INDIVIDUAL ANALYSIS OF COSTUME, HAIR AND MAKE-UP.

FIRST SLIDE – ORPHAN.SECOND SLIDE – GOTHIKA.

THIRD SLILDE – THE UNINVITED

Esther’s hair is very simplistic yet it tells a lot about her character. Its straight at the top yet curly at the bottom, this could symbolise the difference in her child yet adult body, a woman is more likely to have formal and straight hair yet a child is more likely to have curly and messy hair, this is a foreshadowing and link to the text sign. Also her hair is extremely formal, it appears very neat and not child like at all, a child’s hair is usually messy and out of place, however hers is very neat and tidy. Another symbolism of her character is the depth of the black in her hair and the bow which you can barely see due to how dark her hair is. This could be linking back to her evil soul, and the hair which grows from her is black – showing she is truly evil to the depth of her soul.

Esther appears to be wearing no make-up yet, her face is extremely pale and her eyes are dark, possibly she has got slight mascara and eyeliner on to once again represent the evil that is within her. The eyes are considered the windows to the soul, and if this is the case Esther’s looks cold and unwelcoming to say the least. Her face looks unnatural and unhealthy for a child who should have rosy cheeks and a happy grin – once again a link to the narrative that Esther is not a child and is not happy, but she is a bitter adult seeking revenge.

It is quite hard to see what Esther is wearing in this image, however this could be a vital point. She has a secret she is keeping from her family, (Symbiotic link to the film poster) and therefore that could be why she is so closed up and non-welcoming through the use of her costume. She is wearing a button up coat with a white top hidden, once again not very child like. The reason her WHITE top is covered is because there is no innocence or youth left in her which is typically what the colour white represents and the fact it is covered over with a darker and duller colour represents the person she is today

Miranda’s hair is tied back here, whether a bun or a ponytail we are unable to see, however the fact she has her hair tied back is a representation of her need to fight back against what is happening to her, and her fighting attitude, although the slight bits of hair falling down on her face suggest she doesn’t completely have it under control and there are some factors which are still getting to her. Also, as these hairs are curly in the previous slide I mentioned curly hair usually is linked with youth and children, this could be showing Miranda’s vulnerable side coming out due to the circumstances she is in, her fighting and will power are beginning to subside even though she tries to remain in control of the situation.

Miranda is wearing absolutely no make-up here, representing her mental state. Typically as a woman who is young and healthy they would usually apply some sort of make-up to enhance their beauty, however Miranda is wearing none, showing she currently doesn’t care about her appearance, which is one of the first of many signs of schizophrenia and psychosis, although she may not be the type of person who doesn’t wear make-up, considering her circumstances it appears that this could be why. It also shows she has bigger problems at the moment other than applying make-up, adding to the realism of the film, as if she were to put make-up on the audience would feel as if the situation wasn’t as serious or scary.

You can’t really see what Miranda is wearing in this picture however of what you can see it looks like a medical costume, something you would be given to wear if you was in a hospital or (mental asylum?) reflecting her current state of mind and actual physical condition. The light colour of her clothing can suggest that she is “out of mind” as the colour references to summer, and blue skies which is far from the situation that she is currently in. This could also be a symbolisation of the circumstances Miranda is in.

Much like Esther, Anna’s hair appears to be dark brown, verging onto black. This is extremely important symbolism as it shows the evil that Anna has the potential to show, however it is disguised by the first impressionable brunette colouring of her hair, this links into the narrative as through out the whole film we see Anna as the victim when however we found out at the end she is in fact mentally ill and therefore the villain in the movie. Her hairstyle is also typically teenager, allowing the audience to not suspect what she’s doing, putting them into a false sense of security to what is actually going on.

She doesn’t look like she is wearing much make-up, if anything only light touches of it, showing her natural beauty. This, much like my other point puts the audience into a false sense of security as they may think someone as innocent looking and pure as Anna wouldn’t have it in her to do the things that she ends up doing in the movie. It also possibly shows that she doesn’t need to wear a mask to cover up what she’s been doing – as she herself isn’t even aware of what she is capable of, so her disguise is the best possible she could have, ignorance!

Summer clothing seems to be what she’s wearing, something you would throw on when the weather is nice and you want to relax, the colouring of yellow and white – too innocent and fresh colours resemble the character that Anna initially portrays, however these colours in contrast with her dark hair symbolise the secret that she doesn’t even know she is keeping. She also appears to be bearing a lot of skin, instead of covering up as any criminal would, however she is unaware she is a criminal, which links back to the secrecy of the narrative.