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Gracen Kay

Mr. Johnson

Media Technology

26 September 2019

Creating Characters Through Costume and Makeup

Bianca was the black sheep of the school. Her classmates were certain that she did not

own a piece of clothing that was not black or ripped. Heavy steel-toed boots with silver buckles

were always found on her feet and she had safety-pinned the tears in her stockings together.

Most of her t-shirts donned a heavy metal band’s logo, or something borderline satanic. The

amount of jewelry she wore had to weigh her down and nearly all of it was spiked. She wore her

makeup heavy and it made her look like she was always glaring. Her purple hair bluntly cropped

at her jaw was the only streak of color in her gloomy appearance. Bianca’s personality or

character was never blatantly described, but her appearance paints the picture of who she is as a

person in one’s mind. Her goth clothing, heavy makeup, and dyed hair gives the impression that

she is a rebel and she does not care what others opinions of her are. A character’s costume and

makeup are developed through research, the popular culture during the time period of the film,

and the character type.

A costume designer and makeup artists’ first step in creating a costume for a film is to sit

down and read the script with the director. The director shares their ideas and vision for the film

with the costume designer and makeup artist so that the director’s vision can be achieved through

the costuming and makeup. After the director and the designers meet, the costume designer and

makeup artist get to work researching everything they can about the film they will be working
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on. They go through old yearbooks, magazines, maps, newspapers, and photographs to learn as

much as they can about the fashion trends, makeup looks, and the people living in the time

period that the film is set in. Sometimes, the costume designer and makeup artist will go visit the

location that the film is set in to ensure that the costumes and makeup the character’s wear are as

natural and local as possible (Nusim 3). The main goal of a costume designer and a makeup artist

is to make the character blend in to the film as much as possible, otherwise the character will

stick out like a sore thumb and make the audience question why they are in the scene. Costuming

and makeup can make or break a film depending on how accurate the research the designers

conducted is.

Sometimes, a costume designer or makeup artist will do extensive research on a time

period, or setting to learn as much as they can about their script, but then take artistic liberties

with the design of the costume and makeup to better fit the audience or mood of the film. One of

the most popular examples of a costume designer and makeup artist taking artistic liberty with

the costumes and makeup is seen in the movie ​Memoirs of a Geisha​. The film is an account of

the life of a Geisha, or a female entertainer in Japan, and is mostly based on true events and the

life of an actual Geisha, Mineko Iwasaki. Colleen Atwood, one of the most well-known costume

designers in Hollywood, worked on this film’s costumes and created hundreds of kimonos and

other traditional Japanese clothing for the film. She studied books about the Geisha way of life,

visited museums about the time period the movie was set in, relied on consultants from Japan

and spoke with experts on Geisha to learn as much as she could about Japanese fashion and

makeup in the early 1900s. Atwood wanted the kimonos to look as genuine as possible to respect

the culture and make the movie as accurate to the time period as possible, but most of the textiles
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that Atwood used were more modern, as are the designs on the fabric. It was easier for her to

work with Western fabric and the detailed designs on a real kimono would have drawn the

audience’s eye more towards the kimono than the actors. She also added velvet and fur lining

onto some of the kimonos, which a real Geisha would never wear because the material would not

have been traditional, but it was a more western and flashy addition to the costumes. The makeup

that the Geisha wear in ​Memoirs of a Geisha ​is much more western and muted than a real

Geisha’s makeup. This change was made to make the Geisha characters more appealing and

beautiful to a western audience (Schwartz 1).

If the film is set in the future, or in a dystopian society, costume designers and makeup

artists will take inspiration from popular fashion lines or specific decades in history and then

exaggerate the styles (Nusim 4). For example, in the dystopian film, ​The Hunger Games,

Judianna Makovsky, the costume designer, took inspiration from America’s 1950’s coal miners

in the west because the director wanted District 12, the coal district, to feel like an old-fashioned

America. Coal miners in the 50s, and the citizens of District 12 in the movie, wore a lot of heavy

and dark fabrics, like denim, in darker colors like gray and blue with details of coal dusted all

over the garments. Outside of the districts in ​The Hunger Games, ​the bloodthirsty Capital

watches the games and reaps the rewards that the districts sow for them. The Capital is a symbol

of luxury and power and Makovsky wanted the Capital to have a lavish and brightly colored

sense of style, but not silly or fun. She took inspiration from the Italian fashion designer Elsa

Schiaparelli, whose fashion was surreal and was sometimes described as “outrageous”

(Creeden). The makeup of the Capital is just as outrageous as the fashion. Ve Nill and ​Nikoletta

Skarlatos, ​the makeup artists of ​The Hunger Games​ made most of the citizens of the Capital very
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pale and eyebrowless because it made them look otherworldly and haunting. Makovsky

commented on this look, saying, “It immediately takes the face somewhere else. It makes it high

fashion, but also a little scary. And also beautiful, funnily enough” (Creeden).

Costume designers and makeup artists also create costumes and makeup looks for

biographical films. These types of films have become increasingly popular over the past few

years, some of the more recent and well-known ones being ​Bohemian Rhapsody​ and ​Rocketman.

Costume designers create costumes that look identical to the ones the stars of the films wore in

real life, such as the dozens of velvet pants that were made specifically for Rami Malek playing

Freddie Mercury in ​Bohemian Rhapsody​. Sometimes costume designers are even given the task

to repair and restore the original clothing that the subject of the film wore. Makeup artists also

work to make the actors look exactly like who they are playing. To get into the role of playing

Freddie Mercury, makeup artists created a set of fake teeth that resembled Mercury’s actual

mouth for Rami Malek to wear (Moore). In order to make the costume or makeup look natural in

a film, and also resemble an actual person in history, research is vital for a costume designer to

conduct.

Pop culture influences everything in society today, music, hobbies, food, and the

costumes and makeup in a film. Sometimes what a character is wearing, or how a character looks

has been influenced by the trends during that time period. The 1986 film ​Labyrinth i​ s just one

example of a film that was heavily influenced by popular culture. In ​Labyrinth, ​David Bowie

plays a character called Jareth the Goblin King who was heavily influenced by rockstars and “the

teenage girl’s dream.” In the 80’s, rockstars like Queen’s Roger Taylor, Skid Row’s Sebastian

Bach, and Def Leppard’s Steve Clark were idols for teen girls and young women. In an interview
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with Jim Henson, the director of ​Labyrinth,​ he says “Jareth is, at best, a romantic, but at worst,

he’s a spoilt child, vain, and temperamental: kind of like a rock and roll star!” (Henson). Bowie’s

androgynous appearance, long teased hair, heavy eye makeup, and tight-fitting clothing makes

him one of the most iconic villains in film history (Hurley). Pop culture does not only influence

costumes in film, costumes in film influence pop culture. ​Star Wars ​is one of the most widely

​ ovies​, ​there is a
known film series in history. Even if someone has never seen the ​Star Wars m

very likely chance that they know Princess Leia’s iconic slave costume from ​Return of the Jedi​,

or Leia’s space buns from ​A New Hope, o​ r Darth Vader’s mask. Movies have always influenced

fashion and makeup, whether it be fashion lines, fashion trends, or makeup looks. .Marlene

Dietrich and Katherine Hepburn made wearing trousers and the “androgynous” look a popular

and daring trend for women after their films, ​Morroco a​ nd ​Sylvia Scarlett,​ respectively, were

released. (Bianco) (Helms, 1). Shirley Temple films like ​The Little Princess​ and ​Curly Top

inspired mothers around the country to curl their daughters’ hair and dress them up like dolls to

make them look like Shirley Temple. When Clark Gable removed his shirt to reveal his bare

chest in ​It Happened One Night​, undershirt sales plummeted overnight (Encyclopedia). Films

are one way that people find a certain “look” that they like and want to copy, which then

influences others around them.

Character types can determine the costume and makeup they wear in a film. If the

character is written as a stereotypical villain, there is a very small chance that they will wear

white or gold, or wear traditionally simple and pretty makeup. If the character is written as a

traditional “heart of gold” hero, they probably will not wear a lot of black or heavy makeup.

Costuming and makeup can make the character appear in a certain way so that the audience
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knows what role they will play in the film. For example, if a teenage girl is wearing a

cheerleading outfit, sparkly lipgloss, and false eyelashes in a film, the audience can deduce that

her character is a probably a peppy cheerleader. If a character is wearing glasses, a

pocket-protector, a button-down shirt, and makeup to make him appear bruised, the audience can

most likely deduce that the character is a nerd who gets beaten up by bullies. Sometimes, what a

character wears, or how a character looks can make the character iconic or more recognizable to

the public. Indiana Jones’s hat, Heather Chandler’s scrunchie, or Beatrix “The Bride” Kiddo’s

yellow tracksuit are all elements to their characters that make them iconic.

Makeup can push the character even further. If an actor is playing a horrifying monster

who eats children, the makeup artists can bring this vision to life. The actor needs to look like an

actual monster, and not just a human who chases kids. Makeup artists will use latex, paint, and

other materials to create an illusion that the actor is actually a monster. Fangs, horns, bulging

eyes, and different types of textured skin are all ways to create a character that will frighten the

audience and make them believe that the monster is real and not just an actor playing a monster

(Miller 91). Costume designers and makeup artists work to make the actors fit their roles so that

the audience watching the film have an easier time recognizing who the characters are and what

they are expected to do in the film.

Characters are the most important part of a film. They drive the plot, they follow a script,

they tell the story. Without costumes, they are just people reciting lines in front of a camera.

Characters are developed through the research that the makeup artist and costume designer do in

order to make the character fit into the script, whether they are a Geisha, a rich and bloodthirsty

member of the Capital, or a famous rockstar. They are developed through the pop culture of the
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time period that the film was made in so that the audience can relate to the characters and find

them appealing. Finally, characters are developed through their character type so the audience

can establish their role and feel more comfortable watching the film.
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Works Cited

Bianco, Marcie, and Merryn Johns. “The Most Daring Thing About Katharine Hepburn?
Her Pants.” ​Vanity Fair,​ Vanity Fair, 12 May 2016,
www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/05/katharine-hepburn-style-pants​.

Bréthous, Julie. “It's a Man's World: Marlene Dietrich and Her Cross-Dressing Wardrobe.”
It's a Man's World: Marlene Dietrich and Her Cross-Dressing Wardrobe - The Costume
Society​, 14 June 2016,
costumesociety.org.uk/blog/post/its-a-mans-world-marlene-dietrich-and-her-cross-dressing
-wardrobe.

Creeden, Molly. “Dressing The Hunger Games: Costume Designer Judianna Makovsky.”
Vogue​, Vogue, 1 Feb. 2017,
www.vogue.com/article/dressing-the-hunger-games-costume-designer-judianna-makovsky/
amp​.

“Hollywood Influences Fashion.” ​Encyclopedia.com,​ Encyclopedia.com, 12 Sept. 2019,

www.encyclopedia.com/fashion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/hollywood-
influences-fashion​.

Hurley, Leon. “31 Years on - How David Bowie Made Labyrinth's Goblin King a Cultural
Icon.” ​Gamesradar,​ GamesRadar+, 28 June 2017,
www.gamesradar.com/au/31-years-on-how-david-bowie-made-labyrinths-goblin-king-a-cu
ltural-icon/​.

Miller, Ron. ​Special Effects: An Introduction to Movie Magic.​ Twenty-First Century

Books, 2006.

Moore, Booth. “How 'Bohemian Rhapsody' Costume Designer Re-Created Freddie

Mercury's Androgynous Glam.” ​The Hollywood Reporter,​ 2 Jan. 2019,
www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bohemian-rhapsody-costume-designer-creating-freddie
-mercurys-look-1155895​.

Schwartz, Missy. “Behind the Seams of ''Memoirs of a Geisha''.” ​Entertainment Weekly,​ 11

Nov. 2005, ew.com/article/2005/11/11/behind-seams-memoirs-geisha/.