My Production Element

 The Production element I have decided to look at is costume design. As the play is set in the modern day the costume designer would need to gather costumes together rather than make them, they would need to ensure that there is a cohesive theme that fits with the production design. I have decided to look at the following characters and I have suggested what their costume could consist of and why. As well as what that costume could communicate with the audience.  Costume changes do not need to be considered as no one plays more than one role. None of these characters had any choreographed movement roles and so the costumes designer did not need to consider this (the character that does parkour did have to move but their costume would reflect this). The costumes do not need to be particularly hard wearing as there is only one filmed performance and may be a live performance later in the year.

·       Bobby Brunt

            Character Description:  Bobby Brunt is the new electing mayor and is trying to get the people of the city to love them and vote for them, they have a very tight plan for the city and is a very powerful figure.

            Costume Suggestions – This character’s costume needs to highlight their power and show their intelligence to the audience. The way I am going to portray this is to choose a suit that looks very expensive and also to use strong monochromatic colours. This will tell the audience that this character has strong views.

·       Maru

             Character Description:  Maru is a young teen who doesn’t like Bobby Brunt’s plans for the city and hates the way the world is being treated. She is also later blamed for the cracks appearing in the middle of the city.

             Costume Suggestions – Maru is illustrated in the play as an environmental activist. In order to demonstrate this, I would use costume elements that hint at a real activist that the audience may be familiar with, such as Greta Thunberg. This could include a woolly hat and t-shirts with images of nature. Maru’s costume colour palette will use all-natural earthy tones.

·       Asha

             Character Description:  A young woman from a different part of the planet, all the pollution has destroyed her village and she wants to change the way people are treating the world.

            Costume Suggestions: This particular character is meant to be from half a world away. To create a costume that highlights this I would suggest researching different countries native clothing. The clothing would also need to be quite worn and dusty as their village has recently been destroyed.

·       Parkourer

             Character Description: A person who performs parkour throughout the city, who is excited by the cracks appearing in the middle of the city and they are testing their skills over the crack.

              Costume Suggestions: This character’s costume needs to reflect the active part of their hobby. The character needs to have clothes that they’re able to move in and highlights that they do this often. In order to do this, I would choose either tracksuit bottoms or leggings (as long as they’re not jeans). Also, I would stick to a darker colour palette, as this character moves around the city and it isn’t necessary for them to stand out.

 

When it came to my own character, I decided he should have a nice, smart, clean look. The decision came from how my character is working for a high-powered person, who needs respect, so the people working for them needed to reflect this. They needed to be dressed smartly and look like someone who would know what they were doing and needed to be respected. My costume needed to say that I was a professional and therefore that the people I work for are of a similar nature. This image would persuade people to vote for Bobby Brunt.  I achieved this by wearing a suit, that would show on screen all that we meant to portray. The costume really added to my performance, it made me feel smart and confident and I believe this came across in the play.