Interviews | Roger Ebert: Lovely, nostalgic and wondrous, Todd Haynes’ “Wonderstruck” casts a magical spell through a melancholic tale that intersects two parallel stories set in two separate eras. Adapted by Brian Selznick from his own illustrated book (the author, whose The Invention of Hugo Cabret was the source material for Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo”), “Wonderstruck” impressively brings two chapters of New York City’s history to life in following the analogous (and ultimately interconnecting) journeys of two non-hearing children.
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I read the book Wonderstruck when it first came out, and even as a novel it is strikingly visual in its imagery - especially because of the topic of deafness, the physical appearances of things are very important, and need to be looked at and designed with special attention. I think the challenge of costuming two periods is very clear here, especially with how hard it must have been to adjust to black and white. As someone who also is very focused on colors and patterns, and the meanings of different colors and patterns, the idea of doing things in black and white for a whole show or film seems difficult for me. While it does take some work out of things, like being able to but clashing colors on someone and know they'll still match on camera with the black and white filter, I feel you'd also have to worry about two different colors seeming clearly separate and discovering the tones blend in black and white. It's a challenge I feel would be good for a designer, though - to step out of your comfort zone and try something you may not have thought would be as hard as it is.
Although I haven’t read Wonderstruck; I found this article to be very thought provoking. The adaptation into a movie creates a set of unique challenges that are, what actually create the film. The film being set in two different time periods, as she already mentions, creates a more difficult atmosphere than other movies because you have to think in two different styles. Actually, creating a style of clothing which works on black and white camera imaging; it adds a whole new layer and depth to thinking that really becomes challenging. I can only imagine the process and impact that had to occur to create such wonderful costumes for this movie. Having to switch from thinking for black and white and in one style to then think in color with a different style. I can only assume that is would be taxing mentally but also quite interesting and the final project must have been so rewarding.
After reading this article, I am in complete awe of Cindy powell and the way she is balancing between the 20’s and 70’s. I love her approach to period costumes, sometimes designers are too afraid of sinking their teeth fully into an era and try to half modernize the clothes. From the photos I have seen, she seems perfectly capture the energy and style of both eras. She has an incredible eye for detail, and I am also impressed by the attention she gives the extras. Often in a design, it is easy to forget about those little details, but she understands that those details are what give the world life and vibrancy. Reading that she has worked with Selznik is exciting, because rarely do you get the connection between an author and a designer. The designer plays such a large role in bringing that world and those characters to life.
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