Designing & casting Charlie & Christine

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose/ By any other name would smell as sweet."

- William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

I decided to cast myself as the main actor for Charlie, the main character of my film, in no small part because I was the direct inspiration for their character (and thus understood a lot of the complex emotions I was looking to portray in my production) but also because I knew there weren't many of my peers that I could cast. I wanted Charlie to have the appearance of someone who a parent wouldn't sneeze at having their daughter share a bedroom with or a sleepover or even a too-close friendship; therefore, Charlie had to have a partially feminine appearance & gender presentation. Christine, I knew, could be played by Bia/Beatriz, my classmate and friend. Not only would she understand the importance of filming dates, she could also help plan and review shots if I needed another eye with me. 

When I was formulating Charlie's costume design, I had a few things in mind. I knew that I didn't want it to look too put together or "done"; more rushed, and a bit sloppy, as though they hadn't been able to do laundry but didn't have many other clothes. Visually, I wanted to keep most of my production neutral and a bit cool-toned, but I did want their main top to stand out a bit. Finally, I knew that one of my major challenges during principal photography was that I might move, and with zero budget, I knew I had to pick clothes I owned which were appropriate and comfortable for shooting, but also wouldn't be likely to actually be so dirty they were unable to be worn at a moment's notice.

With all these issues in mind, I picked an outfit that I actually did wear quite a bit during the highly transitional phase of my life: a hoodie, baggy jeans, and plain socks. 

I also wanted Christine to have a bright "good girl" aesthetic, but I wanted the overall tone of the film to feel kind of gloomy and jaded, as so many adolescent films do. Without too much work in post-production to create that muted vibe, I told Bia to stick to something she could rewear at a moment's notice, in tones of mostly gray and white. 

 

 

So, with all the logistics of our outfits in mind, I wanted to talk about the character choices that drove these costume choices a little bit more. I wanted a contrast between the states of being that Charlie and Christine found themselves in. I really liked Bia's initial choice of outfit because it was simple without being boring- the triple necklace, grommet belt, and the ripped black jeans juxtaposed with the sweet white cardigan all spoke to the conflicts that I wanted to explore in Christine's character- and would, given the rest of the film to unpack all my thoughts about the highly personal story that inspired Unpacking (hehe, get it?). Many teens find themselves stuck between who their parents expect them to be- in this case, highly religious- and a spirit of angsty rebellion that they often use to express their personal style. Therefore, the edgy, punk influences in Bia's outfit felt modern and fit within slightly alternative trends from the last few years. But I also wanted her color palette to mesh with the color palette of the set, in this case my home, which was mostly calm, cool neutral tones and creams. Visually, Charlie was supposed to stick out and feel like an outsider compared to Christine. I think the color choices in our wardrobes accomplished that well.

Well, folks, that's all for today.

Yours always,

Clover Fields