Costume Research- Protagonist Costumes in film

Costume research- Protagonist costumes

Liv Tyler – The Strangers

Liv Tyler is the protagonist in the horror film ‘The Strangers’, which is where three antagonists intrude on a couple’s house.  However, how she is portrayed isn’t the stereotypical protagonist, which you would expect from a horror film. Stereotypically protagonist usually wear a piece of clothing which is white as it connotes to innocence and youthfulness, however she is wearing a checked shirt.

This could suggest she is not as innocent as you might think. This subverts to a stereotypical protagonist, however, in my opinion, this use of clothing makes the protagonist more realistic because if this happened in real life, protagonists aren’t always wearing white clothing. The jeans reinforces the realism of this character. The protagonist has also got brown hair, which allows the audience to see her facial features clearly. Having used an attractive woman for the protagonist, the male audience watching would feel sympathetic for her as they wouldn’t want anything to happen to her.

Drew Barrymore- Scream

Drew Barrymore played the protagonist in the hit film horror series ‘Scream’. This is a very stereotypical protagonist for a horror film, which is due to the use of mise en scene and her general appearance. The use of clothing (mise en scene) makes her seem innocent and youthful as the colour white connotes these. This therefore reinforces that she is the protagonist, and therefore making the audience feel sympathetic for her if anything bad happens to her. Having used such an everyday jumper makes the protagonist look as normal as any other person, therefore making the character

relatable and realistic The Protagonist also has blonde hair which stereotypically they are seen as less intelligent and innocent. This makes her seem as if she needs someone to save her all the time, which is usually the reason why horror films have blonde protagonists. This would furthermore make the audience feel sorry for her as she needs someone to look after her. Barrymore is also a very attractive women, which would attract the male audience, meaning an increase in popularity of the film. This is an effective technique to use as it would make more males watch the film but also would attract the females who love horrors. This means that using an attractive woman broadens the audience for the film.

Patrick Wilson- Insidious

This is Patrick Wilson who has been in numerous film, including ‘Insidious’. Having such a successful actor as the protagonist, provides a unique selling point for the film, as it would attract more audience due to the fans who like this actor. The protagonist in this film is obviously male, which subverts a stereotypical horror as usually a female is the protagonist. He is also wearing a baggy oversized top with blue denim jeans, which makes the character relatable as it is a realistic

outfit any person would wear. This tells me when we choose our outfit, we should try and make it as realistic as possible. The dark colours used, connotes badness, which suggests that the protagonist might have a dark side which is quite evil and you wouldn’t want to mess with. This implies that there could be some sort of plot twist within the film.

Children from Oculus

These protagonists are from the fairly new release horror film, ‘Oculus’, which attempts to go for a different approach by using children for the protagonists. This automatically suggests that the film is aimed more for a younger audience, maybe 15 year olds or higher, as it means the audience can associate with the characters. The boy is wearing a red and blue striped top, which makes him look very young and innocent as the colours are very light, suggesting they are old or even hand-me-

downs. It also makes him look innocent as these are usually the kind of style mothers buy their children, which reflects the age of the boy. The female protagonist is wearing a blue top, which makes the girl seem more realistic as it is such an everyday piece of clothes you would wear. The girl also has very pale skin, which reflects her youthfulness and purity as the paleness of this white suggests this. If children are going to present in our trailer, I would go for a similar appearance of the little girl due to the use of clothing (mise en scene) and also her pale skin.