My third week of working in New York went by very quickly. I got to work on more varied types of projects this week which I would like to share with you!
On Tuesday, they were filming in the Chelsea area. They had some sort of shoe emergency, because the costume department for some reason did not have the same shoes for the stunt double for Alicia Silverstone as in the original costume. So, I ran over to the art supply store, picked up some paint and glitter, took a cab to set, and we went to work trying to make the shoes look as similar as possible. The originals are on the left and the imposter pair of shoes is on the right. They used to be a rich cognac color, but they got some spray paint and glitter, and we figured it was good to go!
The sidewalk on the side of the costume truck looked like there had been a glitter massacre.
It was interesting to watch the filming happen in the city. It is more hectic, because there are pedestrians and regular cars constantly coming through the set- the road was not closed off.
Here is "Hermes" and his vespa-riding stunt double.
After the shoe disaster morning, Sabrina (another intern) and I were sent to Salvation Army. It was 1/2 price day, and we were told to buy $400 worth of "normal" clothes. Very loose directions, so we just went for it! Basically, the clothes will be used for props- not costumes, because there is a scene where there are bundles and racks of people's clothes. Even if nobody ever wears any of it, it was fun to be able to shop for the movie anyway!
We had to take the freight elevator out of the place because we had so much stuff. $400 on half-price day at Salvation Army is A LOT of clothes. And we went over-budget.
The next few days I went to Early Halloween to do returns, and I passed by this jewelry store. The area where Early Halloween is is incredible- chock full of the most random stores related to apparel, like mannequin stores, or retail supplies, or vintage, or furs. Take a look at this jewelry store- absolutely floor to ceiling vintage stuff!
On Thursday, I was assigned to go scope out Central Park groundskeeper uniforms. Basically, I had to take photos of them, hopefully without them noticing, and capture enough detail so that the costume designer can recreate them for a scene that takes place in Central Park. I never thought about it before, but all of the background people in films are cast and costumed- it's not like they are in Central Park and some of the real groundskeepers just happen to get into the shot. I never realized before how every single thing in a film is carefully calculated and purposeful. I am also impressed at how well the whole organism works- so many departments all have to come together at the same time to get just 10 seconds of filming right. It's a miracle they are on schedule!
So, I got good shots of groundskeepers (I felt like a detective, it was great!). I even waited outside of the men's bathroom for one of them to walk out the door. What an assignment.
I am feeling like I am getting familiar with the processes and procedures that keep the costume department organized and efficient. On Friday, I packed 8 boxes to be shipped back to London, full of period costume rentals. There are a lot of things to remember, because all of the costumes have to be returned in the original box they came in, with the invoices attached, before a particular date. I am very impressed with Kate, the Costume Coordinator, who keeps track of it all. Even the way garment tags are hung on the garment bags is specified, in addition to the direction garment bags are hung on the rack. I like organization (like my obsession with matching hangers), so it suits me well, I think.
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