Tights, Cod Pieces and Coifs
Date: 08.07.2018 | Posted by Phillip Tolley |
One of the great pleasures of film and TV work is the costumes and makup. It takes you back to childhood memories of dressing up and being someone else: and it's always nice to be pampered.
It is aways a shame in contemporary set film work where you are asked to bring a selection of your own clothes because, no matter what is chosen for you to wear, you don't feel like you have become someone else. Actors will often tell you that they 'put on' a part or that once they put the correct shoes on then they know the character.
Filming TV series' such as Casualty is rather like a day in the office rather than a theatrical event. You wear your own clothes the BBC Cardiff Studios, you then go on set in the same clothes, do your bit and then travel home in the same clothes.
Sometime you can still get things wrong, particularly when it is not clear that the scene you are shooting in London will actually be a scene in Las Vegas. In the film 'My Dinner with Herve' with Peter Drinkwater and Jamie Dornan, for HBO, we were asked to wear Tuxedos. Now to me as an Englishman a Tuxedo is a White Dinner Jacket. We filmed at a hotel on the outskirts of Heathrow Airport. The finished scene was supposed to be a famous hotel on the Sunset Strip and it turns out an America Tuxedo is simply a normal Black Dinner Jacket.
On another occasion we were just told than we would be an audience at a government committee. So I dressed smartly and turned up for filming complete with added style. In the film the audience at what turned out to be a American Senate hearing, discussing the fate of Dinoraurs, are fairly blurred otherwise you would have noticed a very smart american in a cravat..
It always feels far more of an event if you have a 'costume' to wear. It's adds to the feeling that you are 'creating' something and if you are being given prostetic ears, sideburn or a exaggerated beard, that's even better.
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| WILL (TV Series 2017) | THE OXFORD MURDERS (2008) | |
Costumes are always important when considering what you can hide underneath. In the winter months that should include thermals and water restistant socks as well as mobile phone storage. Sometimes costumes are so fitted or scant that a prominent rectangular lump in an odd area is likely to be noticed.
Some men do like to go commando, but doing so for a costume fitting is neither appropriate or thoughtful
Quite often you will find yourself filming winter scenes in the height of summer or vice versa. In the last month during what has been one of the hottest summers on record I have had to wear five layers of floor lengths wool garments. Filming inside a claustrophobic set with arc lights has led to uncomfortable and less than fragrant filming. We even had some SAs fainting on set (despite bottled water being readily available).
On another show you will find us filming in frozen mud in January with some poor SA playing the part of a barefoot beggar with a hair shirt, breeches and little else.
Costume envy does occasionally happen but mostly it is just a warbrobe decision. I recently took the part of a Bishop while my friend played the role of an Archbishop. I orginally had a very nice cross on a chain, gold with pearl insets. Until the wardbrobe department decided the Archbishop should have 'MY' cross and I should have his less elaborate one. To add insult to injury I was originally pencilled to play his role.
There is also the apocryphal story about a well known actor who was filming a role set in France. The Supporting Artist who was playing the French Mayor had an elaborate costume with a sash, braid and various medals and decoration. During the course of the day all the sashs, braid, medals and decorations disappeared and re-appeared on the well known actors costume.
Different make-up and hair can also add to the theatrically of the day. I have had prostetic ears, added hair both on head and chin as well as challenging hair cuts.
On a recent shoot I was asked if I would have a 'Tonsure' - a medieval style clerical hair cut. Since I had a number of days work on the film I decided to go ahead.
What you need to consider in major changes to your appearance is how long will it take for your appearance to return to it's norm and are you likely to lose work while your appearance is in transition.
The day after I finished my 'Tonsured' role I was in a film set in the 1980s. Luckily the wardobe department felt my tonsure look was quite 'funky'.
If you are required to have your hair cut for a role, not just trimmed, then you may be able to claim an extra payment (unless you have previously been warned that short, back and sides is required)
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Having finally registered as a professional supporting artiste with the the Revenue work seemed to have dried up. Having said that three major films have now popped up and I have been asked about my availability for them. One is the new Downton Abbey film, the next is Netflix's The Crown and the third is Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. The only problem is all three are being filmed during the same 2 week period.
We wait to see if any of them actually result in a booking.
Here is a publicity shot taken while we were recently filming a medieval feature film called 'The King' which is due for release in 2019. I was cast as the Bishop of London while Timothée Chalamet plays Henry V. Here we are processing prior to his coronation...
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