Tuesday 28 January 2014

The color of costumes in movies

"Costuming relies on the manipulation of 'signifiers' to create character and to assist in storytelling, the
moment a character appears on the screen the audience is fed multiple facts about the period, the time of day, the geographical location and the occupation and social status of the character"(costume and fashion, 2013). I agree with the above statement about the function of costume has on the create the character. costume as a material can be used by the costume designer of the film to decide what style, what color of the cloth or what material of the fabric is the perfect choice for the actor/actress in order to bring the character alive. Spectacle and narrative work together can become ideology. Costume is important in creating the personality, age, background, social statue and fashion taste of the character in the movie. From the outfit that the character's dressing we can tell most of story of the character. Color of the outfit is one significant element when determine the nature and personality of the  character.

Black & White:
The color black and white will never outdate. They are the two color that can never go wrong when in any occasion or mix and match with any other color. Therefore, the black and white stand for elegant, decorous simple and eternal. By the white color itself, it also stand for innocence, purity, and virginity. It is considered to be the color of perfection. Therefore, most of the wedding dress is white. By the black color itself, it also stand for mature, mystery, different, grave and sometimes sexy. Sometimes in films, white color is represent the good character (group) and stand for justice and right, on the other hand, the black color is represent the bad character (group) and stand for dark and evil. Here are some outfits and costumes from the films.

Classic black & white dress wearing by Audrey Hepburn in the classic film Breakfast at Tiffany's:


The black & white costume in the film series Harry Potter:





The white ballet skirt wearing by Natalie Portman in the movie Black Swan:


The black and white outfit wearing by Kate Winslet in the classic film Titanic:


The White dress wearing by Marilyn Monroe in the classic film Seven Year Inch:




Red:
Red it is associated with energy,  danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love. Women wearing red costume in the film will be outstanding in the scene. The red garment can reveal the feminine of the character in the movie.

Juliet Roberts wearing the classic Red dress in Pretty Women:


Marilyn Monroe Wearing the red dress in the movie NIAGRA:


Nicole Kidman in movie Moulin Rouge:


Pink:
The color pink signifies romance, love, and friendship. It denotes feminine qualities and passiveness.

Marilyn Monroe in pink costume in the movie Gentlemen Prefer Blonds:


Movie Pretty in Pink:


Green:
Green is the color of nature. It symbolizes growth, harmony and freshness. Dark green is also commonly associated with money and wealth.

Keira Knightley in green gown in movie ATONEMENT:


Green costume in movie Gone With The Wind:


Reference: "Color Meaning", 2013, Color Wheel Pro, viewed 29 Jan 2013, <http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html>.

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