The example of good costume design in a film i will be using is Captain Americas ‘nomad’ costume in Avengers: Infinity war.
This is a good costume due to the contrast it has to his regular outfit.
As seen below, the later costume is worn, weathered and aged, all whilst missing the signature star that is usually sported on the front of his chest. This change of costume is significant as it is symbolic to Captain America’s character development, as he goes from being loved by the american people and government, to being wanted and having to be in hiding from the government on the run hence the name being the ‘Nomad’ outfit, this is shown in his costume by the lack of the regular patriotic look, red white and blue gone, missing star and shield being replaced etc. This symbolism in the costume is what makes this a good costume design.
Additionally, him gaining long hair and a beard add to the idea that he has been on the run and not settled or maintained.
A good costume from a movie I remember is Darth Vader from Star Wars, directed by George Lucas. The black gas mask creates an intimidating impression with the audience due to the black design showing the audience his evil nature and it as well giving him a robotic and larger than life impression on the audience.
As well the unique design that looks nothing like any of the other costumes in Star Wars help to elevate his significance in the story to those watching. As well a eluding to his powers with the force.
Lastly the costume helps to signify his part in the empire by its pristine look. Since everything associated with the empire in star wars is well designed and clean. His suit having that quality as well as its similarity to a storm trooper suit helps to associate him with them.
Lastly since most of the backgrounds hes in are either grey or white, it has a nice contrast off them
I think that the lighting used in The Conjuring (dir. James Wan, 2013) is very effective and well thought out. This is because, in scenes like this one, there is only one main light source, which increases the amount of darkness that the scene contains. The audience will find that this helps them to see things from the main character’s point of view, and it could make them scared of what could be hiding in the shadows. Using little lighting works well in horror films like The Conjuring, as it creates a tense atmosphere, and adds lots of suspense for the viewers.
I have decided to choose this costume design from Marie Antoinette (2006 ) (dir Sofia Coppola) example because the dresses are aesthetically pleasing and the colors are bright and have pastel tones and this creates a happy and upbeat tone. Furthermore, costumes are very important to this movie because it is about someone who was famous for the clothes that she wore.
I think ‘Lights Out’ (by David Sandberg, 2016)is the best example of lighting techniques demonstrated in film. The movie plot is based around lighting and darkness, which leads to many dark scenes only using limited light but in very effective ways as displayed below. I think the movie is effective as centralizing the significance of light because it manages to use shadows and mainly low-key lighting to create an eerie atmosphere.
I think that Bilbo Baggins’ costumes from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (dir. Peter Jackson, 2012) are incredible, as they are so detailed and clearly reflect Bilbo’s personality and the difficulties that he faces while travelling to face Smaug. For example, this shot shows the comfortable lifestyle that Bilbo is used to living. This contrasts to the clothes he’s wearing at the end of the movie, which are dirty and torn. As the movie goes on his costume become more ruined, it makes it seem more genuine for the audience, as it shows how he has been travelling on the road the entire time, without chance to stop and properly get cleaned.
I chose the Cinderella (By Kenneth Branagh, 2015) dress for my example but although it is simple, it is elegant and reflects the simple beauty of Cinderella which Branagh is trying to get across. It also uses soft and pastel colors which pictures innocence yet beauty
This scene from the Godfather(dir Francis Ford Coppola , 1972) is famous because the low key light immerses the characters in darkness and this suits the world of the film , in fact , this film earned the cinematographer , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Willis the nickname the ‘Prince Of Darkness’ due to his work on the film . I believe that the lighting in this film helped to make it as distinctive as it is.
My favourite films are usually within the genres of horror, sci-fi and action. Romance, drama and musicals never really interested me as the plots are usually boring or too predictable to get stuck into. However, a movie in the genre of all three really surprised me to be rather enjoyable and that was “The Greatest Showman”. Although a lot of action and stunts were involved in the movie, which i found really impressive, the plot was also very creative and managed to really draw in an audience. Despite being based around the musical theatre production of Barnum, there was a lot of originality included with the characters and i found this movie highly enjoyable and entertaining. I also think the soundtrack for this movie is one of the best by far.
My favourite performance in the movie was “Rewrite the Stars” performed by actors Zac Efron and Zendaya, as the song was not only catchy but the trapeze art was amazing and the way they both worked together in this scwas absolutely stunning. Many impressive moves were shown specifically by Zendaya and the fact she learned trapeze art specifically for the film made the scene even more impressive and it really makes you appreciate the amount of work and passion that goes into a movie.
I have chosen the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars (dir. George Lucas, 1977) as an example of a well designed set. This is because lots of detail has been put into this, and lots of time must have been spent creating the individual switches and buttons. Also, the slightly dirty look of the set helps to immersive the viewer into the movie, as it makes it look more realistic and used. Part of what makes this cockpit look so good is the fact that it was all built and used in the movies, rather than only building half the set and having the rest added in during post production.
