Staring Off Character Designs

I watched a few YouTube videos on character design and costume design for films. I started by watching this video about a style analysis of the film Mean Girls. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcvKdNiA7uc

In this video, the analyst discusses the characters' states of mind and how they are presented through their clothes. For the Mean Girls film, Cady starts off by wearing clothes that don't fit her, which clearly separates her from the other girls in the school.

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During the middle of the film, she starts dressing more like the popular girls. Incorporating more pink into her costume palette to match the other girls and wearing shorter skirts and fitted tops.

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At the very end of the film, Cady goes back to wearing denim jeans but wears a fitted top to show how though she isn't trying to be popular anymore, she has still changed and adopted some style choices from the Plastics.

I also referred to a shape language video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6YI3F4pcMs

This video takes the viewer through what shape language means and how you can use this to physically show what the character is like. After watching these two videos, I crafted a small theory. Body shape and physical attributes can signify a character's instincts and natural intentions whereas their clothes represent how they think consciously and how they want to present themselves to other people. Your body isn't something you can change easily but your clothes can differ depending on how you feel that day. For example, a big strong man with giant muscles show that he has an instinct to be strong but depending on his clothes might show off a different personality. If he wears armor, he must be a warrior. If he wears a dirty apron and pajamas, he might be a house husband taking care of his children. It's just a small theory but I'll see if I can apply it to my character design process.

Preproduction Characters

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