The Kennedy’s is a Tv Series On the BBC from November 2015 which is set in the 1970’s. I have looked at this TV series to help with styling for the characters in the dream sequence.
‘Multi-generation family sitcom set in the 1970s, loosely based on Emma Kennedy’s memoirs. The Kennedy family pursue every opportunity they can to climb the social ladder on their housing estate’ – BBC web site
The next character I have researched is Isabel. Isabel is Michaels wife defiantly the opposite to Michael. Stressed and easily irritable, she continuously finds faults with Michael and gets frustrated by his passivity. Isabel is tall, slender, long blonde hair, blue eyes, conventionally beautiful and dressed conservatively.
after reading the script and looking into the characters a bit more Isabel was a character that I had a clear vision in my head. particularly about the type of character I could see her being. I have recently finished the house of cards television series, one of the main characters Carry Underwood, played by Robin Wright. 
Robin Wright’s character is a strong independent woman who, although she cant stand her husband she still loves him and stands by him through all there mistakes. I feel that Carrie Underwood also resonates similarities with Isabel . So I began to look quite closely in to the style of Carrie underwood on the house of cards. Over the three years that the series has been continuing it has had three costume designers. Tom Broecker (13 episodes in 2013), Gersha Philips ( 4 episodes in 2014) and Johanna Argan who has done the most recent series with 20 episodes in 2013. House of chards, Tv series, IMDB.
Sally is Michaels daughter, she is part of the present. She is probably the one only good thing that he has ever done and ever will do. Children I find quite hard to research in to as any photographs of a modern child is from catalogue campaigns where all the children have been specifically casted for that shoot and there are very rarely any normal every day children. This was the first hurdle with designing for Sally.
This is what Tatiana had to say about sally:
“Sally, 6, Michael’s daughter. Long blonde hair, blue eyes. Bubbly, she’s generally emotionally independent and rather mature for her age. She wants to engage in the world like she’s an adult. She craves the joy of learning new things and like to share it with others”
I first began to look in to just what tatiana says; blonde hair blue eyes-
I found some very beautiful, idiclic six year olds. I then thought about the season and that i know in one scene her mother would be putting on her coat.
Tatiana said that she really likes the shapes of this second image of the coat and that layers a good but she would like brighter colours as she is in the present day and there needs to be a dramatic contrast.
NO. Not ‘THE’ but ‘A’ Doctor, if it was this would be a hole new film entirely. The doctor in this script is an odd character. We don’t really know who he is and why he’s there and he doesn’t have any narrative importance. The only way Arielle and i worked out he was the doctor is when we read the treatment we just had to use the process of elimination to work it out and that there is only one character at the very beginning of the dream sequence that he could be.
This is the information I was given by Tatiana:
“Doctor, 45, tall, open posture, friendly and warm.”
This description plus the information given in the script or lack of made it very difficult to start designing or coming up with ideas.
The Doctor is part of the dream sequence he is in cool tones but i still wanted him to feel approachable, I have very drawn to chunky knit cardigans.
After having a chat with Tatiana it came to the surface that this character may not be in the final draft of the script, and she has said for me to not do much more for this character until she gives me more information.
Amanda is the first character that I have looked at in relation to initial costume ideas and after reading the script and the visual treatment I have found my slef emagening this very week and uninspiring character who spends all day in her pjamas; and cares very little for her apperance.
This is what tatiana wrote about Amanda –
“Amanda, 45, Michael’s mother. Brunette, pale, skinny, frightnelly calm and weak. Dressed with a white night gown. She suffers from depression and consequently of insomnia. She constantly feels sad, apathetic and worthless. She avoids conflicts at all costs as they make her feel anxious and nervous.”
Amanda is part of the dream world and is being imagined as Michael remembers her. This means that she is dressed in very 1980’s attire. Amanda appears in two separate locations one in the hall way and again in the kitchen so Arielle and my self discussed and decided it would be a good idea to have her in two separate costumes. The first time we see her she will be in a night dress, looking very washed out and haggard, but in the kitchen scene she will be dressed but very uncoordinated/ thought about but has also tried to make herself look presentable as if she has it all together even though she doesn’t and this is clear.
When Arielle and my self where looking in to this character together we came up with the image of Wendy Torrance, from the shining.
Although the colours are all wrong we had the idea of having an over sized smock dress and jumper, very practical but uncoordinated.
My initial research for ‘The Finest Model’ consisted of a meeting with Arielle and my self, in which we looked at how we are going to split up the characters, so that they all work coherently, in order to use our time effectively. I began my research by looking into four of the nine characters; Arielle has the other five. I am designing for Isabel – Michael’s wife and Sally, Michael’s daughter.These two characters are set in the present, outside of the dream sequence. This means that they are in lots of warm tones as Tatiana is wanting to contrast this with the dream sequence- which will be in colours a lot colder than that of the present. Two other characters I’m designing for are Amanda – Michael’s mother,and the Doctor, who will be in this colder colour pallet as they are present in the dream sequence.
All this reseach is for the mood and feel of the characeters and over all look.
The Finest Model 