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Don’t underestimate the importance of wardrobe! (says designer Shpetim Zero)

22 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by in Pre-Production, Wardrobe

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I sat down with Shpetim Zero to discuss his passion for costume design and his frustration that wardrobe decisions aren’t always given the weight and time (and budget) they deserve. Film is a visual medium and, after all, the garments worn by characters are among the most compelling and revealing visual elements of a film. We sat down to talk at my apartment in West Hollywood, with Sphetim splitting his attention between me and my pug Romeo.

Hunter: So Sphetim, when did you first get into costume design?

Shpetim: I first started doing costumes in theater, in college. But I always had a thing for clothing. Even as a kid, I used to check out clothing, shoes – it was just an innate passion, figuring out how things were made. But it took a more tactile form, a practical form when I started doing costumes for theatrical productions in Santa Barbara. Then I delved more into it and went to school for it.

Hunter: You’ve had success as a haute coutre designer. How is it different to make a garment from scratch as opposed to finding the right item for a film character?

Shpetim: It’s a craft to somehow match something to a character, but it isn’t always necessarily the ‘right’ or ‘perfect’ thing. But when you’re building it, you can actually start the energy of the costume within the character’s energy so that it becomes fully, exactly what you want. This mostly comes in terms of fantasy. Things are made when we do things in fantasy.

Garment designed and constructed by Shpetim Zero.

Garment designed and constructed by Shpetim Zero.

Hunter: Sounds like you prefer to build.

Shpetim: I prefer to build because you actually create a look. And you can manipulate a look. You can manipulate a look better by building it than by trying to find it. It’s a lot more work, but it actually saves time cause you’re not running around town finding things. But with budgets…

Hunter: Sure, low budgets…

Shpetim: Right, it can be a problem. But if you do have a budget or a semi-budget, I prefer to build things. But even finding things, you can be innovative. You can do a lot.

Hunter: Like I thought that what you found for Jerod in the reading really worked and helped bring that character to life.

Shpetim: It was limited. The shirt didn’t actually fit that well. Certain things could be made if we had a budget. But it’s actually okay not to have a budget. You can still be innovative.

Hunter: What are your favorite movies, in terms of costumes?

Shpetim: The three I like the most all have ‘beauty’ in their names. So, Dangerous Beauty, Stealing Beauty and Stage Beauty.  Dangerous Beauty was all done by Gabriella Pescucci. It was all done by Tirelli costume house, which is in Rome. We’re talking about real renassaince costumes, complete real constructions. Stealing Beauty is Bernardo Bertolucci.

Hunter: Oh yeah, he’s good.

Shpetim: Yeah in terms of movies, you could take Hellboy…who cares about the story line? But in terms of costuming and what Del Toro did with the look of that film….costume-wise that film is beyond brilliant. Or Underworld. I don’t even care about the story, but the clothing structure that was built and corsetry were BEYOND, you know what I’m saying? So I look at movies just for the clothing sometimes.

Hunter: Well, that makes sense because of your passion. That’s how you hook into it. So let me ask you this, in terms of the business side of these designers making clothing for film, are these designers making their money from costume design for film or is that just giving them the prestige to leverage into other things?

Garment designed by Shpetim Zero

Garment designed by Shpetim Zero

Shpetim: You make money creating collections that go into mass production. The companies that make money in the fashion world are the companies that do mass production wear. American Apparel. Diesel. Bebe. Zara, internationally. Gap. These are the companies that actually make money because they’re selling to the masses. Selling to the masses is not necessarily creating innovative collections. Innovative collections are created to attract attention, but then you start selling to the masses.

Costume designing is extremely different than fashion designing. They’re two separate entities. They are related, in terms of design. They’re like branches of the same tree.

Hunter: Kind of like theater acting and film acting?

Shpetim: Even more distant than that. They’re very distant branches. Because costume designing, especially here in L.A., just deals with buying shit. No one is REALLY costume designing unless it’s Anna Karenina.

Hunter: I love that film.

Shpetim: Films like that are actually building. And even then, sometimes only the costumes for the main actors are being built, not the rest. Because there’s not enough budget.

Hunter: Not enough money, right?

Shpetim: Right.  So for a project like Inside-Out, Outside-In, we’re not building.  The creativity that comes into it is creating that “essence” that you’re trying to achieve and you have to be open to interpretation when you don’t have much of a budget. But I really want you to take a look at Hellboy and the creative aspect of what was done, in terms of puppetry and building. Innovative. Innovative. Innovative.

[AT THIS POINT WE TAKE A BREAK IN OUR INTERVIEW TO CHECK OUT IMAGERY FROM HELLBOY]

Hunter: You’ve told me before that you sometimes feel your department is underestimated. Tell me about that.

Shpetim: Costume designing is really crucial because it’s creating almost 50-75% of the first impact, visually. So I think it’s really important, whether it’s a fantasy, whether it’s a period piece or whether it’s current day, costume is very important. And it doesn’t get as much respect as it should just because people don’t understand it. They take it for granted, like the mother’s love. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.

Hunter: Even if you have a low budget production, you can still make sure the costumes fit properly. You can still make sure the color palette is right.

Shpetim: Yeah! You can’t use my wardrobe in your projects any more, though.

Hunter: OK.

Shpetim: You can find wardrobe, but not the costume designer’s wardrobe.

[WE LAUGH. AND IN MY MIND, I’M HOPING HE IS JOKING, NOT SETTING A BOUNDARY. SUCH IS MY RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MAGICAL AND MERCURIAL SHPETIM ZERO]

SHpe

Designer Shpetim Zero, smelling the roses.

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Hunter Lee Hughes is a filmmaker and actor living and working in Los Angeles and the founder of Fatelink. His current feature film Guys Reading Poems is touring film festivals and this blog is dedicated to the process of making his second feature film, “Inside-Out, Outside-In.” If you enjoy the blog, please support our team by following us on Facebook, Twitter (@Fatelink) or Instagram (@Fatelink).

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Abhaya in the world….

30 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by in Pre-Production, Wardrobe

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First sketch from costume designer Shpetim Zero of “Abhaya in the World.” (As opposed to Abhaya…in the monastery).

Look out for an interview with Shpetim soon! We cover everything from costume design vs fashion design, creating a look on a low budget and the spiritual challenges of creativity. Plus, Shpetim reveals the three movies with best costume design ever. (Hint: They all have the word ‘Beauty’ in the title).

Abhaya in the world copy

“Abhaya in the World.” Sketch by Shpetim Zero, who is prepping the costumes for indie feature film “Inside-Out, Outside-In.”

Lost Youth Revisited via Don Bachardy Nude Portraits

22 Friday Feb 2013

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In 2003, I took a month-long stint as a nude sitter for legendary portrait artist Don Bachardy. He captured the mash-up of my youthful confidence and a burgeoning sexuality still defining itself in the midst of its aesthetic peak. I took the job seriously despite my woeful ignorance of Don’s importance in the art world at the time. But something about the manner of the man, even more than the evidence of his accomplishments hanging all around, jolted an instinct that my earnest cooperation might aid in the creation of something memorable.

Just yesterday, with ten years of aging and life experience under my belt, I arrived once more at Don’s studio inside his idyllic Santa Monica home. The task was to select one of Don’s paintings as a set piece my upcoming film, “Inside-Out, Outside-In,” since the plot of the film includes my character’s history as a nude model in youth. Don generously agreed to the inclusion of one of his real life paintings after a nerve-racking phone call pitch. In preparation for my arrival, Don had laid out fourteen paintings in a square formation on an oversize table with two paintings he clearly favored filling up the center of the square. As I looked at them, I couldn’t help but wonder if my small contribution as a model in his collection of portraits might outlast any and all of my own creative accomplishments in a lifetime. It’s an exhilarating but humbling realization.

Artist Don Bachardy

Artist Don Bachardy

Back in 2003, Don was in his late 60s, I believe. His stamina and work ethic really stunned me, especially considering the physical strain of his job. We worked eight hour days, with Don creating four paintings a session. A quick ten minute break occurred in between each painting. During the breaks, Don brought out some water and we’d make small talk, although it was small talked charged with the difference in our wardrobe. Some nuggets of information about his process were forthcoming during these breaks. At the time, Don believed in working quickly, creating something, then moving on to the next painting. From our short conversations, it seemed to me that the present moment was of cardinal importance to him and he trusted it more than the desire to perfect or alter something after the fact.

In our case, the nature of the artist and his subject seemed fortuitous. Indeed, Don relentlessly provoked and captured the erotic experiment of a somewhat dangerous young man. I didn’t take the job for the money, although I was well-compensated. Two years after a significant, five-month love affair, I had lost all sense that my sexuality was important, sacred, meaningful. I was uber-resistant to the hookup scene so powerfully seductive in Los Angeles but  when I saw the ad for nude sitters, I sensed an opportunity to explore a powerful latent sexuality that I had no clue how to harness or express. Don sensed this as well, but was either too smart or too kind to acknowledge my motives.

As a novice sitter, Don told me to simply and naturally find a pose, then hold it for two hours or so. I took his direction literally. Once you’ve sat completely still for hours, you realize how often we move our bodies to relieve slight discomfort or just to change things up. When forced to stay frozen, the areas of your body that bear weight tire, then rebel at the increasing physical pain experienced. But, seeing Don’s seventy-something muscles moving the entire time I was sitting was more than motivation enough to “hold the pose” at all costs. So I tolerated some major discomfort without moving, sometimes softly crying as a result of the effort. Sometimes the tears weren’t about the strain on my body.

I remembered those tears when looking at Don’s work. He had included them on some of the faces of the Hunter from so long ago.

My fashion designer friend Shpetim Zero and Don chimed in on which one would be best for the film. It came down to a debate between which pieces interested us the most versus which were most likely to be displayed by the character in the movie. I was torn and unsure, undoubtedly distracted by the sense memory of my life ten years ago. Finally, Don offered to frame and loan me five of the paintings, which was the best result possible, stemming from my indecision or his enthusiasm or both.

Before I left the house, I gave Don a hug and thanked him for the generous loan of his work. But the quality of the hug communicated – hopefully to both of us – that I was thanking him for more than a huge favor in 2013…I was thanking him for valuing my sexuality and erotic sensibility at the moment I needed it most.

Don Bachardy in youth

Don Bachardy in youth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hunter Lee Hughes is a filmmaker and actor living and working in Los Angeles and the founder of Fatelink. His current feature film Guys Reading Poems is touring film festivals and this blog is dedicated to the process of making his second feature film, “Inside-Out, Outside-In.” If you enjoy the blog, please support our team by following us on Facebook, Twitter (@Fatelink) or Instagram (@Fatelink).