Props, location and costume

Props location and costume are pivotal in creating the desired mise en scene within the film, and must be carefully constructed to create the optimum effect.

Props

Within the piece there is one predominant prop that will be used consistently throughout the filming. This particular prop was inspired by memento, and is the use of photographs as plot device. In Memento we found the way that the only thing which Lenny (the protagonist) could rely on were the photographs- it seemed to add a great deal to the mystery of the piece while still providing the audience with some information to go on ad played a major role in foregrounding later events in the film. We will use this similarly in our own film- in the opening sequence there will be a shot of a wall, with many photos stuck to it. A photograph of the protagonist will be placed towards the bottom corner of this image in quite a covert anger; partially covered by other photos. This will indicate to the (much) more observant members of the audience that the protagonist may be in danger as this wall is revealed to be a sort of hit list; the other images being a mixture of intended victims and past victims, who's faces will be obscured by scribbles and red crosses. 

The second major use of props within the film will be introduced fairly on and presented as a clue the killer leaves- a little hint that he uses to toy with the agent, and to indicate motive. This will be an iPod, left playing a specific track- "antidote"  This track gives the audience the opportunity to guess why he is doing what he's doing without giving too much away. Remember; in thriller films mystery and suspense are the top priority.


Some background props will be used to a lesser extent; including the use of saws, hammers, other such tools etc- the main focus of these will probably be placed on the saws and hint at a possible weapon, but this emphasis should be subtle, and as I mentioned, in the background. This subtlety should prevent the use of such props from creating the appearance of a horror film- the horror genre is not known for such subtleties. 

Costume 

Costume will be chosen directly for the purpose of connotations in relation to the role of the character within the film. There are four characters, so four costumes are required:

• The killer
• The agent( protagonist)
• The second agent-(minor character to provide dialogue with protagonist)
• The victim-an off duty agent

Because we are still unsure of who we will use as actors the costume may change depending on the actors.

 The killer

First and foremost is the costume of the killer. The idea is relatively simple and should present a person who had fallen

difficult times; their outfit should be eclectic and composed of several items arranged in layers, which will have the effect of making them appear larger than they actually are thus more imposing in the eye of the audience. We had a sort of base idea that the killer should wear casual items of clothing to contrast with the suits of the agents- this means jeans,probably black to prevent the character from appearing too casual. Aside from this if blue jeans were used they would need to be damaged in some way to have that gritty effect and to give the impression that he'd had a rough lifestyle; and the use of black jeans substitutes more of a sense of darkness and danger in place or this which is equally effective. This being said there are only one item which may present more of a range of options, and it is these options which have been listed below.

 

                                                                                         The coat

 

 There are three options for the coat: the first of these is a black leather  coat which reaches the ankles, depending on the height of the actor. This would have the effect of making the killer intensely threatening in that you would be unable to see very much of the killer other than a mass of black fabric- almost as if the killer was made of shadows. Of course the connotations of this are that shadows are impossible to catch; hence the killer is impossible to catch. This would suit the mysterious atmosphere required.
 However, there is a large factor which detracts from this: it is a somewhat cliched effect. While we do aim to keep within the conventions of the thriller genre, we also want to produced an original piece of work that seems reasonably realistic. While the connotations of such an item are significant, they do detract from the realism by making the character appear somewhat "cheesy", for want of a better word.

The second option would be the jacket you can see in the image to the left. This is definitely an improvement over option number one: it retains a casual air but still has the potential to give quite a rough effect due mostly to its colour- a sort of dull grey- and its almost military style. This is well suited to the intended atmosphere. 
While the coat in itself may lack some of the mystery that option number one could generate, we feel that when paired with other items-layered- such as a hoodie and baseball cap, to hide the face the mystery may be just as potent as within the first option.

 

The final option is this mud coloured-coat and navy hoodie. The coat is similar to option number two in style but in poorer condition, and with heavier military styling. As a result it has the same connotations as the grey coat, but amplified by its poor condition. This deems it the most effective in the creation of the character's image and thus the most logical option for the coat. The addition of the hoodie and a baseball cap will be used solely to prevent the audience viewing too much of the killer's face thus increasing the aspect of mystery.

The agents               

  The choice of costume for the two characters of the agents proves to be far more simple than the decisions for the killer: the fact that they belong to such an organisation would mean a suit is involved. As it happens they're members of the same organisation as James Bond is in the series of the same name, and it is safe to say that the conventional dress code appears to be suits, or similar smart formal wear.

(An example of the sort of costume we will attempt to replicate)

The suit in the image to the right  would be a standard example of the sort of  costume that the characters would wear; but because of the fact that something like this would tend to cost money we don't have we will have to attempt to replicate this style as closely as is possible. An example of the means by which would do this can be found below, and is the use of a standard but smart blazer: much cheaper,  just as effective and far more adaptable- which is highly beneficial considering that we have yet to decide who we will use as actors.

 

 

  We will use perhaps one factor the differentiate between the protagonist and the minor character, and this will be a slightly more "relaxed" version of the uniform i.e. rolled up sleeves, loose/no tie etc. This is an example of costume being used subtly to give more personality to a character by making them appear tired, and worn out- an effect which is clearly seen in the film Se7en in which the character played by Brad Pitt can be seen to be wearing smart clothes which are comparatively relaxed when placed beside the meticulously dressed detective played by Morgan Freeman. 
It simply acted as a means of "humanising" that character; making them more real to the audience, and will do so in our thriller.

The victim

The victim's costume will be relatively flexible because there is little need for a suit- the fact that this is an agent albeit an off duty one will be shown via the use of props and camerawork (a close up of a name tag). Because of this we can allow the actor to wear casual everyday attire with only a few restrictions:

• white item of clothing- this will probably be easiest to display in the form of a white t-shirt or jumper. The reason for this is the connotations of the colour white; which traditionally represents innocence. And the more innocent the victim, the more abhorrent the crime, the more evil the villain. (Alternately white can be used to represent the hero, while black the villain- black and white cowboy films made great use of this via the cowboy hats.)
• Sensible footwear- this is purely for practicality. Even if heels or other such items did add to the overall effect they would be highly dangerous when the location is taken into consideration; it's a tight space and the floor is extremely uneven. Accidents are no help to creating a film.

 These are the only necessary regulations on the victims' costume, but some work may be required in the way of stage make-up. This would include the use of blue/ purple face paint used (very) lightly beneath the eyes to create the impression of exhaustion. This must be very minimal to avoid detracting from the quality of the piece.

Some fake blood may be used on the hands of the killer and to indicate fingerprints on his face, but once again this should be kept to a minimum.
 

 

Location

The locations in the film should not stray too far from conventional thriller settings; which is relatively easy to achieve due to the fact that we only need two places in which two film. The first of these is setting in which the victim is killed; this sequence will be inclusive of titles and will last for a minute. (roughly) 

In terms of location we had several ideas, including an abandoned factory on the edges of town; which would've been perfect had it not been far too dangerous a place to film. While the deterioration of the place would've established the perfect atmosphere and sense of mystery for the film and formed a good metaphor for the deteriorated state of the killers' mind, it wouldn't have helped to have the building falling down around us.

We wanted the retain this distant, isolated feeling in the final choice of location but aside from the obvious necessity of safety we also though it would be better to downsize somewhat as not only would this intensify the aspect of isolation by making for a more inconspicuous setting but would also introduce a sense of claustrophobia to the filming: with a lot going on in a small dilapidated setting, far away from the city and any people there would be no chance of escape for the killer.

This left us with a few key requirements for our location:

• Small space
• Large enough to film in
• In poor condition/ appearance
• Fairly old 
• Ability to be presented as isolated

As luck would have it, there was a place which met all of these qualifications within easy reach. Situated behind one of our houses in a large garden is a studio used for painting and glasswork. Originally this space would have acted as a sort laundry building at the time of its creation about 150 years ago.  Because of this the place is very small- about †he size of a
an average room, but longer and with a slanted ceiling. Not only this but its age means that while structurally sound it is in poor appearance: peeling paint, exposed brick walls, stable doors, etc. It's also supplied with electricity which can facilitate using lamps for lighting effects should there be a need for it.

The second location must have the capacity to resemble an office and the most logical and easily accessible solution would be to film within the school if possible. As an alternative to this, we could simply use an unspecified room and remove any unneeded furniture and place a desk and filling cabinet within to create the impression of an office space.