THE FIFTH ELEMENT

As part of the briefing for the PFP event, they specify The Fifth Element as a reference with which to dress to. Luc Bessons 1997 film features supermodel Milla Jovovich as Leelou (the perfect being created and sent by aliens to save earth) and Bruce Willis as Korben Dallas (Special forces turned taxi driver) teaming up to save earth from the ultimate 'Evil'. Fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier designed the costumes for the movie, including the iconic bandage dress that Leelou wears throughout the first half of the movie, and was very much involved with Besson throughout the project in order to create something magical - creating hundreds of costumes in total. The costumes themselves are bright, colourful and fun and incorporate traditional materials as well as looking futuristic. 

The bandage dress - inspired by Gaultier's underwear as outwear collection. 

Korben Dallas and the Flight attendants - Besson said there is always an overriding colour to his films, The Fifth Element's being orange (Korben's vests, Leelou's hair).

Like the flight attendants, this women's costume is an over sexualised interpretation of the restriction uniforms that often women have to wear. The Mcdonalds lady only appears for a few seconds of the movie- showing the attention to detail. 

Zorg’s first outfit is a classic play on villain attire – a long pinstripe jacket over a matching waistcoat and trousers that are tucked into calf-length boots. The waistcoat is worn over an iridescent green shirt with a high curved collar that accentuates the transparent plastic head plate  (its function is never explained). In a nod to futurism, the suit is made from rubber and the jacket has a vibrant red lining, highlighting his barely-concealed manic persona. For Zorg’s second look, Gaultier replaced the pinstripe waistcoat with an orange and green ombre version – the fabric looks very hi-tech but is less intimidating that the classic stripes. In fact, it’s whilst wearing this outfit that the audience is made aware of his weaknesses, which invariably affects his ‘villain’ status. This shiny outfit set Zorg apart from all the other characters, he is literally fighting for a different ending, and his style serves as a constant visual reminder. Zorg’s colour palette is picked up by other ‘bad’ characters – see the perspex mini skirt that one of the shape-shifting Mangalores wears at the airport. - https://girlsdofilm.wordpress.com/2014/06/08/gaultier-and-the-fifth-element/

Multipass - could be an interesting thing to have in my costumes pocket, a pass that allows us to time travel?

STEAMPUNK/CYBERGOTH RESEARCH

Steampunk is a science fiction genre that in media and film depicts an alternative reality where technology is powered by steam. The technology is often as advanced as the technology we are familiar with in our modern day. The inventions and aesthetic ideals of steampunk derive from the 19th century to become Neo-Victorian, and combine natural elements with the man made, rendering most of the 'inventions' without function. The term supposedly comes from literature as far back as the 1950s, and it was originally used as another term for 'cyberpunk'. The cybergoth subculture started when industrial metal music developed a repetitive beat that became common in clubs during the late 80s/early 90s. This drew goths into the clubs who embraced the club culture and began to incorporate the UV lights and colours into their wardrobes. 

To me, both steampunk and cybergoth fashion is caught in between two worlds between the past and present; the combination of old dress styles with futuristic and modern materials creates the appearance that the wearer dapples in time-travel. 

A quick Pinterest search into Steampunk/Cyber Goth!

Characteristics of Steampunk:

Traditional Victorian formal dress (top hats, corsets, etc.) combined with new fixings and decorations - usually in metal
Inventions that don't necessarily have a purpose/function (ray guns that obviously don't work)
Leather/metal contrasting
Goggles (flying goggles)
Sheets of metal held together with rivets
Gears/cogs

Characteristics of Cyber Goth:

Similar to those of Steampunk but with the addition of neon colours and other fabrics
Lights are often used
The use of gas masks (to live in a post apocalyptic world)

https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/yvxy7k/the-past-and-future-of-cybergoth-the-most-maligned-uk-subculture

Steampunk Research Maisie Moffatt

I knew fellow student Maisie had worked on a project that focused on steampunk previously so wanted to pick her brains about what she knew. She mentioned Rub and Buff, which is a paint based paste that gives things a metal-like effect that would be useful when making gears and cogs look more realistic. She also mentioned some bands that dress in steampunk attire that would be good for reference. 

Maisie's work itself has also incorporated steampunk. For an A-level project she created a character that had been caught between worlds; a girl who was trapped between the past and the present. Below is the dress that the girl would have worn; objects and trinkets from her memories decorate the dress, all rendered useless as they are not used for their original function. The reference to time and caught between times is clear with the use of the watch to hold up the dress and with the drawings of clocks on the skirt. The ensemble is a mixture of textures and materials which help to give it a mysterious and otherworldly appearance. I love the idea of creating a character and developing every aspect of them, including their memories and feelings.  

The Puppet Theatre

Jodie and I took a trip to the puppet theatre last week to try get some primary research for our project and get insight into how they are made. We went there with the intention of just taking a few photos and organising a date to talk to someone in more depth about puppets, but when we got there it was so much more informative than we could have hoped. One of only 3 puppet theatres in the UK we were lucky enough to be given a tour of the modelling workshops and theatre (where there was performance workshop happening) and got to talk to Zara Goodfellow who is part of the creative learning team at the theatre, about the different methods of making and moving puppets. What I didn't realise is that an easier method of making marionettes is to use rods instead of strings as the strings can be easily tangled. A wire armature with hinges and two rods - like the wolf puppet below - is a very simple and lightweight structure that we could add textures and fabric on to. The wolf puppet looks so realistic and I think thats because the performer has more control with rods as they are easier to move. Zara told us about a book by David Currell 'Puppets and Puppet Theatre' which has diagrams and instructions on how to making marionettes including how to work them. She is also going to connect us with Tin House productions, who specialise in making outdoor, large scale sets and puppets. Tin House were responsible for the elephants at the Lord Mayors procession this year in Norwich. After going to the Puppet Theatre, I am intrigued about the relationship between the performer, the puppet and the audience. The puppet and the puppeteer have a relationship - one cannot exist without the other. The puppeteer has to 'perform' the puppet in order to make it realistic, and it is a performance in itself however, for the most part the audience almost forgets about the puppeteer and focuses solely on the puppet. I love this dynamic and I think it would be interesting to create some kind of narrative between the puppet, puppeteer and the viewer.