The document discusses costume research for a character in an independent film. It considers options for shirts, trousers, braces, and boots from Topman and Next that fit within the production's budget. An outfit from Primark that includes a white shirt, navy bow tie, grey trousers, and black Chelsea boots is recommended as the most affordable at £38.50. Hair products and subtle makeup are also suggested to enhance the character's features within the production's free budget. While the total costume cost is higher than anticipated, borrowing items from the actor who has a similar style could allow filming without additional expenses.

1. COSTUME RESEARCH
By Mollie Merrett

2. TOPMAN
This check shirt portrays a neat and smart style,
ideal for our character who blends into society.
The contrast between the black and white
colouring could suggest a paradox in his
personality creating more dynamic to his
character, and the plot. The cost of this shirt is £20
which is within the price range for our
independent company, however adding the cost
of delivery will increase this figure.
These navy smart trousers fit the look of our
character and the indexical representations of
navy express sadness and feeling lonely which
links to our synopsis. However, the price for
these trousers is £50.00 which is very much out
of our budget. They also appear to be quite a
tight style which could be problematic when
filming shots involving lots of movement.

3. NEXT MENSWEAR
These black braces help in creating an older look for our
character linking to the fact he enjoys old 80s music and
books. They also aid in smartening the all round look of
the character making his appearance neat and immaculate.
The price for the braces is also only £10 which is affordable
however in order to cut expenses I would also consider
asking family members (dad or grandad) to borrow a pair
of theirs as it would enable us to use the money elsewhere.
This shirt and tie set is both smart and practical as it is 100% cotton
therefore allows for easy unrestricted movements and the fact that it
comes with a tie means it doesn’t have to be bought separately. The pale
blue shade has connotations of loneliness which mirrors that of our
character, and the formality of the attire shares a link with our characters
straight personality. An added bonus of this product is also that it is in
the sale at half price meaning we would be saving money on the
purchase.

4. PRIMARK
Primark is notoriously known for selling clothes at a cheaper price than
competitors but this plays in our favour as we are looking for clothes at a
discounted rate. The shirt is white therefore has connotations of purity,
suggesting our character is innocent and vulnerable. Accompanied by the
navy bow tie, it will add the smart appeal to it, as well as aging the outfit,
making it seem from a different generation. The grey trousers aren’t too tight
meaning they allow for lots of movement and the way they are textured
makes them more unique and different; mirroring the personality of our
character. The black Chelsea boots are very practical, this is beneficial to us as
they will be able to withstand different terrain when filming and are
waterproof so if it rains it won’t affect the material and consequently it will
look better on camera. The material of them means they also may need
polishing, creating a good opportunity for us to film our character performing
this as an everyday task and accentuating this as part of his OCD. Altogether,
this whole outfit costs £38.50 which seems a lot but considering that the price
for the trousers from Topman were £50, I think this is a good deal.

5. MAKEUP
◦ Due to our main protagonist being male, I
don’t think makeup will need to play a major
part in our production as our character is a
very smartly dressed ordinary boy.
◦ However, depending on the lighting,
sometimes if it is too high key people’s faces
are left looking washed out and the camera
shots looking of a poor quality. In order to
prevent this happening, I can add subtle
bronzer to his face, accentuating the main
facial features, and a small amount of
highlighter to the top if the cheekbones.
HAIR
MAKE UP AND HAIR
This short, spikey style shows youth
which would aid in showing the
undeveloped age of our character
but it also can appear messy and
untidy so contradicts to what we
are wanting.
This sleek short look is not only
youthful but is also smart and tidy.
However, due to our character
having an older style, this type of
hair wouldn’t be appropriate for the
look we are going for.
The ‘curtains’ look is not only dated
but is also quirky, suiting that of our
protagonist. If not styled correctly,
there is a chance of it looing messy
however by using a transparent gel,
the hair will stay in place remaining
neat and tidy.

6. COSTING
White shirt
Grey trousers
Chelsea boots
Navy bow tie
Braces
Makeup
Hair
£5
£15
£16
£2.50
£10
Free
£3.69
Total: £52.19
After working out the costings, the price to buy a new outfit
for the trailer is higher than I anticipated so I think our
initial thoughts to be able to afford it were slightly too
ambitious. Although they are ways around this, for example
because we are creating a realism film, our costumes are
based on everyday life therefore the clothing we would
need, most teenage boys would have already. This is also
very beneficial to our group as my partner in this project,
Oscar, has a quirky style himself, meaning that he owns
many of the clothes I’ve found. This means he would be
able to lend anything needed to save costs. Our second
option could also be to hold fundraisers to get the money
however due to work and school commitments this made
be hard to find time to do.