explain for me
Sheial 234
Costume_Objectives1.pptxThe Objectives of Costume Design
Dressing the Part
The same actor, transformed (in part) by the costume designer
Clothes Help to Make the Man (or Woman)
Even in everyday life, we can decode a fair amount of information about a person based on how they are dressed. We can usually tell the following:
Position and status
Gender
Occupation
Relative flamboyance or modesty
Degree of independence or regimentation
The occasion for which one is dressed (work, leisure, a special event, a regular day, etc.)
Take a minute and think about how you choose your clothes based on the signals you want to send to those around you (whether consciously or unconsciously). Clothes tell us a lot about the people around us.
Costumes: Like Clothes, Only More So
Just as a scenic designer chooses elements for her spaces specifically and thoughtfully, so does the costume designer. Some days, we throw on whatever clothes are close at hand and (relatively) clean. As long as we’re wearing two shoes that match, we’re good to go. For a costume designer, each item in a costume is selected for a very specific reason to convey information about a character (or group of characters) to the audience. Most of the objectives of the costume designer are directed to this main goal.
Theatrical wardrobe gets chosen carefully!
Objective 1:Establish Style of the Production
As with other design areas, the costume design should help us to understand the style of the production as soon as we see the characters. Do the costumes look futuristic? Are they more formal and somber, indicating a tragedy? Are they bright and fun, indicating a comedy?
These costumes show us two very different styles of plays
Objective 2: Indicate Locale and Period
A good costume design should let the audience know WHERE and WHEN the play is set. A play set in the 1700s will need different costumes than one set in 1950. A play set in Russia will have different costumes than one set in Brazil. This information given to us by costumes can also be heavily impacted by the directorial concept. For example, a production of Julius Caesar might be set in Ancient Roman times, or in Elizabethan times (when the play was written), or in a completely different time and place if the director is trying to show it in a new light.
Here are two different styles of costumes for Romeo & Juliet, showing the same scene, but with very different directorial concepts. The costumes for one version show the time in which the play was set, while one shows a modern setting.
Objective 3: Demonstrate Nature of Characters
A viable costume design should tell us something about the characters. Some of the things a costume should tell us are:
Station in Life (rich, poor)
Occupation (doctor, judge, mechanic, etc.)
Personality (shy, flamboyant)
Age
This image shows four costumes used for the same character (Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion). The costumes clearly show the improvement in social status that the character goes through (from right to left). We can immediately infer Eliza’s transformation based on what she wears.
Objective 4: Show Relationships Among Characters
Costumes should help us see how the different characters in a play are related to each other. Costumes should help us differentiate between major and minor characters, and between groups of characters (the Sharks vs. the Jets in West Side Story, for example). We need to be able to see right away who is on which side and who the important people to pay attention to are in the play.
It’s easy to see the two sides here—we don’t even really need to know who a character is to know which side he’s on—the costumes tell us right away.
Obj 5: Convey the Symbolic Significance of Character
When it is needed, a costume design should symbolically convey the significance of a character, or the theme of the play. In addition to all the basic information (age, status, etc.) discussed earlier, a thoughtful costume design will also give us additional information. For example, someone dressed in gauzy fabrics will convey an ethereal quality, while someone in all white may convey innocence, or virginity. A good designer will find a way to hint at these qualities through the costumes.
Here is Thandie Newton as Dame Vaako. We can see that Dame V. is young, beautiful and wealthy. But we also get a sense that she is venomous, cold, and dangerous by the way the costume designer has given her a gown that fits like a second skin and is patterned with scales. So the audience reads “snake” into her outfit as well as youth, beauty, and power. Note that the color is close to Newton’s own skin tone, and the only skin we see is her face; even her hands are covered.
Objective 6: Meet the Needs of Performers
The costume designer should design costumes that allow the performers to do what the play requires of them. If an actor needs to run, dance, fight, they must be able to do that in their costume. Additionally, if an actor must be able to change costumes quickly, the designer must make costumes that allow for that.
These actors MUST NOT be hampered by their costumes, or they will not be able to perform their roles effectively. (And here, that means someone might get hurt.)
Objective 7: Coordinate with Other Design Elements
Again, the costume design should mesh well with the designs created by the scenic and lighting designers. If the designs do not complement each other, the visuals of the play will send mixed messages to the audience instead of helping the audience to understand the play better.
These costumes don’t go with this set!
Example: Style
Here are costumes from two different plays. The style of each of these is clearly different. What style do you think the play shown on the left would have? How about the one on the right? Again, I haven’t told you anything about which play these are from, but the costumes should give you a pretty good amount of information on their own.
Example: Time Period
What can we infer from these costumes? Again, even with no hints as to what this play is, you should be able to figure out (roughly) what time period this is. You can also probably infer some information about who goes with whom, what social status they have, etc.
Example: Nature of Characters
Here is a great example of costume design showing how people fit together (or not!) Looking at this image, you should be able to figure out something about the social and economic station of these characters. Out of these characters, which one do you think is least concerned with following a particular social standard? What helped you to determine your answer?
Example: Show Relation Between Characters
The costume designer for this production has given us clues that each of these couples belong together. Can you see them? It’s especially clear in the couple on the right—note that the colors of her dress are repeated in his vest and cravat.
Example: Convey Symbolic Significance
Take a look at the woman in the middle of this image. Notice how floaty and diaphanous her dress is, especially when compared to the other two people in the photo. In this instance, this costume is designed to convey the fragility of the character. The sheer, delicate fabric of the dress helps to reinforce that aspect of her character.
Summation
The costume designer works to create the visual world of the play. In order to do this successfully, she has several objectives to meet:
Help establish the style of the production
Indicate historical period and location of the play’s setting
Indicate the nature of individuals or groups in the play—their occupations, social status, personalities
Show relationships between characters, and differentiate major from minor characters
When needed, convey the symbolic significance of a character
Meet the needs of the performers
Be consistent with the production as a whole.
