Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1154384
Summer 2019 The Costume Designer 51 Carol Spier (production designer), Marcel Zyskind (DP), Anne Dixon (Costume Designer) IN FOCUS BOLDFACE NAMES BFN - WORK Compiled and written by: Bonnie Nipar, bnipar@cdgia.com Stacy Ellen Rich, lastace@mac.com "Viggo is a gem and a pleasure to collaborate with!" enthuses CD Anne Dixon who has just finished designing Viggo Mortensen's directorial debut film, Falling, in Los Angeles. A Renaissance man, Mortensen wrote, produced, directed, and starred in a very personal story of a father-and-son relationship, playing out as their very dif- ferent worlds and memories collide. His passion project brought many great players to the table, including Lance Henriksen, Laura Linney, David Cronenberg, Sverrir Gudnason, Hannah Gross, and Terry Chen. Falling was creatively exciting for Dixon as she meshed with DP Marcel Zyskind and once again with production designer Carol Spier. "To tell the story of the main character, John, throughout the decades," Dixon says, "look out for the subtle bits of red in the costumes." All hands were on deck with knitting needles clicking, making sure they had period-correct, hand-knitted accessories— keeping it intimate and real. "We were a lean team but with lots of passion, collaboration, and wine—what magic!" says Dixon. "My Toronto crew was great working in their layers and parkas while filming in a freezing, windswept Canadian winter, and it was a joy to meet a whole new team to finish shooting in the warmth and sunshine of Venice Beach!" After 14 years, CD Michael T. Boyd returned to North Caro- lina to film The 24th, the true stor y of the 2 4 t h U n i t e d States Regiment of Infantry and their involve- ment in the Houston Riot of 1917. The movie wa s w r i t t e n and directed by Academy Award winner Kevin Willmott (BlacKkKlansman) and stars Trai Byers (Empire) and two of Boyd's old friends—Mykelti Williamson (Buffalo Soldiers) and Thomas Haden Church (Heaven Is for Real). The story centers on a little known historical event occurring when the black regiment of the 24th Infantry was stationed in Houston, Texas, at the outbreak of WWI to guard the construction site of the new Camp Logan. The soldiers were US regulars and after only a month in Houston, they endured extreme racism and persecution at the hands of the Houston Police Department and others. It all comes to a boiling point one night when a group of the soldiers mutiny, and seek vengeance and justice on the town as they make their way to the police station. When it was all over, the largest court martial in US history took place and 13 of the accused were executed by hanging. Boyd considers it an honor to be a part of bringing this horrific yet important story to the screen. "Working with Kevin was an absolute dream, the perfect person to helm this story. Thanks to his trust, I had a lot of design freedom with the civil- ian cast and extras. The cast and crew were amazing and everyone gave the maximum effort the story deserved." CD Shay Cunliffe is designing Season 3 of Westworld with the invaluable assistance of CD Jo Kissack and CD Amanda Riley. ACD Giorgia Tramontano is also part of the team, focusing on the background costumes. Halfway through its eight episodes with a few trailers available online, Cunliffe reveals that this season takes us to some very different worlds and introduces us to some new char- acters, played by Aaron Paul, Vincent Cassel, and Pom Klementieff, among others. WWIII's fresh storylines unfold in future world Los Angeles (think 2055), as well as 1940s Italy. Shooting mainly takes place around Los Angeles, but is enhanced by some spectacular loca- tion work in Spain (Valencia and Besalú) and Singapore. "The impres- sive architecture in those locations has been a huge inspiration for the challenging look of this season." Mykelti Williamson and Michael T. Boyd on set, or as Mykelti tells everyone "The Two Michael T's!" Disney Channel's Just Roll With It, a multi-camera hybrid sitcom that is part scripted and part improv, relies heavily on the talent of both cast and crew. Shot before a live audience, its cast includes Tobie Windham (Walk the Prank), Suzi Barrett (Upright Citizens Brigade, Disney's Kirby Buckets), Ramon Reed (The Lion King), and Kaylin Hayman (One Day at a Time) as a blended family of parents and two tween siblings with contrasting personalities. At three random points in the show unknown to the cast or audience, the scripted action is suddenly interrupted by the sound of a foghorn, the cast is sequestered, and the audience votes on which of the three comedic scenarios they would like to see take place next. CD Joyce Kim Lee and her crew have to fit not only the main actors for the scripted scenes, but also costumes for nine different scenarios that could in- clude a variety of guest actors, stuntmen, and/or extras, even though only three make it to the screen. Lee fits all the added players in a separate room so the cast has no idea what scenario they might be playing. Lee confides that on one particularly crazy episode where the audience got to choose between ninjas, cowboys, or pirates for the final scene, five stuntmen and four guest actors each had to be fit for all three choices. When the audience picked ninjas, Lee and her crew had to dress them as quickly as possible, then make peace with the fact that the amazing pirate and cowboy options they worked so hard on would never see the light of day. Lee quips, "It's the nature of the show … I have to just roll with it."