Clothes on Film: "Costume design remains one of the most misunderstood and underappreciated filmmaking arts. Far in excess of merely ‘dressing’ an actor for their role, costume design is discourse. A film can be read via costume; sometimes overtly, sometimes subtextually. Not just conspicuous sci-fi or period, but contemporary stories set within a familiar world in familiar attire. On screen even the most rudimentary item of clothing can take on meaning.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
How to Read Costume on Film
Clothes on Film: "Costume design remains one of the most misunderstood and underappreciated filmmaking arts. Far in excess of merely ‘dressing’ an actor for their role, costume design is discourse. A film can be read via costume; sometimes overtly, sometimes subtextually. Not just conspicuous sci-fi or period, but contemporary stories set within a familiar world in familiar attire. On screen even the most rudimentary item of clothing can take on meaning.
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7 comments:
I resent the fact that this wirter feels that no one appreciates how costume design can add to a film or an art piece. Especially when there are other areas that are just as overlooked; sound, lights etc. I personally make a point to think about the different aspects of design when I can. I do not understand costuming as much as I would like but I always find it fascinating. I agree that staying accurate within the period and having all aspects of an outfit reference or influence a scene or a movie is crucial. Also if maybe the costumes are a little more contemporary, or not, they influnece the acting themselves and how the actor can embody that character. Now thinking all these things, I also realize that areas like sound design are much less 'apreciated'. Unless it is an epic score or iconic in some way, no one hardly ever mentions the sound. But the sound design is one of those all too subtle arts that make a scene come together.
I think were this author is coming from that he is talking about people who do not have a background in theatre or film so they have no idea what anything takes. It is true that some people in the industry don't understand how hard it is to dress an actor, but this is true for every department. I do agree with the author in that costumes is one of the most misunderstood department just because they are kind of in their own world.
Costuming is one of the harder designs because of it's immense detail. Also unlike lighting or sound it has to tell you concrete facts about characters and not just how they are feeling. Costuming tells the who, as opposed to the other designs that generally tell the what or the why. Set can tell some of who, but especially in film costumes are important to explain the context of the person, it tells us, how old they are, how much money they have, their gender, their self-esteem, the culture they come from, where they grew up, and what they find attractive. I like that this article acknowledges non-period pieces because I think that those are sometimes the most interesting because you have to tell a story about these people with not traditional means, the designer has to create meaning for the clothes the characters are wearing.
There are some great points in this article. Coming from the "theatre world" I have seen great appreciation for the art of costume design. But it is true that many people do not appreciate the art, especially outside the industry. Even inside the industry, though, I have met many who did not even know that costume design is more than just setting a time and a place, but, as pointed out in this article, possesses many subtleties that are essential for theatre.
I am grateful for this articles honesty when approaching costumes in terms of their level of detail, not just physically but subtextually. I appreciate that this article emphasized the importance of the relationship between the costume designer and the director, especially in terms on the “laws” of the costumes. Interestingly enough, I recently watched an interview with the costume designer for the Showtime series, The Tudors, Joan Bergin. In terms of accuracy, she explained how she cut back on historical accuracy in order to heighten the level of storytelling and appeal for audience members. After reading this article, I find myself unable to agree with Bergin’s choice considering the importance of historical accuracy in order to tell the story. Also, as the Robin Hood example shows, accuracy in terms of past eras should be spot on especially in time where clothing determined a person’s social rank. Nevertheless, Bergin’s choice is just another example of the many decisions that costume designers must make when determining the clothing for a production.
I am grateful for this article's honesty when approaching costumes in terms of their level of detail, not just physically but subtextually. I appreciate that this article emphasized the importance of the relationship between the costume designer and the director, especially in terms on the “laws” of the costumes. Interestingly enough, I recently watched an interview with the costume designer for the Showtime series, The Tudors, Joan Bergin. In terms of accuracy, she explained how she cut back on historical accuracy in order to heighten the level of storytelling and appeal for audience members. After reading this article, I find myself unable to agree with Bergin’s choice considering the importance of historical accuracy in order to tell the story. Also, as the Robin Hood example shows, accuracy in terms of past eras should be spot on especially in time where clothing determined a person’s social rank. Nevertheless, Bergin’s choice is just another example of the many decisions that costume designers must make when determining the clothing for a production.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article. One thing I loved was that even though I have not seen all the film's used as costume examples, it was still more than possible for me to follow along and see significance in the design by the selected photographs. I like that it could appeal to more than those who happened to have watched the film that way. It is so interesting how something visual can “talk” and communicate with the audience. It is such an amazing concept to me how something mute can carry thousands of words. I also really liked how there were diverse examples of communication in costume. This article was so informative, well structured and overall extremely interesting. In the end of the article, It is such a cool fact that the gap sweater was remade to be read backward. I had not previously thought about needed to do that at all. The more you know!
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