Write-Up #3 Assignment
Blade Runner (1982) Ridley Scott
HUM 110: Introduction to American Film
JC Clapp, North Seattle College

Focus/Topic of Write-Up #3: Costumes

In film, the mise-en-scene refers to aspects such as the setting, the human figure (costuming, makeup), props, lighting, composition, staging, movement, balance and use of space. Costumes communicate everything from gender to occupation and from socioeconomic status to mental state, and are part of a film’s mise-en-scene.

Your Task (What your Write-Up should include):

  1. Choose one of the main characters (Deckard, Rachael, Roy, Pris, Gaff, or J.F. Sebastian)and describe in detail what that character wears (what style, color, pattern, quality and type of clothing) and then analyze what those costuming choices communicate to the viewer.
  2. How does the clothing of your chosen character indicate what kind of person the character is? Be specific.
  3. How might the clothing of your chosen character be indicative of the character’s mental state? Explain.
  4. How does the clothing of your chosen character reflect the time-period that the film is set in (LA in 2019)? How does the clothing speak to other time periods, such as the 1940s? How does the clothing connect to the codes of Film Noir? Give examples.

What your Write-Up should notinclude:

  • a review, reaction, or personal response
  • a biography of the director or actors or a synopsis of what the director/actors say in the “Director’s Cut” of the film
  • the use of any research
  • a plot summary (don’t tell us what happens in the film – at all.)

Grading Criteria (20 points): I will be looking for these elements when grading your Write-Up:

Analysis of the clothing of a main character, in depth, with examples

A minimum of 500 words (about 2+ pages)

A heading that includes the name of the film, the year, and the name of the director

Assignment typed in 12 pt. font, double spaced, and has 1 inch margins

No response, critique, review, evaluation, or reaction

No ideas or word used from any other source

Grammatically correct and proofread – if there are extensive problems in this category, the paper as a whole will not earn more than 13 points.