Nlazars
Member
Hello, directors. My name is Naomi Lazarus, and I'm a costume designer. Actually, I started out as a fashion historian.
I wanted to talk to all of you about making a period piece.
Since the very beginning of filmmaking, filmmakers have been fascinated with making period pieces. They're beautiful to watch, they bring fascinating historical characters into life, and they're a lot of fun to make.
However, Hollywood's commitment to historical accuracy has waxed and waned, over the years. Some pieces (Gone With The Wind, A&E's Pride and Prejudice, Dangerous Liasons) are evidence of a passion for the period, and a desire to bring the audience into a real time and place, to envelop them in the look and feel of the period, to re-create it realistically and celebrate its beauty. Others (Braveheart, First Knight, The Tudors) both insult the intelligence of and promote the ignorance of the audience. They don't care about creating the world these characters inhabit, they don't make accuracy a priority, and they fail to introduce the context and the environment of the story. They don't do their homework.
Sometimes, this is the failing of the production designer, or the costume designer, or both; it's our job to research the period, and to re-create it accurately. Sometimes, however, it's the director who puts historical accuracy on a shelf.
Why is accuracy important? Because it's part of the story. It's part of the history. We have an opportunity to present our story in its context, but we can't do that if the visuals aren't doing the job. Every period has its own feel, and its own beauty, and it is part of the context of the story.
If you're doing a fantasy piece, or a stylized piece, then the sky's the limit. Go crazy, have fun. But if you're doing a film about a particular event or person in history, then do it right. Let us see them in their proper context. Don't dismiss the importance of historical accuracy.
Yes, I'm a snob, and a fashion history geek, and most people don't care nearly as much as I do (I'm a terrible person to go see a period piece with), but even the most ignorant audience member is affected by the quality of the production design, and they can tell when something's done right.
So, I beseech you, hire production designers and costume designers who know what they're doing, and strive to create your historical pieces with detail and accuracy.
Thank you!
I wanted to talk to all of you about making a period piece.
Since the very beginning of filmmaking, filmmakers have been fascinated with making period pieces. They're beautiful to watch, they bring fascinating historical characters into life, and they're a lot of fun to make.
However, Hollywood's commitment to historical accuracy has waxed and waned, over the years. Some pieces (Gone With The Wind, A&E's Pride and Prejudice, Dangerous Liasons) are evidence of a passion for the period, and a desire to bring the audience into a real time and place, to envelop them in the look and feel of the period, to re-create it realistically and celebrate its beauty. Others (Braveheart, First Knight, The Tudors) both insult the intelligence of and promote the ignorance of the audience. They don't care about creating the world these characters inhabit, they don't make accuracy a priority, and they fail to introduce the context and the environment of the story. They don't do their homework.
Sometimes, this is the failing of the production designer, or the costume designer, or both; it's our job to research the period, and to re-create it accurately. Sometimes, however, it's the director who puts historical accuracy on a shelf.
Why is accuracy important? Because it's part of the story. It's part of the history. We have an opportunity to present our story in its context, but we can't do that if the visuals aren't doing the job. Every period has its own feel, and its own beauty, and it is part of the context of the story.
If you're doing a fantasy piece, or a stylized piece, then the sky's the limit. Go crazy, have fun. But if you're doing a film about a particular event or person in history, then do it right. Let us see them in their proper context. Don't dismiss the importance of historical accuracy.
Yes, I'm a snob, and a fashion history geek, and most people don't care nearly as much as I do (I'm a terrible person to go see a period piece with), but even the most ignorant audience member is affected by the quality of the production design, and they can tell when something's done right.
So, I beseech you, hire production designers and costume designers who know what they're doing, and strive to create your historical pieces with detail and accuracy.
Thank you!
