Costume and Makeup Design

Even a beautifully structured and written screenplay is little more than a bare skeleton for a motion picture. The key members of the production team who together will plan the visual design or look of the film–the director, the cinematographer, the production designer, and the costumer–must analyze the skeleton. Analyze how all these members of a production worked together to create Young Frankenstein by answering the questions below.

• In the film, Young Frankenstein, was the filmmaker’s choice of black and white correct for this story? What factors do you think influenced this decision? Try to imagine the film as it would appear in the other film type. What would the differences in total effect be?
• What details of the costuming and makeup in Young Frankenstein help the actors be “in character?” Do these factors also play a role in creating a sense of time and place?
• Is the lighting in the film, Young Frankenstein as a whole (a) direct, harsh, and hard; (b) medium and balanced; or (c) soft and diffused? Does high-key or low-key lighting predominate? How do the lighting decisions fit the film’s story?