Film

Costume Design in the Alien Franchise

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The release of Alien Covenant this past week makes this an excellent time to reflect on the franchise as a whole. The original 1979 film directed by Ridley Scott single handedly came to define the space horror genre. While much has been made of H.R Giger’s alien designs, the film’s popularity and success largely hinges on its ability to pack immense detail into every scene. The original film utilizes set design, music, costumes and even custom typography to bring the world to life. The epic world building in the original set the standard for the entire franchise but today I want to take a closer look at the costume design in particular. The costumes and clothing seen throughout the franchise have had an immense impact on future sci-fi films and even the film industry as a whole. I’ll be breaking down the costume design of the original Alien trilogy below.

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The Photography of Richard Mosse

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Every  now and then I stumble upon something I haven’t seen before that visually captivities me. When I first saw the photos of Richard Mosse, I was drawn in and had to find more of his work.  The irish artist and photographer has captured beautiful photojournalistic photos of people and landscapes in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. He achieves the look of these photos by using a discontinued film stock  Aerochrome. The Kodak film was invented during the Cold War in conjunction with the US military in order to see enemy activity from the air and it’s this process which gives these photos a dreamy ‘Dr.Seuss’ feel.

These photos are from the critically acclaimed photographic series “Infra,” shot in the DRC. He recently embarked on a new project which is entitled  “The Enclave,”  it’s a multimedia installation that opened last weekend at the Irish Pavilion of the Venice Biennale in Italy.  It will run at the Fondaco Marcello in Venice until November 24.

More images after the jump

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No F****** Around In Room 427 by Danny Sangra w/ The Great Divide

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No F****** Around In Room 427 from Danny Sangra on Vimeo. We’ve all been in situations on the road where hotel’s and travel accomodations didn’t really meet expectations. This short film “No F****** Around In Room 427” riffs off that exact concept. This short film is by London based photographer and filmmaker Danny Sangra. He’s … Read more

Photography: The Pilots Melancholy by Dominik Smialowski

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I came across this sci-fi inspired photo series by Polish photographer Dominik Smialowski. The series is the result of a collaboration between Dominik and artist  Joanna Pawłowska. I love photo work that has a cinematic quality to it, and the aesthetic of these images is reminiscent of sci-fi films such as Moon, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Prometheus and the upcoming Oblivion. You can see more images after the jump and see more of Dominik’s work on his official website.

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Style Inspiration: Quentin Tarantino Films

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Whenever I watch a film one of the things I take careful note of is the styling of the characters. Quentin Tarantino is one of the few modern day auteurs working and while his films may not be thought of as particuarly ‘fashionable’, I believe that his filmography is a case study in incredible styling work. The role of costume design in film is to suspend disbelief and to allow the viewer to focus on the story. In this way the characters in Tarantino’s films look so natural in their surroundings; and the clothes help convey their individual backstories without explicit exposition.

Unlike say Wes Anderson who uses a nostalgic 1970’s color palette and pulls from a consistent aesthetic for all his films, Tarantino draws from unique inspirations for each film. His films have traversed many locales and time periods but there a real consistency in the styling approach in each. The clothes worn by key characters are rarely over the top; instead they reflect a gritty sense of realism. There is a sense of the everyday in the outfits of those on-screen. The clothes are worn with authority and authenticity and through that process the clothes themselves can almost seem like an afterthought and not the result of careful curation.

Below I’ve selected visuals from Quentin Tarantino’s filmography that display his prowess as a style influencer. It’ll be interesting to see what Django Unchained looks like when it hits theaters Christmas Day.

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Wing Shya for iD Magazine Retrospective

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Fashion editorial rarely transcends into emotional and thought-provoking territory but the work of Wing Shya for iD Magazine proves that this is certainly possible. Wing Shya‘s photographic style draws me in because it captures a certain dystopian romanticism. I think his photos express loniness and alienation in modern urban life in a way that almost looks photojournalistic. … Read more

Kanye West – White Dress [Man with the Iron Fists OST]

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Being a fan of kung-fu flicks and a Wu-Tang devotee I’m counting down the days until the release of Rza’s directorial debut, “The Man with the Iron Fists“. To tide us over until then, this Rza-produced track ‘White Dress’ has been released with a slideshow-esque video. The song has’Ye spittin like it’s “Late Registration” era. … Read more

IRL Film Trailer

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You may have seen director’s Grant Singer’s work in the form of music videos for Sky Ferreira (Everything is Embarrasing) and Brooklyn band DIIV (I Wanna Take you Out). His forthcoming project is a full length film entitled’ IRL’, this is the first trailer for the project. The screenplay is handled by the Senior Editor … Read more