Hello citizens
how are you? I'm late with today's post because the day before yesterday day I had an exam at university and I picked up two vacation days to do absolutely nothing!
As promised, I'll post the beautiful interview with the costume of Game of Thrones!
I hope that your holidays are going in the best way!
XOXO
how are you? I'm late with today's post because the day before yesterday day I had an exam at university and I picked up two vacation days to do absolutely nothing!
As promised, I'll post the beautiful interview with the costume of Game of Thrones!
I hope that your holidays are going in the best way!
XOXO
Hello, Micheles! How did you both start your activity in the Costume Design industry?
Michele Clapton: I started with my own
fashion label and organized collaborative shows with choreographers,
dancers and fashion designers for the institute of contemporary art in
London. I didn't like the business side of fashion so, after my child
was born, I started styling for photographers and video directors,
moving into commercials and then later film and TV, since I was always
very theatrical in my style and design.
Michele Carragher: The first major
manifestation of using embroidery as a creative medium was while I
studied Fashion Design at college, a lot the designs I was conceiving
there I wanted to have a sculptural presence to them. Where I truly
honed my hand needle skills was after college when I worked in Textile
Conservation, learning different techniques and stitches, absorbing
inspiration from all the beautiful historical textiles that passed
through my hands. All the skills acquired working in this field have
aided me in my present career working in Costume in the Film and
Television industry.
Which single costume that you designed for Game of
Thrones do you consider your greatest achievement? Which one was the
most difficult?
M.C.: Sometimes what looks to be the
simplest costume is often the most difficult - especially when they must
fit many people. The Unsullied costume was difficult only in that it
had to create a uniform shape that could give almost any shaped man a
look of strength, and yet it had to be light and not cover too much of
the body. I also loved working on the Child of the Forest costume, it
was such a collaboration between different crafts - I even made the
cape! - and I loved the whole result.
M.G.: I never really feel I have done my
best work, with the time constraints of each project I always feel I
could have produced better work if given a little more time. So it's
more about which embroideries I've I enjoyed within the creative process
rather than what I regard as best, such as the embroideries where I
have pushed 3-dimensional elements into sculptural territory, as on some
of the lion designs I have created for Cersei's costumes. I have also
enjoyed developing various scale-like textures for the Dragonscale
embellishment on Dany's costumes. Nothing has been the “most difficult”,
only time-consuming, such as creating nearly 350 handmade roses and
then sewing them onto the train of Margaery's wedding dress.
How does the natural evolution of the characters reflect on their costumes design?
M.C.: The costumes on all characters are
supposed to underscore their place in society, their mental state, their
journey through the story. For instance: we first meet Cersei as a
woman married to a man she loaths, she is cold, stern, removed, except
when it comes to her children, and Jaime, her brother.
When in their company she is visibly softer, with kimono
style dresses embroidered with birds. As her story unfolds we see her
visibly shift, she needs to look stronger, so the structure of her gowns
when in court becomes more ridged, she wears a form of symbolic armour
and the embroidery starts to become heavier. The use of the Lannister
Sigil, the Lyon is used extensively in her jewellery and embroidery. She
wears a lot of Lannister red and she still wears the softer Kimono
style privately, but even this is more heavily embroidered. When
Margaery arrives to wed Joffrey there is a visible struggle for power,
with Margeary playing the youthful, carefree, revealing-costume card
whilst Cersei tries to power-dress her way through. We see many members
of the court shift to copy Margaery's style, and this shows everyone's
the victor, at this stage.
Which movies would you regard as groundbreaking and fundamental in terms of costume design?
M.C.: Groundbreaking movies for me were
Werner Herzog's Nosferatu and Aguirre: Wrath of God, Sergei Parajanov's
The colour of pomegranate - a truly amazing film - and almost any
Fellini movie - but especially Satyricon. Contemporary films that come
to my mind would be Andrea Arnold's Red Road, and Steve McQueen's
Hunger.
M.G.: Of course, there are many, but
there is one for me personally: Peter Greenaway's The Cook, the Thief,
His Wife & Her Lover. Steered by the creative eye of Greenaway who
utilized his creative team to make a coherent piece of art where the
production design and costumes designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier merged
together to create memorable imagery: it's dark, surreal and beautiful.
Can you walk us through your design process?
M.C.: The design process starts with a
script, a story. I read this through many times and start to create
images in my head, to imagine the characters, what they are trying to
say, who they are, their relationship to others... I will start to make
mood boards, to sketch and swatch fabrics. If it is a period film I may
visit costume houses and museums to look at shapes and cuts. I will
share these ideas with the director and follow casting. I will also talk
with the production designer to check colours and style since it's
really crucial to be developing in the same direction. Once we have cast
we will toile up shapes and arrange a fitting to see how the ideas will
work: it is important to involve the actor in this process, as we will
move the design forward together. Depending on the style and period we
will engage crafts people such as Embroideres, Jewellers, Armourers,
Dyers in this process and we will continue to fit the actor through the
prep period.
M.G.: At the point I become involved in a
costume, Michele Clapton will have had meetings with producers,
directors, writers other heads of department regarding the project as a
whole. When I meet up with her she will have drawings of her costume
ideas, mood board influences and fabric swatches. She will then talk to
me about the character and what is happening to them in the plot, the
type of decoration that will add to the character we are trying to
portray to the audience. I then go away and do some of my own research
to integrate into the design, although Michele may have something in
mind that I will try to realize, she will always want me to experiment
and come up with some ideas and samples that she may not have thought
of, it is a collaborative and experimental process to get to the end
design. Once Michele is happy with the embroidery for that character I
usually start to create the embroidery separately from the costume, as
it may still be being made at that point and need fittings with the
actor in question. I will then apply the embroidery to the completed
costume and stitch and bead into it some more so that it becomes part of
the costume.
What advice would you give to a young student who would like to pursue your work?
M.C.: There are many ways into costume
design, after studying at college try to work with as many designers as
possible in different roles, and be prepared to work at any level to
start with. Be keen and cooperative. Try also to work on short films as a
designer.
M.G.: There is no one direct route to
anything, life is one long experiment of trial and error as no one is
born into this world knowing it all, we adapt and evolve along the way,
try to take something positive from every situation, you can't please
everyone all of the time and all experience is relevant somehow, don't
close down your vision, try, experiment, diversify until you are really
sure what you want to do. As regards Costumes generally, even if you
want to do embroidery it is still good to have some on set experience as
a costume assistant, to see how all the departments come together to
create each project and you will see how your work may translate to
screen.
- See more at: http://www.vogue.it/en/people-are-talking-about/vogue-arts/2014/06/game-of-thrones-costumes#sthash.tGS4qDU1.dpuf I started with my own fashion label and organized collaborative shows with choreographers, dancers and fashion designers for the institute of contemporary art in London. I didn't like the business side of fashion so, after my child was born, I started styling for photographers and video directors, moving into commercials and then later film and TV, since I was always very theatrical in my style and design.
Which single costume that you designed for Game of Thrones do you consider your greatest achievement? Which one was the most difficult?
Sometimes what looks to be the simplest costume is often the most difficult - especially when they must fit many people. The Unsullied costume was difficult only in that it had to create a uniform shape that could give almost any shaped man a look of strength, and yet it had to be light and not cover too much of the body. I also loved working on the Child of the Forest costume, it was such a collaboration between different crafts - I even made the cape! - and I loved the whole result.
How does the natural evolution of the characters reflect on their costumes design?
The costumes on all characters are supposed to underscore their place in society, their mental state, their journey through the story. For instance: we first meet Cersei as a woman married to a man she loaths, she is cold, stern, removed, except when it comes to her children, and Jaime, her brother.
When in their company she is visibly softer, with kimono style dresses embroidered with birds. As her story unfolds we see her visibly shift, she needs to look stronger, so the structure of her gowns when in court becomes more ridged, she wears a form of symbolic armour and the embroidery starts to become heavier. The use of the Lannister Sigil, the Lyon is used extensively in her jewellery and embroidery. She wears a lot of Lannister red and she still wears the softer Kimono style privately, but even this is more heavily embroidered. When Margaery arrives to wed Joffrey there is a visible struggle for power, with Margeary playing the youthful, carefree, revealing-costume card whilst Cersei tries to power-dress her way through. We see many members of the court shift to copy Margaery's style, and this shows everyone's the victor, at this stage.
Which movies would you regard as groundbreaking and fundamental in terms of costume design?
Groundbreaking movies for me were Werner Herzog's Nosferatu and Aguirre: Wrath of God, Sergei Parajanov's The colour of pomegranate - a truly amazing film - and almost any Fellini movie - but especially Satyricon. Contemporary films that come to my mind would be Andrea Arnold's Red Road, and Steve McQueen's Hunger.
Can you walk us through your design process?
The design process starts with a script, a story. I read this through many times and start to create images in my head, to imagine the characters, what they are trying to say, who they are, their relationship to others... I will start to make mood boards, to sketch and swatch fabrics. If it is a period film I may visit costume houses and museums to look at shapes and cuts. I will share these ideas with the director and follow casting. I will also talk with the production designer to check colours and style since it's really crucial to be developing in the same direction. Once we have cast we will toile up shapes and arrange a fitting to see how the ideas will work: it is important to involve the actor in this process, as we will move the design forward together. Depending on the style and period we will engage crafts people such as Embroideres, Jewellers, Armourers, Dyers in this process and we will continue to fit the actor through the prep period.
What advice would you give to a young student who would like to pursue your work?
There are many ways into costume design, after studying at college try to work with as many designers as possible in different roles, and be prepared to work at any level to start with. Be keen and cooperative. Try also to work on short films as a designer.
Hello, Micheles! How did you both start your activity in the Costume Design industry?
Michele Clapton: I started with my own
fashion label and organized collaborative shows with choreographers,
dancers and fashion designers for the institute of contemporary art in
London. I didn't like the business side of fashion so, after my child
was born, I started styling for photographers and video directors,
moving into commercials and then later film and TV, since I was always
very theatrical in my style and design.
Michele Carragher: The first major
manifestation of using embroidery as a creative medium was while I
studied Fashion Design at college, a lot the designs I was conceiving
there I wanted to have a sculptural presence to them. Where I truly
honed my hand needle skills was after college when I worked in Textile
Conservation, learning different techniques and stitches, absorbing
inspiration from all the beautiful historical textiles that passed
through my hands. All the skills acquired working in this field have
aided me in my present career working in Costume in the Film and
Television industry.
Which single costume that you designed for Game of
Thrones do you consider your greatest achievement? Which one was the
most difficult?
M.C.: Sometimes what looks to be the
simplest costume is often the most difficult - especially when they must
fit many people. The Unsullied costume was difficult only in that it
had to create a uniform shape that could give almost any shaped man a
look of strength, and yet it had to be light and not cover too much of
the body. I also loved working on the Child of the Forest costume, it
was such a collaboration between different crafts - I even made the
cape! - and I loved the whole result.
M.G.: I never really feel I have done my
best work, with the time constraints of each project I always feel I
could have produced better work if given a little more time. So it's
more about which embroideries I've I enjoyed within the creative process
rather than what I regard as best, such as the embroideries where I
have pushed 3-dimensional elements into sculptural territory, as on some
of the lion designs I have created for Cersei's costumes. I have also
enjoyed developing various scale-like textures for the Dragonscale
embellishment on Dany's costumes. Nothing has been the “most difficult”,
only time-consuming, such as creating nearly 350 handmade roses and
then sewing them onto the train of Margaery's wedding dress.
How does the natural evolution of the characters reflect on their costumes design?
M.C.: The costumes on all characters are
supposed to underscore their place in society, their mental state, their
journey through the story. For instance: we first meet Cersei as a
woman married to a man she loaths, she is cold, stern, removed, except
when it comes to her children, and Jaime, her brother.
When in their company she is visibly softer, with kimono
style dresses embroidered with birds. As her story unfolds we see her
visibly shift, she needs to look stronger, so the structure of her gowns
when in court becomes more ridged, she wears a form of symbolic armour
and the embroidery starts to become heavier. The use of the Lannister
Sigil, the Lyon is used extensively in her jewellery and embroidery. She
wears a lot of Lannister red and she still wears the softer Kimono
style privately, but even this is more heavily embroidered. When
Margaery arrives to wed Joffrey there is a visible struggle for power,
with Margeary playing the youthful, carefree, revealing-costume card
whilst Cersei tries to power-dress her way through. We see many members
of the court shift to copy Margaery's style, and this shows everyone's
the victor, at this stage.
Which movies would you regard as groundbreaking and fundamental in terms of costume design?
M.C.: Groundbreaking movies for me were
Werner Herzog's Nosferatu and Aguirre: Wrath of God, Sergei Parajanov's
The colour of pomegranate - a truly amazing film - and almost any
Fellini movie - but especially Satyricon. Contemporary films that come
to my mind would be Andrea Arnold's Red Road, and Steve McQueen's
Hunger.
M.G.: Of course, there are many, but
there is one for me personally: Peter Greenaway's The Cook, the Thief,
His Wife & Her Lover. Steered by the creative eye of Greenaway who
utilized his creative team to make a coherent piece of art where the
production design and costumes designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier merged
together to create memorable imagery: it's dark, surreal and beautiful.
Can you walk us through your design process?
M.C.: The design process starts with a
script, a story. I read this through many times and start to create
images in my head, to imagine the characters, what they are trying to
say, who they are, their relationship to others... I will start to make
mood boards, to sketch and swatch fabrics. If it is a period film I may
visit costume houses and museums to look at shapes and cuts. I will
share these ideas with the director and follow casting. I will also talk
with the production designer to check colours and style since it's
really crucial to be developing in the same direction. Once we have cast
we will toile up shapes and arrange a fitting to see how the ideas will
work: it is important to involve the actor in this process, as we will
move the design forward together. Depending on the style and period we
will engage crafts people such as Embroideres, Jewellers, Armourers,
Dyers in this process and we will continue to fit the actor through the
prep period.
M.G.: At the point I become involved in a
costume, Michele Clapton will have had meetings with producers,
directors, writers other heads of department regarding the project as a
whole. When I meet up with her she will have drawings of her costume
ideas, mood board influences and fabric swatches. She will then talk to
me about the character and what is happening to them in the plot, the
type of decoration that will add to the character we are trying to
portray to the audience. I then go away and do some of my own research
to integrate into the design, although Michele may have something in
mind that I will try to realize, she will always want me to experiment
and come up with some ideas and samples that she may not have thought
of, it is a collaborative and experimental process to get to the end
design. Once Michele is happy with the embroidery for that character I
usually start to create the embroidery separately from the costume, as
it may still be being made at that point and need fittings with the
actor in question. I will then apply the embroidery to the completed
costume and stitch and bead into it some more so that it becomes part of
the costume.
What advice would you give to a young student who would like to pursue your work?
M.C.: There are many ways into costume
design, after studying at college try to work with as many designers as
possible in different roles, and be prepared to work at any level to
start with. Be keen and cooperative. Try also to work on short films as a
designer.
M.G.: There is no one direct route to
anything, life is one long experiment of trial and error as no one is
born into this world knowing it all, we adapt and evolve along the way,
try to take something positive from every situation, you can't please
everyone all of the time and all experience is relevant somehow, don't
close down your vision, try, experiment, diversify until you are really
sure what you want to do. As regards Costumes generally, even if you
want to do embroidery it is still good to have some on set experience as
a costume assistant, to see how all the departments come together to
create each project and you will see how your work may translate to
screen.
- See more at: http://www.vogue.it/en/people-are-talking-about/vogue-arts/2014/06/game-of-thrones-costumes#sthash.tGS4qDU1.dpuf
Nessun commento:
Posta un commento