Planning - Mise-en-scene: Props and Wardrobe

Hello again, readers! After fully planning out the screenplay and plot of my brief, I now need to consider the opening's physical elements of mise-en-scene to fully turn my ideas into reality. On today's post, I will be sharing some props and outfits I believe should be used for filming, as well as possible substitutes so that way I am not lost choosing what to replace in the last second if I cannot use what I initially plan for.
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Antagonist:

Since the opening will mainly focus on the antagonist and their kidnapping of the mayor, I would like to focus on them first. There are many elements I planned on incorporating into the antagonist's mysterious disguise. 

First of all is the disguise itself. For the most part, it does not particularly have to be a formal getup as one would expect from a city board member (as that is the role of Guise, the man the antagonist is pretending to be), because the accessory, which is what I will describe next, is Guise's identifiable feature. So for the clothing, either a black hoodie or dark, long sleeved shirt paired with casual black pants will help to create a mysterious outline and can clash with lighting techniques suck as backlighting.

The accessory that eventually leads to the cops mistakenly accusing Guise for the kidnapping is an important feature that I wanted to put a good amount of focus on in the opening. As evident by the storyboard, I had always planned for it to be something that is placed on the antagonists chest, so something like a pin would be the best fit. As for its design, I think simply having the letter "G" somewhere on the pin would work well. An alternative to the pin would be a flashy handkerchief, as that tends to usually blend better on buttoned-up shirts.

(A simple mock-up of the pin's design I drew. Design not final.)

In the storyboard script I described the antagonist as being armed, holding a knife at the mayor. For safety and ethical reasons, I want to use a plastic knife. When planning on location, I stressed that even being seen with a plastic knife out in public for recreational filming is most likely a no-go, so a pencil or similarly pointed object could fill in as a substitute.

Guise:

Following the scene where the antagonist makes their escape, it transitions to guise in a jailhouse. Context-wise, it would make sense for him to be in casual clothing as he would most likely be arrested unexpectedly while he was doing his own things. So, I plan on having the actor wear an ordinary t-shirt (preferably a flat color) and some shorts or maybe even pajama pants. Since the camera would not focus on his entire body, it does not particularly matter about the footwear. The same pin worn by the antagonist will be used for this scene as well.

The Mayor:

The mayor of the city the plot takes place in is the primary victim of the kidnapping. Considering that he is initially going to the gala, it would make the most sense for him to be in proper, formal attire. I plan on having the mayor appear in a tuxedo (or vest), along with a tie, slacks, and dress shoes. This getup will reflect both his position as governor and also give context to the moment of the crime.

The Officer:

The officer, while making the second shortest appearance in the opening, still has to fit the role. The obvious choice for clothing would be a cop costume, which could be easily purchased online (could be a bit harder in person, as Halloween was a few months ago). As for shoes, officers are typically seen with a pair of glossy oxfords, though a pair of black sneakers would be a more cost-friendly substitute.

While writing the script for my last post, I decided to give the officer a flashlight that they use to check the surrounding area they are patrolling, just to give the character some life as they are introduced.

Protagonist:

In the opening, the audience will not have a particularly clear view of the protagonist, Detective Opacus. His job as a detective means he will eventually be analyzing evidence both out in the streets and in his office. For this reason I think that rather than using the stereotypical detective suit and hat, Opacus should instead go with something more "realistic". For his outfit, a simple button-down shirt with a tie and slacks will suffice to reflect something more aligned to business casual. Another prop that will be used is some manilla file folders with papers stuffed inside. There is no real meaning to these in the story, but will once again immerse the audience with a sense of realism.

With the clothing and props for the protagonist planned out, I noticed that none of these reflect his troubled internal state. So, I have an idea to make the character's hair messy as they are faced back when the camera first shows the protagonist. This small detail can hint at his internal struggle.

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Planning for these elements ahead of time now gives me time to start gathering everything I need prior to filming day. A lot of the outfits I shared, such as the vest and slacks, I already own, meaning that I would only have to go out and purchase the police costume as well as possibly a plain black tie and hoodie. Same goes for props, there are many folders in my home, and I remember one of my siblings having a toy knife as part of a toy kitchen set.

Looking back at what I first put into mind when selecting the outfits specifically, rather than portraying certain traits of the characters through what they wear, I instead turned to a more realistic approach. This approach is meant to make the story seem as something coming from the real world, rather then the cliche fiction established by most noir films of the past.

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There is just ONE more element that I want to plan before I plan on moving on to production itself, and that is establishing the cast sheet. Since there are four characters that I want to include in the opening, I do not want all of them to simply be me. Until next time, readers!