The costume conventions for a thriller/drama are nothing special and almost basic. This may be because they don’t want to distract the audience away from the drama and thrills unfolding.
As our film is a realistic one, the costumes and props used have to seem as though anyone in day life could be using or wearing them. This makes it seem authentic for the audience and makes it seem as though it could happen to anyone.
For example, The Girl on the Train, the main characters have no special costumes/props to further emphasise how their character comes across. As they are all presented to be ordinary people, they are never seen wearing something that is questionable or confusing to the audience, they just blend in with the rest of the crowd.
Anna Watson and Tom Watson in The Girl on the Train –
As seen above, the character Tom wears a typical businessmen attire, like an ordinary man off to work. He is dressed in a shirt with a tie, a coat and a scarf clearly dressed appropriately for the cold weather. This allows the audience to recognise Tom as a normal man and leave the suspicions of him out the door.
The character of Anna portrays her as a normal, pretty housewife. Her hair is pulled up into a plait and she is wearing minimal, basic makeup to highlight her natural beauty whilst she stays at home to look after the child. She is also dressed in a plain pink shirt, highlighting her femininity. This convention of costume and props shows that this is everyday life, and to expect the unexpected.
Props used in a thriller drama can range from a basic phone to show how normal the characters are, to weapons such as knives to portray the dark side of the characters. In The Girl on the Train, props such as alcohol, computers and phones are used to show that although the characters aren’t perfect, they are ordinary people.
Jess Stevens' A Level Media blog 