Comparative characters

Femme Fatale and Victim Costume Comparison

I felt I would challenge myself to have two main characters in my opening title sequence played by the same actress, I want the audience to make this link yet see a significant difference between the two not just by their appearance but also in the personality/tendencies/expressions.

Femme Fatale - Victim - Both

Image One - Jacket

Image Two - Outfit
Image Three - Shape and Personality Shown
Image Four - Footwear
Image Five - Hair
Image Six - Makeup etc

Image One - Jacket

Image Two - Outfit
Image Three - Shape and Personality shown

Image Four - Footwear

Image Five - Hair

Image Six - Makeup etc

A femme fatale (French: [fam faˈtal], is an alluring and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. She is an archetypal character of literature and art. Her ability to entrance and hypnotize her male victim was in the earliest stories seen as being literally supernatural, hence the most prosaic femme fatale today is still described as having a power akin to an enchantress, vampire, female monster or demon.

wikipedia

I wanted this description to be reflected in my character, i felt it should be about SHAPE and CONTRAST.

Image One: I originally didn't plan for my actor to wear jackets during shooting but due to unexpected weather i felt it would be cruel not to allow it, and so i made sure that the jackets still fit the character - in the case of the Femme Fatale the jacket is black to match the rest of the outfit, is tailored so it fits to the actor's body shape and promoting the femme fatale's "alluring appearance" yet it doesn't cover the rest of the outfit. it fits the femme fatale criteria because it shapes my actor and creates an hourglass figure (as does the dress).

For my victim, it was less about shape and more about patterns, colours would have been appropriate but Film Noir Genre is generally black and white so I felt patterns and symbols would be more appropriate. For her jacket, we chose loose fitting and boasting large checkered-print - as it reflects in my mind a youthful personality ( happy-go-lucky ).

Image Two: The outfit for Femme Fatale is black - so creates a darker silhouette when contrasting light in the alleyways, the dress shapes my actor and has interesting movement, plus the dress allows my actor to wear the desired heels ( for the chosen sound effect during travel ). It fits a "Gothic" stereotype which fits in with the Femme Fatale meaning, in the past linking the FF's charms and power over men - to witchcraft etc.

For my Victim we are attempting to give a "youthful" (sorry for repetition of the word "youthful") appearance and so I put her in a shapeless jumper which created the boyish frame we wanted, and it has recognisable/mainstream characters visible on it's front. I then put her in jeggings which made her legs look slim (boyish frame). Through this kind of wear, we want the audience to see an "everyday" kind of girl, average and normal.

Image Three: The full outfit for the Femme Fatale creates an hourglass shape which is very appropriate to the FF character, i wanted the contrast between a boyish/youthful shape of the victim and the curvaceous figure of the FF, and the dress creates the appropriate silhouette i wanted and the skirt is layered and so has an interesting movement when my actor walks. Personality-wise during the OTS, I wanted my audience to see an alluring, charming yet slightly manic character, she's doing a horrible thing yet she grins in pursuit and once the deed is done - at one point the audience may even get the idea she is reconsidering , but she is only weighing up her methods - she's a ruthless femme fatale with a crazed mind.

For my Vitim we are attempting to give a "youthful" (sorry for repetition of the word "youthful") appearance and so i put her in a shapeless jumper which created the boyish frame we wanted, and it has recognisable/mainstream characters visible on it's front. I then put her in jeggings which made her legs look slim (boyish frame). Through this kind of wear, we want the audience to see an "everyday" kind of girl, average and normal. (taken from last image), personality wise we want to give the audience an innocent girl, isn't aware of the situation she's in - only that she is in danger, she is being pursued and so she doesn't hesitate in running. She's young and so maybe a bit gullible or naive (instant fright at the text message she receives).

Image Four: Footwear i felt was important, i wanted the contrast between the "pattering" of the flat shoes (Victim) as she tried to run away and the slow, confident, heavy pace of the heels (Femme Fatale). I wanted to show that the Femme Fatale was ruthlessly confident, she needn't run in her heels, she will find the Victim at whatever pace she chooses.

While the Victim wears flats with patent bows, giving us a weak, pattering as she runs - reflecting her own weakness against this FF.

Image Five: The hair of my femme fatale is curled, i felt this could not only reflect her alluring appearance but i also over-curled the hair giving it a wild/unkempt appearance at certain angles, this reflecting her manic personality that is revealed in certain frames.

The victims hair is very simplistic (schoolgirl you could call it), shiny and appears clean cut when straightened but also average linking to her average appearance and lifestyle.

Image Six: Hair and makeup for femme fatale was exaggerated, the eyeliner is bold and eccentric, it's carefully applied along with a lot of mascara, this AGAIN reflects her alluring, charming stereotype. She also has black nail varnish, i felt this would be dramatic and contrasting to her pale skin especially in extreme lighting and so would be effective in a Film Noir Genre. The Victim wore little mascara and lots of glitter which can be seen in the OTS ( coloured makeup not being an option in a B+W ots), glitter is a child/teenage accessory so thsi fits the character well. Her makeup also matched her nail varnish, both are pale and diverse in comparison to the femme fatale's.

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