Props and Costumes

The costume design process involves many steps and despite the fact that costumes differ from genre to genre a basic method is commonly used. The first step is an analysis of the script. A costume plot is used to establish the point during the shoot I would need to change costumes. However, this won't necessarily apply to my film because, with the exception of the swimming scene. I shall remain in one costume throughout the film. The next phase in the process is when the designers and the director of the film all meet. The designers must be on the same page as the director, in regards to the theme of the film and what message the director wants to audience to get from the costumes. This issue of communication isn't a problem in my production, as I am taking on every role in the production of Camp Out. I want to be able to portray a teenage who believes he can be just like his hero (Bear Grylls), but who has also greatly underestimated how hard the task to survive in the wilderness is. The next step is for the costume designer to gather research. This helps the designer understand the characters better, thus helping to create more personalized accessories to improve the quality of the costume. For my character this could include having a high tech watch with many navigational applications. Next the costume designers create preliminary sketches. This begins with a very quick rough sketch to gain a basic idea for how the costume will look once put together. I attempted to create preliminary drawings. However, my penmanship is not at a high enough level to create costumes from scratch. That is why I looked at pictures of Bear Grylls to see the sort of attire he wears. I have included some pictures that I found below. The last steps are to create the final sketches of the costume and to then create it. I decided to use a combination of my own clothes and specially purchased items to create my costume. I have include a picture below.

 







Now that I have discussed the costume that I shall be using predominately throughout my film, I shall now talk about the various props that I have decided to include in my film. Since my film is about a teenager trying to survive in the wild I naturally assumed that the majority of my props should have a practical element, much like the ropes and backpacks Bear Grylls uses on his shows. However, I then had the idea to use props to create humour in my film. Since I had decided that my film was going to include mainly slapstick comedy I wondered what props I could add to my script that would fit within the setting. The first prop that I have decided to use is a towel. This was a fairly easy choice because I had already included it in my script. On the day of the swimming shoot I shall play around with this prop and see what humour I can generate from using it. The second and third props I have decided to use are a shower cap and a bar of soap in a bag. The reason for this is because it adds to my characters personality, as it shows that he is very civilized. To the point where he will was in a reservoir with his home comforts. The next prop that I shall include in my film is a tent. This was a fairly easy decision. Not only have I already included burning a tent in my script, but tent are commonly associated with camping. So I felt that anyone who watches my film would notice the lack of tent. This is problematic because my aim as a film maker to create a fictional world that the viewer can get invested in. If they begin to question the props used or not used in my film then this will disrupt any flow they would have from watching my film. So I need to ensure that the stereotypical items that are associated with camping are in my film, which includes a tent. The next props that I shall be including in my film are a lighter and a newspaper. They shall be used during the montage where the lead character is building the tent and creating a fire. Originally I was going to have the character attempt to make the fire without any modern day tools. However, due to the fact that my film will most likely already be over 5 minutes (my allocated length of time) I won't be able to add another scene, which would have involved him failing to create a fire over and over again. I also considered what the character would do in this type of situation and I imagined that he would have come prepared just in case he needed an emergency fire. So the newspaper shall be lit by the lighter in order to create the fire in this film. However, if I do happen to have more time in my film left over to use then originally anticipated then I shall definitely attempt to create this scene. The last prop I shall be using is a car. I felt that this was a necessary prop in order for the plot to be believable. Without including a car the audience may wonder how the character go so far into the wilderness by foot with getting lost. I have included a picture below of all the props I intend to use.