Awardsdaily - The Oscars, the Films and everything in between.: Rosamund Pike delivers a ferocious, unflinching performance as Marla Grayson in J Blakeson’s I Care a Lot, but she also looks incredible. Marla is a woman who is always two steps ahead of her prey–she’s a fucking lioness after all. Not only does she con you and take you loved one’s savings, she looks fantastic doing it, and costume designer Deb Newhall is in on the job.
5 comments:
I really enjoy learning about the creative process of how costume designers land on their final choices and how that affects the scene as a whole. It also mentioned something really important: award shows will disregard the work of contemporary costumes in favor of period pieces. And not only award shows, but the public, in general, I have seen. There is intention put in, it is undeniable that wearing a monochromatic ensemble is not a statement of any kind. To lean into something so bold reflects something on the person making those choices, and more so if it’s a bright color like sunshine yellow or a red like the article mentioned. Granted, there is some extent of it that relies on styling, but that is not exclusive to contemporary designs. Hair and makeup also have a lot to add to an outfit, I’d even dare to say they can make or break an ensemble.
The use of color in film is probably one of my favorite parts of filmmaking as a whole. I think that's why I'm so drawn to Studio Ghibli and Wes Anderson films. With costumes and a film set you can make a world so much more colorful than it would be in real life, and it makes my brain very happy. I especially love a monochromatic look, because I feel like by limiting the color palette, you are able to be so much more explorative with the silhouette and fabrics. I also feel like colors are one of the easiest ways to add meaning to a costume or set piece, but that does not discount it in anyway. I think anyone who really loves film or theatre should get a basic understanding of the meanings of different colors, because it is such an easy way to deeper enjoy something that you already love. It almost feels like a secret language among artists! I am very excited to start designing my own costumes with bright pops of color!
I just. I just love color so much. I personally am not very good at using it, but I think I am fairly adept at looking for and recognizing it. Like Jem, I am very drawn to Studio Ghibli and Wes Anderson movies (although Wes Anderson's super white casting and storyline for Isle of Dogs is a whole other beast to tackle. Let's just say I walked out of Isle of Dogs feeling pretty damn icky). As both the article and Gabriela have mentioned, period and modern are so different, in such a way that modern costuming probably does feel like styling, as Newhall says. I definitely fall into the trap of "Oh, period is harder because you have to custom build most things," but does that really mean it's "better" or requires more talent to be able to design for that? Probably not. Everyone has their strengths, and it's cool to see different designers lean into different niches.
When it comes to color, it's always interesting to look at it from the perspective of how much the character wants to be noticed or wants to draw attention to themselves. From what I could grasp from a trailer I watched at some point, I would think that Rosamund Pike's character would want to be drawing as little attention to herself as possible, in order to fly under the radar during her scams. Definitely shows you what kind of person she is, if she's wearing bright monochrome looks. Again, like the last article I commented on from this website, I wish that the author had included screen caps of the movie so that the readers could have a visual aide when reading about the costumes. I understand what a trench coat billowing out behind someone looks like, but I'm sure that there's a very specific version unique to the film that adds to the character dramatically.
I absolutely love reading about a costume designer’s process and decisions (I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve said that… It’s happened a lot!). Here specifically, Deb Newhall talks a lot about color and how that ties into the events of “I Care a Lot”– also emotion. As others have commented about, it’s not really something I have much experience with or knowledge about, but as an audience member I have definitely noticed it before. I haven’t seen “I Care a Lot” but I’m interested in at least watching the trailer now, to see some of these costumes the article references. I agree with Bridget- I would have loved to see some more photos as they referenced the different costumes; seeing the specific visual details of what they are talking about would have helped my understanding a lot. Overall, I loved reading about costumes as per usual– I find it so fascinating. I definitely highly recommend this article!!
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