Costumes And Make Up

Make up is broadly defined as anything applied to the actor's face or skin to achieve a certain look. All actors wear make up in front of the camera, although it is often very subtle and designed simply to help them look their best. In it's most extreme form, make up can be used to convey traumatic wounds or even transform a character into an alien or an inhuman creature.

Costumes are similarly defined as outfits worn by the actor when they are in character. They can include jewellery and props such as belts etc in addition to proper clothing. In strictest terms, costumes can be used to create an appearance and enhance the personality of a character for the viewers. For example, an actor with scraggy clothes and a messy unshaven beard tells a completely different tale about a character, in contrast to a suited man with a cigar in his mouth. In this example, the costume is a school uniform and the make up is blood.