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.”
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