The document discusses several elements of production design in film including costume, lighting/color, action, makeup/hair, props, and setting. It provides examples of how each element can be used to convey meaning, define characters, establish time periods and settings, and enhance the narrative. Production design "creates the 'visual' world of the movie and its overall atmosphere." Key elements like costumes can indicate social status while lighting and color manipulate mood. Props and settings likewise provide context and influence audience perspective.

1. Beth Gabriel
Storm Wilson
Megan Burgess.
“Everything that creates the „visual‟ world of the
movie and its overall atmosphere”

2. CLAMPS
Costume
Lighting/colour
Action
Make-up & Hair
Props
Setting

3. Costume
Era specific
Defines
characters and
most things about
them. E.G.
Wearing a suit
usually means
they‟re upper-
class and they
think a lot of
themselves.
Shows status
(Rich/poor/
working class)
Costume can serve to
enhance the narrative,
or story, for instance, by
suggesting social
position of characters.
Costumes are
used to signify
characters or
to make clear
distinctions
between
characters.

4. Lighting and Colour
Colours can be used to give the
scene a particular feeling. E.g.
red can insinuate love or fear.
Under lighting
produces
shadows on the
subject.
High key
lighting
produces a
natural light
and is often
seen in
romantic
comedies and
musicals.
High key
lighting has
little dramatic
effect.
Back lighting
produces a
silhouette.
Lighting enables the
viewer to see the
action; it helps define
the setting of a scene
or the narrative to the
viewer. The quality of
the lighting in a scene
can be achieved by
manipulating the quality
and direction of the
light.

5. Action
Acting can define how
the character is
feeling, their culture
and even their
opinions.
The way
someone is
positioned can
tell us a lot them,
for example; if
they‟re lying
down, it usually
means they‟re
tired, or in pain.

6. Make-up & Hair
Make up and Hair
can be used to
make a person‟s
living conditions,
race and income
more obvious.
It can also completely
change someone‟s looks,
can look like a different
species of animal.
Make up and Hair
can establish a
time period, reveal
character traits and
signal changes in a
character.

7. Props
Props can define
the way someone
is feeling; if they
have a gun on
them, then they
probably aren‟t
very happy, more
so angry and
upset.
Gives power to the certain
person with the props in
their hand, if a character
were to have a knife with
them, then the other
person/s, aren‟t going to
stand up for themselves as
much as they would
otherwise.
Props can determine
what the viewer will
think, if it is raining
and dark at night, you
wouldn‟t expect to
see bright coloured
cars or shops.
They give off a specific
mood for the type of film.
E.G.
•Horror-Scary
•Romantic- Love
•Comedy – Funny.
Without props, it would
be harder to recognise
the genre of movie.

8. Setting
Setting creates
both a mood and
place and can
also reflect a
characters
emotional state
of mind.
Setting includes all that
the viewer sees which
informs time and place
apart from costume.
The setting of a scene
has the ability to
change a viewers
perspective on the
whole film.