Workshop #3: Costumes || The Hunger Games || English

To today's work 

Workshop 3: How are costumes used to enhance the story?

The Reaping in District 12: The people of 12 are waiting to find out who's going to be reaped.

Description: old, faded from repeated washing, mended, worn, dark colours so coal doesn't damage the whites, at reaping they are at best condition. They are in their best clothes because they are being watched by the Capitol and the Districts. They don't want to look as poor as they really are. Boys-  Button-ups for every boy, suspenders, shorts/trousers. Girls: Dresses or skirts, length at knees but not longer than that. Everybody's made an effort-- hair is tidy. No accessories, can't afford, not practical.

Effect on the viewer: They are poor, don't have enough money to have more than the basics. They want to be seen as equals, or respectable, not as dirty coal miners. 

Director's Purpose: To show the difference between the Capitol and the other Districts, Capitol has wealth- privilege- their clothing is nicer, more availability and they can get their outfits to fit properly

Techniques: Camera angle, wide shot that shows lots of people crammed in the space, high angle makes the subject(s) seem weaker, emphasises the power of the Capitol over the Districts.

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Arrival in the Capitol: The Capitol residents are waiting for the tributes to arrive.

Describe: Immaculate, bright, colourful, exotic, co-ordinated, variety. Women- dresses, different styles but same bright colour palette. Men- Suits, skirts. Accessories - dyed dogs, headwear/hats, handbags, gloves, earrings, make-up, their accessories aren't limited to one gender e.g men can have long eyelashes.

Effect on the viewer: They are wealthy - not poor, they have privilege, born into wealth and don't have to be worried about reaping

Director's purpose: To highlight the luxuriousness of the Capitol.

Techniques: setting- Light, modern architecture, stones, metals, steel, fresh, new, futuristic.

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Paragraph:

In the Reaping scene, costumes are used effectively the theme of 'Rich vs Poor'. In this case, 'Rich vs. Poor' means the privileges afforded to people in Panem based on their district. This is demonstrated by the clothing worn by the residents of District 12 during the annual reaping. The clothes are uniform, well-worn, and bland tones. The men wear button-ups, collar shirts and shorts or trousers whilst the women wear skirts or dresses. These are examples of their best clothing which tells us they are poor and limited to what they can access. This makes the audience think that although they are poor and can only afford the basics, they want to be seen as respectable by the Capitol and other districts, not just as coal miners. This was done to show the difference between the Capitol and the other districts. The Capitol has wealth and privilege whilst the people in the districts have to make do. This worked well with the use of camera angles. In this shot a high angle wide shot is used to show the people of District 12 are weaker and more vulnerable under the power of those in the Capitol. This can be juxtaposed to the use of costumes in the Capitol where we see the 'Rich vs. Poor' through the extravagance and luxuriousness of the citizens costumes.

Starting Paragraph 2:

In the arrival into the Capitol scene, costumes are used effectively to show the theme of 'Rich vs. Poor'. This is demonstrated when we first see the Capitol residents from the train.