Locations, Set designs, costumes & props

Locations, Set designs, costumes & props are all very important aspects when it comes to creating a thriller film. Different locations, set designs, costumes & props can change the mood of the film very easily so it is important that the location, set design, costumes & props fit accordingly to the story. 'The Butterfly Effect' is a psychological thriller starring Ashton Kutcher. I watched the first three minutes to distinguish the type of set, location, costume & props used to introduce the movie. The movie begins in a dark setting where the actor dressed in a blue type doctor’s jacket with a simple white t-shirt and beige trousers is breaking into an office. As an audience member we can tell this as he checks to see if its empty then kicks down the door, then uses the sofa to block the door entrance. The setting is very dark and enclosed and the location of this scene seems to be in an office of some sort. The props used fit accordingly to the scene i.e. the actor uses a pencil and paper of which he takes from the desk of the office. A pencil and paper is something we would expect to be on an office table. There is a water dispenser which many offices have however, the office resembles a type of therapists’ office as it is spacious, simple and there is no computer of any sort to be seen, but just a sofa to the left of the desk with a table facing it full of magazines and a water dispenser. The office is furnished with fitting colours to the setting i.e. the setting is dark and so is the sofa and desk. This scene is set in the location of some sort of office and the setting and props fit accordingly to the location. The actors costume makes us wonder as an audience member if he is in some sort of hospital as he seems to be clothed in type of doctor’s jacket. The scene then changes to a lovely looking neighbourhood, on a nice day. As an audience member we are informed this is thirteen years earlier. The location of this scene is a neighbour hood, and the setting includes houses, cars, people etc everything you would see in a neighbourhood. The people in the scene are wearing everyday clothing and the young boy actor uses a toy as a prop to play with his dog, whilst the mum dressed in a blue jumpsuit is fixing their car with a tool box prop. She then removes the jumpsuit to reveal a waitress type uniform. The costumes match the setting an as an audience member we begin to wonder who the boy is, and who was the man in the previous scene. In the beginning of this thriller the set, costumes & props fit the location perfectly.