Props & Costumes | Drama Development

When finding props for my drama piece, I looked back at my mood board and got an idea of what I wanted. I decided that buying a doll similar to the ones in the original scene would be quite expensive and also I felt that it didn't quite fit in with the modern era. So, as it is on my mood board, I purchased three barbie dolls to match the characters. Originally I bought three barbie dolls to match the characters on the show, but as I couldn't find a blonde actress for Hanna I had to choose a brunette. This meant that Hanna's doll didn't match the appearance of the actress, however, I decided that I would keep the doll for Hanna and if anyone questioned it I would say that she died and cut her hair before the scene occurred.

I then needed a box for the dolls to appear in, so I used the box that one of the Barbie dolls came in. It was just about the right size width ways, which was good, and I could fit the paper in it as well. For the paper underneath Aria's doll I copied the title from what I saw in the original scene and got a similar picture from google images. Even though the title is the same, the words past it are a previous piece of work that I had produced earlier last year. Also, after the first page there are blank or spare pieces of paper to make the paper look thick and informative. I also wrote the characters name on a blank piece of paper, in capitals and in red ink, and then cut them out so the audience and the actresses knew which doll belonged to each character.
On top of the dolls are a sheet of fabric, so I used one of my scarfs as it was big enough to fit in the box and it easily covered up the dolls. For the paper on top of the fabric I found different letter shapes and fonts on google images and photoshopped them all together to form the message, and to make it look similar to the one in the original scene. Lastly, on top of the box I wrote, in bold and red ink, 'OPEN OR SHE DIES'. I decided to add '-A' on the box so the audience know who it's from, and also so they know it's quite a daunting and unexpected package.

When it came to the second scene I used the same doll for Emily as I did for Aria, as they have similar appearances, but I changed the clothing items so it suited Emily's character. I also made a sign with her name on it to place on top of the pillow in the summer house, and I printed off a map. In the original scene, Emily is in a car and the sat nav has automatically calculated the root for her to take to find the missing person. Due to the changing of the location, I needed to find a way to show this root for her to take. To do this I printed off a screen shot of an area in google maps and added a red line to show the root. I decided to include an 'X' to show where she should end up and '-A' to show the audience who sent these items to her which helps create a sense of mystery.

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Before the shoot days I sent the actresses a short description of what type of clothing I wanted for each character. I also sent them a link to the mood board I had created for each of their characters, so they could research and get a clear idea of what I was looking for.

Nadine [Hanna] wore purple skinny jeans, a pink vest top and a floral pinkish blouse that went on top of the vest. I liked this outfit choice for Hanna as she loves the colour pink and she loves her fashion, which shows in this outfit. She also wore black high heel boots which matched the character also. Overall, I am happy with Hanna's costume.
Grace [Aria] wore a black and white patterned dress, black tights, a black leather jacket and bold pieces of jewellery. I liked this outfit choice for Aria as she loves to wear patterned and abstract clothing items with a lot of large jewellery. She also wore black boots which matched the characters style well. Overall, I am happy with Aria's costume.
Shannon [Spencer] wore a white blouse with a black vest top underneath, black tights and a yellow and black checkered skirt. I liked this outfit choice for Spencer as she looks smart but still quite casual, and the colours go well together which is something that Spencer looks for in her outfits. She also wore black flats which matched the characters style. Overall, I am happy with Spencer's costume.

Oriane [Emily] wore black skinny jeans and a grey top. However, since the scene is set outside I decided that I wanted her to wear a coat and wear something suitable for the cold weather. This meant that she wore a brownish red coat and a black and white scarf. I liked this outfit choice for Emily as it doesn't look too feminine, but it has a few feminine touches to it, like the colour of the coat and the pattern on the scarf. She also wore greenish blue trainers to show the characters sporty side. Overall, I am happy with Emily's costume.