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Film costume designers
The costume is the message
Costumes in Hero play an important role in visual attraction.
(Courtesy of Miramax Films Corp.)
By Florence
Wong
Costume designers design clothes that match a film’s theme, a character’s personality and relationships among them. They transform directors’ imaginations into reality.
Upon receiving a film script, costume designers first analyze the film’s content. Then they do research on the story and communicate with the art directors, photographers and film directors to decide the scenes. The next step is to design the clothes.
Lee Pik Kwan, winner of Best Costume & Make Up Design Award in the 18th Hong Kong Film Awards, said they have to consider several factors like color, texture and weight.
She said the work process is easier and more direct for modern films, where designers simply buy the clothes and make changes on them. But if the film is set in an ancient period, costume designers have to draw drafts of the costumes and send them to a tailor.
Ms. Lee said, “The relative importance of costume design varies in different films.”
She pointed out that in Golden Chicken and Hero, costume design played an important role.
Costumes in the former emphasized the background of the story while those in the latter focused on visual attraction.
Andrew Lau, director of The Stormriders and series of Infernal Affairs, said that costume design is vital for film production. Said he: “Good costumes intensify the mood of the whole film and help actors perform more easily.”
Agreeing, Ms. Lee used Ashes of Time, whose costumes were designed by Chang Suk Ping, as an example.
Said she: “In this film, Mr. Chang chose old cloths as raw materials. The clothes created a blue mood and gave strong feelings to the audience.”
Ms. Lee added, “It was one of the most successful costume designs I have seen.”
Unfortunately, many people overlook the subliminal messages in costumes.
“In Infernal Affairs, Tony Leung is always casually dressed. But when he visits Kelly Chen, he wears a bright white shirt.
“This shows his sentiment for Kelly. I wonder how many people noticed this detail,” said Ms. Lee.
Various elements are involved in designing costumes, and differing ideas between directors and designers can cause communication problems.
Said Mr. Lau: “Directors are usually more familiar with the story, so we have to explain what we want to the costume designers.”
Another problem is the lack of resources.
Said Ms. Lee: “I worked with a Beijing crew once. It is difficult to imagine how limited their resources were. Even color strings were dyed by themselves.”
However, Ms. Lee believes it is a designer’s duty to finish a design under any circumstances.
Silver Cheung, costume designer for Infernal Affairs II and Infernal Affairs III, be-lieves inspiration is the soul of design.
Said Mr. Cheung: “Very often, I get inspiration by walking in the streets. There are many interesting people and things.”
He added, “Repeating is meaningless. I want to renew and improve my designs every time.”
Mr. Cheung said the costume design in Infernal Affairs III is new.
The clothes of different actors are similar because of the complexity of their relationships.
He explained, “After Tony Leung’s death, Kelly imitates his style and wears a black leather jacket. This implies that she misses him very much.”
The work of film costume designers is tough, yet Ms. Lee feels it is worthwhile.
“I feel happy whenever I complete a project. It’s just like I have overcome a challenge,” said she.
Mr. Cheung said passion is the prime criterion for being a costume designers.
Said he: “If people don’t love films or clothes at all, they will find it boring.”