For our first project in Level 5 we completed a design project based on Shakespeare's The Tempest. We had the freedom to choose the concept, venue, budget and cast. We also chose whether we did the project as a film or theatre piece. Film project students were to complete 16 costume designs, a poster, a sketchbook and 2 headdresses, collaborating with making students. Theatre students were to complete 8 costume designs, a poster, a sketchbook and a set model.
I chose to do a film piece. I chose the concept of colonialism and set it in an abandoned settlement island. Prospero and Miranda live in one of the settlement houses built by the English before it was abandoned. The courtiers I dressed as 18th century aristocrats, using monochrome wools, velvets, corduroy and silks for the suits, and either gold, silver or bronze silk waistcoats and embroidered trimming depending on their status in court. I also matched buttons to the coats and waistcoats. I dressed the island characters in traditional native American clothing. Researching native America is fascinating, the effort and dedication they put into their clothing is amazing, I gave them suede and natural silk and linen costumes and used beading, embroidery and animal parts to decorate, just like they would have. They also have different meanings for different colours so I was able to assign these colours to characters in the decoration. For filming locations I chose the Jamestown historical park as it is an accurate example of what a settlement in the America would have looked like. For the rest of the island scenes I chose Puzzlewood in the Forest of Dean as it has an otherworldly feel to it and could create amazing angles of cinematography during the scenes. Puzzlewood has been used to film scenes in BBC's Merlin, Atlantis and Star Wars The Force Awakens. I used ethnically accurate actors to cast the film, using Native American actors for the island characters and (all star) white actors to play the courtiers. On the day of Hand-In we set our designs up in an exhibit space ready for assessment and the open day the following weekend.
I chose to do a film piece. I chose the concept of colonialism and set it in an abandoned settlement island. Prospero and Miranda live in one of the settlement houses built by the English before it was abandoned. The courtiers I dressed as 18th century aristocrats, using monochrome wools, velvets, corduroy and silks for the suits, and either gold, silver or bronze silk waistcoats and embroidered trimming depending on their status in court. I also matched buttons to the coats and waistcoats. I dressed the island characters in traditional native American clothing. Researching native America is fascinating, the effort and dedication they put into their clothing is amazing, I gave them suede and natural silk and linen costumes and used beading, embroidery and animal parts to decorate, just like they would have. They also have different meanings for different colours so I was able to assign these colours to characters in the decoration. For filming locations I chose the Jamestown historical park as it is an accurate example of what a settlement in the America would have looked like. For the rest of the island scenes I chose Puzzlewood in the Forest of Dean as it has an otherworldly feel to it and could create amazing angles of cinematography during the scenes. Puzzlewood has been used to film scenes in BBC's Merlin, Atlantis and Star Wars The Force Awakens. I used ethnically accurate actors to cast the film, using Native American actors for the island characters and (all star) white actors to play the courtiers. On the day of Hand-In we set our designs up in an exhibit space ready for assessment and the open day the following weekend.
I worked with 2 makers to make headdresses to go with their costumes. I worked with Tilly Webley to make a crown to go with her Queen (gender bent King Alonso) costume, and with Georgia Jacob on horns to go with her Caliban costume. We were taught basic techniques with wire to create shapes and structures then adorned them with beads, ribbons and fabrics to create the desired textures for the headdresses. There was a peacock motif on the back of the Queen bodice so I used that as inspiration and put a peacock feather as the centre piece for the crown. I used some of the fabric Georgia gave me that she was using for her costume and wrapped the horns in it so the textures matched then threaded beads around the base of each in blue and green shades. I also tied small fabric scraps on the horns in blue and red.
To make the poster, I wrapped an embroidery hoop in brown wool and I tied feathers to the ends to make a dreamcatcher, the object I chose to represent the magic of the island. I researched dreamcatchers and their meanings and they were made to catch good dreams in the web and let bad dreams slip through, then the good dreams would slide down the feathers back to the sleeping person underneath. I then went out to the yard and found a piece of old fence, which I broke into pieces and masking taped together to make a piece of driftwood, I then positioned them in a kitchen bowl full of water and black paint and took photos close up so all together it looked like a dreamcatcher on a piece of floating shipwreck out at sea.