It's been about two weeks since the last update to the Ender's Game production blog, but today's entry was worth the wait, not so much from the photo that came with it, but from Roberto Orci's comments on the costume design and what we can expect from the future-inspired look of the characters.
Directed by Gavin Hood, Summit's upcoming Ender's Game is an adaptation of Orson Scott Card's sci-fi novel by the same name, starring Asa Butterfield and Harrison Ford. Set in the future, Ender's Game follows a child named Ender who is recruited to attend a space-set battle school to prepare for a war with a race of aliens referred to as Buggers. Ender's set up as something of an underdog, though he proves to be an especially gifted strategist, which is part of what makes him a good leader and a great character to follow.
Producer Roberto Orci has been generously updating the Ender's Game production blog fairly regularly, giving us the inside scoop on what's going on with the making of the movie. Though word from some of the cast via Twitter is that filming wrapped up this week. But hopefully we'll still be hearing more from the blog as things head toward post.
It seems likely that a future-set movie runs the risk of looking dated down the line. As a novel, Ender's Game holds up surprisingly well as far as how it depicts the future. And with its militaristic setting, the movie might have less of a challenge when it comes to designing a futuristic world that doesn't eventually look dated. (Or at least, the shelf-life may be a bit longer than if it were set mainly on earth.) But there are other challenges involved in creating a look for the film, especially when it comes to the costumes, as Orci discusses in this week's entry…
What're we looking at? Bolts of fabric! Not especially exciting, unless you consider that some of that fabric may have been transformed into futuristic jumpsuits for children and/or International Fleet soldiers. It looks like the tag (pattern piece?) on top says Petra, so maybe the fabric was used for Hailee Steinfeld's costumes.
Orci's comments take the image further, first by complimenting Christine Bieselin-Clark, the costume designer tasked to dress the characters for the movie, and then discussing the idea of making a future that looks "both functional and logical."
You think your job is tough? Try having to dress an entire imaginary, future-world.That responsibility fell to Christine Bieselin-Clark, our wonderful costume designer. She was tasked with making the future look — and even feel — real and tangible.With science fiction, there’s a danger in creating a look that seems so foreign it becomes alienating. For ENDER’S GAME, we wanted to make a future that looked both functional and logical. We wanted it to be a future where you can picture yourself in their shoes.But of course, it is the future. For the uniforms, all synthetic materials were used, meaning no loud silk florals. And for the flash suits… well, we actually had to create them out of thin air.Christine built the flash suits from virtually non-existent fabrics designed by our incredible production team. The idea was to take cues from “extreme sports” to inspire our design, using real world practicality as opposed to the heightened reality of superhero spandex and a cape.And the best part? They look pretty darn cool.
They sound pretty darn cool! How long will we have to wait until a look at those flash suits shows up online?! On the bright side, no loud silk florals is a relief, to say the least.
I like that Orci brings up trying not to create a look that's "so foreign it becomes alienating." One of the great things about Ender's Game is how accessible the story and characters are, even for those of us who aren't necessarily sci-fi fanatics. Though I hadn't had much experience with sci-fi novels at the time that I read it, I was immediately drawn in by Ender's Game. The futuristic setting certainly plays a major part, but much of what makes the story so great is in the characters. Humanity, intellect, strategy and compassion all factor into the story. While I'm sure we're all expecting to see futuristic costumes, given how far into the future the story takes place, it seems like the goal is to aim for something somewhat familiar, so that it doesn't hinder our ability to relate to the people in the story.
Orci has some amusing comments about the the costume for Nonso Anozie, who plays Sergeant Dap in the film. Game of Thrones fans will recognize Anozie for recently playing the role of Xaro Xhoan Daxos in the HBO drama. Read what Orci had to say about Anozie's suit here.
Ender's Game arrives in theaters November 1, 2013. More information can be found in our Blend Film Database.
