Costumes used within my opening sequence

1. Costumes
By Luke Newcombe

2. Brad Smith
Parka Coat Within my opening sequence Brad will be
shown wearing a parka coat. This is because
the parka is an iconic piece of clothing
affiliated with the mod subcultures and this is
the type of style his character has adopted. To
add to that, the parka coat also has numerous
pockets in which Brad will store his various
drugs.
This item of clothing can be related to by the
audience as it is an iconic clothing item which
is well known as being part of an array of
different subcultures throughout the years.
Furthermore, the coat is long and within films
the most powerful character, such as
gangsters, are often shown to be wearing long
pieces of clothing. In doing this it portrays to
the audience the amount of power the
character of Brad has.
Brad will be seen wearing the parka in various
ways. During the opening scenes he will wear
it with the hood down and opened up, but
during scenes which cut off from the main
footage Brad will be shown to where the
parka in a number of different ways which will
range from having the hood up and the coat
zipped up, to having the hood up but the coat
unzipped.

3. Brad Smith
Fred Perry Polo During footage which spins of from the main
action Brad will be seen wearing his parka
unzipped, this will reveal him to be wearing a
Fred Perry polo shirt. Similarly to the parka,
the Fred Perry shirt is iconic with youth
subculture from the 80s and 90s,. As the
character of Brad has adopted this style the
Fred Perry shirt further reinforces the look
he’s going for. Brad will wear this item of
clothing in a traditional way of having both
buttons done.
The Fred Perry shirt is also very relatable to
the audience as it is an iconic piece of clothing
which has been affiliated with mod
subcultures through many generations. As this
is a recognisable piece of clothing within
subcultures the target audience of my opening
sequence can relate to the fact that Brad is
trying to replicate this look. Furthermore, this
type of subculture also has connection with
the use of drugs, as highlighted by the
Manchester music scene in the 90s which had
a strong link between the music and the use of
drugs within this era. As Brad wears items of
clothing related to this culture the audience
gain an insight into the type of character he
could possibly be, which is a character who
uses drugs.

4. Brad Smith
Blue Denim Jeans Blue denim jeans are also another item of
clothing which is associated with youth
subculture, for example with the mod culture.
Brad is a character who is trying to recreate
this look in the present day and by wearing
jeans which have connotations of subcultures
from the past the look Brad is aiming for is
confirmed to the audience (a retro look). The
way which Brad will wear this item of clothing
will be with the bottom of the jeans turned
up. Again, this is a style which has stemmed
from the look seen within past generations as
turned up jeans along with Dr Martens is a
style which Brad has imitated from people
involved in the various subcultures within
England. As Brad wears this item of clothing in
a particular way it also confirms the retro look
Brad is aiming for.
Like the previous items of clothing blue denim
jeans are associated with subcultures which
involved the use of drugs. As Brad follows this
style the audience gain an insight into the type
of character Brad is trying to make himself
into and in doing this it also presents ideas to
the audience that Brad’s lifestyle may coincide
with the use of drugs, as his character is based
on subcultures which are affiliated with drugs.

5. Brad Smith
Dr Martens Brad choice of footwear will be Dr Marten
boots. The reasons for this are that again,
these shoes are iconic to subcultures seen
throughout Britain ranging from the 60s up to
the 90s. As this shoe is a well known retro
item of clothing, and the character of Brad is
trying to recreate retro looks, the shoes are
ideal in order for him to portray this. To add to
that, the boot alone is a shoe which indicates
strength and power. Brad is viewed as the
leader of the group and as this footwear
presents ideas of power the shoes match
Brad’s personality and further reinforce his
dominance within the group.
Dr Martens are a shoe which are associated
with various different subcultures in Britain.
Brad is a character who is trying to recreate
this look and by him having footwear which
represents youth subculture it indicates to the
audience that Brad’s character will be
associated with one or more of these cultures.
When added to his other items of clothing it
confirms to the audience that Brad is a
character trying to recreate the style of the
‘Manchester Scene’, a subculture which is
renowned for the use of drugs which
corresponds to the indie/ Brit Pop music
created

6. Joe Gledhill ‘Gledsy’
Grey Hoodie During the opening sequence the character of
Joe Gledhill will be shown wearing a grey
hoodie. The reason for this is because Joe’s
character is aiming for a modern day street
look and not trying to recreate a style from
the past like Brad. To add to that, the hoodie
itself creates a shady look for the character
which fits perfectly with his lifestyle which is
based around illegal activity. The way in
which Joe will where this item is by having the
hood up as it creates an even shadier look in
comparison to having the hood down, further
reinforcing how the character of Joe could
someone who doesn’t follow a normal
lifestyle.
The audience can relate to this item of
clothing as the hoodie itself has connotations
of being linked to crime as people often
choose this item of clothing to hide their
identities. The character of Joe is a criminal
and by giving him this item of clothing it
confirms this to the audience.

7. Joe Gledhill ‘Gledsy’
Black Skinny Jeans Joe’s character will be shown wearing black
skinny jeans. Similarly to the grey hoodie,
black skinny jeans could also be related to the
street look which Joe’s character is aiming for
and when added to his grey hoodie it confirms
that this is the style Gledsy has adopted. To
add to that, the colour black also creates a
shady look as it is a dark colour, although this
contrasts with a light coloured grey hoodie
when added together the overall outcome
comes across as presenting ideas of someone
who wants to aim for a street look which
could possibly be connected to criminals.

8. Joe Gledhill ‘Gledsy’
Adidas Original Trainers The choice of footwear for Joe Gledhill will be
Adidas branded trainers. The reason for this is
although Joe’s character isn’t aiming to recreate
iconic looks associated with drug cultures from
the 90s or earlier, the Adidas three stripes are
still iconic to this day and can be identified to be
part of many different cultures ranging from
football casuals to modern day music cultures
(especially within the Indie Rock scene). As Joe is
a character that is part of the music scene and
also drug culture the Adidas trainers perfectly
match his overall character. To add to that, even
though the majority of Joe’s look is based
around a modern day street style the use of the
timeless Adidas trainers fit within both present
day society and also, as previously stated, show
the audience what various cultures this
character is related to.
As the Adidas trainer is a iconic style which has
been adopted by various subcultures over the
years the audience can relate to the fact that the
trainer could possibly be associated with the
drug and music scene from the 90s.
Furthermore, the Adidas trainer is
internationally known to be related to other
subcultures such as the football casual style. As
the character of Joe wears these trainers it
conveys to the audience that not only does Joe
wear this item in correspondence to the music/
drug scene from the 90s, but to also highlight his
strength as football casuals are known for
violence

9. John Wood
Fred Perry Cagoule Similarly to the other characters, at least one
piece of clothing worn will reflect a subculture
either from previous years or present day.
John Wood will be shown throughout the
opening sequence wearing a Fred Perry
Cagoule. There are numerous reasons for this,
the prime reasoning being both the cagoule
and the Fred Perry brand are associated with
British subcultures and furthermore both are
associated with the Manchester music scene
(a subculture all three of the characters reflect
in some way). Within this subculture there
was a large focus on the use of drugs and by
having characters wearing items of clothing
which reflect this style it also means the
clothing reflects there lifestyle and their drug
habit.
This item of clothing can be related to by the
audience as it is an iconic item of clothing
associated with both the music and drug scene
as it is a prominent feature at music festivals.
As this item of clothing reflects a music
subculture which is closely related to drug
cultures it results in the audience having an
instant connection with a running theme seen
throughout the characters as all three try to
imitate this style and furthermore all three
characters have an issue with drugs.

10. John Wood
Baggy Blue Denim Jeans John Wood will be shown to wear slightly
baggy blue denim jeans. The reason for this is
because when added to the cagoule it is clear
to see that John is recreating a look from the
90s Manchester music scene (as baggy jeans
and cagoules were commonly worn together).
To add to that, baggy jeans which are worn
low down (not pulled up to the waist) also give
indication that these pants could be used to
store pills down them, this is another reason
why John Wood will wear this type of jeans as
in the opening sequence which shows the
three protagonists robbing a house, John will
be seem throwing bags of ecstasy down his
pants.
The audience can partially relate to the jeans
as the style John wears it in (not having the
pants fully up to his waist) could indicate to
certain viewers that there is a specific reason
for this. In this case the reason is John uses his
jeans to store drugs.

11. John Wood
Fila Bucket Hat John will be the only character within my
opening sequence who will wear a hat. There
are various reasons for this and the most
prominent reason is that as John’s overall look
is focused around a style adopted within the
Manchester music scene the bucket hat is an
iconic feature of this look and as John is shown
to wear this item of clothing it reinforces the
style his character is aiming at. To add to that,
John will also use his bucket hat to hide away
drugs within my opening sequence. During the
chase scene while John is running from the
antagonist, Wajj, his hat will fall off to reveal a
handful of pills in bags which will then
proceed to fall onto the ground.
The bucket hat is an iconic style which was
and still is adopted by subcultures, most
commonly featured within the Indie music. As
John wears this item of clothing my intended
target audience will automatically have that
connection and both the style John is aiming
for and also the connotations linked around
that style of clothing, one connotation being
the drug culture which features heavily along
side the music culture.

12. John Wood
Adidas Original Trainers As John Wood’s choice of clothing is based
around the style worn by people involved in
the music scene in Manchester from the 90s,
the Adidas trainer is another iconic piece from
this style and confirms to the audience that
John’s choice of clothing is based around the
clothing from this subculture. The Adidas
trainer is also associated with the football
casual culture within Britain. Similarly to the
reason Joe chooses this footwear is because it
indicates strength as football hooligans are
known for violence. Although Alfie isn’t
physically strong his build indicates that he
could be and by wearing trainers which are
associated with violent subcultures in
indicates to the viewer that John still wants to
appear physically stronger than others, even if
in reality he isn’t.
The audience can relate to this item of
clothing as it is an iconic trainer which is
related to both the Manchester music scene
from the 90s and the football hooligan
subculture. Both of these subcultures
coincide with the culture of using drugs and as
John wears clothing which highlights both of
these cultures it shows the audience what
type of character John is.

13. Wajj
Black Puffer Coat Wajj will be shown to be wearing a black
puffer coat jacket in my opening sequence.
The reason for this is because it can be
associated with a very modern street look
which is directly opposite to the style of the
protagonists. Wajj is a character who has a
modern approach to his style and unlike the
protagonists he choices a style which is more
relevant to the present day. The style in which
Wajj will wear this coat will be fully zipped up
with the hood up as this creates a shady
atmosphere and reflects the characteristics of
the character as he’s a drug dealer.
The audience can relate to this item of
clothing as it is associated with a very modern
street look which is often stereotyped to be
worn by drug dealers. As the character of Wajj
is a drug dealer I have over stereotyped his
character in order to portray clearly to the
audience what sort of antagonist he is and
what sort of life he follows, as by exaggerating
his items of clothing the audience can easily
relate to the type of character that is trying to
be created.

14. Wajj
Baggy Joggers The antagonist Wajj will be shown wearing
baggy joggers. The main reason for this is
because baggy joggers are a stereotypical item
of clothing which is associated with criminals
or people in gangs. Also, as the joggers are
baggy instead of slim fit it could also indicate
how he uses his pants to store drugs, as this is
a common spot for drug dealers to hide there
possessions. Furthermore, baggy joggers are
also a more modern style rather than a look
associated with subcultures. As Wajj doesn’t
try to recreate a style from a specific
subculture and aims for a modern look the use
of baggy joggers confirms how his character is
based around styles from the present day and
not the past.
The audience can relate to this choice of
clothing as joggers are often stereotyped to be
associated with drug dealers and people who
are linked with crime. By giving Wajj this item
of clothing and playing on the stereotypes of
people it clearly shows the audience how Wajj
is a drug dealer, whereas placing him in formal
wear for example wouldn’t correctly portray
this.

15. Wajj
Black Man Bag Wajj’s choice of accessory will be a black man
bag. This is an item of clothing most
commonly related to drug dealers and a
modern street style. Both these factors match
the character of Wajj as he is aims for a
modern day looking and to add to that he is a
drug dealer himself. The reason man bags are
associated with drug dealers is because it is an
item of clothing which is often stereotyped to
be part of this culture, as drug dealers use it to
store drugs and to add to that, it is also small
and therefore doesn’t become a burden when
running, for example from the police or in this
case, when Wajj is giving chase to the three
protagonists.
The audience can relate to this item of
clothing as a man bag is often stereotyped to
be part of a modern, street criminal look
which can often be related to the preferred
clothing choice for drug dealers. By using this
stereotype I have decided to give Wajj this
item of clothing as it fulfils the type of
character he is, which is a drug dealer, and
further reinforces to the audience that Wajj is
the antagonists within the opening sequence.

16. Wajj
Black Baseball Cap Continuing with the street look Wajj is aiming
for, a baseball cap plays a key role in
portraying this style. This item of clothing
enables Wajj to hide his identity from cameras
for example, and in doing this it creates a
menacing/ shady look for his character.
Furthermore, the baseball cap is also another
item of clothing associated with a modern
street style which is the clothing look his
character is trying to portray. To add to that,
drug dealers are often known to wear items of
clothing's such as caps and by giving Wajj a
baseball cap it indicates to the audience what
type of character he is.
The majority of Wajj’s clothing is based
around common stereotypes of drug dealers.
Again, I have used this exaggeration of
clothing items for drug dealers and gave Wajj
a hat in order to clearly show the audience
what type of character Wajj is. By giving him
items of clothing's which play on stereotypes
the audience start to gain a clear idea of what
type of character he is by his clothing items
alone.

17. Wajj
Nike Trainers Keeping with the stereotypical drug dealer
theme I have decided the choice of footwear
for Wajj will be Nike trainers. Again, these
trainers present a modern look to his
character and further add to his overall street,
drug dealer look.
The audience can relate to this item of
clothing as similarly to the other items of
clothing Wajj wears, they present a
stereotypical 21st century drug dealer. By over
exaggerating his character and giving him
clothing to match this the audience can clearly
see what type of character I am trying to
create is.