cheap) yet would look good and professional

-  Black Running Shoes                      

We wouldn't use the weird extremely keen running shoes for the male runner as again this would make him look like more of your average everyday fitness Guru rather than a stereotypical killer.

In this case all black shoes would look good as they are deliberately clunky and resemble boots or heavy footwear, they would work as a nice substitute. These would be the ideal footwear.

If the shoes were to have a band of white along the bottom then they would also look good, as the have all the connotations of black yet look very professional at the same time. However they slightly lean towards the keen runner side. They would still be usable and I have a pair that we could use. These are expensive shoes and it would be difficult to acquire a substitute though.

The runner would not be able to wear high tops as these would stick out very clearly and are the type of footwear that you would associate with a youth rather than a middle aged serial killer. 

The colours of the shoe are also important in the same way as for the female runner, bright pink or green shoes would severely detract from the professionalism of the opening sequence.

Male Detective:

- Suit

The suits to the left would be very inappropriate for the costume for the male detective in our Thriller as the bright, fluorescent colours would heavily contrast the dark mood that links in with murder and mystery,again a comical aspect would be added which would degrade the professionalism.



A white suit would look odd, almost like an 80's disco vibe which just wouldn't suit the role. Also being in a forrest the trousers may get damaged due to the most likely event of rain.




The ideal suit to dress the detective in, despite only being in the opening sequence for the last shot would be a plain black suit like the one to the right as it looks professional and also would resemble what an undercover police officer would most likely wear.