Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Contender – Costume Designer Sandy Powell, Carol
Below the Line: Had Todd Haynes’s film Carol been made when it was first developed 15 years ago, it would have been a very different looking film. Based on The Price of Salt, a 1952 semi-autobiographical novel by Patricia Highsmith, Carol owes much of its aesthetic, richly interpreted by Haynes in 16 mm, to the New York street photography of Vivian Maier, an unknown until her vast collection of negatives was discovered in 2007.
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5 comments:
Sandy Powell has such a sophisticated eye and body of work.
It is so nice to hear that even on large films budgets and "big name" designers have "tight" budgets and are required to be resourceful.
I really admire Sandy Powell, her body of work, and her research/process. Starting designs and research with storyboards seems simple, however, I agree that it is so important. Mapping out moods, and themes, and even silhouettes helps everyone including the designer to streamline ideas. Not to mention it gives people working on the production tangible ideas, not just renderings.
I like hearing that designers (costume/hair/makeup) are working closely together, and that collaboration is still alive and well. You can see in all of her work that Powell pays particular attention to detail, as well as the big picture.
Her work is striking and distinct.Cinderella... WOah.
I love that Sandy Powell can go from as huge and as bountiful a design as Cinderella was to as cut corner and specific as Carol seems to be -- it's a testament to her mind as a designer and her ability to be a chameleon when it comes to budgeting and scaling forth or back her ideas. There's also something to having a director being so knowledgeable and focused on the design aspects of the film as well as on the characters and the scripts -- that's what I am most excited for, in learning about costume design and exploring design for film and television. The fact that the design was based around a series of newly discovered photographs is extremely cool and enticing, because it grounds the film in the real truth of the 1950s while also taking a spin of perception through the lens of a female photographer in the 1950s. I can't wait to see this film and see Powell's designs realized on Mara and Blanchett, and to see how I can compare Cinderella to this film. And honestly, I don't know if I can -- or if I want to.
I recently stumbled upon the photographs of Vivian Maier, and read a little bit about their story. Originally they were purchased at an auction as a box of negatives, and since they are so recently discovered are an unfamiliar portrait of life when she was working. I am so happy to see that her work is already having an impact, and acting as inspiration for this film's design! Another thing that captured my attention in this article is what they said about how cohesive the designs work together. There is something great about working so closely with people and so closely to a concept that the style of the film is clearly visible. It reminds me of the Grand Budapest Hotel, excepting that this time around the style is not driven through every detail by one person, but rather by a team that is able to work so cohesively and closely to a concept that they can achieve the same effect.
As an aspiring costume designer, it is thrilling to see a woman who can bridge genres with such skill. As she mentions in the article, making Cinderella with a year and a huge team is a far sight different than a small period piece with two assistants and a short production period. However, it is fascinating to see her aesthetic shine through in both a lush fantasy and vividly stylish drama. Moreover, it is wonderful to see that a designer does not need to limit herself to a single genre in order to be well known in her industry and successful. The rich use of color, the detailed world creations, and the commitment to luxurious textures are effective regardless of the film they are in. Sandy Powell has a fantasy within the grounded world the the 1950s. The perfect red hat against the camel colored fur coat are an exquisite combination that create a wonderful surrealism within our cultural knowledge of the decade. In this way, I can see us being caught up in the romance of Carol just as much as the characters themselves.
Having so much respect for the amazing cast of "Carol," from Cate Blanchett to costumer Sandy Powell, this film is definitely on my must-see list. After her luscious creations for “Cinderella,” I am extremely interested in seeing what she has come up with for this period film, and from the trailer/article it looks like her careful attention to detail has shone through once again. Reading the article after watching the trailer, I was surprised to learn about the minimal budget for this show, as the quality of what I saw on screen was superb to say the least. I can imagine the transition from a massive budget to a nearly non-existent one must have been difficult, but a true testament to the wide-ranging skills of a costumer, who can construct a believable world while penny pinching. The attention to time period is also quite visible and true to life, giving care not to stereotype the 1950’s into one generic silhouette. The nuances provided by Powell I believe will have tremendous impact on the film as a whole, complementing the overall quality of this piece.
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